‘Zombie clubs’ on rise as Covid doubles football teams in distress December 22, 2021 Football finance experts have warned of a rise in “zombie clubs” as a result of Covid-19 restrictions slashing teams’ income. The number of English clubs in financial distress doubled from 17 to 34 in the six months after stadiums closed in March 2020, a new report by insolvency firm Begbies Traynor found. Derby County and [...]
The Cathedral: Striking new home of AC Milan and Inter Milan revealed December 22, 2021 Italian football giants AC Milan and Inter Milan have revealed plans for their striking new stadium, called The Cathedral, which will replace their iconic current home, the San Siro. The winning design was drawn up by architects Populous, who also created the new Wembley Stadium, the London 2012 Olympic Stadium, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and the [...]
Tennis star Emma Raducanu signs high-flying deal with British Airways December 22, 2021 Emma Raducanu announced yesterday that she has signed a lucrative deal to promote British Airways.
Scotland follows Wales in banning fans from sport due to Covid-19 December 21, 2021 Scotland has followed Wales in banning spectators from sport in response to increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases. First minister Nicola Sturgeon said most sport due to take place in Scotland over the Christmas period would be “effectively spectator-free”. From Boxing Day for a period of up to three weeks, outdoor events will be limited to [...]
Fifa biennial World Cup claims questioned by sport industry experts December 21, 2021 Leading figures in sports marketing have questioned Fifa’s claim that switching to biennial men’s World Cups would drive a huge revenue increase. Football’s world governing body revived the argument to stage its showpiece more regularly on Monday by presenting research that estimated the change would boost income by 60 per cent over the first four [...]
British Basketball League to begin £7m overhaul after US fund invests December 20, 2021 The British Basketball League (BBL) has announced a major investment by US fund 777 Partners in a move that it hopes will realise the sport’s potential in the UK. Miami-based 777 Partners, which already owns BBL team London Lions, is paying £7m for a 45 per cent stake in the league. The fund also owns [...]
Big Sport Quiz of 2021: How much do you remember? December 20, 2021 From teenagers sweeping to Grand Slam tennis titles to England reaching a major football final, an Olympic Games like no other and the introduction of a brand new cricket competition, it has been a hugely eventful year in sport. Off the field it has been just as transformative, with private equity and, increasingly, cryptocurrency and [...]
Channel 4 to show decisive Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix December 9, 2021 Channel 4 will show live coverage of the decisive final race of the Formula 1 season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, after striking a deal with rights-holder Sky. Britain’s Lewis Hamilton is bidding to win a record eighth drivers’ championship and see off the challenge of rival Max Verstappen, with whom he is level on [...]
Ed Warner: Soft power and sport – why do they do that? December 9, 2021 To the Guildhall for the launch of EY’s study of soft power and major sporting events, commissioned by the City of London and UK Sport. The publication was timely, coinciding with the findings of the inquiry into the chaos at the Euro 2020 final at Wembley which tarnished Britain’s hosting credentials, as well as the [...]
Academics find fairer format for penalty shootouts, but will football accept it? December 2, 2021 Football took a chance on the ABBA format in the hope of minimising the inherent unfairness of penalty shootouts, but that experiment swiftly met its Waterloo. Now, though, economists at Durham University have devised a new way of ordering penalty kicks that they believe could change the name of the game. They tested a score-dependent [...]