Clubs like Chelsea won’t be able to hide from regulator scrutiny Sport Business English football is a global entertainment and cultural powerhouse, contributing more than £9bn annually to the UK economy. Matches are broadcast to hundreds of millions worldwide, with clubs operating not just as teams but as global brands. But with that status comes increased scrutiny of how clubs are run. Under the new Independent Football Regulator [...]
Football missing bank-grade infrastructure as regulator powers grow Sport Business English football is entering a new era: the Premier League has just handed Chelsea a record fine for hidden payments, while the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is starting to flex its intentions to improve financial soundness and resilience across the pyramid. The latest licensing proposals go further, allowing the regulator to categorise clubs as “high‑risk” [...]
Government ‘must not delay’ over Abramovich’s £2.5bn Chelsea funds, Tories say Sport Business Shadow chancellor Mel Stride has insisted the government “must not delay taking further action” against Roman Abramovich to unlock £2.5bn held after his sale of Chelsea. The Russian was forced to offload the Premier League club in 2022 after Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, with the proceeds of the sale to a consortium led by [...]
Man City Puma kit deal helps UK sponsorship market hit £5bn March 12, 2026 Manchester City’s Puma kit extension helped the UK sponsorship market top £5bn in 2025, up over 10 per cent on 2024. City signed a record-breaking 10-year kit partnership extension last year which could be worth around £100m per season. It, combined with other sponsorship activity across the UK saw the sector grow 10.5 per cent [...]
Abramovich to fight UK Government over funds from £2.5bn Chelsea sale March 9, 2026 Former Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has vowed to fight the UK Government if it follows through with a threat to seize the proceeds from his £2.5bn sale of the club. Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned Abramovich late last year that “the clock is ticking” on his pledge to donate the funds to victims of the [...]
Taylor Swift and Champions League take Liverpool revenue past £700m February 27, 2026 Winning the Premier League, returning to European football’s top table and hosting concerts by Taylor Swift helped Liverpool FC earn revenue of more than £700m for the first time last season. Liverpool made a profit after tax of £8m on revenue of £703m in 2024-25 as their men’s team became English champions for the 20th [...]
Emirates boss on Arsenal stadium, leaving F1 and NBA Europe February 26, 2026 Matt Hardy talks sponsorship and strategy with the executive vice president of corporate communications, marketing and brand at global airline Emirates. At the end of the Premier League season 11 teams will be forced to change their front-of-shirt sponsor and, for some sides, the brand on their strip is synonymous with a particular era of [...]
Sheffield Wednesday: New buyers sought after £40m takeover collapses February 25, 2026 Sheffield Wednesday fans have called for a new buyer to be found urgently after the consortium behind a proposed £40m takeover of the fallen English football giants pulled out. A group led by James Bord, a co-owner of Scottish club Dunfermline, was named preferred bidder in December but announced today that they were withdrawing their [...]
Manchester United: Ratcliffe’s cuts take club from red to black February 25, 2026 Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has hailed the impact of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s cost-cutting after the club reported only their second profitable quarter since 2023. Co-owner Ratcliffe’s slashing of hundreds of jobs at Old Trafford helped United to a pre-tax profit of £5.6m in the three months to 31 December, compared with a £34.5m loss [...]
Premier League clubs face unlicensed gambling firms ban February 23, 2026 Premier League clubs could be banned from being sponsored by a plethora of betting firms as the government looks to crack down on illegal gambling. Despite a voluntary move by Premier League clubs to remove gambling and casino sponsors from the front of shirts from next season, those brands can move to sleeves and maintain [...]