Ed Warner: Reform the FA to avoid the burdens of a sport regulator weekly column Can you name the new Minister for Sport? Turns out it’s Stuart Andrew, MP for Pudsey. Let’s hope he’s a sports fan as there’s nothing publicly available to say that he is (or indeed isn’t). And so the door to this most junior of ministries revolves again. And at a time when a number of [...]
Ronaldo signing pushes Manchester United to record financial loss of £115.5m Reds in the red Manchester United suffered their worst ever financial loss last year despite revenues rallying as supporters returned to stadiums following the pandemic. United made a loss of £115.5m for the year ending June 2022, a further deterioration on the previous season’s record £92.2m loss. Revenue increased 18 per cent to £583.2m thanks to the return of [...]
David Dein interview: On Arsenal, Premier League, Kroenke, Wenger and Usmanov 'It was brutal' Fifteen years on from an unceremonious ousting from Arsenal that also cost him a host of other high-powered roles in football, David Dein is still feeling bruised. The club’s former vice-chairman, who rose to the same role at the Football Association, was one of the architects of the Premier League and became president of leading [...]
It’s easy to see the attraction but Graham Potter’s Chelsea switch is a major gamble September 8, 2022 On the face of it, it is easy to see why Chelsea part-owner, chairman and interim sporting director Todd Boehly was attracted to Graham Potter. The 47-year-old Englishman has left Brighton and Hove Albion, his home since 2019, for the west London giants, who have handed him a five-year contract and pay the Seagulls £20m [...]
BREAKING: Graham Potter confirmed as Chelsea manager September 8, 2022 Chelsea have confirmed Graham Potter as their manager following Thomas Tuchel’s sacking yesterday. Potter joins the Premier League club from Brighton and Hove Albion, where he spent three season. “I am incredibly proud and excited to represent Chelsea FC, this fantastic football club,” Potter said. “I am very excited to partner with Chelsea’s new ownership [...]
Ed Warner: Kicked off, tipped off, switched off September 8, 2022 One of the joys of writing Sport inc. is the flow of suggestions from readers of subjects to cover. In the past week alone: the highly leveraged balance sheets of Premiership rugby clubs ahead of the new season, the continuing scandal of the lack of financial support for Britain’s international basketball teams, the prohibitive cost [...]
New Chelsea owners revert to same old ruthlessness over Tuchel sacking September 7, 2022 It feels like a lifetime ago since we were watching then Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel and current Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte in each other’s faces on the touchlines of Stamford Bridge like Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk . But nearly a month on, and just two victories for the Blues later, Tuchel was today [...]
Chelsea sack manager Thomas Tuchel after 100 days of new ownership September 7, 2022 Premier League club Chelsea have sacked their manager Thomas Tuchel as the club reaches the end of its first 100 days under new management. Tuchel’s Chelsea fell to a humiliating defeat last night at the hands of Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League leaving the Blues on a three-match losing streak in all [...]
Per Mertesacker: Arsenal academy boss on his 11-year friendship with Mikel Arteta, producing the next Bukayo Saka and new docuseries Inside Hale End September 6, 2022 It was one of their worst ever defeats, but the recent histories of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta, Per Mertesacker and the club’s Hale End academy would look very different had Arsene Wenger’s team not lost 8-2 at Manchester United in August 2011. That setback prompted a transfer deadline-day trolley dash for five new signings, the most [...]
Club Wembley chief on why fans still want personalised experiences September 5, 2022 After a sensational tribute to Foo Fighters’ Taylor Hawkins on Saturday night, sold out Coldplay and Ed Sheeran concerts throughout July and August, not to mention the iconic Lionesses win, all at Wembley Stadium, demand for hospitality shows no signs of slowing down. We know this generation prioritises experiences over luxury goods, and that is [...]