Newcastle United and Everton stadium sales are not solutions, they are delays April 5, 2026 There is a growing sense that elite football is attempting to outmanoeuvre its own reality. Not by solving its structural financial challenges, but by creatively working around them. The recent moves involving Newcastle United and Everton’s stadiums are not clever innovations, but symptoms of a system still unwilling to face the truth. Newcastle’s move to [...]
Abramovich defies Starmer with new foundation plan for £2.4bn Chelsea funds April 1, 2026 Roman Abramovich has responded to Keir Starmer’s legal threats to claim the £2.4bn sum raised from selling Chelsea by taking steps to set up a new foundation. An application for the creation of the Foundation for Victims of Conflict will be made this week with the Charity Commission, without the permission of the government. No10 [...]
Cardiff City fails in £100m claim against Nantes over Emiliano Sala death March 30, 2026 Cardiff City’s £100m Emiliano Sala compensation claim has been dismissed by a French judge. The League One club had been claiming over £100m in compensation for loss of income and damages after footballer Sala died when a plane carrying him to Wales for his transfer to the Premier League crashed into the English Channel in [...]
Will AI replace gambling as Premier League front-of-shirt preference? March 29, 2026 AI companies have set their sights on sports. The Premier League already has competition-wide AI deals with Microsoft and Adobe, and recently Chelsea FC cut a front of shirt deal with industrial AI company IFS. These firms are in an extraordinary period of growth, and they have deep pockets to elevate their brands. They know [...]
Ronaldo financial interest secure in $55m wellness brand acquisition March 27, 2026 Football star Cristiano Ronaldo will maintain a financial interest in UK-based supplement business Bioniq despite its sale to wellness giant Herbalife. Portugal striker Ronaldo, who is currently competing for Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League, invested in Bioniq in 2024 as the footballer looked to expand his portfolio beyond football and his CR7 empire. But [...]
Clubs like Chelsea won’t be able to hide from regulator scrutiny March 22, 2026 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 March 19, 2026 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 March 18, 2026 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 [...]