Ryan Reynolds joins Wrexham co-owner and RedBird in buying stake in F1 team Alpine June 26, 2023 Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and RedBird Capital Partners, which has a stake in Liverpool’s owners, have invested in Formula 1 team Alpine. Otro Capital, Reynolds’ Wrexham AFC co-owner Rob McElhenney and their fellow actor Michael B Jordan, who owns a stake in AFC Bournemouth have also invested. The €200m (£171m) cash injection is for 24 [...]
Arteta: Arsenal must strengthen to challenge Manchester City next year June 25, 2023 Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said his side will need to strengthen if they’re to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League next season. Arsenal topped the table for much of the season but dropped points towards the business end, and combined with a 4-1 defeat to Manchester City in April. were pipped to the [...]
Euro 2024 mascot: London-based creator on how it was done June 24, 2023 City A.M. sat down with Darran Garnham, founder and chief executive of Toikido and creator of the Euro 2024 mascot. So, what makes a good mascot and what does Uefa tell you is off limits? Let’s find out. How did the Euro 2024 mascot come about? “There was an element of luck to it. The [...]
Chelsea owners caught in backlash over investment in French club Strasbourg June 22, 2023 Chelsea and co-owner Todd Boehly are facing a backlash from Strasbourg supporters as they close in on a deal to buy a large minority stake in the French football club. Confirmation is said to be imminent that the Blues have acquired a shareholding of around 40 per cent in the team from Alsace. Strasbourg would [...]
Chelsea begin clear-out and raise almost £100m by selling Havertz and Kovacic June 21, 2023 Chelsea have begun a major squad clear-out and raised almost £100m by agreeing deals to sell Kai Havertz to Arsenal and Mateo Kovacic to Manchester City. Germany forward Havertz, who scored 32 goals in 139 goals during three seasons at Chelsea, is set to move across London to Arsenal for an initial fee of £60m, [...]
Q&A: Why Premier League gave Chelsea’s Paramount Plus sponsorship the red card June 20, 2023 Chelsea’s hunt for a new main shirt sponsor hit the news this week when it emerged that the Premier League had refused to sanction a potential deal with Paramount Plus. Here’s why the agreement was not allowed, why this situation isn’t unique to Chelsea or the top division of English football, and what it means [...]
What the TV rights fight means for the Fifa Women’s World Cup June 20, 2023 With just five weeks before the Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand, Fifa has finally reached a deal with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) to air all 64 matches in Britain, Spain, France and Germany – ending the threat of a blackout in Europe’s top football nations. While ITV and BBC [...]
European football chief Ceferin plays down fears of talent drain to Saudi Pro League June 19, 2023 Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin insists he is not worried about the Saudi Pro League’s ambitious transfer policy stripping European football of its top stars. Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Neves have already followed Cristian Ronaldo in moving to Saudi, where a major investment programme from the Public Investment Fund is also reported to be [...]
How the Home Office made it easier for English football to sign foreign youngsters June 16, 2023 A little over two years after English football shut the door on a host of foreign talent by implementing strict post-Brexit rules, it prised it open again this week when the Home Office approved a relaxation of the regulations. The biggest change affords clubs more scope to appeal for an exception to be made if [...]
Ed Warner: What’s next for the losers in the rush to embrace sovereign wealth? June 15, 2023 City A.M. columnist Ed Warner discusses the recent LIV Golf merger, the Saudi Arabia PIF deal and what comes next for the losers in the rush to embrace sovereign wealth. Elite runners focus on every step of every run. Us mere mortals seek displacement tricks to block out the pain. And so I found myself [...]