England need to exorcise their familiar demon in foreign climes October 7, 2015 I was in the squad the last time England played Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates. We were No1 in the Test rankings but it was an embarrassment. We couldn’t cope with spin and we were comprehensively beaten 3-0. Going overseas and playing in subcontinental conditions is something which England have struggled with for some [...]
Over 30,000 seats left empty at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium last season as club “overstate attendance” by 5,000 fans per game October 7, 2015 More than 30,000 seats were left unoccupied at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium last season according to police figures which reveal the club may have exaggerated its overrall attendance by nearly 22,000. Nearly every Premier League fixture at Arsenal's 60,432 capacity home is claimed to be a sell-out, despite the most expensive matchday and season ticket prices [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015 ticket prices plummet as disappointed England fans flood secondary ticketing website viagogo October 7, 2015 Tickets for Rugby World Cup games are plummeting in price on secondary ticket websites after England's disastrous campaign came to an abrupt end on Saturday. Depressed English rugby fans have flooded secondary ticketing website Viagogo with tickets to knock-out games that could have involved England, as well as the team's final fixture against Uruguay at [...]
Rugby World Cup 2015: Bryan Habana equals Jonah Lomu’s all-time try record as South Africa thrash United States October 7, 2015 South Africa head coach Heyneke Meyer hailed Bryan Habana after the winger equalled Jonah Lomu's all-time record tally of 15 World Cup tries. Habana plundered a hat-trick as the Springboks routed the United States 64-0 at the Olympic Stadium — a victory that guaranteed their progress to the quarter-finals as Pool B winners. Flanker Fancois Louw [...]
Fifa set to ban own president Sepp Blatter – as potential successor vows to sue for $100m October 7, 2015 Crisis-hit Fifa president Sepp Blatter's troubled 17-year reign has reached a new low after it emerged that the world governing body is on the verge of banning him. The investigatory arm of Fifa's own ethics committee is believed to have recommended that Blatter be suspended for 90 days, and a decision could be made on [...]
First “football stock exchange” Football Index launched in UK allowing fans to trade futures in top players October 7, 2015 Football-loving investors are being offered the chance to combine their passion with their profession on the world's first football stock market. BetIndex Ltd, a Jersey-based gambling operator, has launched Football Index, a platform for fans to act as traders by buying and selling "football futures" in the world's top 200 players. Like a typical futures [...]
Liverpool: Jurgen Klopp’s philosophy on business, leadership and football – in his own words October 7, 2015 Charismatic former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp is nearing a deal with Liverpool to replace Brendan Rodgers as the club's new boss, giving Reds fans the prospect of high-voltage football and lively press conferences to look forward to. Read more: Opinion – Jurgen Klopp can restore Liverpool to the top four When Klopp took over at [...]
Financial Fair Play: English clubs in spotlight as Uefa acknowledges concerns over super-rich elite October 7, 2015 Europe's biggest clubs, many of them English, could face new restrictions designed to curb their increasing financial might, according to governing body Uefa. Uefa's senior benchmarking manager Perry Sefton said the organisation's latest annual report on the game's financial landscape showed there were now "15 to 16 truly global clubs, five or six them in [...]
Sepp Blatter facing $100m lawsuit from Fifa presidential hopeful Chung Mong-Joon October 7, 2015 Fifa presidential hopeful Chung Mong-Joon has vowed to sue incumbent Sepp Blatter for more than $100m, accusing him of embezzling funds from football's world governing body. The South Korean argues that Blatter has cost Fifa huge sums by refusing to divulge his salary even to members of the scandal-hit organisation's executive committee (ExCo). Chung also [...]
Football Comment: Klopp can return Reds to top four October 7, 2015 I WAS a little surprised by Liverpool’s decision to sack Brendan Rodgers but, as the dust begins to settle and the club prepare to appoint his replacement, he can harbour few complaints. None of the numbers show his reign in a very flattering light. Yes, he had to contend with the unavoidable loss of star [...]