Week in Sportbiz: Taxman cometh for football (again); BT Sport; Simone Biles; social media boycott; and NHS x NFL draft April 29, 2021 HMRC has cashed in by increasing scrutiny of the football industry, so perhaps it should be no surprise that the taxman has begun a new crackdown on players and clubs. Investigations into footballers almost tripled in 2019-20, while those concerning clubs more than doubled. The result was an increase from £35m to £73m in tax [...]
Spotify founder Daniel Ek says he is “very serious” about Arsenal takeover interest and has secured the funds to make Stan Kroenke an offer April 28, 2021 Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek says he has secured the financial backing to make an offer for Arsenal. The Swedish billionaire, who is chief executive and part-owner of the music streaming platform, added that he was “very serious” about buying the Premier League football club. Ek also urged current Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke to listen to [...]
Premier League set for TV cash boost after it agrees to renew £4.7bn contracts with Sky, BT and Amazon on same terms April 27, 2021 The Premier League is close to renewing its £4.7bn domestic broadcast contracts with Sky, BT and Amazon, according to reports. It has chosen a private sale to current partners on the same terms as existing deals rather than a traditional auction of the rights for 2022-2025, according to SportBusiness Media. The arrangement must still be [...]
Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira join Spotify founder Daniel Ek in Arsenal takeover bid April 26, 2021 Spotify co-founder Daniel Ek has recruited Arsenal greats Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira to his attempt to buy the club. Ek, who is estimated to be worth £3.4bn, declared his interest in a takeover on Friday as thousands of Arsenal fans protested against current owner Stan Kroenke. The Swede is now working with [...]
Europe’s lesser lights put Super League plotting in shade in across the continent April 26, 2021 The European Super League (ESL) has hogged the headlines to such an extent lately that it has obscured the real drama playing out across the continent. With just a handful of games left to play in this most unpredictable of seasons, league titles and Champions League places remain the subject of fierce tussles in Spain, [...]
Screenshot: Is the Super League the biggest PR disaster of all time? April 23, 2021 This week **Media Moment of the Week: Radio loses a legend **Is the Super League the biggest PR disaster of all time? **Is Netflix’s pandemic party finally over? Media Moment of the Week: Radio loses a legend For many Brits, radio has been a much-needed source of entertainment (and company) during the pandemic. But long [...]
A significant skirmish in an intensifying war: How player power helped bring the European Super League to its knees April 23, 2021 James Milner seemed to speak for many Premier League players and managers when he said on Monday: “I don’t like it and hopefully it doesn’t happen.” The Liverpool midfielder was referring to the European Super League, the audacious and ultimately short-lived breakaway launched by 12 of Europe’s richest football clubs just hours earlier – including [...]
Jose Mourinho: Would sacked Tottenham boss be entitled to unfair dismissal? April 22, 2021 As Gary Lineker pointed out this week, it has been a good time to hide bad news in football, with the announcement of the European Super League and the fallout which followed. And so, Jose Mourinho’s departure as head coach of Tottenham Hotspur has largely fallen under the radar. Mourinho would fail to meet the [...]
European Super League criticised for ‘unilaterally deciding future of women’s football’ without consultation April 22, 2021 Campaign group Women in Football has criticised the lack of consultation with the women’s game over the short-lived European Super League breakaway. Plans for the European Super League, the biggest shake-up in club football in living memory, stated that a corresponding women’s competition would follow but did not go into further details. The project unravelled [...]
Arsenal and Liverpool say sorry for plotting European Super League but clubs’ defence of motivations shows wildly unpopular project is far from dead April 21, 2021 The English clubs among the “dirty dozen” behind plans for a European Super League have begun attempts to repair the damage caused by the failed breakaway. But while Arsenal and Liverpool apologised to supporters, they and the other English clubs to pull out – Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – stopped short [...]