By: Joe Hall

I'm a sports and sports business journalist with City A.M. Follow me for coverage of the industry behind sports and the money made by top athletes. I've provided expert commentary on sports business for both TV and radio, including the BBC World Service. My email is always open to tips and story ideas: joe.hall@cityam.com

England out on penalties? World Cup shootout odds are against Three Lions but Gareth Southgate’s approach boosts their chances

England may have avoided a World Cup clash with old foes Germany, Portugal and Brazil by finishing second in their World Cup group, but there may be no escaping a more familiar enemy now that they are in the knock-out rounds: the dreaded penalty shoot-out. No side has a worse record in World Cup shoot-outs [...]
Deep learning: Belgium’s secret weapon for England’s World Cup group decider

England manager Gareth Southgate has long been be familiar with the threat posed by some of the supreme talents in the the Belgium squad such as Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku and Kevin De Bruyne. Yet the Red Devils have a less well-known weapon at their disposal for tonight’s World Cup match in Kaliningrad, effectively a [...]
World Cup 2018: England’s Jesse Lingard has trademarked his JLingz celebration — and he’s done so at the perfect time

Jesse Lingard is ready to make his mark at the World Cup. Less than three weeks ago, as England were preparing for their first warm-up game against Nigeria, Lingard applied for four trademarks with the UK Intellectual Property Office; three featuring his nickname “JLingz” and another featuring the image of his goal celebration. Should the [...]

England’s 3-5-2: Is Gareth Southgate right to stick to one formation throughout the 2018 World Cup?

June 17, 2018

There are plenty of unanswered questions about Gareth Southgate’s young England side ahead of their World Cup opener against Tunisia on Monday, yet one thing seems virtually set in stone: they will line up in a 3-5-2 formation. England will play with three centre-backs, two wing-backs, one defensive midfielder with two mobile midfielders either side [...]
World Cup 2018: Why have Asian, African and North American teams stagnated after showing such promise in the 1990s and 2000s?

June 13, 2018

At the turn of the century it appeared that Pele’s oft-cited prediction that an African team would win the World Cup by the year 2000, while not exactly accurate, had at least forecast a coming shift in the footballing world’s balance of power. In 1996 a Nigerian golden generation featuring Europe-based stars Jay-Jay Okocha and [...]
French Open prize money 2018: How much do players get paid for winning at Roland Garros?

June 9, 2018

More prize money is up for grabs than ever before at this year’s French Open but it remains the least lucrative of the four Grand Slams for players to win. The winners of the men’s and women’s singles finals this weekend will both take home a tournament record €2.2m (£1.9m/$3.1m) for triumphing on the clay [...]
Jamie Chadwick interview: I want to reach Formula One for myself but also to show that women can do it

March 14, 2018

Jamie Chadwick is not like other British prodigies tipped for future Formula One fame. Of course, there have already been the customary podium places in British F3, the interest from sponsors and the media excitement that greets any early success on the track. But whereas the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Damon Hill [...]
Paris Saint-Germain’s Financial Fair Play gamble? Possible repercussions of an early Champions League exit for Europe’s big spenders

March 5, 2018

When football’s most expensive player Neymar was debuted in front of the world’s media at Paris Saint-Germain this summer following his world record £200m move to France from Barcelona, there was only one competition up for discussion. Neymar’s arrival was seen as the Qatari-owned club’s big play in their search for the one major trophy [...]
FA Cup 2018 third round prize money: How much is winning it worth compared to the Champions League and Premier League?

January 5, 2018

In winning last season's FA Cup, Arsenal basked in the glory that only comes with winning silverware, their players popped champagne, fans savoured stopping London rivals Chelsea from winning a double and manager Arsene Wenger made history as the competition's most successful manager. And yet for all that, in monetary terms the triumph was worth [...]
2018 World Darts Championship prize money: Here’s how much Phil Taylor could add to his career earnings in swansong event

December 30, 2017

A record prize worth £400,000 is on offer to the winner of the 2018 World Darts Championship, making it the richest tournament in darts. The Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) boosted its total prize offering to £1.8m for the tournament currently being played at Alexandra Palace in North London, after putting up £1.65m at the 2017 [...]

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