Cricket’s biggest problem isn’t the format, it’s the marketers Sport Business The fireworks have faded, the John Lewis ad has landed, and the smell of gunpowder is giving way to the scent of linseed oil. It can only mean one thing: cricket’s oldest rivalry is back. On 21 November England face Australia once again in the Ashes. As Jofra Archer (hopefully) starts his run-up or Zak [...]
Premier League still facing legal threat to financial rules despite Man City deal Sport Business The Premier League is still facing another legal challenge to its financial regulations despite settling a long-running dispute with Manchester City over associated party transactions this week. Legal action remains pending from the Professional Footballers’ Association over the Premier League’s plans to introduce new squad cost ratio (SCR) rules next season, which would limit clubs [...]
Paqueta phone celebration raises eyebrows at FA as judgement looms Sport Business The Football Association is expected to publish the independent commission’s full judgement in the acquittal of Lucas Paqueta on spot-fixing charges imminently, days after spotting a possible double meaning in his goal celebration during West Ham’s win at Nottingham Forest on Sunday. After converting a penalty, the Brazilian mimed receiving a phone call and then [...]
Hundred sees 600,000 tickets sold with TV audiences up September 1, 2025 Organisers of The Hundred sold nearly 600,000 tickets for this year’s competition, with viewing figures also up for the fifth edition of the controversial cricket format. The Northern Superchargers beat the Southern Brave in the women’s final on Sunday in a match that drew 22,000 fans at Lord’s in north London. The subsequent men’s final [...]
Hundred: ECB under fire over opt-out data transfer cut-off date August 15, 2025 Hundred organiser the ECB has come under fire for forcing fans to opt-out of having their data transferred to new franchise owners. At least 49 per cent of each of the eight Hundred franchises have been sold to overseas investors, with some teams selling a majority shareholding. And with it, as is common with ownership [...]
ECB hails ‘exciting new phase’ after six Hundred deals completed July 30, 2025 England and Wales Cricket Board chair Richard Thompson has welcomed “an exciting new phase” for cricket after confirming completion of the sale of six stakes in The Hundred franchises. The six deals formally finalised ahead of next week’s fifth season include London Spirit, Birmingham Phoenix, Manchester Originals, Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave and Welsh Fire. Despite [...]
Euro weakens as markets rally following EU-US trade deal July 28, 2025 The euro fell against the dollar in early morning trading, as currency markets focused on the risks to the European economy from the EU-US trade deal despite a positive reaction from global stock markets. The currency was down 0.5 per cent against the dollar at $1.169, wiping away gains made last week after Trump’s “big [...]
Rumours of the dollar’s demise have been greatly exaggerated June 19, 2025 We are in the thick of global summitry, rolling from the G7 in Canada towards the NATO meeting in The Hague next week. President Trump is conducting foreign policy via social media, the prime ministers of the UK and Canada are having a pint in the pub and the French President is making stopovers in [...]
Gold tops euro to become central banks’ second favourite reserve asset June 11, 2025 Central banks now hold more gold than euros in the face of global trade tensions and volatile markets, according to a report produced by the European Central Bank (ECB), making it the world’s second largest reserve asset after the US dollar. Purchases of gold were twice as high in 2024 as the average seen over [...]
ECB cuts interest rates as UK ‘hesitation’ risks dealmaking strength June 5, 2025 Interest rates in the eurozone have been cut, taking the deposit facility rate to two per cent as fresh data suggested inflation came in just under the European Central Bank (ECB)’s two per cent target rate in May. The cut means the ECB’s rate now stands at two per cent, a halving of rates set two [...]