French Open chiefs ‘sorry and sad’ at ‘unfortunate’ withdrawal of Naomi Osaka following row over media duties June 1, 2021 French Open organisers say they are “sorry and sad” after women’s world No2 Naomi Osaka pulled out of the tennis grand slam. Osaka withdrew on Monday following a row over her refusal to take part in post-match press conferences. She revealed in her statement that she had suffered long bouts of depression, and said it [...]
Championship Play-Off Final: £170m prize at stake for Brentford and Swansea in football’s most lucrative match May 29, 2021 Saturday’s Championship Play-Off Final is worth £170m to the winning team, making it football’s most lucrative match, according to Deloitte. The Wembley fixture, to decide which team gets the remaining place in next season’s Premier League, is this year between Brentford and Swansea City. “Promotion to the Premier League remains the most valuable prize in [...]
Chris Froome on his quest for a fifth Tour de France, why he loves watching Roger Federer win, and his investment in cycling tech company Hammerhead May 28, 2021 When Chris Froome talks about fighting back from the 2019 crash that threatened one of cycling’s most decorated careers, he speaks of “putting the blinkers on”. He’s referring to his attempt to stay single-minded; to block out any nagging doubts that the toll the sport has taken on his body might deny him the fifth [...]
Leicester City title hero Christian Fuchs explains why he is auctioning his viral video of the team’s Premier League celebrations as an NFT May 28, 2021 Former Leicester City player Christian Fuchs is auctioning his viral video clip of the team celebrating the Premier League title as part of an NFT (non-fungible token). Fuchs shot the clip of the moment Leicester became champions on his mobile phone and shared it on Twitter, where it has received 12m views. The defender is [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Castore eyes Chinese market with Wolves kit deal; Rosberg signs up IG Prime to Extreme E team; Koepka does rival DeChambeau a favour May 27, 2021 Change is in the air at Wolves, and not only because manager Nuno Espirito Santo departed this week. The Black Country’s finest have also signed a new kit deal with fast-growing premium British sportswear brand Castore. Castore has been canny in its choice of sportspeople and teams to get behind, from Andy Murray to Owen [...]
England Euro 2020 squad: Why Emile Smith Rowe and Nat Phillips deserve a place on form but Trent Alexander -Arnold and Eric Dier do not May 21, 2021 Who should be in Gareth Southgate’s England Euro 2020 squad this summer? That is the debate that is sure to rage before Southgate names his 26-man squad for the European Championship on Tuesday 25 May at 1pm – and will probably rumble on long afterwards. For a purely objective assessment, we asked Carteret Analytics to [...]
Modernising Burnley: How ALK Capital plan to use artificial intelligence and a network of partner clubs to take the Clarets into a new era May 20, 2021 Think of Burnley FC and you think of target men, tigerish midfielders and hulking centre-backs. Of manager Sean Dyche’s gravelly tones. Of one of the Premier League’s less fashionable and most traditional clubs consistently outperforming more glamorous rivals with a defiantly no-nonsense brand of football. But for all that they have punched above their weight, [...]
Inter Milan close to €275m bailout by private equity firm Oaktree May 19, 2021 Inter Milan is said to be closing in on a €275m (£237m) bailout by US private equity firm Oaktree Capital to shore up its finances following the collapse of the European Super League. As part of the deal, Oaktree would take a 30 per cent stake in the Italian football team and provide a much-needed [...]
US PGA Championship prize money 2021: How much is at stake at Kiawah Island and how does it compare to other paydays in men’s golf? May 19, 2021 The Wanamaker Trophy is the target for the cream of men’s golf this week at the US PGA Championship – and the prize money isn’t bad either. A total purse of $11m is up for grabs at Kiawah Island in South Carolina, where play is due to begin on Thursday. From that, the winner will [...]
Roy Hodgson set for emotional farewell to Crystal Palace fans after club confirm he will step down in the summer May 18, 2021 Crystal Palace have announced that Roy Hodgson will step down as manager at the end of the current season. The former England coach, 73, has been in charge at his boyhood club since 2017, during which time he has succeeded in keeping them in the Premier League. “After more than 45 years of coaching I [...]