West Ham United and the London Stadium have been good for each other – legacy chiefs should do a new deal to give the club more control September 2, 2021 This isn’t the article I expected to write; I went back to the London Stadium to bury it not to praise it. Instead, I came away with a deeper understanding of just what a valuable asset West Ham United Football Club has become. Nine years on from London 2012 and four from the World Athletics [...]
Honda to sponsor England Rugby and RFU in long-term deal that includes naming rights for team’s Pennyhill Park training centre September 1, 2021 Honda has become a major sponsor of England Rugby and governing body the Rugby Football Union (RFU) in a long-term, multi-year deal. England’s Pennyhill Park training base will be renamed the Honda England Rugby Performance Centre as part of the arrangement. The deal will also see the car maker’s branding appear on the kits of [...]
Premier League summer spending falls to 2015 levels as clubs seek value in football’s post-Covid transfer market September 1, 2021 Premier League clubs cut their summer transfer spending to the lowest level since 2015 in response to the pandemic. Gross spending by England’s top-flight teams in the summer window, which closed last night, fell 11 per cent to £1.1bn, according to analysis by Deloitte. Net spending was down 38 per cent to £560m, and both [...]
DAZN to quadruple prices for UK subscribers weeks after luring boxing promoter Matchroom from Sky in £100m deal August 31, 2021 Sports streaming service DAZN has announced a four-fold increase in its monthly subscription fee for UK users. The platform will increase in price to £7.99 per month from the end of September, it told customers today. DAZN, which owns premium boxing rights, launched in the UK at an introductory price of £1.99 eight months ago. [...]
Cristiano Ronaldo completes Manchester United return for initial fee of £13m August 31, 2021 Cristiano Ronaldo has officially completed his return to Manchester United from Juventus on transfer deadline day for an initial fee of €15m (£13m). The Italian club confirmed the terms of the blockbusting transfer this morning. The fee could rise to €23m if Ronaldo and United hit certain targets. United announced the completion of the deal [...]
A brief history of cryptocurrency in football – and how blockchain technology might shape our experience of the game in future August 30, 2021 Bitcoin and cryptocurrency have reimagined finance and money as concepts. Now more than ever, however, blockchain technology and, more specifically, NFTs and tokens are disrupting everything else. And that includes human culture. NFTs especially have captivated millions of people around the world. This is because we, as humans, have an innate desire to collect and [...]
Cristiano Ronaldo asks to leave Juventus amid Manchester City interest as PSG line up Erling Haaland to replace Kylian Mbappe August 27, 2021 Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus that he wants to leave the club, paving the way for a possible transfer to Manchester City. Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri confirmed rumours about Ronaldo’s eagerness to quit the Italian side, where he has scored 101 goals in three seasons. Joining City would complete a remarkable return to the Premier [...]
Altrad to replace AIG as All Blacks and Black Ferns front-of-shirt sponsor as French-Syrian billionaire Mohad Altrad increases rugby influence August 27, 2021 Construction conglomerate Altrad has increased its presence in rugby union by becoming the new front-of-shirt sponsor to the All Blacks, Black Ferns and New Zealand’s other national teams. Altrad, which owns Montpellier Herault in the Top14 and is a sponsor of the French national teams, has agreed a six-year deal with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) [...]
Rugby League World Cup chiefs confirm new dates for tournament pushed back to 2022 August 26, 2021 Rugby League World Cup organisers have confirmed new dates for the postponed tournament, which is to be staged in England next year. It will now start in Newcastle on 15 October 2022 and conclude with a men’s and women’s final double-header in Manchester on 19 November. The men’s, women’s and wheelchair World Cups had been [...]
Fifa president Gianni Infantino writes to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in attempt to resolve club v country red list quarantine row August 25, 2021 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to waive quarantine rules for footballers to resolve a stand-off between clubs and national teams. Premier League clubs say they will refuse to let their players take part in World Cup qualifiers next month if the fixtures involve travel to countries on the Covid-19 [...]
