Fans issue warning to Ratcliffe over Manchester United sponsors January 27, 2025 The Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) has warned Sir Jim Ratcliffe that fans have the power to drive away sponsors if the club does not freeze ticket prices. Old Trafford regulars fear that co-owner Ratcliffe will hike prices for next season as he looks to reverse losses of more than £300m in the last three [...]
How immigration rules affect football clubs in the January transfer window January 26, 2025 Immigration lawyer Hateem Ali on how quotas on overseas players affect Premier League teams’ business during the January transfer window. Although we now have a new government, we are unlikely to see any dramatic changes to the Governing Body Endorsement (GBE) rules which were originally implemented in 2021 following a lengthy consultation with the Football [...]
How football stadia became the new battleground for top clubs January 25, 2025 It’s no coincidence that Real Madrid have strengthened their position as football’s richest club in the year that they fully reopened their Santiago Bernabeu stadium after a £1bn revamp. Stadia – or rather, how to make more money out of them – are a growing battleground among top clubs eager to mine new sources of [...]
Manchester City’s January transfer window spending is smashing records January 23, 2025 Manchester City’s January transfer window spending has rocketed to record levels with the signing of Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, as Pep Guardiola attempts to revive their season. The trio have cost the Premier League champions a combined £128m. That is more than Manchester City’s spending in the eight previous January transfer windows [...]
Football Governance Bill ‘weird’ and regulator could be ‘terrible’, says Brady January 23, 2025 West Ham United vice-chair Karren Brady has laid out her case for opposing the introduction of the football regulator, arguing that it “could have a really detrimental effect” on the game. Baroness Brady has been one of the most vocal peers in questioning the plans for a watchdog, the key plank of the Football Governance [...]
Clear and simple calendars like NFL, not tennis, should be applauded in sport January 23, 2025 The NFL, unlike tennis, should be applauded for its clear and simple sport calendar that sees athletes thrive, writes Ed Warner. Naomi Osaka, Gael Monfils, Jack Draper. Each retired from the Australian Open mid-match. No substitutes bench in tennis, so the ultimate anticlimax for spectators. Injuries are an occupational hazard, but across sport the sheer [...]
Naomi Girma: Chelsea agree first $1m transfer in women’s football January 22, 2025 Chelsea are set to make USA defender Naomi Girma the first $1m transfer in women’s football after agreeing a world-record fee with San Diego Wave. Girma is expected to join the reigning Women’s Super League champions this week in a deal worth $1.1m (£889,000) – more than double the previous British record fee. The transfer [...]
Ambani family on course for £100m London Spirit in Hundred auction January 22, 2025 The likely destinations of English cricket’s crown jewels in the Hundred auction are taking shape, with the Ambani family’s determination to buy 49 per cent of the London Spirit in a deal expected to exceed £100m forcing other bidders to look elsewhere. A consortium of Californian investors led by Nikesh Arora, chief executive of Palo [...]
Man United legend Bryan Robson to be hit with tax bill over ambassador role January 21, 2025 Former Man United legend Bryan Robson has lost a chunk of his IR35 case against HMRC leaving him exposed to a undisclosed tax bill
Haaland: Man City striker could pay £150m to HMRC over new deal January 21, 2025 Signing a lucrative contract, as Erling Haaland did with Manchester City this month, is usually one of the happiest days of someone’s life. Haaland has signed for nearly a decade in a deal that is reportedly worth £26m a year before bonuses. But the reality is that the taxman is coming, and for the Norway [...]