Exclusive: Saudi Arabia readies Olympic Games bid but may hold until 2040 February 4, 2025 Saudi Arabia is readying a bid to host the Olympic Games but is prepared to wait until 2040 to maximise its chances, a leading official has told City AM. Group CEO of Diriyah Company Jerry Inzerillo said it was a “matter of time before Saudi will announce an intention for an Olympic bid”, adding that [...]
Lucknow Super Giants owner wins £100m race for Manchester Originals February 3, 2025 RPSG Group, the owner of Indian Premier League team Lucknow Super Giants, has won the race to buy into Manchester Originals in a deal valuing the Hundred franchise at £100m. The conglomerate, chaired by Sanjiv Goenka, has agreed to pay around £50m for the England and Wales Cricket Board’s 49 per cent stake in the [...]
Eyeball.Club: The AI scouting platform shaking up the January transfer window February 3, 2025 The January transfer window has underlined the importance of finding football’s next big thing earlier, and AI scouting platform Eyeball.Club is built for that, says founder Benjamin Balkin. Manchester United’s £30m signing of Danish left-back Patrick Dorgu, 20, wasn’t just one of the biggest deals of the January transfer window. It also distilled one of [...]
Banker Rowland launches Britain’s most lucrative padel tournament February 3, 2025 Redwood Bank founder Jonathan Rowland’s R3 Sport is launching Britain’s most lucrative padel tournament in association with Bullpadel, one of the game’s leading brands. The R3 Bullpadel Cup will consist of up to six events taking place across the country from April this year and culminating in the Cup Finals in December. It is understood [...]
Trump, the Super Bowl, wokery and sport’s shift to the right February 2, 2025 It might be the same man sitting in The Oval Office, but a lot’s changed since Donald J Trump first presided over a Super Bowl eight years ago. In 2017 America was perilously divided, with a newly-elected Trump in the White House and protest marches taking place on the streets outside it. This tension was [...]
Critics slam Warner Bros cutting Eurosport for TNT Sports in UK February 2, 2025 Last week Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it would be winding down its UK-based Eurosport operation with the live sport content migrating to TNT Sports from the end of this month. On the face of it, having the Olympics, Champions League, Autumn Nations Cup and more all in one spot is ideal for sports fans. [...]
US bidders for British basketball league aren’t another 777, says federation January 30, 2025 The chair of the British Basketball Federation (BBF) has dismissed fears of another 777 Partners over plans to hand control of its league to more US investors. The BBF had to strip the 777-owned British Basketball League (BBL) of its licence last year after the Miami-based fund ran out of money, leaving clubs facing extinction. [...]
Stokes and Gakpo part of £4m funding round for AI wealth firm Prosper January 30, 2025 England cricket captain Ben Stokes and Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo are part of a £4m funding round for a wealth management platform leveraging AI. The sportsmen joined Fuel Ventures, who led the round with a £2m investment, in London-based FinTech Prosper. Olympians Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill, Dame Sarah Storey and Tim Podcock, and footballers Ben White [...]
2026 World Cup: Visa backlog could keep teams and fans locked out of US January 30, 2025 US officials have raised concerns that visa backlogs may prevent overseas football fans and even teams from attending the men’s 2026 World Cup. Wait times for interviews for business and tourism visas exceed 330 days at 18 US embassies and consulates, the LA Times reported. With tickets for the World Cup not expected to go [...]
It’s not the 90s, TNT deal for Six Nations wouldn’t hurt rugby January 30, 2025 On the eve of this year’s men’s Six Nations bursts forth news that TNT Sports is preparing a bid for broadcast rights to the tournament from 2026. Cue mild hysteria at the possibility of rugby’s premier annual competition “disappearing” behind a TV paywall. An accelerant to the decline in mass interest in the sport or [...]