How sevens and Olympics can be commercial rugby lifeline Sport Business Dan James argues that rugby sevens is a developmental step for some of the best players, and that can be a boon for a struggling sport. The rugby rumour mill has been turning again, as reports have circulated over the last fortnight that some of England’s young stars – Henry Pollock, Marcus Smith, Tommy Freeman, [...]
Liverpool owners tipped to sell – but not to Amazon boss Bezos – by former CEO Sport Business Liverpool FC’s former CEO Peter Moore believes the club’s owners may be preparing to sell up but has poured cold water on talk of Jeff Bezos buying into the Reds. Fenway Sports Group is in talks to sell a minority stake to former QPR co-owner Amit Bhatia – a process some reports have suggested could [...]
Fifa crisis: Is it possible to defend Infantino’s World Cup sell-off plan? Sport Business Crafting a defence of Infantino isn’t easy, but it is possible to assemble both a behavioural excuse and a commercial justification for the Fifa president’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup. One newspaper evocatively likened Gianni Infantino to Icarus at the weekend after his proposal to sell stakes in the World Cup melted [...]
Exclusive: Twickenham residents branded anti-fun NIMBYs in rugby stadium row August 6, 2026 Twickenham residents have been accused of being part of the “anti-fun lobby” after a petition to restrict England Rugby’s plans to host most concerts at Allianz Stadium reached 3,000 signatures. The home of English rugby is able to host an unlimited number of sporting events but has submitted a planning application to Richmond Council asking [...]
Qatar Racing takes over sponsorship of £4.4m British Champions Day August 5, 2026 Qatar Racing has replaced QIPCO as title sponsor of British Champions Day at Ascot for its next three editions, starting this year. The racing empire of Qatari royal Sheikh Fahad bin Abdullah Al Thani is a subsidiary of QIPCO, which has sponsored the most lucrative day in the British racing calendar, worth £4.4m in prize [...]
Exclusive: Arsenal target Vinicius Jr future at Real Madrid to be decided this week August 5, 2026 Vinicius Jr’s future at Real Madrid will be decided this week amid interest from Arsenal in a blockbuster move, Morning Wire understands. The Brazilian left winger is under contract with Los Blancos until 2027 but negotiations in Spain have stalled having begun over a year ago, opening the door for an audacious attempt by the [...]
Luis Figo: ‘Deceitful and cravenly self-interested’ Infantino must quit Fifa now August 5, 2026 Fifa president Gianni Infantino has come under fire from another high-profile figure after Portugal great Luis Figo joined calls for him to quit without further delay. Infantino is clinging to his job despite senior Fifa figures condemning his plan to sell stakes in a new commercial vehicle that would manage the World Cup to private [...]
How padel courts became a must-have for upscale hotels and members’ clubs August 5, 2026 Professional padel is having its moment in the London sun this week as the capital plays host to an event on the top-tier Premier Padel tour for the first time. The driving force behind its recent stratospheric growth not just in the UK but across Europe, the Middle East and North America, however, is its [...]
Gary Lineker forks out £10k to save England World Cup dream August 5, 2026 Gary Lineker and a group of private backers have come to the rescue of the England men’s amputee team while the Football Association refuses to fund them. The governing body stopped its financial support in 2006 and, despite now backing seven para teams, still excludes the amputee side. The England team, Nations League winners in [...]
Tour de France Femmes: World famous cycling race plunged into bra row August 4, 2026 For penis injections at the Winter Olympics, read bra padding at the Tour de France Femmes, where officials are making extra checks on riders to ensure they are not cheating by inflating the size of their chests. The move comes after unnamed teams raised suspicions that some cyclists were using padding on their chests – [...]