Fifa biennial World Cup claims questioned by sport industry experts December 21, 2021 Leading figures in sports marketing have questioned Fifa’s claim that switching to biennial men’s World Cups would drive a huge revenue increase. Football’s world governing body revived the argument to stage its showpiece more regularly on Monday by presenting research that estimated the change would boost income by 60 per cent over the first four [...]
Big Sport Quiz of 2021: How much do you remember? December 20, 2021 From teenagers sweeping to Grand Slam tennis titles to England reaching a major football final, an Olympic Games like no other and the introduction of a brand new cricket competition, it has been a hugely eventful year in sport. Off the field it has been just as transformative, with private equity and, increasingly, cryptocurrency and [...]
Barclays to pump record £30m into WSL and women’s UK sport December 15, 2021 Banking giant Barclays are set to double their investment in Women’s football as they extend their sponsorship deal to include the Women’s Championship. The deal will begin from the 2022-23 season and run through to 2025, and will see Barclays pump £30m into the women’s game. Sasha Wiggins, Barclays Group head of public policy and [...]
Eight Premier League stars in KPMG top 10 most valuable players list December 8, 2021 KPMG has underlined the financial supremacy of English football by naming eight Premier League stars among its top 10 most valuable players. Erling Haaland of Borussia Dortmund, valued at €142m (£121m), and Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe, valued at €128m (£109m) occupy the top two places. But the remainder of KPMG’s top 10 is comprised of [...]
Champions League: Barcelona on brink ahead of Bayern Munich trip December 8, 2021 The last time that Barcelona were absent from the Champions League knockout stages, Lionel Messi was yet to make his debut and Gavi, the club’s newest star, hadn’t even been born. But 18 years later that scenario could come to pass again on Wednesday evening, depending on the outcome of the club’s make-or-break final Group [...]
Rob Lee: Newcastle United owners should hire Alan Shearer as top advisor December 7, 2021 Newcastle United’s new owners can bring the good times back to St James’ Park by hiring an icon of the club’s most recent glory days, Alan Shearer, to oversee football matters, says Rob Lee. Fellow Newcastle great Lee played alongside Shearer for six seasons as they challenged Manchester United’s domestic supremacy and enjoyed their first [...]
San Francisco 49ers in position to buy Leeds United in coming years December 6, 2021 The San Francisco 49ers could exercise a clause in their deal with Leeds United which could see them buy the Premier League club by 2024. The group that funds the NFL this year increased their stake in United to 37 per cent in January before acquiring another seven per cent last month. The deal would [...]
Ed Warner: Crouch review recommendations could drive Premier League away December 2, 2021 I really wanted to embrace the “fan-led” Tracey Crouch review of football governance in England. But with each turn of its 162 pages my heart sank further at the unmistakable sight of the heavy hand of Whitehall. The Crouch review’s recommendations revolve around the creation of an independent regulator for the sport. This displays a [...]
Historic night for Ellen White: England’s Lionesses 20 (yes, twenty) – Latvia 0 December 1, 2021 The Lionesses crushed Latvia 20-0 at Doncaster’s Keepmoat Stadium last night as Ellen White broke England Women’s all-time scoring record and the team recorded their biggest ever competitive victory. White scored twice early on in the World Cup qualifier to take her level with and then past Kelly Smith’s mark of 46 goals, before completing [...]
Why brand Manchester United keeps them hooked November 30, 2021 Around this time of year, Christmas comes early for many football fans with the release of the immersive fantasy world that is Football Manager. Will this be the year I take Newport County from League Two to Champions League glory? Let’s spend 250 hours over the next 12 months finding out. In this year’s game [...]