Saudi Arabia’s £300m Newcastle United takeover revived by truce with beIN October 6, 2021 Saudi Arabia has signalled the end of its long-running stand-off with Qatari broadcaster beIN, in a move that could revive its £300m takeover of Newcastle United. The U-turn would involve unblocking beIN’s channels in Saudi Arabia, cracking down on any pirating of the network’s output and settling a $1bn lawsuit, sources close to the talks [...]
The hangover: Why aren’t England’s stars of Euro 2020 shining this season? October 5, 2021 It is less than three months since England, propelled by the goals of Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane and fortified by the defending of John Stones, got to within touching distance of victory at Euro 2020. For those players in particular, it must feel like far longer. Each of that trio, firmly established as key [...]
Liverpool 2, Manchester City 2: Neutrals win stalemate between clinical Reds and blunt Blues October 3, 2021 As they caught their breath following this whirlwind contest at the top of the Premier League, Manchester City supporters could be forgiven for feeling conflicted. Glass-half-full Blues will point to the fact that they twice came from behind at Liverpool, where they have won just three times in 49 league games. Pessimistic City fans, on [...]
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, [...]