Sports Direct and Adidas score a deal to sell kits July 17, 2014 SPORTS DIRECT said yesterday that it had held “encouraging talks” with Adidas, after the iconic German sportswear brand refused to provide it with key kit for the teams it sponsored at the World Cup. Adidas withdrew replica shirts for countries including winners Germany – and Premier League teams such as Chelsea – because it was [...]
Van Gaal fires a warning shot at United directors July 17, 2014 Manchester United’s new manager Louis van Gaal has warned that the board’s commercial ambitions may not be compatible with the success demanded at what he deems “the biggest club in the world”. United have led the way in monetising their appeal, as illustrated this week by a £750m, 10-year kit agreement with Adidas, the biggest [...]
Debuchy eyes Gunners glory July 17, 2014 FRANCE full-back Mathieu Debuchy is looking forward to helping FA Cup winners Arsenal to further success after completing a £10m move from Newcastle. Debuchy, 28, is Arsene Wenger’s second signing of the summer and a direct replacement for Bacary Sagna, who has joined Manchester City. “I’m very proud to be joining a great club like [...]
BT One Phone puts BT back in mobile business July 17, 2014 BT is ambitiously launching itself back into the competitive mobile market with its One Phone mobile business service after escaping more than a decade ago when it sold off O2. The cloud-based service connects the landline and mobile calls of business users using a BT sim card. It means calls to numbers for office landlines [...]
William Hill prepares rosy reception for new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal July 17, 2014 Bookmakers William Hill took a novel approaching to welcome Dutch legend Louis van Gaal to the Premier League. The FTSE 100 listed firm hired a team of expert florists who started work at 6am on Wednesday to produce a mural portrait of the Dutchman made out of 25,000 red and white tulips in time for [...]
Manchester City and Nissan sign five-year sponsorship deal July 17, 2014 Manchester City and Japanese car maker Nissan have signed a five-year sponsorship deal that includes a tie-up with the club's growing portfolio of football teams around the world. Nissan’s partnership with Manchester City owner City Football Group will include branding of the football club’s Etihad stadium, and sponsorship of the newly created US team New [...]
Neville sets out Van Gaal target July 16, 2014 ENGLAND assistant Gary Neville says fourth place in the Premier League would represent “par” for new Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal, who started work yesterday. Winning the title would be an albatross, the former United defender said, adding: “I actually think we will finish third.”
How NFL death played a part in Germany triumph July 16, 2014 World Cup winners used cooling tech born out of tragedy YOU probably won’t have heard of Korey Stringer, the NFL player who died aged 27 when extreme heatstroke caused his organs to fail, one by one, during pre-season training in summer 2001. The Minnesota Vikings lineman’s passing forced American football to rethink its player welfare [...]
Manchester United hungry to win with Japanese noodle maker sponsorship deal July 16, 2014 Manchester United may have been waiting for Louis van Gaal to begin work as the club's new manager before getting down to the real business of the transfer market, but they've certainly been busy signing up sponsors. After announcing a blockbuster £750m kit deal with German sportswear giant Adidas on Monday, the Red Devils today [...]
United share price boosted by £750m kit deal windfall July 14, 2014 MANCHESTER United’s share price surged yesterday following confirmation of the Premier League club’s record-breaking £750m shirt deal with German sportswear giant Adidas. The 10-year agreement, which takes effect from the 2015-16 season, is the most lucrative of its kind in any sport and worth more than double any other shirt deal in football. United’s share [...]