English football wants a piece of the American pie – but it’s not MLS April 15, 2023 From Todd Boehly’s private-equity-backed consortium at Premier League giants Chelsea to former Disney CEO Michael Eisner at Portsmouth in the third tier down to Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at non-league Wrexham, the flow of football investment between the United States and Britain is well established. But it is not all one-way. Increasingly, [...]
Ollie Phillips: It’s time for RFU axe its short-sighted England selection policy April 15, 2023 I won’t hold my breath, but Jack Willis’s decision to stay at Toulouse ought to sound alarm bells at the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and cause them to reconsider their refusal to pick overseas-based players for the England team. That stance might be sustainable when your clubs can pay the same as those in France [...]
Premier League names date for ban on front-of-shirt gambling advertising April 14, 2023 Premier League clubs have agreed to remove gambling advertising from the front of their match shirts, it has been announced. Teams voluntarily adopted the change, which will be phased over the next year so that no team has a betting brand on the front of their kit by the 2024-25 season. The move is designed [...]
Nic Cage brings comedy bite to Dracula movie Renfield April 13, 2023 It’s that special time of year when Nicolas Cage stars in a film so batshit crazy it just might work. This time he plays Dracula with enough scenery-chewing to make Hammer Horror look like The Shining. He’s joined by Nicholas Hoult in the title role of Renfield, Dracula’s “familiar”, who is given some of the [...]
‘We don’t need Harry Potter reboot’: Fans condemn new Harry Potter TV series with JK Rowling April 13, 2023 Fans and television critics have been criticising the new Harry Potter TV series, with many calling out JK Rowling’s involvement following her controversial stance on transgender people. It was confirmed last night that a new TV series by Max – formerly HBO Max – will begin production, with Rowling, the original writer of the books, [...]
Rugby World Cup Barometer: Botia shows Fiji claims but Van Poortvliet left in shade April 13, 2023 | Sponsored In the lead up to the 2023 Rugby World Cup, City A.M. has put together a barometer in partnership with City Index to look at which players and other personnel are hot and not in the race to be part of the quadrennial event in France later this year. Player of the week Hybrid players who can operate in [...]
Erik ten Hag lays down Europa League challenge to Manchester United April 13, 2023 Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has called on his players to rise to the challenge of beating Europa League kings Sevilla tonight. United host the competition’s six-time winners at Old Trafford in the first leg of the quarter-finals as they seek another tittle to add to February’s Carabao Cup success. But Ten Hag is [...]
Ed Warner: British amateur sport must take a match to bonfire of bureaucracy April 13, 2023 Different patterns of belonging in this social media age are a stiff challenge to those of us attempting to build membership rosters for sporting bodies. What can we offer to persuade amateur athletes and casual fans to give a chunk of their identities – and a few quid from their virtual wallets – to organisations [...]
A pilgrimage to the isle of Corfu April 13, 2023 Gazing out across the waters of Corfu from my villa’s infinity pool, I see rickety boats and intrepid paddle boarders. Further away, across the Ionian Sea, is the craggy coastline of Albania. Sea views often sound clichéd, but Corfu really is spectacular – and a perfect destination for spring. I picked Corfu as I’m a [...]
Suzume review: Your Name director returns with new masterpiece April 13, 2023 Japanese animation can often be unfairly categorised as a niche genre, meant for the arthouses but not the multiplex. Disproving this point, Suzume arrives on these shores already a blockbuster. Its director, Makoto Shinkai, is an animation veteran who has found international success in the last few years with 2016’s Your Name and 2019’s Weathering [...]