Week in Sportbiz: Mexican stand-off over Club Necaxa NFT; press conferences overshadow French Open; English football in distress June 3, 2021 From NBA Top Shot to Christian Fuchs, the march of the NFT in sport has looked unstoppable. Until now, that is. Mexican football chiefs this week put the brakes on the plans of Club Necaxa to become the world’s first sports team to sell an ownership stake using blockchain technology. Club Necaxa, whose shareholders include [...]
Exclusive: Vegan footballer Chris Smalling invests six-figure sum in plant-based meat company Heura June 3, 2021 Former Manchester United footballer Chris Smalling has become an investor in plant-based meat company Heura. Smalling, who switched to a vegan diet five years ago, is understood to have invested a six-figure sum in the Spanish brand. “Backing from a top athlete like Chris further bolsters Heura’s nutritional credentials, which are second to none,” said [...]
Trevor Steven: Gareth Southgate may regret naming four right-backs in England squad for Euro 2020 instead of Jesse Lingard or Danny Ings June 2, 2021 On the face of it, it’s difficult to work out why Gareth Southgate has named four right-backs in his England squad for Euro 2020. While Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Reece James and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all talented players, each is also taking up a space that could have gone to someone else. If only two [...]
Alexander-Arnold, Grealish, Saka and Coady named in England Euro 2020 squad but Lingard, Ward-Prowse and Watkins miss out June 1, 2021 Gareth Southgate has named Trent Alexander-Arnold in his England Euro 2020 squad. Jack Grealish, Bukayo Saka and Conor Coady have also made the 26-man party. But there is no place for Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse or Ollie Watkins. Harry Maguire and Jordan Henderson are in Southgate’s England Euro 2020 squad despite not being fully fit. [...]
Championship Play-Off Final: £170m prize at stake for Brentford and Swansea in football’s most lucrative match May 29, 2021 Saturday’s Championship Play-Off Final is worth £170m to the winning team, making it football’s most lucrative match, according to Deloitte. The Wembley fixture, to decide which team gets the remaining place in next season’s Premier League, is this year between Brentford and Swansea City. “Promotion to the Premier League remains the most valuable prize in [...]
Leicester City title hero Christian Fuchs explains why he is auctioning his viral video of the team’s Premier League celebrations as an NFT May 28, 2021 Former Leicester City player Christian Fuchs is auctioning his viral video clip of the team celebrating the Premier League title as part of an NFT (non-fungible token). Fuchs shot the clip of the moment Leicester became champions on his mobile phone and shared it on Twitter, where it has received 12m views. The defender is [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Castore eyes Chinese market with Wolves kit deal; Rosberg signs up IG Prime to Extreme E team; Koepka does rival DeChambeau a favour May 27, 2021 Change is in the air at Wolves, and not only because manager Nuno Espirito Santo departed this week. The Black Country’s finest have also signed a new kit deal with fast-growing premium British sportswear brand Castore. Castore has been canny in its choice of sportspeople and teams to get behind, from Andy Murray to Owen [...]
Trevor Steven: Thomas Tuchel must be brave if Chelsea are to deny Manchester City their Champipons League moment May 27, 2021 Football is about moments and Saturday’s Champions League final against Chelsea feels like it is Manchester City’s. When City hired Pep Guardiola five years ago it was in order to win this competition and they have never had a better chance than this. Saturday’s clash in Porto is their opportunity to make the step up [...]
Europa League final: Why stakes are high for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United against Villarreal May 25, 2021 By reaching the Europa League final and finishing second in the Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has delivered the necessary progress to keep his job. But that doesn’t mean that the stakes aren’t high for both Solskjaer and Manchester United when they meet Villarreal in Gdansk on Wednesday night. Like a lot of people, I [...]
Ben White, Ben Godfrey and Trent Alexander-Arnold in provisional England Euro 2020 squad but no place for Eric Dier, James Maddison or Patrick Bamford May 25, 2021 Gareth Southgate has named uncapped defenders Ben White and Ben Godfrey in his provisional 33-man England squad for Euro 2020. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish, Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins, Jude Bellingham, Conor Coady and Aaron Ramsdale are also in the expanded party. Eric Dier, James Maddison and Patrick Bamford miss out but [...]