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 [...]
England 0, Scotland 0: Gareth Southgate needs to find a solution to – or a replacement for – worryingly peripheral Harry Kane June 18, 2021 On a night of full-throated support from both sides of football’s oldest rivalry, perhaps the biggest cheer came in the 63rd minute. That was when Jack Grealish, England’s maverick talent, came off the bench as the hosts searched for a breakthrough against Scotland. The cheers reflected Grealish’s elevation to cult hero status, but also a [...]
England v Scotland: Scouting the Scots with a bit of help from investment banking ahead of the Euro 2020 Battle of Britain June 18, 2021 It’s England v Scotland at Euro 2020 this evening as the Battle of Britain returns to major tournament football. Gareth Southgate will have his own ideas about Scotland’s strengths and weaknesses under Steve Clarke. But, should he need any more pointers, we can offer some answers based on quantitative analysis methods borrowed from investment banking. [...]
Roger Federer Wimbledon blazer set to fetch £25,000 as tennis star auctions vast trove of memorabilia June 17, 2021 Roger Federer is auctioning one of his iconic Wimbledon blazers as part of a sale of treasures from his tennis career. The 2016 blazer, which he wore to walk out on to Centre Court, is expected to fetch £15,000-£25,000. It is one of the most prestigious of 300 lots in the online auction, which is [...]
Explained: Why Cristiano Ronaldo’s Coke snub at Euro 2020 was not the cause of Coca-Cola’s share price drop June 17, 2021 Cristiano Ronaldo was credited with knocking $4bn off the value of Coca-Cola earlier this week when he snubbed the soft drink – but does the theory stack up? The Portuguese football superstar pointedly moved two bottles of Coke from his desk at a Euro 2020 press conference and instead held up a bottle of water, [...]
Russian boss of Gazprom-backed boxing body AIBA turns to man who lifted lid on Russian state-sponsored doping to lead corruption probes June 17, 2021 Richard McLaren, the Canadian law professor and sports investigator, is best known for exposing Russia for state-sponsored doping. So eyebrows were raised this week when it emerged that McLaren had been hired by one of Russia’s most powerful sports administrators. Umar Kremlev has called on McLaren Global Sports Solutions as part of his bid to [...]
US Open prize money 2021: How much can the stars of men’s golf win at Torrey Pines? June 17, 2021 US Open prize money reflects the event’s reputation as perhaps the most difficult of the four men’s majors. Whoever triumphs at Torrey Pines this week will take home a winners’ prize of $2.25m from a total pot of $12.5m. Those sums – frozen from last year – mean that US Open prize money remains the [...]
Premier League fixtures 2021-22: Manchester City face Tottenham Hotspur on opening weekend June 16, 2021 Champions Manchester City will begin their title defence at Tottenham Hotspur after the 2021-22 Premier League fixtures were announced today. Promoted Brentford welcome Arsenal to west London, while Manchester United host Leeds United. LIverpool visit Norwich City, Chelsea play Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge and West Ham United go to Newcastle United. The new Premier [...]
United Rugby Championship: Four South African teams join northern hemisphere sides in private equity shake-up of Pro14 June 15, 2021 Club rugby union is set for a private-equity-led shake-up later this year when the United Rugby Championship replaces the Pro14. Four South African teams will join the dozen Irish, Welsh, Scottish and Italian sides already part of the Pro14 to form a new 16-team tournament. The changes, which will incorporate lucrative new TV deals and [...]
Premier League clubs slip to record £1bn loss as Covid-19 hammers income from match days and broadcasters June 15, 2021 Premier League clubs suffered a record aggregate pre-tax loss of almost £1bn in 2019-20 as a result of Covid-19’s impact on football. The combined revenues of the 20 top-flight teams fell for the first time ever to £4.5bn, a drop of 13 per cent, according to Deloitte. A delay to the completion of the season, [...]