Coronavirus: Four Danish footballers in quarantine as Premier League bans pre-match handshakes March 6, 2020 Denmark football club Brondby have quarantined 13 people including a player and assistant coach after ex-Denmark international Thomas Kahlenberg tested positive for coronavirus. Kahlenberg contracted the virus in Amsterdam last weekend according to Brondby director of communications Christian Schultz, before attending the club’s match with Lyngby on Sunday. Brondby defender Joel Kabongo joins assistant coach [...]
How do Manchester City’s central defenders stack up against one another? March 5, 2020 When Manchester City saw Vincent Kompany depart last summer they not only lost their captain and leader but also the club’s best central defender. The problem is that, despite the more than £1bn invested in the squad by the current ownership, they did not replace him. That decision has already come back to bite them [...]
Tottenham 1-1 Norwich: Tim Krul stars as Canaries win 3-2 on penalties to reach FA Cup quarter-finals and condemn Spurs to fourth straight defeat March 4, 2020 Right now is not a happy time to be a Tottenham fan. Spurs are out of the FA Cup following a toothless home performance which ended in defeat on penalties against the Premier League’s bottom side and ensured that they have now been beaten four games in succession. The defeat, courtesy of Norwich goalkeeper and [...]
It’s time for exceptional talent Phil Foden to have key role for Manchester City and England March 3, 2020 At Wembley on Sunday, Phil Foden gave us all a reminder of his talent and maturity with a man-of-the-match performance as Manchester City beat Aston Villa in the final of the Carabao Cup. The way he addresses the ball; his balance and awareness; his understanding of the way City want to play; that extra finesse [...]
Premier League broadcasting: What does Amazon’s initial success with Prime Video mean for the market? March 3, 2020 Amazon broadcast its first live football matches in December, showing 20 Premier League games to subscribers on its Prime Video platform. The decision to make a first foray into the sector was a brave, albeit relatively small, one for the US retail giant. Now that the dust has settled, it looks increasingly like an intelligent [...]
Sky confirms Disney Plus deal as it ramps up streaming war chest March 3, 2020 Sky today confirmed it has signed a multi-year deal with Disney Plus to make the nascent streaming service available to its pay-TV customers. The deal means Disney Plus will be fully-integrated on Sky Q, while Now TV subscribers will be able to access the service in the coming months. Disney Plus, which launches in the [...]
Office Space: Take a look behind the scenes of Amazon’s sprawling, 15-storey London headquarters at Principal Place March 2, 2020 There’s always money in the banana stand. Or at least there would be, were the bananas not being handed out for free. Each morning outside Amazon’s HQ in Shoreditch a fruitmonger dispenses complimentary bananas to Amazon staff, peckish commuters and anybody who cares to take one. The tradition was started by Jeff Bezos himself on [...]
Streaming firm Dazn looks to shake up sports market with UK launch March 2, 2020 Streaming platform Dazn is set to expand to more than 200 countries, including the UK, as it looks to break the stranglehold of traditional broadcasters over sports rights. London-based Dazn, dubbed the “Netflix of sports”, currently operates in nine countries but has yet to break into the UK market, which is dominated by Sky and [...]
Aston Villa 1, Manchester City 2: Phil Foden stars as Blues complete perfect week with Carabao Cup win March 1, 2020 Lately, it has not been the happiest of times for Manchester City. The title they have held dear for two years is being wrenched away by Liverpool, the title they covet most looks like being out of reach until 2022, and the knock-on effect of that has been to raise doubts about the futures of [...]
Sky closes in on bumper £300m Six Nations broadcasting deal March 1, 2020 Sky is said to be closing in on a £300m deal for the broadcast rights to the Six Nations in a controversial move that could wipe the rugby tournament from terrestrial TV. The tender process for the new broadcasting contract is set to close when this year’s tournament wraps up on 14 March, with Sky [...]