Why Spain’s LaLiga believes Uefa and other leagues should follow its lead October 1, 2021 Spain has a long and rich tradition of shaping how football is played. It has given us the great Real Madrid sides of the 1950s; Pep Guardiola and his all-conquering Barcelona; the national team who swept all major men’s international tournaments from 2008 to 2012; tiki-taka. Britain may be the birthplace of the game but [...]
Nuno Espirito Santo and the search for Tottenham Hotspur’s DNA September 30, 2021 “I feel we lost sight of some key priorities and what’s truly in our DNA,” wrote Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy in a letter to supporters in May. Levy’s note of contrition was a reference to the club’s decision to join the European Super League breakaway project, which had quickly collapsed a few weeks earlier. [...]
Juventus v Chelsea: Fallen Old Lady setting out on road to recovery September 29, 2021 Juventus have endured a more turbulent year than most clubs yet there ought to be some spring back in the step of the Old Lady when they face Chelsea in the Champions League on Wednesday. Over the last few days, the most successful team in the history of Italian football have recorded significant victories off [...]
Paris Saint-Germain boast bigger stars but Man City have found better way to spend their billions September 27, 2021 The subplots will be as numerous as the superstars when Paris Saint-Germain host Manchester City in the Champions League on Tuesday evening. It’s Qatar v Abu Dhabi in the battle of the state-backed modern-day mega-clubs. Mauricio Pochettino v Pep Guardiola. El Cashico, if you absolutely must. Fitness permitting, and perhaps most intriguingly of all, it [...]
Brighton can go top of Premier League with Palace win September 27, 2021 Brighton and Hove Albion have not finished a Premier League season above 15th position, but tonight they could go top. The Seagulls face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park this evening knowing three points will take them above Liverpool into first. Brighton’s five year Premier League spell has seen them finish in the bottom quarter in [...]
Arsenal 3, Tottenham 1: Gunners find feet as Spurs slip September 26, 2021 Form is supposed to go out of the window when it comes to a derby, but apparently no one told Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. Both teams came into this match on very different trajectories – Arsenal improving after a woeful start to the Premier League, Spurs regressing after a good one – and their paths [...]
Premier League NFTs: Sorare aiming to launch digital fantasy football trading cards collection following similar deal with Spain’s LaLiga September 21, 2021 French technology start-up Sorare is hoping to launch a range of NFTs comprising digital fantasy football trading cards with the Premier League. The company, which has raised £500m from investors including SoftBank, has emerged as a major player in sport’s growing blockchain economy and recently struck a deal with Spain’s LaLiga. “We have had conversations, [...]
Legal Q&A: How referees’ pay could be hit by a tax dispute with HMRC and why this could have wide-reaching effects on the gig economy September 21, 2021 Lawyer Kevin Barrow explores the implications of an ongoing case between referees and HMRC. What’s this case about? It’s about whether PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) needs to deduct income tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) from payments it makes to referees whom it has engaged on a self-employed “gig worker” basis to officiate at [...]
Tottenham Hotspur 0, Chelsea 3: Blues cruise in London derby underlines their Premier League title credentials September 19, 2021 Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have produced some memorable ding-dong battles in recent history. This wasn’t one of them, however, such was Chelsea’s overwhelming superiority. The visitors won 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but it would not have flattered them unduly had they triumphed by a greater margin. With four wins from five Premier League [...]
Jimmy Greaves: Football mourns Tottenham and Chelsea icon, England World Cup winner and ‘possibly the greatest striker this country produced’ September 19, 2021 Football has united to pay tribute to Jimmy Greaves after the World Cup-winning former England striker and London football legend died, aged 81. Greaves set several goalscoring records that remain unsurpassed, including his 357 goals in the English top division, 266 for Tottenham Hotspur, and 41 in a league season for Chelsea. The east Londoner, [...]