Everton backer Usmanov has assets frozen by EU over Putin links March 1, 2022 Everton backer Alisher Usmanov has had his assets frozen by the European Union on the grounds that he is close to Russian president Vladimir Putin. Usmanov’s company USM Holdings sponsors Everton’s training ground and has bought the naming rights to the Premier League club’s yet-to-be constructed stadium. The billionaire is also a close associate of [...]
Curse of Kepa returns to haunt Chelsea in Carabao Cup final defeat February 27, 2022 Future Chelsea managers could be forgiven for keeping Kepa Arrizabalaga well away from Carabao Cup finals. In 2019, the Spanish stopper refused to be substituted and could not prevent the Blues losing to Manchester City on penalties. Today at Wembley he was sent on solely for the shootout after a 0-0 draw, only to let [...]
Sport is guilty of shutting its eyes to Russia’s geopolitical ambitions February 27, 2022 Roman Abramovich’s near 20-year ownership of Premier League club Chelsea has been shrouded in mystery and therefore subject to constant scrutiny and speculation. Indeed, until the weekend, it remained unclear why he is there and what he is seeking to achieve. The oligarch has denied having direct links with Vladimir Putin but has been seen [...]
Chelsea facing calls to clarify Roman Abramovich role February 27, 2022 Chelsea are facing calls to publicly clarify Roman Abramovich’s role after he said he had handed the club’s “stewardship and care” to trustees of its charitable foundation. Ministers have been urged to seize billionaire Abramovich’s assets on the basis of his links to the Russian state in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. [...]
Carabao Cup has enough fizz to make business sense despite what its critics say February 25, 2022 The Carabao Cup, which concludes on Sunday when Chelsea play Liverpool at Wembley, is perennially fending off calls for its demise and remains the butt of many a joke. Its future beyond 2024 remains uncertain, when an expanded Champions League is set to tighten the squeeze on English football’s secondary domestic cup competition. And it [...]
Jury out on Crystal Palace gamble ahead of reunion with Hodgson February 22, 2022 Crystal Palace face Roy Hodgson’s Watford tomorrow in a match that serves as a reminder of both their recent past and the significant gamble they have made on their future. After almost four unadventurous but reliable years under Hodgson, last summer Palace traded in the former England manager for a decidedly sexier brand of football [...]
Trap door opens for more clubs in Premier League relegation battle February 20, 2022 Harry Kane’s virtuoso display at the Etihad Stadium and its effect on the title race might have grabbed the headlines but this was also a hugely significant weekend in the Premier League relegation battle. Watford and Burnley both won for the first time in three months to reignite their chances of climbing out of the [...]
Antonio Conte grumbles cast shadow over huge week for Tottenham February 18, 2022 Antonio Conte often cuts an agitated figure on the touchline but the Tottenham Hotspur manager has sounded especially restless ahead of a big week for the club. In interviews that emerged on Wednesday, Conte aired his frustration at the quality and quantity of signings Spurs made in the January transfer window. The Italian also hinted [...]
Inter Milan stumbling into path of rampant Liverpool in Champions League February 16, 2022 When Uefa bungled the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League in December, Liverpool had good reason to feel hard done by. Having originally been paired with Salzburg, knockout stage debutants and arguably the weakest side left in the competition, Jurgen Klopp’s team were handed a tie against European royalty in Inter Milan [...]
Fifpro boss Jonas Baer-Hoffmann on player power, biennial World Cups, Super League and Qatar February 15, 2022 There is a common thread that connects the two biggest football stories of the last 12 months, the failed European Super League breakaway and debate over biennial World Cups. It can also be seen in concerns about player welfare, disagreements over economic models and what global players’ union Fifpro says is a tidal wave of [...]