Week in Sportbiz: Fifa spooked into action by Super League talk; Uefa may rip up Euro 2020 plans; London Marathon chiefs eye records January 21, 2021 Is football governing bodies’ ultimate bogeyman the European Super League in danger of actually happening? Fifa and its six confederations, including Uefa, have been sufficiently spooked into warning they will ban any footballer who takes part in a putative breakaway competition from playing in World Cups and their regional equivalents, such as the European Championship. [...]
Gloucester Rugby CEO Lance Bradley: Scrap relegation this season, it’s not right and would be catastrophic for any Premiership club January 21, 2021 “It would be catastrophic,” says Gloucester Rugby chief executive Lance Bradley, matter-of-factly, about the prospect of relegation. Gloucester sit bottom of the Premiership table after six rounds of fixtures, raising the spectre of another swingeing financial blow as all clubs count the cost of the pandemic. It hardly bears thinking about – and Bradley doesn’t [...]
Head coach Eddie Jones among three England rugby staff forced to self-isolate ahead of Six Nations January 20, 2021 England’s preparations for the Six Nations have been further disrupted by head coach Eddie Jones needing to self-isolate for 10 days. Jones and attack coach Simon Amor must isolate as they have been deemed close contacts of forwards coach Matt Proudfoot, who has tested positive for Covid-19. It follows the news that skills coach Jason [...]
Right to Dream founder Tom Vernon to explore buying British football club after securing €100m investment for pioneering project January 20, 2021 The English coach behind Africa’s leading football academy, Right to Dream, has secured a €100m investment to expand the pioneering model and explore the purchase of a British club. The deal sees Egyptian conglomerate the Mansour Group become majority shareholder in Right to Dream, which also owns Danish football club FC Nordsjaelland. Founder Tom Vernon, [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Old Lad Winston can get the Teetan show back on the road January 19, 2021 POPULAR light-weight jockey Karis Teetan has found it tough going in Hong Kong over the past couple of months. The ‘Mauritian Magician’ may still be lying third in the jockeys’ championship, but he is under threat from the likes of Alexis Badel and top seven-pound claimer Jerry Chau, who have been riding winners for fun [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Lover a Glorious best January 19, 2021 TRAINER Me Tsui finally looks set for a change of fortune when he saddles GLORIOUS LOVER in the competitive Sze Mei Handicap (12.45pm) over the extended mile. Tsui, who has saddled a dozen winners this season, last visited the winners’ circle over the Christmas period, but most of his horses have still performed with credit since, and [...]
Hong Kong Racing Tips: Purton to notch up 50th winner of the season aboard Oversubscribed January 19, 2021 EXPECT reigning champion jockey Zac Purton to bounce back to form when racing resumes with a nine-race programme at Happy Valley on Wednesday. Purton had a nightmare at Sha Tin last Sunday, with the four-time Champion a short-priced favourite to be leading jockey at the meeting, but was beaten on all his nine rides, including [...]
Alexei Navalny calls for UK sanctions against Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich January 19, 2021 Detained Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has called for the UK to sanction Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and former Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov if he is not released from prison. Navalny’s close associate Vladimir Ashurkov said today that Navalny had written up a list of eight Russian oligarchs that “he felt should be sanctioned if [...]
Phil Neville tipped to become coach of David Beckham’s Inter Miami after leaving England Women with immediate effect January 18, 2021 Phil Neville is stepping down as England women’s team manager with immediate effect and expected to join David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Neville, 43, has been in talks with the Major League Soccer men’s side, who have a vacancy since sacking manager Diego Alonso this month. The Football Association said it would shortly appoint an interim [...]
Mesut Ozil: Arsenal exit raises questions about player power and at what point clout becomes baggage January 18, 2021 The case of Mesut Ozil – signed to rapture and fanfare, ushered out the door to relief all round – is a very modern transfer tale. After Arsenal pulled off the surprise signing of Ozil in summer 2013, shirt sales increased 12-fold and tickets at Emirates Stadium became even harder to come by. The club [...]