By: Matt Hardy

Deputy Sports Editor - City AM Matt is the Deputy Sports Editor covering sport, the business of sport and the politics of sport. He covers the likes of football, rugby, cricket, Formula 1, golf and tennis.

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England captain Itoje lands Snoop Dogg-linked sponsorship deal

October 29, 2026

England captain Maro Itoje has signed a deal with Swansea City sponsor AG1 ahead of next month’s Nations Championship at Twickenham. The Saracens forward has penned a two-year agreement to become an athlete ambassador for the wellness brand, which makes drinks supplements. The lock joins actor Hugh Jackman, racing driver Sir Lewis Hamilton and sprinter [...]
Goldman: Private Equity deals in sport surge 280 per cent since 2018

October 29, 2026

The number of private equity deals in sport has surged nearly 300 per cent since 2018, a new report has shown. The number grew from 50 in 2018 to 192 in 2025, representing a jump of 284 per cent, according to research in Goldman Sachs’ Playing for Scale report. There has been a surge of [...]
No bids for West Ham’s London Stadium amid reported £50m asking price

October 29, 2026

The owner of West Ham United’s London Stadium insists there have been no formal bids from the club or any other party to buy the 68,000-capacity arena. Reports had suggested that City Hall, which is effectively the stadium’s ultimate landlord, had set a £50m price tag for the sale of a venue that currently hosts [...]
Budget 2026: Football players warned over looming image rights tax changes

October 29, 2026

Football clubs and players have been warned of looming changes unveiled in the Budget that will see image rights taxed like wages. Chancellor John Healey’s Budget document, released on Wednesday, stated that “the government will clarify that image rights payments related to an employment are taxable as employment income and taxed in the same way [...]
MPs call for free-to-air Rugby League World Cup matches

October 28, 2026

MPs have called on the government to make matches at the Rugby League World Cup free-to-air and protected for the foreseeable future. This year’s competition, taking place in Australia, is being broadcast behind a paywall on Premier Sports after the BBC declined to cough up to show the tournament. Jon Trickett MP said: “The problem [...]
Autumn Budget 2026: Tax hikes will negate boost from hosting Olympic Games

October 28, 2026

Tax hikes and regulation announced in Wednesday’s Budget will negate any financial boost from Great Britain hosting the Olympic Games in the 2040s, the UK government has been warned. Chancellor John Healey confirmed in his fiscal statement that a £7m fund would be made available to conduct a “feasibility study for a potential future bid [...]
Knicks trade publicly as MSG chief Dolan nets $10m pay-out

October 27, 2026

The New York Knicks became the first NBA team in nearly two decades to be traded publicly on Tuesday after a spin-out by owners Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. The Big Apple firm created two companies for its two sports franchises – the New York Knicks and the New York Rangers ice hockey team – [...]
China, Australia and the Pacific: How rugby is shaping soft power arms race

October 27, 2026

Rugby union and league are growing in the Indo-Pacific, as is the investment from central governments of dominant regional powers. Matt Hardy asks why. Amid the disruption at airports in Saudi Arabia, the limited access through the Strait of Hormuz and the nagging feeling that the world is on the verge of doom, soft power [...]
Major Chinese brands drop Mbappe over Chairman Mao meme jokes

October 27, 2026

Two major Chinese sponsors of Kylian Mbappe have dropped their support for the footballer after the Frenchman made jokes about Chairman Mao Zedong. Dairy producer Mengniu and drinks firm Dongpeng have dropped the Ballon d’Or runner-up after he reportedly told French TV a meme “that makes me laugh the most…the one where there’s a video [...]
Exclusive: Prem Rugby CEO set for US trip to woo banks and private equity

October 27, 2026

Prem Rugby chief Simon Massie-Taylor will embark on a Stateside schmooze next month in a bid to drum up investment into the English game, City AM understands. The chief executive is set to use the break in play provided by November’s international schedule to head to the United States, just weeks after holding talks with [...]

Rafael Nadal joins Real Madrid board of directors

Rafael Nadal joins Real Madrid board of directors

Meet the woman trying to fix hospitality’s toxic kitchen culture

By: Matt Hardy

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