Revealed: Chelsea owner’s plans to pump money into women’s tennis – and why some insiders are alarmed January 25, 2023 Billionaire part-owner of Chelsea Mark Walter is the US businessman in talks with the International Tennis Federation over a controversial proposal to bring private investment to the Billie Jean King Cup, Morning Wire has learned. We revealed yesterday that the ITF is close to agreeing a major new partnership with a US group to promote [...]
Billionaire Mark Walter: Who is he, what sports teams does he own and what is his net worth? January 25, 2023 Mark Walter is a 63-year-old American businessman who’s chief executive of financial services firm Guggenheim Partners and a keen player in the world of sports team acquisitions. Walter, from Cedar Rapids in Iowa, may be best known to British sports fans due to his recent part-acquisition of a Premier League football club. He was part [...]
Women’s IPL: Winning bids confirmed for league valued at £450m January 25, 2023 The five winning bids for the Women’s IPL – known as the Women’s Premier League – were confirmed this morning with a combined value of £444m. The five Women’s IPL teams will see franchises in Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi and Lucknow – the series kicks off this year. The inaugural Women’s IPL comes 15 years [...]
Manchester United and Liverpool fans put rivalry aside to call for government action over club sales January 25, 2023 Rival supporters from Manchester United and Liverpool have set aside their differences to demand that the UK government toughens up rules on club ownership before an independent football regulator is established. The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) and the Liverpool-affiliated Spirit Of Shankly (SOS) want urgent action since both clubs could soon have new owners [...]
‘We are close to a deal’: Everton owner Farhad Moshiri responds to reports the Premier League club is up for sale January 25, 2023 Everton owner Farhad Moshiri says he is close to securing investment in the struggling Premier League club but insists he is not seeking a full sale. Fan unrest has grown as the Toffees have slipped into the relegation zone, costing manager Frank Lampard his job earlier this week. And the board have also been hit [...]
Billie Jean King Cup lined up for private investment as International Tennis Federation is accused of risking another Kosmos Davis Cup $3bn fiasco January 24, 2023 The International Tennis Federation is in talks with private investors over a major new partnership to revamp the Billie Jean King Cup just weeks after the embarrassing demise of a similar deal for the Davis Cup, Morning Wire can reveal. And the move has sparked serious concerns, with some insiders demanding greater transparency and scrutiny [...]
Gareth Bale: Former Wales footballer and golf lover set to play at PGA Tour event January 24, 2023 Record-breaking former Wales footballer and golf lover Gareth Bale is to make his PGA Tour debut at next month’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am. The 33-year-old hung up his boots earlier this month after a football career that saw him win five Champions League titles with Real Madrid and break the Wales men’s goalscoring and appearance records. [...]
Karen Khachanov: Russian tennis player sparks political row over disputed territory of Artsakh at Australian Open January 24, 2023 Australian Open semi-finalist Karen Khachanov is at the centre of a political row after using his matches to voice support for the breakaway region of Artsakh. Historically part of Armenia, Artsakh, or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan and has been the source of two conflicts since 1990 as well as [...]
John Yems: Football Association appeals its own ban for former Crawley Town manager’s ‘unconscious racism’ January 23, 2023 The Football Association has appealed against the ban imposed on former Crawley Town manager John Yems for racism. An independent regulatory panel banned Yems until June 2024 after he admitted one charge and was found guilty of 11 others relating to comments that referenced either ethnic origin, colour, race, nationality, religion, belief or gender between [...]
We must see Australian Open tennis stars at their best, not at 4am January 22, 2023 Isn’t it beautiful being able to watch Australian Open tennis at 4:30pm in the United Kingdom? Well, actually it isn’t. While we in the UK can enjoy Andy Murray on a Thursday afternoon, or Victoria Azarenka yesterday at 2pm, those athletes are playing deep into the morning. That’s not right. Yes, the hours suit those [...]