Manchester United at Davos: Why has the for-sale Premier League club set up shop at the World Economic Forum? January 16, 2023 Manchester United have insisted that the club’s pop-up venue at Davos is not designed to drum up interest among the world’s super-rich in a possible £8bn sale. United’s owners, the Glazer family, put them on the market in November and bankers are reported to have invited bids for minority or majority stakes by next month. [...]
Here’s how Chelsea’s £89m deal for Mykhailo Mudryk has inadvertently funded Ukraine’s war effort January 16, 2023 Less than a year after Chelsea’s owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned and forced to sell the club over his links to a Russian regime that had invaded Ukraine, the resistance is set for a £20m windfall as a result of the Blues’ latest signing, Mykhailo Mudryk. Mudryk’s former team Shakhtar Donetsk announced on Monday that [...]
Mykhailo Mudryk: Chelsea hand Ukraine winger longest contract in Premier League history after beating Arsenal to his signing January 15, 2023 Chelsea have handed what is believed to be the longest contract in Premier League history to new £89m signing Mykhailo Mudryk. The Blues outbid Arsenal to beat their London rivals to the Ukraine winger, who has agreed an eight-and-a-half year contract that runs until 2031. Mudryk was at Stamford Bridge on Sunday to watch his [...]
Usain Bolt: Sprinter facing the loss of millions of dollars after alleged fraud January 15, 2023 Usain Bolt has lost millions of dollars as a result of an alleged fraud at a Jamaican investment company. The world’s fastest man is the most high-profile victim of the apparent scam at Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL). Bolt’s agent Nugent Walker said his client noticed that money was missing from his account last week. [...]
Former Premier League footballer jailed for seven years over £15m Ponzi scheme January 12, 2023 Former Premier League footballer Richard Rufus has been jailed for running a £15m foreign currency exchange Ponzi scheme. The London-born 48-year-old was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison at Southwark Crown Court today. Rufus, who played 99 times in the Premier League for Charlton Athletic, tricked friends and family into giving him [...]
DAZN: Sports broadcaster’s operating LOSSES pass £1bn despite revenue RISING January 12, 2023 Sports broadcaster DAZN suffered an operating loss of $1.3bn (£1.1bn) and record overall losses of $2.3bn (£1.9bn) in 2021 despite growing revenue by almost 80 per cent. The UK-headquartered streaming and subscription service, which is a major player in the US, Japan and Germany, saw income swell to $1.6bn (£1.3bn). But costs also increased by [...]
Ed Warner: The row over sport banning Russian players will be even bigger in 2023 January 12, 2023 Wimbledon will be here before we know it. Expect the debate about banning Russian and Belorussian stars to start soon. The tug of war over the two bellicose nations’ participation at next year’s Paris Olympics and Paralympics has already begun. Schisms within sports and between their leaders and politicians are inevitable. Last year, backed (or [...]
Joao Felix: Chelsea pay eight-figure loan fee to make Portugal and Atletico Madrid star the 12th signing under Todd Boehly January 11, 2023 Chelsea have continued their recruitment drive by signing Portugal forward Joao Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old is the 12th player to join since Todd Boehly’s consortium bought the Premier League club from Roman Abramovich for £2.5bn last summer. Chelsea are believed to have agreed to pay [...]
Why Manchester United sale could fetch the Glazer family even more than their £6bn asking price – despite Cristiano Ronaldo exit January 11, 2023 The Glazer family’s hopes of achieving a record valuation for the sale of Manchester United have increased after the football club’s share price reached a four-year high. Some analysts believe it could push the price of a takeover towards $10bn (£8.2bn), in excess of the American owners’ original $7bn (£5.8bn) asking price. United’s share price [...]
Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid, Manchester City: Which team has the biggest wage bill in European football? January 10, 2023 Paris Saint-Germain’s signing of Lionel Messi contributed to the club setting a new record for the biggest wage bill in European football history last season. The French champions paid their players and staff €728m (£642m) in 2021-22, a year-on-year increase of 45 per cent, according to a new report by advisory Football Benchmark. It followed [...]