Man Utd debt triggers £83m loss October 8, 2010 Manchester United made a full-year loss of £83.6m due to managing the cost of debt. The club, third in the Premier League, posted a record operating profit of £101m due to increased broadcasting and commercial income but made a loss when interest charges and the cost of restructuring its debt were added on. Net finance [...]
BT must give access to its fibre network October 7, 2010 OFCOM yesterday said it will force BT to allow its rivals access to the former state phone firm’s superfast fibre broadband network. BT will also have to wholesale its infrastructure of telegraph poles and underground ducts in a bid to increase competition for superfast internet to rural areas. The decision supports government plans laid out [...]
Games chiefs refuse to rule out Spurs bid for stadium October 7, 2010 OLYMPIC chiefs yesterday repeatedly refused to rule out Tottenham’s bid for the 2012 stadium despite the club being unwilling to retain the running track. The north London outfit are the only bidders known to want to scrap the facility if they move into the 80,000-seater arena in Stratford after the Games. Premier League rivals West [...]
Hicks won’t back down in Liverpool sale fight October 7, 2010 EMBATTLED Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett have fought back in the bitter internal power struggle over the club’s future ownership. Hicks insisted yesterday that Liverpool’s board had not been entitled to accept a £300m bid from New England Sports Ventures, in defiance of his and Gillett’s wishes, because two of the directors had [...]
Premier League chiefs and Carragher set to give takeover the green light October 6, 2010 THE proposed takeover of Liverpool could be granted approval as early as Friday, the Premier League confirmed last night. A £300m offer to buy the club from New England Sports Ventures (NESV) – principally owned by Boston Red Sox chief John W Henry – was accepted by the Liverpool board of directors yesterday despite strong [...]
Arsenal won’t win title, says Hartson October 6, 2010 FORMER Arsenal striker John Hartson has written off the club’s chances of challenging for the Premier League this season because he believes their squad is too thin. Hartson, who is now looking to get into management having won an 18-month battle with testicular cancer, insists the title is a two-horse race between Chelsea and Manchester [...]
Hicks and Gillett set to block fresh offers to buy Liverpool October 5, 2010 UNPOPULAR owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett faced the wrath of Liverpool supporters again last night after it was revealed they are to set to oppose two fresh bids to buy the club. The Liverpool board met yesterday to discuss proposals from two consortiums – one believed to be from Asia and the other from [...]
Cipriani is a Rebels rebel after missing team meet. October 5, 2010 DANNY CIPRIANI has angered his new Melbourne Rebels bosses already by failing to turn up for their pre-season team conference. The former Wasps and England fly-half has told the club he is having problems obtaining a visa, but Rebels coach Rod Macqueen says he is disappointed by his absence. The Rebels squad assembled in Melbourne [...]
BSkyB braces for crunch EU sports ruling October 3, 2010 BSKYB is braced for a high court hearing this week that could change the football rights landscape. A pub landlady has taken a case to the European Court of Justice claiming Sky is breaching European free-trade rules with the way it sells its commercial Sky Sports packages. Portsmouth-based Karen Murphy was fined after an enforcement [...]
Liverpool in bottom three after Blackpool shocker October 3, 2010 LIVERPOOL (1) vs BLACKPOOL (2) LIVERPOOL manager Roy Hodgson insists he is not thinking about relegation despite slipping into the bottom three with a shock home defeat by Blackpool. Goals from Charlie Adam and Luke Varney put the top-flight newcomers in charge and they held for a famous victory despite Sotirios Kyrgiakos reducing the deficit. [...]