I Care A Lot review – Rosamund Pike’s cold-blooded masterclass February 19, 2021 In these tough times, many of us have turned to movies that lift us up, and remind us that there is some good in the world. Despite its title, I Care A Lot is not one of those films. Rosamund Pike plays Marla Grayson, who makes a living from becoming the legal guardian of elderly [...]
Chris Tremlett: India have stolen the momentum but I’m confident that England can win series February 19, 2021 England may have suffered a disappointing 317-run defeat in the second Test in India but they won’t be panicking. Not many people gave the tourists a chance of winning any matches in this four-Test series. Their victory in the first game is as impressive as any England Test result in history and offered so many [...]
Week in Sportbiz: England Netball weighing up approaches from private investors; plus Manchester City’s humble new partner club and ‘super spikes’ February 18, 2021 Netball’s prodigious growth has not gone unnoticed by the private investors who have embarked on a trolley dash of sporting properties. England Netball successfully launched its Covid-adapted 2021 Superleague season last weekend – another feather in the cap of an organisation that has doubled participation in a decade. The governing has renewed its broadcast deal [...]
Pelé review – the football legend tells his own story February 18, 2021 With Diego Maradona, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo all releasing official life stories in recent years, it seems fitting that Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, should get in on the action. The three-time world cup winner is no stranger to self-promotion, having put his name to everything from computer games to Viagra, [...]
To Olivia review – Roald Dahl biopic is a little bit too cosy February 18, 2021 Despite the number of adaptations of his work, To Olivia is the first major portrayal of author Roald Dahl on screen. Hugh Bonneville plays Dahl in the period after the death of his daughter Olivia, and the growing divide between he and his wife, American movie star Patricia Neal (Keeley Hawes). Battling through mental health [...]
Japan calms sexism storm by naming Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto as Tokyo 2020 Games president February 18, 2021 Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko Hashimoto has been appointed to succeed Yoshiro Mori as president of the Tokyo 2020 Games. The replacement of Mori, an 83-year-old man who resigned over sexist comments, with Hashimoto, a 56-year-old woman, is a significant one for a country criticised for its overwhelmingly male boardrooms. Hashimoto is a former Olympic athlete [...]
All Premier League games to be televised until fans return to stadiums February 17, 2021 The Premier League has committed to televising every match until clubs are allowed to reopen stadiums to supporters. All games have been available on Sky Sports, BT Sport, the BBC or Amazon Prime Video for most of the pandemic – save for short-lived experiment with pay-per-view. That arrangement has now been extended indefinitely, with a [...]
France suffer Six Nations title setback as third member of coaching staff tests positive for Covid-19 February 17, 2021 Six Nations favourites France’s Covid-19 crisis has deepened after a third member of the coaching staff tested positive. Assistant coach William Servat’s diagnosis followed that of head coach Fabien Galthie and another unnamed non-playing staff member on Tuesday. All three have been ordered to self-isolate for seven days, while Les Bleus’ playing squad have been [...]
Too much of a good thing: Are round-the-clock matches giving you football fatigue? February 16, 2021 As I’m sure most readers of this publication will be aware, one of the characteristics of money is that there is a limited supply of it. Scarcity equals value, and that’s something which the football world might soon need to take into account. The pandemic’s impact has condensed the football season and, for many of [...]
Uefa snubs Israeli offer to stage Euro 2020 matches and reaffirms commitment to 12 host nations February 16, 2021 Uefa says it is not pursuing an offer from Israel to help with hosting Euro 2020 and European club competitions. Israel’s world-leading Covid-19 vaccination programme means it would be well placed to welcome fans to matches. The Israel Football Association confirmed it had offered Uefa the use of three stadiums for staging matches at this [...]