By: Matt Hardy

Deputy Sports Editor - City AM Matt Hardy is the City AM Deputy Sports Editor with a specialism in the business of sport. He covers the likes of rugby, cricket, sporting investment and venture capital funds; while also being across golf, cricket, and the politics of sport.

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Sumo in the City: Star of the dohyo becomes finance bro

October 16, 2025

A star of this week’s Grand Sumo Tournament at the Royal Albert Hall has been spotted trying his hand at finance. Akira Takayasu, who is competing in South Kensington in the second Grand Sumo Tournament to leave Japan in 1,500 years, got stuck in at City stalwart Mizuho Financial Group on Thursday. The 35-year-old, famed [...]
Zverev earns $25,000 per minute in Six Kings Slam defeat

October 16, 2025

Alexander Zverev earned $25,000 per minute for his 59-minute cameo in the Six Kings Slam tennis tournament in Saudi Arabia. The German is one of six tennis stars competing as part of Riyadh Season’s premier tennis competition with each of the participants receiving a reported appearance fee of $1.5m, rising to $6m for the eventual [...]
IPL value drops for second year in row, sinking 10 per cent

October 15, 2025

The IPL’s estimated value has been downgraded for the second consecutive year, with the franchise cricket competition shrinking by over 10 per cent. The biggest cricket league in the world has been rocked by changes to betting laws in India, while a less competitive media rights landscape has contributed to D&P Advisory declaring shrinkage in [...]
Six Nations investors CVC Capital Partners in debt plan talks with Ares, reports

October 15, 2025

CVC Capital Partners’ recently formed £9bn sport fund juggernaut is in talks with Ares Management about a mega debt deal. The Global Sport Group – which includes investments such as LaLiga, Premiership Rugby and the Six Nations – is reportedly in talks with a number of firms including US-based Ares Management over a multi-billion dollar [...]
R360 chiefs hit back at NRL 10-year ban ‘threats’ to rugby players

October 15, 2025

R360 chiefs have hit back at “threats” made to players after the NRL said it would ban those who engage with the rebel league for 10 years. A number of rugby unions came out last week insisting players who ditched their clubs for the start-up Formula 1-style globetrotting league would not be picked for their [...]
Trump threatens to pull Olympics from LA and World Cup from Boston

October 15, 2025

President Donald Trump has threatened to move the 2028 Olympic Games away from LA, and has warned 2026 Fifa World Cup matches in Boston could be shifted out of state. The remarks, made by the President in the White House, follow threats by the real estate tycoon to move World Cup matches away from San [...]
Sumo wrestling back at Royal Albert Hall and televised free-to-air

October 15, 2025

Sumo wrestling will head to the iconic Royal Albert Hall this week as the Grand Sumo Tournament headlines London. It will be the first time this level of sumo has left Japan since 1991, when the Japanese stalwart sport also arrived at South Kensington’s Royal Albert Hall. PlutoTV – which last month saw Ronnie O’Sullivan [...]
Super League closing on external investment as Ashes loom

October 14, 2025

The Rugby Football League is closing in on private equity investment for the Super League despite hopes of an injection from the Australian NRL collapsing. NRL chief executive Peter V’landys had said he would hold informal discussions with supportive Super League clubs during this month’s Ashes between England and Australia, but it appears that the [...]
Littler under new darts management days after going solo

October 14, 2025

Luke Littler has become the first player to be managed by Target Darts just days after announcing he’d gone solo. The teenager has catapulted into sporting stardom, and earlier this year won his first World Darts Championship title at Ally Pally. Last week, however, he split from Martin Foulds’ ZXF Sports, whom he’d been with [...]
Sony Sports tightening grip on world of data in sport

October 14, 2025

“We never like to use the word monopoly, it doesn’t go down well,” the head of Sony Sports, Rufus Hack, tells City AM when asked about his firm’s impressive market share across tech in sport. Sony last week purchased a majority stake in StatSports, the performance-tracking firm which counts Harry Kane among its investors, in [...]

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By: Matt Hardy

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