Football Regulator: Reform UK demand government ‘leave football alone’ March 7, 2025 Reform UK has slammed plans for a football regulator interfering in the Premier League, insisting the government should “leave it alone”. A Westminster Hall debate this week drew sarcastic digs from both sports minister Stephanie Peacock and her shadow counterpart Louie French on the football regulator, which has recently concluded a series of debates in [...]
Ed Warner: My memo to sport’s blazers? Stay out of the way March 6, 2025 Sport governing bodies should focus on organisational framework but professional activity can largely be left to the free market, argues Ed Warner. Who doesn’t love a badge, especially if having the right to flaunt it conveys status? Witness the urge to wear replica kit, even though the status this gives is simply identification as a [...]
Mark Kleinman: Football watchdog search approaches injury time March 6, 2025 Mark Kleinman is Sky News’ City Editor and the man who gets the Square Mile talking in his weekly Morning Wire column. Today, he tackles the football watchdog search, big pay at GSK and CityFibre’s M&A warchest Football watchdog search approaches final whistle They think it’s all over. To paraphrase the immortal line of Kenneth Wolstenholme, the 1966 World [...]
LaLiga launches UK free-to-air rights tender as ITV deal comes to end March 4, 2025 Spanish football’s LaLiga has launched a media rights tender for free-to-air coverage of games in the United Kingdom. Two packages are on offer to British and Irish broadcasters: the first for exclusive access to all LaLiga matches, and the second for free-to-air matches scheduled for 8pm on Sunday evenings. ITV Sport has been the host [...]
FA Cup prize money: What non-league clubs would spend £2m on February 28, 2025 This weekend the fifth round of the FA Cup will hand out a good amount of prize money. But for the non-league clubs out of the draw, where would that money have been spent? Just the 16 teams remain in this weekend’s FA Cup fifth round, and there will be no representation from below the [...]
Pubs and bars to go into extra time if Lionesses score at Women’s Euros February 24, 2025 Pubs are set to be allowed to stay open until 1am if the Lionesses reach the latter stages of the Women’s Euros this summer. The Home Office wants to push back closing time at pubs and bars by two hours if England make it to the semi-finals or final of Women’s Euro 2025. The Lionesses [...]
More sprinting, extra games? Why more footballers are getting ACL injuries February 23, 2025 The rise in ACL injuries in football is down to the increasing intensity of the game and not just the number of matches played, says one of the world’s leading knee surgeons. Player workload has become a thorny topic in the sport, with the expansion of major competitions adding extra games to the calendars of [...]
Could Ademola Lookman take legal action over Atalanta coach’s criticism? February 22, 2025 Footballer Ademola Lookman found himself at the centre of a storm this week when his Atalanta coach publicly derided his penalty taking skills. But did Gian Piero Gasperini go too far? Lawyer Chris Deeley explores the case. We all make mistakes at work occasionally. Sometimes, we are also unlucky enough to have our bosses call [...]
Will England get a fifth Champions League place? February 22, 2025 As European football’s club competitions head into their knockout phases, the Premier League’s prospects of getting a fifth place in the Champions League are becoming clearer. Since 2019, Uefa has awarded an extra spot in the Champions League to the two nations whose clubs performed the best in its three competitions during the previous season. [...]
Coca-Cola and Fifa resolve legal spat to continue Club World Cup deal February 21, 2025 Coca-Cola and football governing body Fifa appear to have resolved their legal spat after the soft drinks giant was confirmed as a sponsor for the Club World Cup. Alongside German sports apparel firm Adidas, Coca-Cola opened separate legal cases against Fifa surrounding the sponsorship rights of the Club World Cup. The pair were reportedly unhappy [...]