Ed Warner: Is Infantino a moonbeam or a clown? Either way, Fifa boss is here to stay Opinion Gianni Infantino. Moonbeam or clown? Flibbertigibbet? Certainly. Problem-solver, or problem to be solved? All depends on where you are coming from – quite literally. Just don’t expect Fifa’s demon/angel (delete according to taste) president to be going anywhere soon. Most likely not until 2031. Football’s Swiss-Italian head honcho has been front and centre of the [...]
Ed Warner: Manchester United should have refused to tear up Cristiano Ronaldo contract Opinion Watching Cristiano Ronaldo’s conversation with Piers Morgan I was instantly reminded of Princess Di’s (in)famous interview with Martin Bashir, so much in the news in recent months. No sense here though that the footballer was duped into his doe-eyed criticisms of Manchester United – certainly not if we accept Morgan’s subsequent justifications for the guest [...]
Manchester United: Glazers face disappointment over £6bn price tag Overpriced? Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, look likely to have to drop their asking price of £6bn to £8bn for the Premier League football club. The Glazers, who also own NFL franchise the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, announced they were ready to sell United after 17 years in charge earlier this week. The Americans fired the [...]
Comment: Criticise me not Qatar for World Cup, says Infantino. OK then, here goes November 20, 2022 In a speech riddled with crass false equivalences on the eve of the World Cup, Gianni Infantino had a message for critics of this tournament. “Don’t criticise Qatar. Don’t criticise the players” the Fifa president said. “Criticise me, because I am responsible for everything.” OK, Gianni; here goes. There is no shortage of material. Criticise [...]
Ed Warner: If Liverpool’s owners want to sell, expect more American buyers November 17, 2022 Ed Warner addresses why American investors are the most likely purchases of any Liverpool shares on the market, why England’s Rugby World Cup defeat was good for the women’s game, and cricket song choices with a sense of humour. Forty-three days without the Premier League. Three days in and already I’m suffering withdrawal symptoms. Yes, [...]
Size matters: Why tiny Qatar decided it needed to host the World Cup November 16, 2022 Sport business and geopolitics expert Professor Simon Chadwick explains the economic, security-related and nation-building reasons why Qatar is hosting the World Cup. With the start of the men’s World Cup in Qatar imminent, fans are looking ahead to the action starting. Some will be anticipating Harry Kane retaining his Golden Boot, though others may feel [...]
Magic materials, paperless tickets and Web3: Sports technology trends to watch in 2023 November 16, 2022 Rebecca Hopkins, chief executive of the STA Group, picks out the sports technology trends to watch in the next year. It is exciting to realise how far sport has come in the past 12 months and whilst the post-pandemic era is throwing up more external challenges than could have been predicted, the sector remains as [...]
Sir Chris Hoy: Track Champions League can win over new fans in London November 15, 2022 Sir Chris Hoy believes the UCI Track Champions League can create new cycling fans when it returns to London next month. The five-date competition, which got its second season underway in Mallorca last weekend, features some of the world’s best riders including Britain’s Dame Laura Kenny and Katie Archibald. London’s Lee Valley VeloPark is set [...]
LIV Golf announces Adelaide event as part of inaugural £344m league season November 14, 2022 LIV Golf’s inaugural league season will visit Adelaide in April, organisers of the big-money circuit have announced. The Grange Golf Club in the capital city of South Australia is set to feature early in LIV Golf’s expanded 14-date schedule for 2023, which will run from February to September. Open champion Cameron Smith is one of [...]
Trussonomics, Super League and Qatar World Cup: Why proactive PR matters November 10, 2022 Communications expert Matthew Fletcher-Jones explains why Qatar and Fifa are fighting a losing PR battle over perceptions of this year’s World Cup. Imagine you proposed a revolutionary approach, promising growth and a brighter future. Yet you never got out of the blocks as your first step was revealing that the rich would get richer. Revolutions [...]