European football market contracted by £3.4bn in first few months of Covid-19 pandemic, Deloitte report finds July 29, 2021 The European football market shrunk by 13 per cent in the first few months of the pandemic, according to analysis by Deloitte. Total revenue fell by €3.7bn (£3.4bn) to €25.2bn (£22.1bn) in 2019-20, the first decrease since the global financial crisis struck more than a decade earlier. Clubs suffered as leagues were postponed and resumed [...]
Barack Obama joins NBA’s African arm as strategic partner and minority shareholder July 28, 2021 The National Basketball Association (NBA) has announced that former US president Barack Obama has joined its new African arm as a strategic partner. The 44th President of the United States will also own a minority stake in NBA Africa, which officials say he intends to use for Obama Foundation projects across the continent. Obama will [...]
Fulham sign up blockchain telecoms network World Mobile as principal commercial partner on three-year-deal July 27, 2021 Fulham have signed World Mobile, a telecoms network that uses blockchain technology, as their new principal commercial partner. The three-year deal sees World Mobile replace bookmaker BetVictor as the club’s main sponsor. The agreement will see World Mobile appear on the shirts of the Fulham men’s, women’s and youth teams. Fulham’s men will be hoping [...]
South Korean broadcaster MBC apologises after using Chernobyl to depict Ukraine during Tokyo 2020 Olympic opening ceremony July 26, 2021 A South Korean broadcaster has been forced to apologise after using offensive stereotypes to depict countries during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics opening ceremony. MBC used the offensive pictures and captions alongside the athletes as they walked out during Friday’s ceremony. Italy was identified via pizza, while the broadcaster used the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986 [...]
Crystal Palace report £58m loss for pandemic-hit 2019-20 season July 26, 2021 Crystal Palace have announced a £58m loss for the 2019-20 season as a result of Covid-19’s impact on football. The Premier League club saw revenue fall £13m to £142m, while operating expenses increased by £15m to £154m. The drop in income was largely due to the effect of matches in the second half of the [...]
Adam Peaty, Tom Daley, Matty Lee and Tom Pidcock lead Team GB gold rush on day three of Tokyo 2020 Olympics July 26, 2021 Adam Peaty, Tom Daley and Matty Lee, and Tom Pidcock all won gold as Team GB kick-started their Tokyo 2020 Olympics on day three. Swimming star Peaty confirmed his utter domination in the men’s 100m breaststroke, winning the final by six tenths of a second to defend the title he won in Rio de Janeiro [...]
Why the British and Irish Lions have never been more popular with players, rugby fans and sponsors July 24, 2021 “It shouldn’t work,” former England captain Lewis Moody says of the British and Irish Lions. The concept of a band of disparate players from the four Home Nations thrown together, shipped to the other side of the world and tasked with beating rugby’s strongest nations does feel anachronistic, a relic from the game’s amateur days. [...]
The top five cybersecurity threats facing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and how they could disrupt events, halt broadcasts and expose sensitive data July 23, 2021 The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, which officially begins today, isn’t going to look anything like the Olympic Games that have gone before it. Since no spectators are permitted at the live sports, this is likely to be one of the most streamed events of the year, with millions of people watching from home. It isn’t [...]
10 Team GB medal hopes for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, including Dina Asher-Smith, Adam Peaty, Katarina Johnson-Thompson and Sky Brown July 23, 2021 Team GB head into the Tokyo 2020 Olympics somewhat in limbo. Having won a record 67 medals, including 27 golds, at Rio 2016, it seems they might be more difficult to come by over the next few weeks. Stars of past Games Mo Farah, Nicola Adams and Alistair Brownlee, who won four golds between them [...]
Opening match of The Hundred sets UK TV record for women’s cricket July 22, 2021 The opening match of The Hundred, English cricket’s new competition, attracted a record UK television audience for a women’s match. A peak audience of 1.95m watched as the Oval Invincibles beat the Manchester Originals in a closely-fought curtain-raiser to the tournament. The figures marked an encouraging start for a competition that has divided opinion since [...]