Has Fifa wildly overestimated the value of Club World Cup media rights? October 11, 2024 Was Fifa too hasty in rejecting Apple’s reported $1bn (£760m) offer for media rights to next summer’s inaugural beefed-up Club World Cup? That is a question football’s governing body may have to ask itself as time ticks down towards the new 32-team tournament in the US next summer. With only eight months to go until [...]
Got £8m to splash? How about buying six Lionel Messi World Cup shirts November 20, 2023 If you have got £8m of loose change in your pocket then keep reading as six of Lionel Messi’s World Cup shirts could be yours for a handful of millions. Sotheby’s are flogging six Argentina shirts won by the World Cup-winning captain at the Qatar showpiece last year in New York between 30 November and [...]
Footballers suffered worse injuries after Qatar World Cup, shocking study finds November 19, 2023 The Premier League had the second most injuries last season.
Why sponsors won’t sweat another desert World Cup – even a dry one November 14, 2023 What will a Saudi World Cup mean for football's many commercial partners?
Another winter World Cup on cards after Australia withdrawal leaves one bid standing October 31, 2023 Australia's withdrawal of interest leaves Saudi Arabia as the last bid standing.
Sportspeople ‘perilously close’ to limit, says major player group chief October 22, 2023 Professional sportspeople are “perilously close to going over the limits of what is sustainable” according to a top player association executive. Simon Taylor of the Professional Players Federation has insisted that player welfare has not been given enough priority within the international game. Footballers in the past have spoken of the demands of a full [...]
Dazn hits back at MP plans to close free-to-air sport loophole September 25, 2023 Calls from politicians to stop streaming platforms from bidding to show major sporting events have been slammed as “very narrow-minded and anti-competitive”. Sports streaming giant Dazn, best known for showing high-profile boxing matches, has hit out at recent recommendations by a group of MPs to stop streaming platforms from bidding for “crown jewel” sporting events. Crown jewel [...]
Qatar tightens grip on elite padel with takeover of rival Spanish-owned circuit August 24, 2023 Qatar Sports Investments, the owner of French football champions Paris Saint-Germain, has confirmed its takeover of the World Padel Tour. The move concludes around 18 months of wrangling over control of the fast-growing sport at elite level, following the launch of QSI’s rival Premier Padel circuit. It will see Premier Padel become the main tour [...]
Manchester City receive biggest payout for releasing players for 2022 World Cup July 15, 2023 Manchester City received $4.6m (£3.51m), the biggest payout of any club, for releasing players for last year’s World Cup in Qatar. City’s compensation from world governing body Fifa narrowly beat Barcelona’s $4.54m and the $4.33m paid to Bayern Munich. Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, who both received $3.84m, completed a top five monopolised by leading [...]
20,000 abusive social media posts made during Fifa World Cup, England v France with the highest proportion June 19, 2023 There were almost 20,000 abusive social media posts aimed at players, teams and officials during last year’s Fifa World Cup, according to a new report by the sport’s governing body and player union Fifpro released yesterday. The 19,600 abusive messages came from 12,600 accounts during the showpiece event held in Qatar last winter. Fifa went [...]