Former Six Nations stadium to become 50,000-seat football arena February 13, 2026 A former Six Nations stadium is set to be transformed into a new £380m, 50,000 arena for top flight football. The Stadio Flaminio in Italian capital Rome will be transformed from its current derelict state into a new state-of-the-art arena for Lazio The arena was opened for use during the 1960 Summer Olympics before it [...]
Man City boss Guardiola calls for better society after Ratcliffe immigrants row February 13, 2026 Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has called on countries to “embrace other cultures” after Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said the UK had been colonised by immigrants. Ratcliffe’s comments drew condemnation from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham as well as from across football. The Ineos billionaire has since [...]
Revolut ventures into Premier League with Manchester City deal February 13, 2026 Fintech giant Revolut has ventured into the Premier League, signing a deal with Manchester City. The deal builds on an existing partnership with Manchester City Women, and will see Revolut’s logo appear below shirt numbers on the back of Pep Guardiola’s team’s shirts for the club’s cup competitions, starting at this year’s Carabao Cup final [...]
National League 3Up bid takes step forward and gains Nandy backing February 13, 2026 Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has backed the National League’s 3Up campaign for a third promotion place into the English Football League (EFL). The EFL has come under increasing pressure to introduce a third promotion place from the National League and bring it in line with the system in place in the Championship, League One and [...]
Sport’s overreachers like Sussex and Leicester are guilty of hope not greed February 12, 2026 As long as sport’s governing bodies and regulators reward risk over restraint, the cycle of boom, bust, sanction, repeat will continue, writes Ed Warner. First the disclaimer: I live in Sussex and although its county side isn’t my first cricketing love – that “honour” belongs to Middlesex CCC – I’ve enjoyed days at Hove’s County [...]
Real Madrid decision sounds death knell for European Super League February 11, 2026 Real Madrid have become the final club to abandon the ailing European Super League project in a move that effectively kills off any prospect of a breakaway football competition in the foreseeable future. It follows talks between Real Madrid, governing body Uefa and influential umbrella group European Football Clubs leading to an “agreement of principles”, [...]
Jonathan Barnett: Gareth Bale’s former agent denies ‘sex slave’ claims in full February 10, 2026 The British football super-agent who negotiated Gareth Bale’s world record transfer to Real Madrid, Jonathan Barnett, has denied any wrongdoing after a woman alleged he kept her as a “sex slave” and threatened to kill her. Barnett, 76, is the subject of a range of serious allegations made by an Australian woman in a US [...]
Are we seeing the death of the corporate box in sports stadiums? February 10, 2026 The future landscape of sports stadiums is undergoing a radical revolution: clubs and architects alike are growing in confidence, wanting their arenas to be 365-day businesses that go far beyond the 90 minutes of enjoyment football offers. Look at the planned chimneys on Birmingham City’s master plan and the three towers on Manchester United’s 100,000-seat [...]
Leicester City’s points deduction shows the tail doesn’t always wag the dog February 6, 2026 The Premier League’s victory over Leicester City shows that clubs can’t lose money with impunity, but is it one battle in a much bigger war, writes Aaryaman Banerji. Every ruling tells a story. And so it is that English football has become something of an anthology. This week’s verdict by a three-man independent commission, finding that Leicester City had breached EFL Profit and [...]
Is Guinness Bristol City deal a sign of football shirt sponsorships to come? February 4, 2026 Looming exit of betting companies from football front-of-shirt sponsorship opens the door for more consumer brands like Guinness to return, writes Matthew Fletcher-Jones. Having made the often-regrettable decision to support Tottenham Hotspur in the 1980s, I’m still pleased to see any corner shop selling Holsten Pils – the club’s shirt sponsor throughout my youth. Chelsea [...]