Premier League reveals stance on scrapping Saturday 3pm blackout March 2, 2023 The Premier League has ruled out supporting the abolition of the Saturday 3pm blackout which restricts when live football can be televised in the UK. The English Football League (EFL) has floated scrapping the ban and broadcasters have said they would consider it but Premier League chief executive Richard Masters insisted they had no intention [...]
Former Chelsea bidder hints at interest in Liverpool and Manchester United March 1, 2023 Former Chelsea bidder Stephen Pagliuca has hinted that he could be interested in buying Liverpool or Manchester United but says he won’t be sucked into overpaying. The private equity veteran and co-owner of Italian club Atalanta and the NBA’s Boston Celtics missed out on Chelsea to Todd Boehly’s consortium last year. Pagliuca says he is [...]
Why football clubs are like tomatoes – and these are salad days for the likes of Manchester United’s owners February 28, 2023 The salad shortage and the appeal of elite football clubs such as Manchester United are both being driven by the same thing, writes Neil Hopkins. Early 2023 seems destined to be remembered for shortages. For most of us, a shortage of tomatoes and other salad produce. For cash-rich investors from the Middle East, a shortage [...]
Kop of living crisis: Soaring bills hit Liverpool’s bottom line February 28, 2023 It seems that even the world’s richest football clubs are not immune to the cost of living crisis after soaring bills put a dent in Liverpool’s profits. The Premier League club achieved record revenues of £594m last season but turned a pre-tax profit of just £7.5m following a steep rise in matchday overheads. The return [...]
Tottenham Hotspur sign 15-year partnership with Formula 1, strengthening US links February 28, 2023 Formula 1 and Tottenham Hotspur chiefs are building an electric karting track under the Premier League club’s stadium as part of a new long-term partnership. The facility, due to open this summer, will be London’s longest indoor track and the first electric karting circuit in the world to be housed in a sports stadium. Tottenham’s [...]
Harry Kane to Manchester United? Striker upgrade could turn Erik ten Hag’s improving team into title contenders – Trevor Steven February 27, 2023 Erik ten Hag has brought the good times back to Manchester United but the signing of Harry Kane would make them serious Premier League title contenders, says Trevor Steven. If the hallmark of a good manager is improving your players then I have to take my hat off to what Erik ten Hag has accomplished [...]
Erik ten Hag heralds new era for Manchester United after winning first trophy in Carabao Cup February 26, 2023 Manchester United celebrated their first silverware under manager Erik ten Hag and the end of a six-year trophy drought after beating Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final. Midfielder Casemiro’s header and an own goal from Newcastle defender Sven Botman decided an absorbing contest at Wembley that United deserved to win. Newcastle, seeking their first [...]
Why this has to be the turning point in David Moyes and West Ham’s season February 26, 2023 Before West Ham United welcomed fellow strugglers Everton to the London Stadium last month, reports emerged that manager David Moyes might be for the chop if they lost to his old team. The Hammers duly won their first Premier League match in eight attempts and Moyes lived to fight another day. Five games later, having [...]
Football regulator WILL have more powers to investigate club owners but WON’T block takeovers linked to Saudi Arabia or Qatar, says sport minister Stuart Andrew February 23, 2023 The incoming independent football regulator will be given wider powers to investigate prospective owners – but will not block takeovers by Saudi Arabia or Qatar. A regulator will have more scope to look into the backgrounds of would-be buyers of English teams, similar to the checks in place in financial services. “We are looking at [...]
The gap between the football brand behemoths and the rest is likely to grow February 23, 2023 The bidders for football club Manchester United are now in a virtual data room, filling their spreadsheets and compiling their questions. The job of the Glazer family’s investment banking advisors, Raine Group, is now to find ways to squeeze every possible dollar out of this football asset. One trick of the bankers’ trade is to [...]