FA Cup final in Riyadh? Why heritage competitions should follow the money February 27, 2025 Sixteen teams head into this weekend’s fifth round of the FA Cup, their fans celebrating shortening odds of a Wembley semi-final appearance and, in turn, final glory. Most will be oblivious to the £2m prize for the ultimate winners of the trophy. Club owners will likely consider this a paltry reward in itself, although broadcast [...]
Rangers won’t become feeder club to Leeds if 49ers buy them, says Marathe February 26, 2025 Leeds United chairman Paraag Marathe has insisted that Rangers will not become a feeder club if their owners, 49ers Enterprises, complete a takeover of the Scottish giants. The US group, an offshoot of NFL team the San Francisco 49ers, is reported to be in advanced talks about buying a 51 per cent stake in Rangers [...]
Premier League ‘would need 12m UK subscribers to justify Premflix’ February 26, 2025 The Premier League has been told it would need more than 12m UK subscribers paying £20 a month to justify launching its own streaming service, dubbed “Premflix”. English football’s top division generates around £3.5bn a year from selling its media rights, with around half of that coming from its UK deals with Sky and TNT [...]
Olympics recognises World Boxing after ditching Russia-led IBA February 26, 2025 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has provisionally recognised World Boxing after disassociating with the Russian-led and funded IBA. The IBA – International Boxing Association – has been the governing body behind boxing at the Olympic Games but has made controversial calls and has Russian ties. The IOC withdrew its recognition of the IBA in 2023 [...]
Sky accuses Amazon of failing to prevent piracy on Fire Sticks February 26, 2025 Sky has accused Amazon of not doing enough to prevent the piracy of its sports rights via “jailbroken” Fire Sticks. Sky’s group chief operating officer Nick Herm said that illegal viewing of its subscription content, which includes Premier League football, Formula 1 and boxing, was costing “hundreds of millions of dollars” and that “about half” [...]
Marty Sheargold: Australian radio DJ gets chop after Matildas ‘penis’ jibe February 26, 2025 Australian radio presenter Marty Sheargold has departed station Triple M after he claimed he’d prefer to impale his genitals than watch the women’s national football team, the Matildas. Shock-jock Sheargold told listeners of his show on Monday that he “would rather hammer a nail through the head of [his] penis” than watch the Matildas and [...]
Ahead of the Game: Rangers’ US takeover could hinge on EFL talks February 26, 2025 Rangers’ takeover by US investors could depend on talks between EFL clubs about loosening regulations which prevent the dual ownership of clubs in different competitions – including the Premier League and Scottish Premier League – at their divisional meetings this week. No vote will take place as the issue is not a formal agenda item, [...]
Kenyon lauds ‘passionate’ Abramovich and appears to aim barb at Glazers February 25, 2025 Former Manchester United and Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has hailed the Stamford Bridge tenure of Roman Abramovich and appeared to draw unflattering comparisons with current Old Trafford owners the Glazers. Kenyon helped turn United into champions of Europe and football’s first commercial powerhouse during a six-year spell that ended in 2003, when Abramovich hired [...]
London Broncos’ future at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane uncertain February 25, 2025 Rugby league club London Broncos’ future at AFC Wimbledon’s Plough Lane has descended into uncertainty after the former Super League team chose to activate a break clause in their contract. London Broncos, the only England-based club south of Widnes and Sheffield in the top two divisions of rugby league, have played at Plough Lane in [...]
Cadillac Formula 1 team to follow Chelsea blueprint, say owners February 25, 2025 The Cadillac Formula 1 team will “apply the same transformative growth mindset” seen at sister outfit Chelsea FC as they gear up for their historic entry to the grid next year. Cadillac F1 are majority owned by TWG Global, the investment vehicle of Chelsea part-owner Mark Walter, a long-time business partner of the club’s chairman [...]