Fifa arrests: Vladimir Putin backs Sepp Blatter and slams US “meddling” May 28, 2015 Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the United States of meddling in affairs beyond its jurisdiction by arresting a number of Fifa officials on charges of bribery and racketeering. In a televised statement, Putin described the arrests as "yet another blatant attempt [by the US] to extend its jurisdiction to other states" and a "clear [...]
As a new corruption scandal hits Fifa, is the world footballing body now unsalvageable? May 27, 2015 John Williams, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Leicester, says Yes We need a new governing body for the world game. News of the latest allegations of bribery at Fifa is not really news at all – merely the continuation of an all-too-familiar tale, a destructive narrative which has been running for decades. [...]
Central planners don’t get incentives – but markets can be faulty too May 26, 2015 Perhaps the most enjoyable outcome of the General Election is the abuse now being heaped on the metropolitan liberal elite from many quarters. Theirs is truly a difficult mindset to comprehend, based as it is on an unshakeable belief in their own omniscience. Yet this is confounded on an almost daily basis by the response [...]
Putin praises David Cameron for 7 May win but talk on Ukraine crisis remains icy May 25, 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron received a rare phone call yesterday when Russian president Vladimir Putin rang Number 10 to congratulate Cameron on the Conservatives’ success at the General Election. According to Downing Street, the two leaders spoke about Syria and the Ukraine during the 30-minute phone call. A Number 10 spokesperson said that Cameron and [...]
Football League Championship attendance makes it the fourth most-watched league in Europe May 22, 2015 The Championship looks set to once again be named the fourth most-watched league in Europe, following a seven per cent increase in attendance. Read more: How Bournemouth's promotion push was funded by a Russian millionaire English football's second tier achieved a total audience of 9.9m, with an average attendance of 17,847. According to the Football League, [...]
Chelsea and Manchester City set to be unshackled by FFP as Uefa relaxes rules May 18, 2015 Chelsea and Manchester City could be given licence to return to free-spending ways this summer after European chiefs indicated they are ready to relax controversial financial fair play (FFP) rules. Michel Platini, the president of governing body Uefa and a driving force behind FFP, said yesterday that he expected the regulations, which have been [...]
Cranes, planes, urns and eight ice-hocky goals: Six times Vladimir Putin has played the all-Russian action hero May 17, 2015 Vladimir Putin is the king (or perhaps tsar) of the publicity stunt. Not content with annexing such macho activities as hunting on horseback, fishing, and archaeology Putin took to the ice to score a devastating eight goals in an ice hockey match involving ex-NHL legends. Putin was, of course, on the winning side in the [...]
Wimbledon’s global appeal keeps All England Tennis Club profit growing May 17, 2015 The All England Tennis Club (AELTC), the ultimate owner of the Wimbledon Championships, reported a 48 per cent rise in operating profit to £56.1m in the last financial year ended 31 July 2014. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of the group's income came from the Championships which delivered turnover of £169.7m – 99 per cent of [...]
Film review: The Tribe May 15, 2015 Cert 18 | ★★★☆☆ That this daring film got an international release at all is one of several impressive things about it. For not only is it sickeningly violent and utterly pessimistic, but it also plays out entirely in Russian Sign Language – without subtitles. Don’t bring a date. The plot is mercifully [...]
Two Russian military jets spotted heading towards UK airspace May 14, 2015 Two Russian military planes were spotted heading towards UK airspace earlier today, but were escorted away by RAF Typhoon fighter jets. "At no time did the Russian military aircraft cross into UK sovereign airspace,” a spokesman for the Ministry of Defence told the BBC. He added that their presence was not considered a threat. [...]