Football regulator: Tory peers right to question changes, says Collins January 20, 2025 Former Culture, Media and Sport select committee chair Damian Collins has defended Conservative peers’ thorough questioning of the Labour government’s beefed-up plans for an independent football regulator. Sport Minister Stephanie Peacock last week accused some Tory peers of submitting amendments “cynically designed to dither, delay and block” the progress of the Football Governance Bill through [...]
Fifa boss Infantino on Trump: ‘We will make entire world great again’ January 20, 2025 Fifa chief Gianni Infantino has hailed his “great friendship” with US president-elect Donald Trump and vowed that they will “make the entire world great again”. Infantino has forged close connections with Trump and the US, which will host the first edition of the expanded Club World Cup this summer and co-host the men’s World Cup [...]
Iga Swiatek: Wada decision clears Pole to continue Australian Open bid January 20, 2025 No2 seed Iga Swiatek has been cleared to continue her quest for a first Australian Open title after the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) ruled out pushing for a longer ban. Swiatek, 23, served a one-month ban last year after the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) accepted that her positive test for trimetazidine was a result [...]
Novak Djokovic: Australian TV presenter apologises for mockery January 20, 2025 Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has received a public apology from Channel 9 presenter Tony Jones after he mocked the Serbian and his supporters on live TV. Djokovic refused to take part in an on-court interview after his fourth-round win over Jiri Lehecka in protest at disparaging remarks made by Jones on the official [...]
Sale Sharks owner sells £1bn empire to Asda backer TDR Capital January 20, 2025 Simon Orange, the self-made millionaire who co-owns Premiership rugby club Sale Sharks, has sold his business empire to Asda backer TDR Capital in a deal worth more than £1bn. CorpAcq, which is based in Cheshire, counts more than 40 businesses as part of its portfolio including the likes of Cotton Traders. CorpAcq does not included [...]
Matt Dawson joins Clive Woodward-backed Seat Unique January 19, 2025 England’s Rugby World Cup winning scrum-half Matt Dawson has joined premium ticketing firm Seat Unique, which is backed by his former coach Sir Clive Woodward. Seat Unique have tapped up the former international as a business advisor to help the start-up penetrate into new markets, including the English rugby space and beyond. The platform has [...]
English football’s record year for legal spending – can it stay secret? January 19, 2025 Before the Christmas break the Premier League published an article posing the question: what Premier League records for a calendar year can still be broken? While fans watched the glut of fixtures over Christmas, another record had already been set: 2024 was the year that English football was dominated by legal disputes. The Premier League [...]
Destination Calcio: Why a little-known website bought Serie B media rights January 18, 2025 Destination Calcio only popped up last summer and has a modest audience but has snapped up the live rights to Italian football’s Serie B in the UK and US until 2027. What’s going on? Serie B may be at the niche end of football fandom, especially for British lovers of the game, but the Italian [...]
Why the football regulator shouldn’t ignore clubs below National League January 18, 2025 The case of Ebbsfleet United shows why the incoming football regulator’s powers are needed throughout the English game, says Damian Collins. The deeply entwined relationship between English football clubs and the communities they serve is never more evident than at the midpoint of the season and the turn of the year. Whilst most Europeans enjoy [...]
American fund interested in minority stake in Chelsea January 17, 2025 The founder of Angel City FC Kara Nortman is reportedly interested in buying a stake in Women’s Super League club Chelsea FC Women. Monarch Collective, a £123m fund launched by Nortman, is interested in a minority stake in the WSL champions Chelsea, according to Sky News’ Mark Kleinman. National Women’s Soccer League club Angel City [...]