Stormzy ‘hooked’ on padel and opening new club at O2 December 16, 2024 Stormzy has become the latest celebrity to back the world’s fastest growing sport after agreeing a deal to be an ambassador for and investor in Padel Social Club. The award-winning music artist’s involvement comes as the London-based chain opens a third site, at the O2 in Greenwich, with a fourth club in the pipeline. Stormzy’s [...]
Supersub: Women’s League Cup nets new title sponsor December 16, 2024 Subway has been named the new title sponsor of the Women’s League Cup after agreeing a deal to succeed long-term partner Continental Tyres. The multi-year deal comes as the competition enters the quarter-final stage, having remained unbranded so far this season. Previous sponsor Continental backed the competition for 13 years, from its first edition in [...]
Tory peer’s plan for English football ‘opens door to Kim Jong Un and Assad’ December 15, 2024 Dictators such as Kim Jong Un or Bashar al-Assad could be encouraged to buy English football clubs if “preposterous” proposals from Tory peers are passed, campaigners have warned. Lord Moynihan, a former sports minister under Margaret Thatcher’s premiership, has argued that anyone with diplomatic immunity should be exempt from the owners’ and directors’ test that [...]
Amorim offers olive branch to axed stars after Manchester derby December 15, 2024 Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim offered axed pair Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho an olive branch after his side snatched a 2-1 Premier League win in the derby at freefalling Manchester City. United trailed with three minutes remaining thanks to Josko Gvardiol’s header but Amad Diallo turned the contest upside down by first winning a [...]
Saracens eye last 16 as English clubs mount a French resistance December 15, 2024 Saracens took another major stride towards the last 16 on Sunday with a hard-fought win at Stade Francais as English clubs put on a much-improved showing in round two of the Investec Champions Cup pool stage. After Premiership sides mustered a feeble two victories from eight games in round one of European rugby’s premier club [...]
‘Incredibly sad’: Dame Sarah Storey opens up on Team GB star’s bankruptcy December 15, 2024 Sir Bradley Wiggins’ fall from trailblazing cycling hero to bankruptcy is a sad reminder of the financial struggles that many athletes face, says Dame Sarah Storey. Wiggins was declared bankrupt this year, little more than a decade after he became a household name by winning the Tour de France and a gold medal at the [...]
Quins boss reveals he almost didn’t pick star man in thrashing of Stormers December 15, 2024 Harlequins head coach Danny Wilson admits he almost scuppered Alex Dombrandt’s man-of-the-match display in their 53-16 win over the Stormers in the Investec Champions Cup. England No8 Dombrandt ran in three of Quins’ eight tries at the Stoop but Wilson revealed afterwards that he considered leaving him out of the team over fitness concerns. “I [...]
Wolves lose patience with O’Neil after fourth defeat in a row December 15, 2024 Wolves have sacked manager Gary O’Neil after a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat left them second from bottom of the table. Saturday’s stoppage-time 2-1 loss at home to fellow strugglers Ipswich Town was their 12th reverse of the season in all competitions. Chairman Jeff Shi said: “We’re very grateful to Gary for all of his [...]
Glasgow Warriors shining light for Scotland in Champions Cup December 14, 2024 North of Hadrian’s Wall there’s a proud rugby nation in Scotland. Their two flagship clubs, Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh, host the majority of the national team and the nation’s biggest overseas stars ply their trade in the country. But the Investec Champions Cup and its predecessor top level competitions have never been a happy hunting [...]
How betting markets reflect Manchester City’s shock slump December 13, 2024 Betting markets might not tell the whole story but they do reveal certain underlying truths and, right now, they don’t make easy reading for Pep Guardiola or Manchester City. This week their wholly unexpected and utterly miserable run continued with a 2-0 defeat against Juventus in Turin that has left them fighting to avoid elimination [...]