European Super League: Will ECJ resurrect breakaway or prove final nail in its coffin? December 14, 2022 Abandoned by most of its supporters in the face of widespread outcry, tied up in red tape, and then undermined by the financial problems of its remaining backers, the European Super League has never looked more dead. But the controversial breakaway football competition could be dramatically resurrected on Thursday when an advocate general delivers their [...]
Morocco airline cancels World Cup fan flights to Qatar December 14, 2022 Royal Air Maroc has cancelled flights that were going to carry football fans to Qatar for the World Cup semi-final. The Morocco vs France semi-final saw Moroccans booking match tickets and flights to Qatar. Royal Air Maroc had said it would add over 30 flights between Casablanca and Doha to meet demand. These flights are [...]
European rugby attendances point to major issue for the sport December 14, 2022 Hopes of a newfound interest in the European Champions and Challenge Cups took a hit this weekend as home sides struggled to fill their terraces for what some argue are the best club competitions in world rugby. Attendances peaked at a bastion of European rugby in Munster’s Thomond Park where 21,884 watched the province lose [...]
Calvin Lo interview: Billionaire on finding a way into Formula 1 December 14, 2022 Hong Kong businessman and billionaire Calvin Lo wants to deepen his roots in Formula 1. The Michael Schumacher fanboy is the latest wealthy individual looking at the motor racing circus that is F1 as a major sporting investment. “If whoever comes in plays their cards right, there are lots of opportunities,” Lo told Morning Wire [...]
World Rugby No2 Laporte and club owner Altrad guilty of corruption December 13, 2022 World Rugby vice-chairman Bernard Laporte and president of Top14 champions Montpellier Mohed Altrad have been found guilty of corruption-related charges at the Paris Criminal Court this afternoon. The duo – along with three others – went on trial in September over a number of bribery and corruption allegations and were sentenced today. Mohed Altrad was [...]
Premier League: Bournemouth is latest club to be bought out by a US businessman December 13, 2022 Premier League strugglers Bournemouth have been bought out by a US-led consortium including actor Michael B Jordan. Owner Maxim Demin has sold his 100 per cent stake in the firm to Black Knight Football Club (BNFC), managed by American businessman Bill Foley. The bid also has a number of high profile backers, including award-winning actor, [...]
ITV scores best Saturday night ever as record 23m Brits witness England getting trashed by France December 13, 2022 England’s World Cup Quarter Final match was watched by a peak audience of 23m across ITV and ITVX on Saturday evening as the Three Lions were narrowly defeated by France. The game drew the biggest audience of the tournament and the highest peak on any channel this year, the biggest since the final of last [...]
Key Laporte-Altrad court decision could send rugby into a pit of chaos December 12, 2022 The world order of rugby could descend into a pit of chaos should World Rugby vice-chairman Bernard Laporte and Top14 club Montpellier’s billionaire owner Mohed Altrad – as well as three others – be convicted of bribery and bribery-related charges in the French courts tomorrow. Rose-Marie Hunault, the president of the 32nd courtroom, is due [...]
England v France TONIGHT: Why World Cup opponents’ rivalry lacks spice December 10, 2022 For two neighbouring countries with such a long history of conflict and mutual suspicion, England’s World Cup quarter-final with France tonight is curiously short on piquancy. There is no love lost when the nations’ rugby teams meet each year in Le Crunch, while recent political developments have soured more than a century of Entente Cordiale. [...]
You can still reach the Qatar World Cup final. Here’s how December 8, 2022 It may be coming home in nine days’ time, but what if you want to be anywhere but home when England lift the World Cup in Doha next Sunday? Morning Wire got the travel magazines out and scoured the web to see just whether it was still possible to get to Qatar. Where in the [...]