Here’s why sport is still a good bet in a recession October 19, 2020 There has been a re-awakening. Have you felt it? If you haven’t quite felt it, you’ll have certainly seen the force with which live sport returned to our screens as professional leagues worked hard to piece together a schedule to meet fans’ desire for relative normality. And boy was the audience growing impatient for it. [...]
Cast adrift on a sea of hubris, refereeing has lost sight of the spirit of football October 19, 2020 Only three possible explanations exist for both referee Michael Oliver and video assistant referee David Coote failing to designate Jordan Pickford’s crumpling of Virgil van Dijk a red card offence. One: neither thought it worth addressing. Two: neither felt it was in their power to act since Van Dijk had been guilty of the most [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Uncle Sam is coming for cricket, Nigel Wray bets on fitness and sports reveal trans policies October 16, 2020 Not content with trying to carve up the Premier League, Americans now have another English sacred cow in their sights: cricket. The game’s Stateside governing body today announced ambitious plans to become a major mainstream sport across the Atlantic – and achieve full member status with the International Cricket Council within a decade. USA Cricket [...]
Sport’s governance problem: Scandal beckons without more professionalism and transparency October 15, 2020 As recent headlines attest, serious problems of governance can be found all across the sports sector. Gathering extensive empirical research for our new book on the role of independent directors, we found problems with a lack of accountability, unclear governance and a lack of skills and experience to sort out the mess. We consulted directors [...]
Premier League teams reject controversial Project Big Picture reforms October 14, 2020 Premier League clubs have renounced controversial plans for English football’s biggest shake-up in almost 30 years. ‘Project Big Picture’ proposed reducing the number of teams in the top division and giving the six biggest clubs sweeping powers in exchange for a major package of financial aid for the wider game affected by Covid-19. But clubs [...]
English football clubs ‘will not be allowed to go bust’ due to Covid-19 October 14, 2020 Clubs in the English Football League (EFL) will not be allowed to go bust as a result of the coronavirus crisis, a senior government minister has said. Oliver Dowden, secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said he had received assurances from both the EFL and the Premier League that they had the [...]
Premier League restructuring plan is ‘power grab’, cultural secretary warns October 12, 2020 A radical plan to restructure the Premier League looks like little more than a “power grab” by English football’s elite clubs, a top government minister has warned. Manchester United and Liverpool are among the teams to back a Covid-19 rescue package for lower league football that would spark a major shake-up of the game. The [...]
Ladbrokes owner GVC raises full-year outlook as online gaming surges October 8, 2020 Ladbrokes owner GVC Holdings has raised its full-year outlook as revenue jumped 12 per cent in the third quarter helped by a surge in online gaming and sporting events.
West Ham install ‘Covid tunnels’ at training ground – could fans be next? October 7, 2020 Premier League club West Ham United have installed sanitisation tunnels at their academy training ground to protect staff and players. The tunnel operates initially as a temperature scanner before misting individuals with a controlled, odourless, water-based solution to disable bacteria and viruses. Taking just three to five seconds in total, the technology could in theory [...]
Own goal? Arsenal make mascot Gunnersaurus redundant October 5, 2020 Arsenal have made Gunnersaurus, arguably the world’s most famous football mascot, redundant as part of a cost-cutting drive. First reported by The Athletic, the move will see Jerry Quy – who has donned the mascot’s costume since 1993 – leave the Emirates Stadium. Quy was a part-time member of staff and does not count as [...]