Fabregas to come back and haunt former club in London derby clash October 2, 2014 BEN CLEMINSON PREVIEWS SUNDAY’S BIG PREMIER LEAGUE ACTION ARSENE Wenger is said to have turned down the opportunity to take Cesc Fabregas back to the Emirates this summer following a rather ill-fated spell at Barcelona, paving the way for the Spaniard to join Chelsea. It’s proved a shrewd bit of business from Jose Mourinho, as [...]
Adidas: Real Madrid did not sell 345,000 Rodriguez shirts in 48 hours October 1, 2014 Adidas has refuted reports that Real Madrid sold 345,000 James Rodriguez replica shirts within 48 hours of his official unveiling at the Bernabeu. After Los Blancos made the Colombian their latest "galactico" for a fee of £63m, it was widely reported that the club had sold an unprecedented number of shirts bearing the player’s [...]
Virgin urges Ofcom to probe cost of football September 30, 2014 Virgin Media yesterday slammed the soaring cost of Premier League football on TV, as it revealed it had urged broadcast regulator Ofcom to launch a competition investigation into pricing. “Significant consumer harm” had resulted from the skyrocketing cost of live Premier League TV rights, said Virgin Media. Costs jumped 70 per cent to £3bn at [...]
So have they taken their eye off the ball? September 30, 2014 BSkyB has built a strong position in the UK media market to become the largest pay-TV provider in the country with 10.5m subscribers. Football is at the heart of its empire, but recent investments suggest it may be looking more at expanding its other divisions. Football has been key to BSkyB’s growth since its founding [...]
Premier League TV deal costs fans too much says Virgin Media in complaint to Ofcom September 30, 2014 Virgin Media has submitted a formal complaint to Ofcom about the way Premier League television rights are auctioned. The company believes fans in the UK are being charged too much to watch games from England's top tier. In 2012 the Premier League sold domestic TV rights to BSkyB and British Telecom (BT) [...]
Mourinho ready to gamble with star turn Costa’s injury concerns September 29, 2014 CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho will gamble with the fitness of star turn Diego Costa after confirming the goalscoring sensation will lead his side’s line against Sporting Lisbon in their Champions League Group G clash tonight. The Blues drew their opening European fixture of the season 1-1 against Schalke at Stamford Bridge, with the benched Costa [...]
Premier League: Pardew fears the axe after latest Magpies setback September 29, 2014 STOKE CITY 1 NEWCASTLE UNITED 0 UNDER-FIRE Newcastle boss Alan Pardew last night reiterated his intention to battle for his job after the winless Magpies slumped to their third defeat of a so far wretched season against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium. An early Peter Crouch header proved the difference between the sides and [...]
Chelsea mull relocating to Twickenham September 28, 2014 CHELSEA have held exploratory talks over a temporary move to Twickenham as the Premier League leaders look to expand the capacity of Stamford Bridge, the Rugby Football Union has confirmed. The Blues revealed their intention to overhaul their 41,837-capacity ground earlier this year, having been frustrated in attempts to relocate to a new stadium at [...]
Arsenal’s pivotal week hit by injuries to Ramsey and Arteta September 28, 2014 ARSENAL boss Arsene Wenger admits he is sweating over a deepening injury crisis as his team prepare for a potentially pivotal week in which they face Galatasaray and Chelsea. Wenger saw Aaron Ramsey and Mikel Arteta limp off in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against neighbours Tottenham, while fellow midfielder Jack Wilshere also needed lengthy treatment after [...]
FFP spotlight falls on Anfield September 25, 2014 EUROPEAN football’s governing body Uefa confirmed yesterday it is currently in the process of formally investigating Liverpool and six other clubs across the continent for potential breaches of Financial Fair Play (FFP). Italian giants Inter Milan and Roma, together with Monaco, Besiktas, Sporting Lisbon and Russian side Krasnodar are the other clubs under the financial [...]