World Cup and Euros to remain on free TV July 18, 2013 FOOTBALL’S major international tournaments will continue to be shown on free-to-air broadcasters such as the BBC and ITV beyond 2014 after the game’s governing bodies lost a legal challenge. The European Court of Justice yesterday rejected an appeal from Fifa and Uefa and upheld a 2011 ruling that prevents rights for the World Cup and [...]
BT Sport nets rights to share FA Cup to 2018 July 17, 2013 BT KICKED off its debut season as a sports broadcaster with an early coup yesterday, netting joint rights to televise the FA Cup until 2018. The world’s most famous domestic knock-out competition will be shown on both BT Sport and the BBC, starting from the 2014-15 season. BT had already secured rights for the coming [...]
Football Comment: Chelsea won’t suit Wayne in the long term July 17, 2013 WAYNE Rooney should be staying at Manchester United until the end of his career. I think a move to Chelsea would be nothing more than a short-term morale boost. He’s currently at the biggest club in Britain, if not the world. Why would he want to go somewhere else? I don’t get it. I think [...]
Pirate football site blocked July 16, 2013 THE PREMIER League vowed to clamp down hard on pirate streaming of its games this season as it yesterday gained a blocking order on First Row Sports, one of the biggest illegal live football-streaming sites in the UK. Yesterday’s judgment represented the first time a sporting body has sought an order blocking a site that [...]
Bale drops hint at Spurs stay by signing new three-year BT deal June 30, 2013 SOUGHT-AFTER Tottenham star Gareth Bale has given the biggest indication yet that he is to reject the lure of a move to one of Europe’s top clubs this summer after signing a three-year deal to become an ambassador for BT Sport. The new channel will broadcast 38 live Premier League games from next season and [...]
Townsend will not appeal his FA betting ban June 12, 2013 GUILTY Tottenham winger Andros Townsend will not appeal his punishment for breaching the Football Association’s betting rules and has vowed to restore his reputation on the pitch. The 21-year-old was handed a four-month ban and £18,000 fine at an independent regulatory commission hearing yesterday, where he was found to have breached FA Rule E8(b) for misconduct [...]
Google Glass is just the beginning: Wearable tech is about to explode | City A.M. June 9, 2013 WITH all the hype around Google Glass, the computer headset currently under development, you’d be forgiven for thinking the geeks were not just changing the world but our wardrobes too. After 20 years of sputtering innovation, wearable technology is set to explode in a vast range of consumer and business products and technologies, driven by [...]
Benitez blast at board and fans leaves job in doubt February 27, 2013 FA CUP MIDDLESBROUGH 0 vs CHELSEA 2 CHELSEA boss Rafael Benitez plunged his immediate future at Stamford Bridge into doubt last night, after launching an astonishing attack on the club’s fans and board, believing the supporters hold an unhelpful agenda against him and that holding the title of interim manager is a massive mistake. Benitez, [...]
Why I believe Bale will stay put February 27, 2013 FOOTBALL COMMENT I VIVIDLY remember a chat I had around six years ago with Brian Flynn, who was then in charge of the Wales Under-21 team. He was raving about a player who was only 16 or 17 but already in his set-up and had, he said, two gears more speed than anybody else. That [...]
Mutiny? Blues players right behind me, says Benitez February 26, 2013 CHELSEA manager Rafael Benitez has played down suggestions of a training ground bust-up with captain John Terry and admits he will have failed if the Blues miss out on a top three Premier League finish. The Blues lost 2-0 to champions Manchester City on Sunday and a frank discussion between Benitez and his squad took [...]