Louis van Gaal snaps over Wayne Rooney questions after Manchester United fail to prevent Manchester City reclaiming top spot October 25, 2015 Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal refused to take questions about Wayne Rooney’s form after his captain endured an afternoon to forget in yesterday’s goalless derby with Manchester City. Rooney, who turned 30 on Saturday, had the fewest touches, the worst passing accuracy and lost possession more times than any other United outfield player. He also [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: All Blacks earn £15,000 bonus each following semi-final win over South Africa and are promised £66,000 prize if they win final next week October 24, 2015 Members of the New Zealand rugby squad will each receive a bonus worth £66,000 if they win this year's World Cup. All Blacks players are signed to contracts with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) which guarantee them $NZ150,000 (£66,000) should they become the first country to lift the Web Ellis Cup for a third time. If [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams offers New Zealand v South Africa tickets to Syrian refugees October 24, 2015 All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams has offered Syrian refugees the chance to go to the Rugby World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and South Africa this afternoon. The Kiwi centre has set aside two tickets to the Twickenham clash and asked his Twitter followers yesterday to be put in contact with agencies working with [...]
Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo trumps Barcelona’s Lionel Messi in Forbes’ most valuable athlete brands 2015 October 23, 2015 The Cristiano Ronaldo brand has been valued as the most valuable in world football, estimated to be worth £10.4m by Forbes. The magazine claims Ronaldo has the eighth most valuable personal brand in sports and is the only footballer named in its top 10 athletes for 2015. Lionel Messi, Ronaldo's constant companion in the world's [...]
Barcelona president in Qatar to agree Camp Nou naming rights – but will fans accept new Qatar Airways sponsorship deal? October 23, 2015 Executives from Barcelona have travelled to Qatar this week to discuss a controversial sponsorship deal that could see their stadium renamed – but fans may not be entirely happy with seeing their home renamed the Qatar Airways stadium. Read more: Barcelona could change Camp Nou name in deal with Qatar Airways Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu [...]
Barcelona fail to reach record shirt sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways October 23, 2015 Barcelona and Qatar Airways could soon fly their separate ways, as the European champions struggle to negotiate a renewed deal with their shirt sponsors. The Catalan giants are chasing a record sponsorship deal but the Qatari-owned airline is unwilling to play ball, according to reports in Spain. Club president Josep Maria Bartomeu and vice-president Manel Arroyo [...]
Aviva Premiership Rugby salary cap to rise to £7m but still trails France’s Top 14 October 23, 2015 Premiership Rugby clubs have had their salary cap shackles loosened in order to "drive the next phase of growth in English club and international rugby". Clubs' limit on wage spending will be lifted by £1m to £6.5m next season and £7m in 2017/18, bringing the Premiership closer to the spending power enjoyed by French clubs, which are currently capped at [...]
Forbes most valuable sport business brands 2015: Nike beats Adidas and Under Armour as Sky Sports tops UK companies October 23, 2015 Nike has been named the most valuable brand in sport, beating competition from Adidas, Under Armour and Sky Sports. According to Forbes magazine, the sportswear giant is worth almost £17bn – nearly £6bn more than any other sports business brand in the world. Walt Disney-owned ESPN follows with a value of £11bn, while Nike's rivals in [...]
West Ham can end wait for a win over inconsistent Chelsea October 23, 2015 Ben Cleminson previews this weekend’s big London and Manchester derbies AFTER a 3,000-mile round trip to Ukraine this week, Jose Mourinho will be happy his side only have to travel across the capital tomorrow. Not that it’s a match that he’ll be particularly looking forward to. It’s true that the Blues have regularly come out [...]
Anderlecht 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Mauricio Pochettino accuses Spurs of lacking focus during Europa League defeat October 22, 2015 Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino accused his side of lacking focus following their surrender of a one-goal advantage for the second consecutive Europa League match against Anderlecht last night. Former Fulham loanee Stefano Okaka was the hosts’ second-half matchwinner after midfielder Guillaume Gillet had cancelled out Christian Eriksen’s early opener. It was Anderlecht’s first victory over [...]