Ahead of the Game: Hundred franchises set to choose their investors January 15, 2025 The eight Hundred franchises have been asked to name and rank at least two preferred bidders from the private investors who have submitted offers for a 49 per cent stake in the third and final round of the auction process which is currently taking place. All of the Hundred teams attracted multiple bids in the [...]
Saudi Public Investment Fund nearing $1bn stake in Dazn January 14, 2025 Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund is nearing a $1bn acquisition of a small minority stake in sport streaming platform Dazn. The London-based rights holder, which enjoys relationships with boxing’s Riyadh Season and a number of the top European football leagues, could potentially see its value pushed into the tens of billions after the injection. It [...]
Can Italy’s challenger European rugby project win them a World Cup? January 14, 2025 Rugby authorities in Italy have reportedly submitted plans for a new European rugby competition. But can it be viable, and is the World Cup the end goal? The new president of Italy’s rugby federation, Andrea Duodo, caused a little bit of a stir recently when he confirmed that new proposals for a European club rugby [...]
Australian Open NFTs tank in value on non-fungible token marketplace January 14, 2025 NFTs sold by Tennis Australia for nearly £1.5m have tanked in value amid reports the organisation has walked away from its non-fungible token project. More than 9,000 of the NFTs, which are digital images of tennis balls, have shed up to 90 per cent of their value since the launch in 2022 by Tennis Australia. [...]
72% UK sports fans would pay more for tickets if they benefited environment January 14, 2025 Seven in 10 sports fans would be willing to pay more for a ticket to a live event if the extra was used to benefit the environment, according to a new survey. The Sport Industry Report, published today, found that 72 per cent of sport fans it surveyed said they would pay the surplus “if [...]
Leicester City still face PSR danger despite Premier League decision January 14, 2025 Leicester City remain on the hook for possible breaches of PSR rules despite the Premier League deciding not to issue charges to any clubs for the period ending last season. Leicester escaped punishment last year despite being charged with overspending for the period ending 2022-23 after they won a legal appeal centred on ambiguity in [...]
Rashford exit to cost Man Utd as clubs battles to meet PSR rules January 14, 2025 Manchester United will have to pay to get Marcus Rashford off their wage bill as they battle to meet Premier League profitability and sustainability (PSR) rules. Former golden boy Rashford is bound for the exit door at Old Trafford after 20 years at his boyhood club, having fallen out of favour with new manager Ruben [...]
Steve Borthwick England squad: Three Champions Cup bolters to watch January 14, 2025 This morning England manager Steve Borthwick names his squad for the Six Nations, with a trip to Dublin up first next month. Last weekend’s Investec Champions Cup action, then, was the very last chance for players to give a good account of themselves before today’s announcement. But it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies for hopefuls [...]
Investec Champions Cup: Leinster, Glasgow and Toulon secure home ties January 13, 2025 There may be a round of Investec Champions Cup matches to go but for some clubs their future has already been decided. For South African side the Bulls, it’s done and dusted with the Pretoria-based outfit unable to reach the round of 16 in April, no matter how good or bad their result against Stade [...]
Football regulator: Fight over Brady-backed ‘sunset clause’ hots up January 13, 2025 Conservative peers including West Ham United chair Karren Brady are this week expected to step up their push for a “sunset clause” that critics fear will render the incoming independent football regulator toothless. The sunset clause would allow for the football regulator to be scrapped after a set period time, likely to be five years, [...]