Goals galore: Why the return of the Champions League and Europa League is good news for fans (and bad news for goalkeepers) March 9, 2021 The Champions League and Europa League resume this week and – *checks calculator* – that is good news for the armchair football fan. After a lively, goal-strewn start, excitement in the Premier League has plateaued as the season has rumbled on, leading to fears that fatigue had taken hold owing to a short pre-season and [...]
Premier League tester to launch Covid testing ‘pods’ at UK offices March 8, 2021 Covid-19 testing pods are set to be introduced this week at a number of IWG-run offices, which will be available to both the public and employees, the genetic tester said this morning. The company, which does the testing for The Premier League, will roll out 10 pods this week, with another 100 due to be [...]
Why Bruno Fernandes, Gabriel Jesus and Jadon Sancho might be forced to sit out the next international break March 5, 2021 Football’s international break is on the horizon, but for some players these 2022 World Cup qualifying matches might as well not be happening at all. The UK’s requirement that those travelling to certain countries quarantine for 10 days on their return has made some Premier League clubs reluctant to release players. But the situation could [...]
Cazoo, Dettol and Tik Tok: How the pandemic has changed the sport sponsorship landscape March 3, 2021 The pandemic may have halted the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, but in the world of sport sponsorship it has sparked some dramatic moves. New entrants are making major investments while more established sponsors have moved aside to make way. A combination of enforced changes of habit and the uneven nature of Covid-19’s [...]
Gareth Bale is back for Tottenham – so is this another Jose Mourinho managerial masterstroke? March 1, 2021 Just a few weeks ago, Jose Mourinho did not want to talk about Gareth Bale. On 4 February, he sniped at a reporter for asking why Bale was left on the Tottenham bench during a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. Eight days later, Mourinho publicly rebuked him for implying, via social media, that he was fit and [...]
Why science, engineering and business must unite to protect our athletes and the sports we love February 24, 2021 The stadiums were echoing, the stands empty, but when normal life ground to a halt, many professional sportsmen and women played on. The spectacle gave the rest of us a dose of much-needed escapism. Watching from our locked-down homes, it was easy to imagine the athletes on-screen didn’t have a care in the world beyond [...]
Expecting football to make Twitter and Facebook stop social media abuse is like asking your six-year-old to tackle Cristiano Ronaldo February 23, 2021 The English football community has finally had enough of the rampant racial abuse and bullying its players suffer on social media. Police are investigating and thePremeir League and other bodies have made an unprecedented direct plea to Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey. Of course, these issues on social media don’t just impact football players or [...]
Up to 10,000 sports fans to be allowed back to stadiums from 17 May, says Prime Minister February 22, 2021 Sports fans will be allowed to return to stadiums from 17 May, with up to 10,000 spectators permitted in the largest venues. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the relaxation of rules today as he laid out his plans for emerging from lockdown. The announcement means that crowds should be in attendance for Euro 2020 matches [...]
West Ham and David Moyes have gone from laughing stock to Happy Hammers – at an ideal time for their owners David Sullivan and David Gold February 22, 2021 Hands up who didn’t afford themselves a wry chuckle when David Moyes, on his return as West Ham manager in December 2019, declared: “That’s what I do, I win.” It was a bold claim from a man whose stints at Sunderland, Real Sociedad and Manchester United might generously be described as chequered. Coming as West [...]
Week in Sportbiz: England Netball weighing up approaches from private investors; plus Manchester City’s humble new partner club and ‘super spikes’ February 18, 2021 Netball’s prodigious growth has not gone unnoticed by the private investors who have embarked on a trolley dash of sporting properties. England Netball successfully launched its Covid-adapted 2021 Superleague season last weekend – another feather in the cap of an organisation that has doubled participation in a decade. The governing has renewed its broadcast deal [...]