Opinion: Crypto brands’ sporting land-grab is only just beginning March 29, 2022 As Lionel Messi and Fifa become the latest to do huge deals with cryptocurrency and blockchain-related brands, sports sponsorship expert Henry Nash of Octagon assesses the major new player in the market. I suspect I wasn’t alone in thinking the Nielsen 2022 Global Sports Marketing Report would be a story of Covid’s brutal impact on [...]
Spanish football’s LaLiga backs financial fair play shake-up as “major step forwards” March 29, 2022 Spanish football chiefs LaLiga have welcomed the proposed overhaul of European football’s financial fair play rules. New regulations set to be phased in from next year will see clubs’ spending on wages, transfers and agents’ fees capped at 70 per cent of their income but a greater tolerance for loss-making clubs. LaLiga, which represents the [...]
European football club chiefs defend controversial changes to Champions League qualification March 29, 2022 European football club chiefs have defended proposals to give more Champions League places to historically successful teams, saying they are “fair, add value and make sense”. The changes are set to take effect from 2024, when the competition’s group stage expands from 32 to a single 36-team league. Under plans approved by leading clubs, two [...]
Europe’s top football clubs back new spending cap in place of financial fair play March 28, 2022 The influential European Club Association (ECA) has backed the proposed scrapping of football’s controversial financial fair play (FFP) rules in favour of a new cost-control system based on a soft spending cap. Uefa’s planned shake-up is the biggest change to the financial regulation of European club competitions such as the Champions League and Europa League [...]
Chelsea bankers reject bids from Saudi Media Group and Woody Johnson March 24, 2022 The sale of Chelsea took a major step towards conclusion today when a number of bidders, including Saudi Media Group and Woody Johnson, were reportedly rejected. US bank the Raine Group, hired to sell the club by sanction-hit owner Roman Abramovich, contacted a number of unsuccessful bidders as it whittled down would-be buyers. Saudi Media [...]
Ed Warner: Does it really matter if Chelsea buyers are true Blues fans? March 24, 2022 Who are the wannabe owners of Chelsea trying to impress when they flaunt their fandom? Investment bank the Raine Group is only likely to give a jot when someone first stood in the Shed, or how long they’ve sat in the same seat in the Matthew Harding Stand, if this matters to HM Treasury. If [...]
Chelsea handed £30m cash boost and permission to sell tickets as government relaxes licence March 23, 2022 Chelsea have been handed a £30m boost from the government and given permission to sell some tickets again. The strict licence that the Premier League club has been operating under since owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned was relaxed slightly today. It means Chelsea can receive up to £30m from their parent company “in respect of [...]
Arsenal set goal of selling out 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium for women’s game March 23, 2022 Arsenal’s new commercial chief Juliet Slot believes their women’s team can attract sell-out crowds to the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium as the club embarks on a wider push behind the Women’s Super League leaders. Arsenal Women switch big games from Boreham Wood FC to Emirates Stadium to allow for bigger attendances and are due to play [...]
Russia labelled ‘trolling infants’ over plans to scupper UK and Ireland Euro 2028 bid March 23, 2022 Russia’s football association has confirmed that it hopes to scupper the UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 with a rival proposal. The move drew immediate and fierce condemnation, with MPs accusing Russia and the Russian Football Union (RFU) of behaving like “trolling infants”. England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland’s [...]
European football to scrap Financial Fair Play for new spending rules March 23, 2022 European football’s governing body Uefa is set to ditch its controversial Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules in favour of new cost-control regulations that will limit clubs’ spending to a proportion of revenue. Teams will only be allowed to spend 70 per cent of their income on transfers and wages under the new rules, which will [...]