Gaizka Mendieta interview: Food, business and life after football July 9, 2023 Former Spain, Middlesbrough, Lazio and Valencia midfielder Gaizka Mendieta on finding a new passion in the restaurant business after a stellar football career. When Gaizka Mendieta, one of the most lauded midfielders of his era, moved to Middlesbrough in 2003 he gave England a taste of the best that Spain had to offer. Now, 15 [...]
Chelsea fans’ group hail supporter power after Stake.com sponsorship deal axed July 6, 2023 The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has welcomed suggestions that the Premier League football club has shelved a possible sponsorship deal with crypto betting platform Stake.com. Chelsea had been in talks to make Stake.com their new front-of-shirt sponsor for next season, replacing mobile network Three, which chose not to renew its £40m-a-year contract. The news provoked a [...]
Leicester City to be fined £880,000 after ‘colluding’ with JD Sports July 5, 2023 Premier League football club Leicester City are to be fined £880,000 by the Competition and markets Authority (CMA) over collusion with JD Sports. The statement of objections issued by the CMA sets out provisional assessments of the case. The Premier League club and retail outlet admitted to breaking competition law over three seasons. The report [...]
Manchester United confirm the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea July 5, 2023 Premier League club Manchester United have today confirmed the signing of midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea. The 24-year-old will head north from London to Old Trafford and join Erik ten Hag and United as the look to close the gap towards city rivals Manchester City. The deal is understood to be worth £55m plus £5m [...]
MPs call for football regulator to be established by end of the year June 30, 2023 A football regulator should be established in shadow form by the end of the year and given statutory powers before the next general election in order to prevent more clubs going out of business, MPs have said. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee also urged the Premier League and English Football League to thrash out [...]
Uefa outlaw long contract transfer loophole exploited by Chelsea June 29, 2023 Chelsea and other clubs will no longer be able to exploit a transfer loophole by handing new signings long contracts after Uefa outlawed the practice. Eight of Chelsea’s most recent signings, including Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk and new arrival Christopher Nkunku joined on extra-long contracts, some lasting until 2031. The strategy helped the Blues to [...]
Declan Rice: Arsenal poised to clinch British record transfer after Man City pull out June 28, 2023 Arsenal are poised to complete the signing of West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice for a transfer fee that could reach a British record £105m. Manchester City’s withdrawal from the race to sign Rice has left the way clear for Arsenal to make the 24-year-old by far their most expensive signing. Last season’s Premier [...]
Bayern Munich end £17m-a-year Qatari sponsor deal following fan protests June 28, 2023 Bayern Munich have ended a long-standing sponsorship relationship with Qatar following sustained protests from some supporters. Germany’s most successful football club have sported Qatar Airways’ logo on their shirt sleeves since 2018 in a deal reported to be worth around €20m (£17m) a year. That replaced a similar sponsorship agreement with Doha Airport, while the [...]
Manchester United forecast record revenues as fans protest Glazers’ stalling on a sale June 27, 2023 Manchester United chiefs expect to achieve record revenues of up to £640m this year after raising their guidance for investors. United’s revenue for the three months to March 2023 increased 3.5 per cent on the same period last year to £481.1m. It comes after the 20-time English champions enjoyed a return to form on the [...]
Stormzy and Wilfried Zaha team up to buy hometown football club Croydon Athletic June 27, 2023 Rapper Stormzy and Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha have agreed to buy their hometown football club, AFC Croydon Athletic. Stormzy and Zaha are part of a three-man consortium, which also includes former Palace kit man Danny Young, that has exchanged contracts for a takeover with the current ownership. No financial details have been disclosed and [...]