Q&A: Why Premier League gave Chelsea’s Paramount Plus sponsorship the red card June 20, 2023 Chelsea’s hunt for a new main shirt sponsor hit the news this week when it emerged that the Premier League had refused to sanction a potential deal with Paramount Plus. Here’s why the agreement was not allowed, why this situation isn’t unique to Chelsea or the top division of English football, and what it means [...]
Roger Varian interview: ‘Will I enjoy Royal Ascot? Ask me at the end of the week’ June 19, 2023 Leading trainer Roger Varian on the importance of success at Royal Ascot this week, his ambitions to run Britain’s No1 stable and the future of the horse racing industry. Six days a week at 4:30am, just as the first sunlight is starting to bathe the Cambridgeshire-Suffolk border, horse racing trainer Roger Varian gets up and [...]
Bournemouth hire Andoni Iraola as head coach after sacking Gary O’Neil June 19, 2023 Bournemouth have moved quickly to appoint Spaniard Andoni Iraola as their new head coach after ruthlessly sacking Gary O’Neil. Iraola, who rejected a move to Leeds United last season, joins after a three-year spell at Rayo Vallecano, who he led back into LaLiga and to an 11th-placed finish last term. The 40-year-old becomes the fifth [...]
European football chief Ceferin plays down fears of talent drain to Saudi Pro League June 19, 2023 Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin insists he is not worried about the Saudi Pro League’s ambitious transfer policy stripping European football of its top stars. Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Neves have already followed Cristian Ronaldo in moving to Saudi, where a major investment programme from the Public Investment Fund is also reported to be [...]
‘Tennis is asleep at the wheel. It needs a wake-up call’ – Dietloff von Arnim interview June 18, 2023 Dietloff von Arnim on why the International Tennis Federation needs change, the Davis Cup ‘failure’, and running for president. With Novak Djokovic still in record-breaking shape, Iga Swiatek underlining her status as one the sport’s new stars and focus turning to the pristine lawns of Wimbledon, it would be easy to assume that all is [...]
How the Home Office made it easier for English football to sign foreign youngsters June 16, 2023 A little over two years after English football shut the door on a host of foreign talent by implementing strict post-Brexit rules, it prised it open again this week when the Home Office approved a relaxation of the regulations. The biggest change affords clubs more scope to appeal for an exception to be made if [...]
From Big Five to Big One: Premier League pulling away from European rivals – Deloitte June 15, 2023 European football’s Big Five leagues are steadily being replaced by a Big One as the Premier League pulls away from its rivals, according to research published today. The total revenue of Premier League clubs reached £5.5bn in 2021-22, around twice as much as its nearest challenger, Spain’s LaLiga, Deloitte’s Annual Review of Football Finance reports. [...]
Jude Bellingham signs for Real Madrid in potential English record transfer June 14, 2023 Real Madrid have confirmed the signing of Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund in what could become a record fee for an English player. The 19-year-old England midfielder is believed to be costing the Spanish champions an initial €103m (£88m). That fee could rise to as much as €133m (£113m), eclipsing the £100m Manchester City paid [...]
Under-fire golf boss Jay Monahan steps back from PGA Tour with ‘medical situation’ June 14, 2023 Under-fire PGA Tour chief Jay Monahan has stepped back from his duties with immediate effect after suffering a “medical situation”. No further details were provided by the organisation, which last week entered into a controversial agreement with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to merge their interests, including the big-money LIV Golf circuit. It comes on [...]
Kylian Mbappe puts ball back in Paris Saint-Germain court over summer sale June 13, 2023 Kylian Mbappe has insisted he does not want to leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer, despite indicating that he will not take up the option to extend his current contract. Mbappe’s stance places additional pressure on PSG to sell the World Cup-winning France forward in the coming weeks – or risk losing him for nothing next [...]