Barry Hearn on Brentwood Town investment: ‘I’m a tight bastard but I’m a believer’ July 28, 2026 Matchroom president Barry Hearn on why he has returned to football with Brentwood Town FC, aiming for promotion to the English Football League and educating the council on the club’s need to buy its stadium. Barry Hearn doesn’t miss a beat when asked if he has missed football since selling Leyton Orient more than a [...]
Italy Pirlo hire off after Russian betting firm links revealed July 27, 2026 Italy’s plans to name Andrea Pirlo manager of their national football team have been scrapped after his links with a Russian betting firm were criticised by politicians. Pirlo, the 47-year-old manager of Dubai United, has been a global ambassador for Fonbet since October and was all but confirmed for the Italy job despite no official [...]
Fifa boss Infantino: World Cup critics are ‘consumed with hate’ July 27, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has launched a broadside at critics of some aspects of the 2026 World Cup, branding them “consumed by hate”. The tournament, which concluded eight days ago, has been broadly hailed as a success but was punctuated by outrage at President Trump’s apparent intervention in the Folarin Balogun incident, sky-high ticket prices [...]
West Ham United London Stadium deal costing taxpayers £19m a year July 24, 2026 The London Stadium deal between West Ham United and City Hall costs taxpayers £19m a year, the stadium company’s chair has revealed. A deal signed in 2013 between then Mayor of London Boris Johnson and bigwigs at the Hammers sees the former Premier League side pay £4.6m in rent per year, dropping this season due [...]
The Rest Is… for the Treasury: Gary Lineker backs wealth tax for rich July 23, 2026 Gary Lineker has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce a wealth tax on himself and other millionaires. The former England football player, synonymous with crisps, is one of over 100 millionaires to sign an open letter to No 10 calling for a 2 per cent tax hike on people with assets worth at least [...]
Leeds United investor buys majority stake in Spanish football club July 22, 2026 The co-owners of Leeds United have purchased a Spanish football club as they expand their multi-club empire. A.Gain – formerly IDC Ventures – have added to their minority shareholding in the Elland Road Premier League team with a majority stake in third tier Spanish side Real Zaragoza, based in Aragon. Real Zaragoza will become – [...]
Manchester United accused of banning loyal fans to make space for big-spending tourists July 22, 2026 Manchester United supporters have accused the club of attempting to force out season ticket holders in order to generate more revenue from tourists and corporates. Season ticket holders of several decades started receiving emails – seen by Morning Wire – informing them their accounts had been restricted after the club identified activity “that may indicate” [...]
QPR owner Bhatia Liverpool investment could value club at $6bn July 21, 2026 Liverpool could be valued at more than $6bn amid talks between owners Fenway Sports Group and investors over a minority stake sale. A consortium of investors led by the British-Indian co-owner of Queens Park Rangers Amit Bhatia is reportedly in talks to purchase a significant minority in the Merseyside club, according to the Financial Times. [...]
Fulham sign up $15bn Silicon Valley tech and AI firm ClickHouse as front-of-shirt sponsor July 21, 2026 Fulham FC have followed Crystal Palace in signing up a tech and AI company as their front-of-shirt sponsor, ClickHouse, for the new Premier League season. ClickHouse is a US-based platform that crunches data for Meta, Tesla, OpenAI, Visa and Sony and replaces gambling brand SBOTOP as Fulham’s principal commercial partner. It comes as the Premier [...]
A photography expert’s guide to the best images from the World Cup July 21, 2026 After a thrilling World Cup, Morning Wire Picture Editor Andy Blackmore ranks his favourite images from the tournament. Aside from war, about the only other human experience that spans such a wide range of emotions is sport. Of all the sports, perhaps football is the most emotive, and photographers at the World Cup hold the [...]