Ed Warner: The row over sport banning Russian players will be even bigger in 2023 January 12, 2023 Wimbledon will be here before we know it. Expect the debate about banning Russian and Belorussian stars to start soon. The tug of war over the two bellicose nations’ participation at next year’s Paris Olympics and Paralympics has already begun. Schisms within sports and between their leaders and politicians are inevitable. Last year, backed (or [...]
Joao Felix: Chelsea pay eight-figure loan fee to make Portugal and Atletico Madrid star the 12th signing under Todd Boehly January 11, 2023 Chelsea have continued their recruitment drive by signing Portugal forward Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old is the 12th player to join since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the Premier League club from Roman Abramovich for £2.5bn last summer. Chelsea are believed to have agreed to pay [...]
Why Manchester United sale could fetch the Glazer family even more than their £6bn asking price – despite Cristiano Ronaldo exit January 11, 2023 The Glazer family’s hopes of achieving a record valuation for the sale of Manchester United have increased after the football club’s share price reached a four-year high. Some analysts believe it could push the price of a takeover towards $10bn (£8.2bn), in excess of the American owners’ original $7bn (£5.8bn) asking price. United’s share price [...]
Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City: Which team has the biggest wage bill in European football? January 10, 2023 Paris Saint-Germain’s signing of Lionel Messi contributed to the club setting a new record for the biggest wage bill in European football history last season. The French champions paid their players and staff €728m (£642m) in 2021-22, a year-on-year increase of 45 per cent, according to a new report by advisory Football Benchmark. It followed [...]
Why Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as a target for Paris Saint-Germain owners Qatar Sport Investments January 9, 2023 Qatar Sports Investments, the owners of Paris Saint-Germain, have identified Tottenham Hotspur as a potential minority investment as they accelerate plans to build a global network of football clubs in 2023. Sources close to QSI said chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who is also PSG president, held talks with Tottenham executive chairman Daniel Levy last week to [...]
Why Fifa’s crackdown on football agents’ fees could spark a stampede to do deals January 8, 2023 Tougher rules for football agents come into force from Monday as part of a Fifa crackdown that will see agents’ fees capped at three per cent of a player’s salary. Some of the world governing body’s new regulations take effect immediately, such as a mandatory licensing system for all agents, while others, such as the [...]
FA Cup prize money: How much can clubs earn in the third round and what is an FA Cup run worth? January 6, 2023 Ah, the men’s FA Cup third round: the romance of lower league teams getting their shot at Premier League giants, the magic of part-timers upsetting the superstars, and the prize money and other financial rewards that can transform a small football club’s fortunes. This weekend is when the prize money hits six figures, and that’s [...]
Here’s why Chelsea could benefit from handing £33m signing Badiashile a mammoth seven-year contract January 5, 2023 Chelsea raised eyebrows today when they announced the signing of French defender Benoit Badiashile on a mammoth seven-and-a-half-year contract. Players typically agree deals for three, four or five years but the contract handed to 21-year-old Badiashile, who joins from Monaco for a fee of £33m, runs into the next decade. However, the length of the [...]
Cricket champions Surrey swap Adidas for Andy Murray-backed City boys’ startup January 5, 2023 Surrey County Cricket Club have become the latest team to sign a deal with Castore, the Andy Murray-backed British sportswear startup founded by two former City workers. The reigning men’s County Champions today announced a multi-year agreement for their men’s and women’s teams to swap Adidas kit for apparel made by Castore, starting in the [...]
Premier League first: Why London ref Bhupinder Singh Gill is a history maker January 4, 2023 London teacher Bhupinder Singh Gill is set to make history on Wednesday night when he becomes the first Sikh Punjabi assistant referee in the Premier League. The 37-year-old is set to run the line in the top-flight match between Southampton and Nottingham Forest on the south coast. “This has to be the proudest and most [...]