Too much of a good thing: Are round-the-clock matches giving you football fatigue? February 16, 2021 As I’m sure most readers of this publication will be aware, one of the characteristics of money is that there is a limited supply of it. Scarcity equals value, and that’s something which the football world might soon need to take into account. The pandemic’s impact has condensed the football season and, for many of [...]
Uefa snubs Israeli offer to stage Euro 2020 matches and reaffirms commitment to 12 host nations February 16, 2021 Uefa says it is not pursuing an offer from Israel to help with hosting Euro 2020 and European club competitions. Israel’s world-leading Covid-19 vaccination programme means it would be well placed to welcome fans to matches. The Israel Football Association confirmed it had offered Uefa the use of three stadiums for staging matches at this [...]
How Tokyo plans to stage a safe Olympics this year – and why cancellation remains the last resort February 12, 2021 In spite of the relatively upbeat mood music emanating from the corridors of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), nagging questions about whether the Games can be safely staged this summer have persisted. But the organisers of the world’s largest sporting event have now given the world the first concrete indications of how they propose to [...]
Week in Sportbiz: English football puts the boot into Twitter and Facebook; Rolex deal shows value of golf tours’ alliance; dystopian snack marketing February 11, 2021 It is rare to see all of English football sing from the same hymnsheet. But that was in evidence today as the game’s leading bodies joined forces to demand more action from Twitter and Facebook against racist, sexist and threatening behaviour. The Premier League, Football Association, English Football League, Women’s Professional Game, players’ union the [...]
What Euro 2020 in a Covid-19 world will look like for football fans, sponsors and broadcasters February 9, 2021 Euro 2020 is scheduled to take place across 12 European cities in June and Covid-19 will mean changes to the way major sporting events operate. Hygiene protocols, new technology solutions and fan behaviours will emerge that present both challenges and opportunities for brands and rights holders. Safety is paramount Any British fans who do physically [...]
Cutouts, twice-daily tests and no Budweiser adverts: How Super Bowl LV has had to adapt in a pandemic February 6, 2021 Some things about Super Bowl LV will be reassuringly familiar, like the star-spangled razzmatazz and Tom Brady. But Sunday’s game between last year’s winners the Kansas City Chiefs and Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers will also be different to the 54 previous editions. The NFL has had to adapt its season finale for the Covid-19 era, [...]
Alistair Brownlee interview: Olympic triathlon champion targeting world’s first sub-seven-hour Ironman and golden hat-trick in Tokyo February 5, 2021 Alistair Brownlee did his first triathlon aged eight and trains three times a day, almost every day. Friday is “easy day”, when he swims and works out in the gym. When he’s not training, he enjoys riding his mountain bike. “I don’t like sitting still,” he says. The reigning Olympic triathlon champion will harness that [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Fenerbahce step up attacks on beIN; CVC serves up $300m volleyball deal; London pipped by Big Apple; Qatar sales record; Man Utd February 5, 2021 Conflict is in the air at Fenerbahce – and not just because they face rivals Galatasaray in the Istanbul derby this weekend. Mesut Ozil’s new club have embarked on a bizarre crusade against broadcaster beIN Sports, accusing it of conspiring against the club by manipulating VAR and choosing camera angles or highlights that show them [...]
Why Test cricket is back on Channel 4 and what it means for the future of sport on terrestrial TV February 2, 2021 For the first time since the heady 2005 Ashes series, Test cricket is returning to British terrestrial television. Channel 4 has bought the rights to show England’s tour of India, which begins on Friday in Chennai. But why is cricket back on a free-to-air broadcaster? Who stands to gain? And what does this mean for [...]
Tokyo 2020 Olympics will happen this year regardless of Covid-19, organisers insist February 2, 2021 The delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will definitely go ahead this summer whatever the impact of Covid-19, organisers have said. Cases in Japan remain far higher than last year, increasing fears that the Games may have to be cancelled altogether. But Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said: “We will hold the Olympics, regardless of how the [...]