More than 100 listed UK companies sound alarm as Ukraine war makes investors move away from shares to gold March 21, 2022 115 UK listed companies have now warned of the effects of the war in Ukraine in their stock exchange announcements. The number of companies warning of the risk the situation in Ukraine poses has risen almost fivefold in the past week, up from 20 the week before. So far few have quantified the impact on [...]
Abramovich’s toxic Chelsea FC legacy must make us rethink ownership in our communities March 18, 2022 Chelsea football club is in limbo. It can’t sell tickets or shirts, it can’t even renew contracts. This is a London cup-winning team that has been sent to Coventry and has no idea how long it will stay cut off. Dozens of players, thousands of employees and millions of fans are all now suffering for [...]
Christian Horner interview: ‘Red Bull put Formula 1 back on the map last year’ March 16, 2022 The dust is still settling on last year’s rancorous Formula 1 season as a new one is about to begin in Bahrain this weekend but Oracle Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner is keen to put the acrimony with Mercedes and opposite number Toto Wolff behind him. Well, mostly. Three months on from a hugely [...]
Government accused of wasting £120m on ‘festival of Brexit’ as MPs call event ‘recipe for failure’ March 16, 2022 MPs are saying the Government is wasting tens of millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money on a so-called “festival of Brexit” without any clear idea of what it is meant to be. The Unboxed: Creativity in the UK event – due to take place later this year – is supposed to showcase the best of [...]
Saudi Media Group makes £2.7bn bid for Chelsea March 14, 2022 The biggest media group in the Middle East Saudi Media Group has made a £2.7bn offer to scoop up Chelsea as the football club races to find a new benefactor following Roman Abramovich’s sanction by the UK government. The sanctions block any new money going into the Premier League club, effectively forcing Abramovich to offload Chelsea [...]
Three Mobile suspends £40m Chelsea sponsorship amid Abramovich sanction March 10, 2022 Mobile giant Three has said it is reviewing its £40m sponsorship of Chelsea following the UK's sanction of owner Roman Abramovich.
Branding and product partnerships push football clubs into the fintech arena, and vice versa March 10, 2022 The fintech industry has never been fiercer. Funding levels have reached astronomical levels, as new ideas percolate throughout the financial ecosystem, meaning more and more fintechs are becoming experts and pioneers in a very specific aspect of the financial landscape. By adopting a collaborative as opposed to a competitive mindset, firms are given a platform [...]
Premier League suspend broadcast deal in Russia over Ukraine invasion March 8, 2022 The Premier League has today suspended its broadcast deal with Russian broadcast partner Okko Sport over the country’s invasion of Ukraine. The organisation will also donate £1m to support the Ukrainian people. This comes days after Chinese state broadcasters refused to show parts of Premier League games where there would be organised displays of solidarity [...]
Football match-fixing on rise as ‘lone wolves’ take it to lower leagues and even youth level March 6, 2022 It is almost 30 years since Bernard Tapie’s Marseille were found to be match-fixing in French football and more than 15 since the Calciopoli scandal rocked Serie A. Yet far from being consigned to the past, the manipulation of results is on the rise across sport and becoming more prevalent outside of football’s top divisions, [...]
From Abramovich to the Saudis: Football clubs have become the laundry for muddy reputations March 4, 2022 In 2003, Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea Football Club. In the years thereafter, a perennial underachiever became one of the most successful clubs in English football, a five-times Premier League champion and twice winner of the Champions League, the pinnacle of European football. Today, they are the reigning European and world club champions. Results on the [...]