The Week in Sportbiz: Fresh fears over Tokyo Olympics; Pound calls for athletes to jump vaccine queue; China’s $900m esports palace January 7, 2021 Tokyo 2020 Olympics organisers have attempted to calm fears that the Games will not go ahead after a state of emergency was declared in the city. Japan’s prime minister Yoshihide Suga announced the measures today in response to a steep rise in Covid-19 cases. The Olympics was rescheduled in response to the pandemic last summer [...]
Sport tackles Covid-19: How Chelsea, Tottenham, Liverpool and tennis chiefs at Wimbledon are helping the NHS and vaccine roll-out January 7, 2021 Football clubs Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool as well as Wimbledon tennis chiefs have pledged to join the fight against Covid-19. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has offered to put up NHS staff at the Copthorne Hotel adjoining the club’s Stamford Bridge home. Tottenham bosses have made their stadium available for administering vaccines, as have Liverpool. The [...]
Vanguard review: Jackie Chan plays the hits January 7, 2021 The current climate is exactly the right moment for a classic action movie, a genre that can provide us with escapism and some vicarious victories at a time when so much seems out of our control. Vanguard would seem to fit the bill – legend Jackie Chan reunites with Stanley Tong, his collaborator on two [...]
Footballers warned by own union to stick to lockdown rules following spate of high-profile breaches at top clubs January 6, 2021 Footballers’ union the PFA has urged players to observe lockdown rules as a matter of “vital importance” following a number of high-profile breaches. Stars from Manchester City, Tottenham and West Ham have attracted criticism for holding social gatherings over the festive period. The PFA’s warning comes as Covid-19 cases soar in the Premier League and [...]
Pieces of A Woman review: The Crown’s Vanessa Kirby excels in harrowing drama January 6, 2021 The coming awards season sees a number of challenging subjects covered by contenders – civil rights abuse in Da 5 Bloods, Nomadland’s portrayal of a broken economy, and depictions of dementia in The Father and Supernova. This week’s drama Pieces of A Woman looks at an equally difficult topic, but one not often explored. Vanessa [...]
Nicolas Cage’s The History Of Swear Words is flippin’ average January 6, 2021 First, a warning. As you might have guessed, this review will contain some very adult language. Netflix’s latest series offering seems irresistible. Nicolas Cage, Oscar winning star turned living meme, presents a show about the history of naughty words. In the age of the endless scroll, that’s more than enough to entice most browsers to press [...]
Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers cancelled as fifth Premiership rugby fixture in a fortnight is axed due to Covid-19 cases January 6, 2021 Northampton Saints’ derby against Leicester Tigers has become the latest victim of Covid-19 outbreaks in English rugby union. The fixture, which was due to take place on Saturday, is the fifth since Christmas to be cancelled in such circumstances. Northampton said they had reluctantly agreed to cancel the match after “a number of positive tests” [...]
Do Manchester United get more penalties or are Jurgen Klopp’s complaints just sour grapes? January 5, 2021 Do Manchester United get more penalties than other teams in the Premier League? And are Liverpool unfairly overlooked when referees dish out spot-kicks? Those were two questions raised by Jurgen Klopp after his side lost at Southampton on Monday, leaving them level on points with United at the top of the Premier League. “I hear [...]
England cricketer Moeen Ali tests positive for Covid-19 after arriving in Sri Lanka January 4, 2021 England cricketer Moeen Ali has tested positive for Covid-19 following the team’s arrival in Sri Lanka. Moeen must now quarantine for 10 days, meaning he is unlikely to feature in the first Test on 14 January. Team-mate Chris Woakes must also self-isolate and undergo further tests, having been deemed a close contact of Moeen. England [...]
Chelsea should give Frank Lampard more time – they will never have a better chance to show a manager patience January 4, 2021 A crisis is never far away for a Premier League manager, as Frank Lampard is finding out at Chelsea. Less than a month ago, all looked rosy for Lampard: two points off the top of the table and 17 games unbeaten in all competitions. Now, following Sunday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, his credentials are [...]