It’s coming home: Former City banker bids to bring England’s 1966 World Cup glory back to life December 1, 2020 A former City banker hopes to bring England’s finest footballing hour back to life by showing the 1966 World Cup final in colour for the first time. Neil Canetty-Clarke is one of the leading figures behind #FullColour66, which aims to raise £700,000 via a unique crowdfunding campaign that launches today. Investors can pledge as little [...]
Return of fans to sport will encourage brands to lift the handbrake on big campaigns November 30, 2020 When The Beatles walked off-stage at Candlestick Park, San Francisco in August 1966 it would be another two and a half years until they played live. When they walked out onto the roof of Apple Records HQ on Savile Row a small matter of 885 days later, they launched straight into a brand-new track: Get [...]
The making of Chris Kamara: How ex-footballer went from lads and dads’ hero to prime time national treasure November 27, 2020 As a football player and later a manager, Chris Kamara forged a successful if, by some standards, unspectacular career in an unfashionable era. England recognition never arrived, and his biggest victories came outside a top division that had not yet become the millionaires’ playground of today. More than two decades since he left the game, [...]
Leyton Orient happy to lose money and keep bars closed if to means getting fans back through turnstiles November 25, 2020 Leyton Orient chief executive Danny Macklin says the football club is happy to lose money in order to get fans back into their stadium. Supporters will be allowed to return to live sport in tier 1 and 2 areas when lockdown ends next week, but the restricted numbers mean clubs are unlikely to cover their [...]
Cover story: How the Premier League ‘wrapped’ every stadium and hid the empty seats November 20, 2020 Football fans will by now be familiar with Premier League “stadium wraps” or “seat kills”, even if they don’t recognise the terminology. The vast seat coverings, typically emblazoned with club colours and slogans, have provided a backdrop to the action since English football returned to empty grounds in June. But who makes these displays and [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Cricket meets hip-hop; Germany exports VAR; and the ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ goes global November 19, 2020 Cricket and hip-hop aren’t obvious bedfellows but they cosied up this week when South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi joined Jay-Z’s talent stable Roc Nation. Ngidi, South Africa’s player of the year in one-day and T20 internationals, is the first cricketer to sign with Roc Nation Sports. Roc Nation has snapped up mostly American athletes, [...]
Ryan Reynolds confirms Wrexham takeover with spoof advert for Welsh trailer company November 16, 2020 In a plot that even Hollywood might deem far-fetched, actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are buying fifth-tier football club Wrexham AFC. The pair have been given the green light to complete a takeover following a vote of the Wrexham Supporters’ Trust, which owns the club. Reynolds and McElhenney marked the news by posting a [...]
The Week in Sportbiz: Big W for W Series; United show FA the way; Tour de Yorkshire; British Cycling; and Uefa November 12, 2020 Women’s sport has been among the hardest hit by the pandemic but it received a boost today from the W Series. The women-only single-seater racing championship is to stage eight races on the same bill as Formula 1 grands prix next year. “There is no doubt that our global reach, impact and influence will be [...]
FA chairman Greg Clarke quits after sparking racism row with ‘coloured footballers’ comment November 10, 2020 Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has stepped down after attracting widespread criticism for referring to “coloured footballers”. Clarke made the remarks during a gaffe-laden appearance before MPs at a select committee hearing this morning. He attracted further derision for suggesting Asians and Afro-Caribbeans had “different career interests” and that homosexuality was “a life choice”. Clarke [...]
Five substitutions and fixture congestion: Won’t somebody think of the rich Premier League superclubs? November 9, 2020 It was a good weekend for sales of tiny violins in football’s moneyed north-west heartlands, as familiar debates about five substitutes and fixture scheduling bobbed to the surface. On Sunday, Pep Guardiola revealed he and Jurgen Klopp enjoyed a touchline grumble about the cap on mid-game changes after Manchester City and Liverpool’s draw. Twenty-four hours [...]