Best of 2022: How Freed From Desire became an England football anthem December 31, 2022 This piece, originally published during the World Cup earlier this year, charts how Gala’s Freed From Desire, a 90s dance hit about Buddhist philosophy, became the official goal music for the England team, via Irish football and the lower leagues. Lashed home by Harry Kane, dinked by Bukayo Saka or headed by Jude Bellingham, each [...]
Middle East investment in Manchester United or Liverpool: Sports law predictions for 2023 December 29, 2022 As has become traditional at this time of year, City A.M. has called on the wisdom of Mishcon de Reya’s Simon Leaf and Tom Murray to dust off the crystal ball, don their best Mystic Meg outfits and offer their sports law predictions for next year. So here is our take on 2023 – and [...]
Best of 2022: Greg Norman explains LIV Golf’s blueprint for transforming the sport December 29, 2022 In this exclusive interview from June 2022, LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman explains how the Saudi Arabia-backed big-money circuit plans to disrupt the sport and amplify the earning potential of the world’s top players. Greg Norman has conquered some of the world’s finest golf courses and forged a successful career as an entrepreneur but he [...]
Ring of steel: Wembley Stadium chiefs plan fencing to prevent Euro 2020 final repeat December 29, 2022 Wembley Stadium bosses plan to erect a ring of steel around the venue in the hope that fences will prevent repeats of the crowd trouble at last year’s Euro 2020 final. The move was one of the recommendations of a report by Baroness Casey into the chaotic scenes, which marred England’s appearance in a first [...]
Liverpool kick off January transfer window with £37m signing of Cody Gakpo December 29, 2022 Liverpool have fired the starting pistol on an intriguing January transfer window by confirming the £37m signing of Netherlands forward Cody Gakpo. The Reds beat rivals Manchester United to Gakpo, who arrives on a five-and-a-half year contract from his boyhood club PSV Eindhoven. “There is a lot to like about Cody,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen [...]
Sport business predictions for 2023 with Deloitte’s Tim Bridge December 28, 2022 Deloitte’s Tim Bridge looks back on the last 12 months and makes his sport business predictions for 2023. The final whistle of the men’s football World Cup concluded an epic year for sport which included the Winter Olympics, the Commonwealth Games, the Women’s Euros, the Rugby League World Cup, as well as women’s World Cups [...]
Ineos hire new chief executive for sporting branch December 27, 2022 British chemicals company and growing sports player Ineos have hired Jean-Claude Blanc as the firm’s new sport chief executive. Blanc will begin in post from February of next year and will be responsible for the development of facilities for each of the teams and franchises Ineos owns. The company, founded by Britain’s richest man Sir [...]
Best of 2022: Michael Doughty on quitting football to found ethical brand Hylo Athletics December 26, 2022 In this interview first published in October 2022, former Premier League footballer Michael Doughty explains why he walked away from the game to set up sustainable sportswear brand Hylo Athletics. The longer that Michael Doughty’s playing career went on, the harder he found it to ignore the effects of climate change. “I saw way more [...]
Best of 2022: Sir Geoff Hurst: ‘My own memory could fade. You expect it to happen’ December 25, 2022 In this exclusive interview first published in July 2022, Sir Geoff Hurst says seeing most of his 1966 World Cup winning team-mates suffer with dementia convinced him to preserve his memories in the form of a digital artwork and raise money for Alzheimer’s charities. Every morning Sir Geoff Hurst goes for an hour-long walk through [...]
Best of 2022: Brexit transfer shake-up not helping English players in Premier League December 24, 2022 In this article from November 2022, Frank Dalleres reveals that tougher transfer market regulations following Brexit are not yet having any beneficial effect on the progress of English players in the Premier League. Brexit has drastically shrunk the pool of footballers available to English clubs without having any clear benefit to the prospects of homegrown [...]