First football, now padel: US investors take fight to Qatar for future of the racket sport April 18, 2023 Heard the one about the historically European sports property turbo-charged by Middle Eastern sovereign wealth and now in the crosshairs of serial sports investors from the US? This isn’t football, though, but padel, the fast-growing racket sport now at the centre of a tug of war between rival competitions backed by the Qatari owners of [...]
English football wants a piece of the American pie – but it’s not MLS April 15, 2023 From Todd Boehly’s private-equity-backed consortium at Premier League giants Chelsea to former Disney CEO Michael Eisner at Portsmouth in the third tier down to Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at non-league Wrexham, the flow of football investment between the United States and Britain is well established. But it is not all one-way. Increasingly, [...]
Elon Musk gives BBC rare tell-all interview after Twitter labelled broadcaster ‘government-funded media’ April 12, 2023 Twitter owner Elon Musk has said the social media site will update the BBC’s “government-funded media” tag after the broadcaster objected to the label. The BBC contacted Twitter last week after the designation was attached to the main @BBC account. In an interview with the BBC, Mr Musk said he has the “utmost respect” for [...]
Why Las Vegas’ El Cortez hotel in ‘Old Vegas’ is the city’s best stay April 11, 2023 The El Cortez hotel’s recent renovation shows how Las Vegas is finally celebrating its history, says Adam Bloodworth If you thought the Las Vegas Strip was nuts, try Downtown Las Vegas, which one local tells me has recently adopted the nickname of ‘Drowntown.’ “Growing up here, everything is crazy,” he says, his expression suggesting he’s [...]
Ineos Grenadier review: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new 4×4 driven April 3, 2023 Tim Pitt drives the long-awaited Ineos Grenadier: a modern British 4x4 inspired by the classic Land Rover Defender.
Spurs: Fifa ban club’s managing director of football Fabio Paratici March 29, 2023 Tottenham Hotspur’s search for a new manager has been plunged into uncertainty after the club’s managing director of football, Fabio Paratici, was handed a worldwide ban. Fifa confirmed on Wednesday that it had agreed to a request from Italian football chiefs to extend globally a 30-month domestic ban issued to Paratici in January. Paratici was [...]
Cross-code skills: Why we’re seeing rugby league coaches in union March 28, 2023 So often sports cross-pollinate: sharing ideas from one discipline to another, exchanging mindsets and capitalising on strengths. Rugby is no different. And while some of the game’s leading lights step into completely different sports – such as Gilbert Enoka, responsible for New Zealand Rugby’s “no dickheads” policy, joining Chelsea – others stay closer to home, [...]
Football regulator: Tracey Crouch MP criticises Premier League’s lack of support March 28, 2023 The Premier League has been criticised for a lack of support for an independent football regulator by Tracey Crouch MP. The former sports minister and author of the fan-led review into English football governance made the comments at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee hearing today. Crouch praised the Football Association and English Football [...]
Non-league football contracts row: Should athletes be a special case in employment law? March 27, 2023 Whether it realises it or not, non-league football has raised an age-old legal argument: should sportspeople be treated as a separate case under employment law, given the unique space in which they operate? Reports suggesting that National League players could be prepared to go on strike over upcoming contract changes put forward by the Football [...]
Women’s Football Weekend: Big crowds with WSL stars on show March 25, 2023 Today sees the continuation of Women’s Football Week in England, where women’s domestic football takes precedence in the calendar with the men’s game is enjoying its international break. Multiple Women’s Super League (WSL) clubs move from their usual stadiums to the bigger, men’s equivalent but, as is the direction women’s football is heading at the [...]