Fifa and football agents brace for ‘hugely significant’ day in war over fees May 11, 2025 The long-running conflict between Fifa and football agents over rules which seek to cap their commission payments will move a step closer to conclusion in the next few days. Football’s world governing body has, perhaps inevitably, received a huge backlash from agents who have sought to challenge their legality – and succeeded in having some [...]
Europa League final: Tottenham and Man United fans face price gouging May 10, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United fans keen to attend the Europa League final later this month face eye-watering flight, match ticket and hotel costs. All remaining seats on direct return flights from London or Manchester to Bilbao, where the final will take place on 21 May, now cost more than £1,000. Regular tickets for the [...]
John Textor’s $2bn Eagle Football Holdings IPO filing ‘imminent’ May 9, 2025 Crystal Palace co-owner John Textor is understood to be close to confirming a filing with the SEC for an IPO in his multi-club group, Eagle Football Holdings. Textor has been gearing up for the IPO in Eagle Football as part of a $1.1bn debt and equity recapitalisation, and announced in November that he had raised [...]
Kogan set for football regulator role after CMS committee endorsement May 9, 2025 David Kogan looks set to be confirmed as chair of the football regulator after a Culture, Media and Sport committee gave him a qualified endorsement for the role. In a report following his grilling by MPs on Wednesday, the committee said it was “content to endorse David Kogan OBE’s appointment as Chair of the Independent [...]
IPL suspended as PSL moved to UAE over India-Pakistan ‘war’ May 9, 2025 The Indian Premier League (IPL) has been suspended while the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been shifted to the UAE over tensions between Pakistan and India. The two nuclear powers have been at odds of late with a recent air strike killing 31 in Pakistan, according to Islamabad officials. It has led to each nation’s [...]
Premiership run-in: Saints and Bath will impact top four May 9, 2025 Look at the Premiership table and you’ll see that the top team and Challenge Cup finalists Bath are 15 points clear of second-placed Leicester Tigers, and Champions Cup finalists Northampton Saints are 17 points safe from dropping out of the top eight. And with just three games remaining for each team, and a maximum of [...]
How ‘unsexy’ B2B firms are pushing out consumer brands in sport May 9, 2025 “Unsexy” B2B firms are increasingly replacing consumer-facing brands in some of the country’s most prized sport sponsorship deals, new research has found. Manufacturing/engineering, specialist professional services, construction and software are four of the five fastest-growing industries appearing as front-of-shirt sponsors of England’s top football, rugby and cricket teams. The study by sponsorship intelligence firm Caytoo [...]
Beckham, Neville, PR guru Kelly and Lord Davies take over Salford City May 8, 2025 Former Manchester United stars David Beckham and Gary Neville have joined forces with entrepreneur Declan Kelly and Lord Mervyn Davies to take control of Salford City FC. Beckham and Neville were already shareholders in the League Two football club as part of the Class of ’92 but Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and Phil [...]
Chelsea Women sign Skoda as first back of shirt sponsor May 8, 2025 Chelsea Women will get their first ever back of shirt partner after signing an extension to its partnership with Skoda. The Czech brand’s UK arm will don the back of the Chelsea shirts, effective immediately, having first partnered with the Kingsmeadow club in 2024. Chelsea won their sixth consecutive Women’s Super League title this month [...]
British and Irish Lions launch takes heritage brand into modern age at O2 May 8, 2025 The British and Irish Lions have followed in Formula 1’s footsteps in hosting launch events in London and it’s dragged a heritage brand into the modern era, writes Will Taylor. This afternoon, the British and Irish Lions did something they’ve never done before, they turned their usual squad selection into a show. For the first [...]