Week in Sportbiz: Fifa spooked into action by Super League talk; Uefa may rip up Euro 2020 plans; London Marathon chiefs eye records January 21, 2021 Is football governing bodies’ ultimate bogeyman the European Super League in danger of actually happening? Fifa and its six confederations, including Uefa, have been sufficiently spooked into warning they will ban any footballer who takes part in a putative breakaway competition from playing in World Cups and their regional equivalents, such as the European Championship. [...]
Gloucester Rugby CEO Lance Bradley: Scrap relegation this season, it’s not right and would be catastrophic for any Premiership club January 21, 2021 “It would be catastrophic,” says Gloucester Rugby chief executive Lance Bradley, matter-of-factly, about the prospect of relegation. Gloucester sit bottom of the Premiership table after six rounds of fixtures, raising the spectre of another swingeing financial blow as all clubs count the cost of the pandemic. It hardly bears thinking about – and Bradley doesn’t [...]
Right to Dream founder Tom Vernon to explore buying British football club after securing €100m investment for pioneering project January 20, 2021 The English coach behind Africa’s leading football academy, Right to Dream, has secured a €100m investment to expand the pioneering model and explore the purchase of a British club. The deal sees Egyptian conglomerate the Mansour Group become majority shareholder in Right to Dream, which also owns Danish football club FC Nordsjaelland. Founder Tom Vernon, [...]
Mesut Ozil: Arsenal exit raises questions about player power and at what point clout becomes baggage January 18, 2021 The case of Mesut Ozil – signed to rapture and fanfare, ushered out the door to relief all round – is a very modern transfer tale. After Arsenal pulled off the surprise signing of Ozil in summer 2013, shirt sales increased 12-fold and tickets at Emirates Stadium became even harder to come by. The club [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Amazon and private equity target Serie A; Arsenal pick Garlick; sponsors keep faith; and boosts for electric racing January 14, 2021 Amazon’s foray into broadcasting Premier League matches could be a taste of things to come in Italy. The retail behemoth has held talks about buying the domestic rights to show Serie A on its Prime Video platform, according to multiple reports. Amazon has already secured a foothold in the Italian market, snapping up some Champions [...]
Metrica Sports: Meet the tech company which works with FC Barcelona giving away its football analytics software to amateurs January 13, 2021 Barcelona were one of Metrica Sports’ first clients but it was when the video and data analysis provider signed up Stockport County that its founders knew they were really onto something. The company, created in 2013 by three football-mad neuroscience PhD students, proved quick to gain a foothold with a handful of elite clubs thanks [...]
Manchester City owner City Football Group makes Club Bolivar the 11th club in its network January 12, 2021 Manchester City owner City Football Group has added Bolivia’s most successful side, Club Bolivar, to their portfolio of football teams. Bolivar becomes the 11th team in the group but the first to be designated as a “partner club” to City. City Football Group said the tie-up would give Bolivar access to its expertise and proprietary [...]
Donald Trump course axed as host of 2022 US PGA Championship over fears of ‘irreparable damage’ to its brand January 11, 2021 US PGA Championship organisers have cancelled plans to stage the golf major at a course owned by Donald Trump next year. The PGA of America said it risked “irreparable damage” to its reputation if it did not terminate its agreement with Trump National in Bedminster, New Jersey. The decision come days after Trump supporters stormed [...]
Saracens announce four-year stadium and shirt sponsorship deal with StoneX and City Index January 10, 2021 Saracens have announced a major new sponsorship deal with financial services company StoneX Financial and its subsidiary City Index. The four-year agreement will see the club’s north London home named the StoneX Stadium. Trading platform City Index will appear on the front of the shirts worn by both Saracens’ men’s and women’s teams. Saracens’ men’s [...]
French football’s financial crisis: Why Ligue 1’s €3bn deal with Mediapro collapsed and what it means for the Premier League January 8, 2021 Lille OSC are flying high in Ligue 1, into the latter stages of the Europa League — and €125m in debt. This season, financial turmoil off the pitch is tainting the French football club’s on-field success. Last month, Lille’s major creditors JP Morgan and Elliott Management forced the club’s embattled owner Gerard Lopez to sell [...]