AI and politics will never destroy the beauty of supporting clubs like Bournemouth Sport Business A record transfer window, club investments at ever increasing valuations and the same unpredictability of results on the football pitch. Was it ever thus? And will it ever change? The memories sport creates are at the heart of what makes it so special. Taking a step back, next year will mark 30 years since I [...]
Fans drinking alcohol risks sending football back to 1980s, club owner warns Sport Business Allowing supporters to drink alcohol on the terraces would be “short-sighted” and “send football back to the depths of the ‘80s”, Andy Burnham has been warned. The Prime Minister has said he wants to end the “discrimination” against football fans, who are banned from drinking pitchside when fans of rugby and cricket are permitted to. [...]
Ukraine hits out at EU decision to unsanction former Arsenal owner Usmanov Sport Business Ukrainian officials have hit out at a European Union decision to remove former Arsenal co-owner Alisher Usmanov from its sanctions list. The Uzbek-born oligarch, who once owned around a third of the current Premier League champions, was stripped of his sanction status alongside Mikhail Fridman – a prominent Russian financier – after a successful lobbying [...]
Premier League front-of-shirt sponsorship revenues rise to £444m September 21, 2026 Premier League clubs’ front-of-shirt sponsorship revenue has risen eight per cent to £444m despite implementing a voluntary ban on gambling firms. The English top flight agreed to ban betting and casino brands from the lucrative front-of-shirt sponsorship slot in a move that lost the 20 clubs a collective £67m. But Premier League teams have managed [...]
Reynolds, Mac and Apollo buy Wrexham pub September 21, 2026 Ryan Reynolds, Rob Mac and Apollo Sports Capital have purchased a pub in a move that expands Wrexham AFC’s footprint. The Turf, which used to look over the stands and into the Championship football ground, has been added to a portfolio by the club’s owners which includes both Wrexham and their Racecourse Ground home. The [...]
Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur criticised for unlicensed gambling deals September 18, 2026 Clubs including Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have been criticised for doing deals with unlicensed gambling firms as the government continues a consultation on banning such organisations from sponsoring sport. Chelsea and Spurs are two of 11 Premier League clubs which hold agreements with betting companies not licensed in the UK. Others include Aston Villa and [...]
Major development in £3bn project backed by Crystal Palace co-owner David Blitzer September 17, 2026 Co-owner of Premier League club Crystal Palace, David Blitzer, is part of a group that has announced a major update to a £3bn stadium development. The American businessman, who became an early multi-franchise investor and was one of the first people to hold stakes in all five big North American leagues – NHL, MLB, MLS, [...]
Who owns Chelsea after £950m Boehly and Walter stake sales? September 17, 2026 Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their combined 25 per cent stake in Chelsea in a deal that values the Premier League club at £5bn. The agreement, announced last night, will see the former chairman of Chelsea Boehly – who was the face of the consortium that purchased the club from Roman Abramovich in [...]
Spurs owners take 12-month investment to £300m with fresh £120m injection September 16, 2026 Tottenham Hotspur’s majority owners will take their investment into the club to beyond £300m in the last year after agreeing to an additional £120m injection. The family of billionaire Joe Lewis – which owns 70 per cent of the controlling ENIC Sports Inc company – have pumped £120m into the north London club, who currently [...]
Serie A won’t catch the Premier League by selling its rights better September 12, 2026 Serie A was the creme de la creme in the nineties and noughties. Maldini, Totti and Gattuso were household names everywhere from the hills of Naples to the streets of Salford. But that global prestige has waned and our own data shows that Italian football has nowhere near the same pull for overseas football fans [...]