Premier League gives green light to semi-automated offsides February 13, 2025 The Premier League has moved a step closer to implementing semi-automated offside technology (SAOT) after announcing it will be trialled in the FA Cup fifth round next month. The introduction of SAOT in the English top-flight was scheduled for last autumn but has been repeatedly held up due to league chiefs’ concerns over its reliability [...]
Everton sponsor Stake to leave UK after gambling probe into porn ad February 12, 2025 Club officials of Everton, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City could run the risk of imprisonment or fines after Stake became the latest gambling firm to lose its UK licence after a probe into a porn ad on social media. The Gambling Commission will write to Everton – sponsored by Stake – as well as Nottingham [...]
Premier League clubs may vote on new financial rules despite PFA threat February 12, 2025 Premier League clubs will have the option to vote through new financial rules on Thursday despite the threat of legal action from the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) if they do so. The 20 top-flight teams will gather for a meeting in central London to discuss, and potentially vote on, a new system to replace the [...]
Dry in the desert: Alcohol to be banned at 2034 Fifa World Cup in Saudi Arabia February 12, 2025 Alcohol will not be allowed at the 2034 Fifa World Cup in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s ambassador said on Wednesday. Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud said that “there’s no alcohol at all” in the country, adding that there would not be an exemption for the World Cup, which Saudi Arabia won last year. The [...]
Dear England: Gareth Southgate to write book on leadership February 12, 2025 Former England manager Gareth Southgate will publish a book, Dear England: Lessons on Leadership, later this year. It will draw on “the defining moments that shaped his leadership style, principles that defined his decisions, and the resilience that enabled him to perform under the most intense public scrutiny,” said publishers Century, part of Penguin Random [...]
Ahead of the Game: Six Nations TV rights tender hit by delay February 12, 2025 The Six Nations TV tender has been put on hold due to delays in finalising the format of the new global Nations Championship, which will launch next year. The 12-team tournament will definitely take place, with each nation playing three games in each hemisphere followed by play-offs in London, but the Six Nations and Sanzaar [...]
Ratcliffe and Ineos bite back after being sued by New Zealand Rugby February 11, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos has blamed the “deindustrialisation of Europe” after the Manchester United co-owner was sued by New Zealand Rugby over its latest cost-cutting measure. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) went public with the dispute on Monday, claiming that Ineos had breached its sponsorship agreement by failing to pay an instalment of the £27m, six-year [...]
Footballers to be given way to sell their data by player union Fifpro February 11, 2025 Footballers are being given a new way to manage, protect and, if they wish, monetise all of their data via a single platform provided by global union Fifpro. The project is designed to bring together personal information, tracking data, medical records and statistics currently siloed in different organisations and give players access to it all. [...]
Manchester City’s £20m carrot in Real Madrid Champions League tie February 10, 2025 Manchester City will be playing for a potential £20m in prize money when they take on holders Real Madrid in their Champions League knockout play-off tie on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola’s struggling side will bank an additional €10m (£8m) just for progressing from the two-legged tie against the Spanish giants and reaching the last 16. That [...]
Why Rennes and Como were the surprise spenders in January transfer window February 8, 2025 Manchester City may have led the way in England but the biggest January transfer window spenders in other major European leagues were not the usual suspects. In France it was Rennes who spent the most, eclipsing mega-rich Paris Saint-Germain despite the champions splashing £58m on Napoli’s twinkle-toed Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Rennes invested £62m on [...]
