Marcus Rashford and the new player power: it won’t be long until clubs and sponsors put a price on it November 4, 2020 Just when you think that 2020 can’t throw up any more surprises, Marcus Rashford, a 23-year-old footballer, becomes the government’s loudest source of opposition. At the time of writing there’s been no U-turn on extending the provision of free school meals when faced by Rashford’s campaign. But by generating support and sentiment through his 3.7m [...]
Billionaire-backed International Swimming League threatened with legal action over unpaid fees November 3, 2020 The star-studded International Swimming League has been threatened with legal action by a British digital agency over unpaid fees. LiveWire Sport, whose clients also include the Premier League, Wimbledon and the Jockey Club, says it is owed a six-figure sum by the ISL. The ISL, whose swimmers include Britain’s Adam Peaty and fellow Olympic champions [...]
Pride tinged with sadness for devoted AFC Wimbledon fans locked out of Plough Lane homecoming party November 3, 2020 This isn’t how AFC Wimbledon’s long-awaited first match back at Plough Lane was meant to be. The return of football to this corner of Merton on Tuesday evening, when Doncaster Rovers visit the Dons in League One, should have been a huge party for supporters. Instead, the only fans present will be the cardboard cut-outs [...]
How to make the most of the last pre-lockdown days, from a US election party pack to a prohibition jazz night November 2, 2020 During any other year, this would have been among the busiest weeks of the social calendar. Halloween parties would have spilled into US election parties, which would have led into Bonfire night, and before you know it, the weekend is upon you again. Instead, we have the bleak prospect of yet another lockdown. But try [...]
Sport rights set for devaluation as the industry reaches its Napster moment November 2, 2020 Alongside all the other ways Covid has disrupted our economy and lives, it might be set to have a dramatic impact on the value of sport rights. Some 83 per cent of executives, representing 4bn sports fans globally, believe that media rights have reached a high-water mark, a recent Seven League study found. These executives [...]
Manchester United and Arsenal leave Premier League looking like a one-horse race November 2, 2020 For a moment back then, there was an intoxicating sense of possibility about this Premier League season. Liverpool’s aura of invincibility looked to have been shredded by a seven-goal humiliation at Aston Villa. Villa, like Everton, were riding high and reviving memories of past glories with swashbuckling displays. After three years of duopoly, the league [...]
Fun in the age of Covid: How to enjoy Halloween weekend October 30, 2020 While coronavirus continues to scupper all but the most determined of fun-seekers, the London cultural scene is largely just getting on with things as best it can. In this new regular column, we fill you in on the the ever-changing restrictions and give you a list of ways to spend a perfect, Covid-safe Halloween Weekend. [...]
It’s England’s Six Nations to lose, and I fancy France to beat Ireland handsomely October 30, 2020 Everyone is thankful for competitive live sport like the Six Nations Championship at the moment. And the fact that the final round of fixtures on Saturday will decide the winner makes it even more exciting. Away from all the increasingly gloomy news in other areas of life, we have a Six Nations finale and a [...]
The City A.M. Punter Podcast EP:23 Cheltenham, Doncaster & Newbury October 30, 2020 The jumps season is back and trainer Harry Whittington has a few runners on Saturday and Sunday at Cheltenham & Aintree. He joins us to discuss their chances, whilst Eve Johnson-Haughton talks about her 2 year old runners at Doncaster & Newbury this weekend. Racing Editor Bill Esdaile previews the best of the weekend action [...]
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink on missing football, black managers getting less time, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea and dabbling in property October 30, 2020 Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is bellowing instructions at a plumber amid the chaos of a building site as he answers the phone to City A.M.. The former Chelsea, Leeds and Holland striker and, more recently, promising manager is overseeing works at what will be a new family home for the Hasselbainks. When the 48-year-old is not [...]