Apple makes biggest sports rights bet so far on 10-year, £2bn Major League Soccer deal June 15, 2022 Apple has agreed to pay $2.5bn (£2.1bn) for the global streaming rights to Major League Soccer for the next 10 years. The deal with the top division of men’s football in the US and Canada represents the tech giant’s biggest investment in sports rights so far. Apple, which bought a package of Major League Baseball [...]
Burnley appoint Vincent Kompany as new manager June 14, 2022 Championship outfit Burnley have appointed former Manchester City player Vincent Kompany as their new manager. The Clarets were relegated from the Premier League following the recent conclusion of the season and will compete in their first Championship season since 2015-2016 this summer. Kompany, 36, joins after a spell with Belgium’s Anderlecht – where he guided [...]
Liverpool agree club record £85m transfer fee for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez June 13, 2022 Liverpool have agreed a £85m deal to make Benfica striker Darwin Nunez their record signing, the Portuguese club have confirmed. The Premier League team will pay a guaranteed £64m, plus additional performance-related fees up to a maximum of £21m. Uruguay international Nunez, who scored 34 goals in 41 games last season, is due to undergo [...]
Ed Warner: Team sportspeople like Gareth Bale are held to double standards over loyalty June 9, 2022 Commentary stat of last weekend for me was that Gareth Bale has spent more time on a football pitch for Wales this season than for Real Madrid. Having run down his lucrative contract with the Spanish club, Bale is now a free agent – the footballing equivalent of the golfers signing up for this week’s [...]
Manchester City want more signings after Haaland, says chairman Al Mubarak May 31, 2022 Manchester City plan to follow the recruitment of Erling Haaland with more summer signings, says chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. The Premier League champions beat a host of top clubs to lure prolific Norway striker Haaland from Borussia Dortmund earlier this month. City have also been linked with moves for Leeds and England midfielder Kalvin Phillips [...]
Chelsea Board of Directors confirm sale of club to Todd Boehly consortium completed May 30, 2022 Chelsea have today completed the sale of the Premier League outfit to the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. With the £4.25bn takeover completed, Roman Abramovich’s 19-year relationship with the London club as owner has come to a conclusion. In a statement, the board of directors said: “We would like to think all [...]
Rising wages tip Manchester United to £27.7m Q3 loss despite post-pandemic revenue recovery May 26, 2022 Manchester United made a loss of £27.7m for the three months up to the end of March, a 53 per cent increase on the same period last year, due to rising wages and unfavourable exchange rates. Revenue was up 29 per cent to £152.8m, largely due to the return of supporters to Old Trafford following [...]
Ed Warner: ECB may buck financial trends but must turn playing claims into reality May 26, 2022 Fourteen million people participate in cricket in England and Wales. Yep, you read that right! How do we know that a quarter of the population play, attend or follow the sport? Because the ECB told us so last week in its annual report. Looks like the governing body has adopted a Westminster approach to big [...]
Chelsea £4.25bn takeover satisfies Premier League owner’s test May 24, 2022 The Chelsea takeover bid led by Todd Boehly’s consortium has passed the Premier League owner’s and directors test. The move ticks yet another box on the list that, once completed, will see the Premier League outfit change hands from sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich. The Boehly bid has not gone through, however, as it remains dependant [...]
No crackdown needed to halt spate of pitch invasions, says football crowd expert May 23, 2022 Football authorities should resist pressure to implement tougher crowd control measures following a spate of pitch invasions, says a leading authority on fan disorder. Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira called for current safeguards to be reviewed on Sunday after Aston Villa goalkeeper Robin Olsen alleged he was attacked by Manchester City fans who flooded onto [...]