Ed Warner: Why the anti-doping fight desperately needs a shot in the arm December 19, 2024 Confirmation that Mykhailo Mudryk has failed a routine anti-doping test must rightly trigger the usual essential caveats. Chelsea’s Ukrainian winger has only been provisionally suspended. This is simply the start of a process with the facts to be established and the outcome far from certain. What is clear is that Mudryk’s case will be another [...]
BBC Match of the Day decision to cost bookies a triple payout December 18, 2024 The BBC will bash the bookmakers if, as expected, it names Kelly Cates, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman as the successors to Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker. Multiple betting firms offered markets on which host would replace Lineker when he vacates the hotseat after a quarter of a century in the job at [...]
Red Bull: Leeds United minority owner set to increase football investment December 18, 2024 The energy drinks brand already has a minority stake in Leeds but has an option to increase it.
Chelsea star denies wrongdoing after club confirms failed drug test December 17, 2024 Chelsea’s £89m winger Mykhailo Mudryk has denied any wrongdoing after the Ukraine international tested positive for a banned substance. The Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that they had been notified by the Football Association of Mudryk’s test result, which could carry a ban of up to four years. “I can confirm that I have been [...]
Tory peer’s plan for English football ‘opens door to Kim Jong Un and Assad’ December 15, 2024 Dictators such as Kim Jong Un or Bashar al-Assad could be encouraged to buy English football clubs if “preposterous” proposals from Tory peers are passed, campaigners have warned. Lord Moynihan, a former sports minister under Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, has argued that anyone with diplomatic immunity should be exempt from the owners’ and directors’ test that [...]
Amorim offers olive branch to axed stars after Manchester derby December 15, 2024 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim offered axed pair Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho an olive branch after his side snatched a 2-1 Premier League win in the derby at freefalling Manchester City. United trailed with three minutes remaining thanks to Josko Gvardiol’s header but Amad Diallo turned the contest upside down by first winning a [...]
Wolves lose patience with O’Neil after fourth defeat in a row December 15, 2024 Wolves have sacked manager Gary O’Neil after a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat left them second from bottom of the table. Saturday’s stoppage-time 2-1 loss at home to fellow strugglers Ipswich Town was their 12th reverse of the season in all competitions. Chairman Jeff Shi said: “We’re very grateful to Gary for all of his [...]
How betting markets reflect Manchester City’s shock slump December 13, 2024 Betting markets might not tell the whole story but they do reveal certain underlying truths and, right now, they don’t make easy reading for Pep Guardiola or Manchester City. This week their wholly unexpected and utterly miserable run continued with a 2-0 defeat against Juventus in Turin that has left them fighting to avoid elimination [...]
Ed Warner: Sport owners mustn’t forget the loyal and local in rush to go global December 12, 2024 In the frenzied rush to create global franchises and events, the sport business risks forgetting local and loyal fans at their peril, says Ed Warner. Storm Darragh dashed many sporting dreams last weekend, including those of the Australian 15-year-old who spent all his savings on a solo trip from Down Under only for the last [...]
Saudi Arabia promises ‘tournament of lifetime’ after getting 2034 World Cup December 11, 2024 Saudi Arabia has vowed to stage “the tournament of a lifetime” after Fifa confirmed the country as hosts for the 2034 World Cup. Its was the only bid and its appointment was a formality confirmed by acclamation at a virtual Fifa congress on Wednesday. As expected, six nations – Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and [...]