UK ready to mirror US with female athletes becoming investors January 17, 2026 For three consecutive years, not a single female athlete has appeared among the world’s 100 highest-paid athletes. The bar keeps rising. In 2025, the threshold jumped to $53.6m, up 19 per cent year on year. Coco Gauff, the highest-earning female athlete in the world, made $34.4m and still fell nearly $20m short. Meanwhile the global [...]
Swindon Town face expulsion for picking player who was serving seven-game ban January 16, 2026 Swindon Town face being thrown out of the EFL Trophy after the League Two club fielded two ineligible players – including one who was serving a seven-match ban. The Robins named captain Ollie Clarke in the starting line-up for Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Luton Town and brought on Aaron Drinan as a substitute at half [...]
Manchester United owner Ratcliffe cuts asking price in bid to offload club January 15, 2026 Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has cut his asking price for OGC Nice as he attempts to trim the French club from his shrinking Ineos sports portfolio. Ratcliffe bought the Ligue 1 outfit for €100m in 2019, two years after the side based on the French Riviera had finished third in the domestic league, [...]
Sheffield United cut ties with data firm over takeover bid for rivals Wednesday January 14, 2026 Sheffield United have terminated their consultancy contract with Short Circuit Science after the data company was named the preferred bidder of rivals Sheffield Wednesday last month. The business founded by former professional poker player James Bord had been advising Sheffield United on new signings and recommended the recruitment of Ruben Selles as manager last summer, [...]
Exclusive: Brits don’t trust football and rugby team owners to run clubs properly January 13, 2026 Less than a third of British adults trust football and rugby team owners to “run their clubs in a financially sustainable manner” amid intensifying scrutiny on those who buy sporting institutions. Exclusive Ipsos polling for City AM shows that just 32 per cent of adults trust the owner of their football or rugby club. It [...]
Premier League stadiums: Inside football’s grandstand revolution January 10, 2026 The Premier League is going through a revolution, and it is not in the form of playing formations. Stadiums – new and old – are second homes for fans, the community centre of their weekend. And England’s top flight is ever-changing. Three teams may get promoted each year and three may get relegated, but the [...]
Breakthrough for Leeds United after key Elland Road stadium decision January 8, 2026 Leeds United’s Elland Road is set to for major redevelopment after approval was granted for the expansion of the club’s West Stand. The Premier League club, who were promoted last summer, submitted plans to Leeds City Council last year that would see their stadium’s capacity expand from 37,645 to approximately 53,000. And on Thursday a [...]
Manchester United head coach’s job is to be a fall guy and human shield January 8, 2026 AI is the scourge of the modern employment market. Applicants generate automated covering letters that tick off every requirement in a job spec, and are then interviewed by robots which provide almost instantaneous rejections. Reluctant to be a Luddite in this mind-scrambling new world, here is my open letter to Sir Jim Ratcliffe applying to [...]
Manchester City asked to give up FA Cup revenue to opponents Exeter January 7, 2026 Cash-strapped Exeter City have asked Manchester City to ease their financial struggles by donating some of their share of the proceeds from this weekend’s FA Cup tie. Exeter and City are both due 45 per cent of the gate receipts from Saturday’s third-round match at the Etihad Stadium, which will bank the visitors between £250,000 [...]
Fifa World Cup faces threats from cyber attacks and hacktivists January 6, 2026 The 2026 Fifa World Cup faces the “very real risk” of cyber attacks from anti-Western “hacktivists”, according to experts. This summer’s tournament – being co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada – is set to be targeted by rogue states determined to disrupt the global spectacle. An attempt to harm Fifa World Cup infrastructure [...]