Sofas and season tickets: Inside the world of retail finance May 16, 2025 Retailing financing is on the up and as big banks steer away from the market, specialist lenders are cashing in. Fresh research from the finance and leasing association (FLA) showed consumer finance grew by 13 per cent in March 2025, compared to the year prior. The first quarter of 2025 saw a six per cent [...]
Crystal Palace face FA Cup final amid boardroom battles and upheaval May 14, 2025 Crystal Palace’s preparations for Saturday’s FA Cup final have been taking place against a backdrop of more discord in the boardroom. The club’s biggest shareholder John Textor has made renewed attempts to purchase the combined 36 per cent stake of fellow American investors, Josh Harris and David Blitzer, with the timing of his latest approach [...]
David Beckham and Spain’s tax shake-down May 14, 2025 Spain’s socialist prime minister is waging a vicious campaign against law-abiding people who’ve benefited from the country’s David Beckham tax – and the Spanish economy will suffer as a result, says John O’Connell There aren’t many people more famous than David Beckham. He’s so famous, in fact, that he even has a tax law named [...]
Premier league players challenge use of data by betting firms May 14, 2025 A growing group of professional footballers in the UK are challenging how their personal performance data is being collected, used, and ultimately monetised. The global sports data and technology group (GSDT) has recently submitted firm “stop processing” requests on behalf of footballers and other sportspeople. This forms the latest part of its ‘project red card’ [...]
Kogan set for football regulator role after CMS committee endorsement May 9, 2025 David Kogan looks set to be confirmed as chair of the football regulator after a Culture, Media and Sport committee gave him a qualified endorsement for the role. In a report following his grilling by MPs on Wednesday, the committee said it was “content to endorse David Kogan OBE’s appointment as Chair of the Independent [...]
How ‘unsexy’ B2B firms are pushing out consumer brands in sport May 9, 2025 “Unsexy” B2B firms are increasingly replacing consumer-facing brands in some of the country’s most prized sport sponsorship deals, new research has found. Manufacturing/engineering, specialist professional services, construction and software are four of the five fastest-growing industries appearing as front-of-shirt sponsors of England’s top football, rugby and cricket teams. The study by sponsorship intelligence firm Caytoo [...]
Crystal Palace co-owner Textor’s firm hit with strike-off notice May 7, 2025 Leading Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings company has been slapped with a strike-off notice as it prepares for an IPO in the US. A First Gazette “notice for compulsory strike-off” was added to the filing history of Eagle Football Holdings Limited this month and dated 13 May 2025. Textor, who owns just [...]
Boehly: Chelsea fans may need to wait until 2042 for new stadium May 6, 2025 Chelsea fans may need to wait until 2042 before they can move from Stamford Bridge to a new home, co-owner Todd Boehly warned on Tuesday. The club have fallen behind London rivals including Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham in swapping old stadia for new arenas, or vastly upgrading existing infrastructure. But with a move to [...]
Brighton owner Bloom proposes £10m minority stake in Hearts May 6, 2025 Brighton and Hove owner Tony Bloom has proposed a £10m investment in Scottish Premiership club Heart of Midlothian. The investment needs approval from the club’s majority shareholder, supporters group Foundation of Hearts, and would see Bloom receive a 29 per cent stake in the club who are second in the relegation segment of the Scottish [...]
Chelsea move to digital tickets after banning 2,000 fans for touting May 1, 2025 Chelsea have revealed further details of their switch to digital tickets next season, which the football club says it hopes will stamp out touting. The Premier League outfit have cancelled 2,000 memberships linked to touting this season and believe that the new digital system will provide greater security. It comes a year before the top [...]