English rugby scraps relegation until 2024 but chiefs insist Premiership is not being ringfenced June 29, 2021 English rugby chiefs have scrapped relegation from the Premiership until 2024 as part of wide-ranging reforms to the game. The pausing of relegation and expansion of the Premiership to 14 teams is designed to stem the losses suffered by most clubs and exacerbated by the pandemic, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) said. But the RFU [...]
How Germany are using data science at Euro 2020 and why it won’t help them in a penalty shoot-out against England June 28, 2021 It’s hard to tell whether Pascal Bauer is being modest about his own work or afraid of giving too much away when he talks about Germany’s Euro 2020 showdown with England. As a senior data scientist for German football federation (DFB), he has an important role in preparing the team for matches like tomorrow’s last-16 [...]
Net profits: Andy Murray on life as an entrepreneur and investor, his new sports drink venture and why he’ll focus more on business after tennis June 25, 2021 Sportswear entrepreneur Tom Beahon can remember one of his first meetings with Andy Murray, at the 2019 Australian Open. “Andy was in his hotel room, watching a Djokovic match, making notes on which side of the service box Novak was serving to just in case he played him in that tournament,” recalls Beahon, whose company, [...]
Exclusive: Report ranks England among the worst teams left at Euro 2020 – but last-16 opponents Germany have been one of the best June 25, 2021 England are one of the worst performing teams left in Euro 2020, according to data analysis shared with City A.M. Gareth Southgate’s side, who face Germany in the second round on Tuesday, rank 16th out of 24 teams based on performance in the group stage. England have a lower rating than Turkey, Poland and Slovakia, [...]
Euros 2020: BBC receives thousands of complaints over airing Christian Eriksen collapse June 24, 2021 The BBC has received over 6400 complaints for its coverage of Denmark midfielder Christian Eriksen collapsing during the Euro 2020 match against Finland earlier this month. Eriksen received CPR on the field in Copenhagen after suffering a cardiac arrest and collapsing as he chased the ball. Doctors resuscitated the footballer on the pitch with a [...]
Liverpool shareholders RedBird Capital set to buy stake in Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals June 24, 2021 RedBird Capital Partners, a shareholder in Liverpool owners Fenway Sports Group, is buying a stake in Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket franchise Rajasthan Royals, according to reports. New York-based RedBird is buying 15 per cent of the Royals in a deal that values the team at $250m, says the FT. The transaction continues the trends [...]
AxisStars: Former Man Utd and France footballer Louis Saha on cleaning up the industry and ‘keeping sharks at bay’ with his app business June 23, 2021 Louis Saha enjoyed a glittering football career but he was far from an instant success. A promising teenager, he struggled at first at humble Metz, scored just once in a loan spell at Newcastle United, and dropped down a division to sign for Fulham in the hope of kick-starting his career. Saha proved a success [...]
Spanish football clubs buck trend and make profit despite Covid-19 June 22, 2021 Spanish football clubs bucked the trend by making a collective profit last season despite the impact of Covid-19. LaLiga, which encompasses the top two divisions of men’s football in Spain, reported a profit of €77m for 2019-20. Revenue grew 3.6 per cent year on year to just over €5bn, although net debt grew from €2.6bn [...]
David Beckham-backed Guild Esports signs up Samsung as a sponsor June 21, 2021 David Beckham’s London-listed Guild Esports organisation has signed Samsung as a sponsor. The one-year deal to be Guild’s official display partner is the electronics giant’s first with a British esports team. Samsung is meeting the undisclosed value of the deal with 50 per cent cash and 50 per cent value in kind, in the form [...]
Tokyo 2020 facing threat of spectator ban, says Japanese prime minister June 21, 2021 Japan may ban spectators from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics if the country’s Covid-19 situation worsens, prime minister Yoshihide Suga has warned. Holding this summer’s delayed Games behind closed doors was “definitely a possibility”, Suga said. “I think that’s obvious from the standpoint of making safety and security our utmost priority.” Japan has been slow to [...]