BeIN Sports urges Premier League to block Saudi bid for Newcastle April 22, 2020 Broadcasting giant BeIN Media has urged the Premier League to block a proposed £300m Saudi takeover of Newcastle United amid concerns about “industrial scale” piracy. Newcastle owner Mike Ashley is said to be on the brink of accepting a takeover offer from a consortium backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund. However, the chief executive [...]
Coronavirus cancellations set to cost global sports industry $62bn April 20, 2020 The global sports industry is set to miss out on almost $62bn (£50bn) of revenue this year as almost half of all sports events are scrapped due to the coronavirus outbreak. The sector is forecast to generate $73.7bn of revenue in 2020 — roughly 45 per cent lower than the $135bn projected before the pandemic, [...]
Coronavirus: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to host NHS maternity services April 14, 2020 Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has offered its stadium as a place to host maternity and antenatal services to allow hospitals to focus on coronavirus. Pregnancy scans, antenatal clinics, a maternal day unit and a range of other services will be available inside the stadium from today. The move allows North Middlesex University Hospital to improve [...]
Coronavirus: Derby and Guineas Festival fall foul of virus April 7, 2020 The first four Classics of the horse racing season, including the Epsom Derby, will be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Jockey Club, which operates the QIPCO Guineas Festival and the Investec Epsom Derby festival, confirmed the news late on Tuesday afternoon but said they were looking for alternative dates later in the season. [...]
BBC to reshow London 2012 Olympics as sports schedule collapses April 2, 2020 The BBC will reshow the London 2012 Olympics as the broadcaster battles to fill holes in its schedule caused by the cancellation of sporting events. The opening ceremony will air on BBC One and iPlayer this spring alongside a selection of highlights, including the so-called Super Saturday, when Team GB won six gold medals in [...]
Coronavirus: Premier League clubs should face ‘windfall tax’ April 2, 2020 Premier League clubs that furlough non-playing staff during the Covid-19 crisis should be slapped with a windfall tax, according to the chair of Westminster’s sports select committee. Tottenham, Newcastle and Norwich City have taken steps to furlough non-playing staff so they can access the government’s wage subsidy scheme, while still paying players their full contracts. [...]
Formula One’s 2020 outlook downgraded to negative by Moody’s April 2, 2020 The outlook for Formula One has been downgraded by Moody’s to negative in light of the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic to its 2020 race calendar. Formula One has cancelled its Australia and Monaco grand prix races and postponed six races scheduled between March and early June 2020. Moody’s said the disruption would lead [...]
Coronavirus: Reports County Championship Cricket season could be cancelled April 2, 2020 Cricket’s entire County Championship season could be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak, reports emerged last night. The Daily Telegraph reports that with the start of the already congested season delayed until at least the end of May, priority is being given to international and domestic T-20 cricket as opposed to the longer form of [...]
Wimbledon tennis championships cancelled over coronavirus April 1, 2020 The Wimbledon tennis championships were cancelled for the first time since World War Two today as the coronavirus pandemic wiped another blue-riband sports event off the calendar. While the decision had looked inevitable for some time, since the virtual shutdown of world sport and the postponement of the Tokyo Olympics, Wimbledon had been one of [...]
Football clubs fear EFL sanctions unless they sack staff or make pay cuts March 31, 2020 Football clubs fear they will be punished for “doing the right thing” if they don’t make redundancies or ask staff to take pay cuts while all sport is suspended. The coronavirus pandemic has slashed teams’ income, especially at those below the Premier League, who are more reliant on revenue from fans attending matches. That has [...]