Sir Jim Ratcliffe ‘doesn’t care’, blasts Manchester United legend January 7, 2025 Manchester United legend Paul Scholes says Sir Jim Ratcliffe has done “nothing positive” during his first year as co-owner and believes ticket price hikes show he does not care about the fans. Ineos chairman Ratcliffe, the 72-year local-born billionaire who became minority shareholder of the Premier League club at the start of 2024, has defended [...]
English clubs warned over Saudi Pro League transfer amid Fifa probe January 7, 2025 English clubs have been warned to think twice before selling players to Saudi Pro League teams after Welsh champions The New Saints lodged a complaint with Fifa over unpaid fees. The ambitious competition has spent heavily in recent transfer windows on luring big-name talent such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar to the Middle [...]
Reeves employer NIC tax plans raise wind-up fears for football clubs January 7, 2025 A total of 24 professional football clubs are in arrears to HMRC over PAYE debt, with experts fearing that number could rise due to Rachel Reeves’s budget. Clubs including Championship side Reading and National League Southend United are among those who received winding-up petitions from HMRC in 2024. But business experts have warned that changes [...]
Independent Football Regulator hires head of legal from CMA January 6, 2025 The incoming football regulator has appointed a head of legal as it steps up plans to begin its work in earnest in 2025. David Riley this week left his role as legal director of the Competition and Markets Authority to take up a role with the football body, where he will head up the legal [...]
Premier League betting wins force Stanleybet into the red January 6, 2025 Betters winning big on Premier League football match results contributed to Stanleybet entering the red, it has been revealed. The Liverpool-headquartered company said a “sustained period of player-friendly sports results”, from the start of the 2023/24 football season, impacted its finances alongside online promotional activity. It added that Stanleybet was one of a number of [...]
Sport sponsorship: Best deals, who’s investing and 2025 growth January 5, 2025 As 2025 kicks off, the sports sponsorship landscape is brimming with opportunity. New trends are emerging and the environment is ripe for seasoned sponsors to make bold investments promoting new brand offerings. With Premier League clubs preparing for life after gambling sponsors and athlete-driven media platforms gaining traction, the industry is undergoing a transformation that [...]
Hamilton world title or Fury vs Joshua? The betting trends set to dominate 2025 January 4, 2025 Millions of Brits love a little betting flutter now and again, and sport is where the majority of our punts go. Government reports state that “the provisional 2024 to 2025 year-to-date [April to September] total for betting and gaming receipts is £1,78bn, which is £102m (6 per cent) higher than the same period during the [...]
Sport in 2025: A rallying cry to London, Mayor Khan and Londoners January 2, 2025 For at least the past five years it has felt as if London was disappearing off the global sporting stage. The capital may boast the Home of Cricket, 17 professional football clubs and five stadiums with a capacity of over 50,000 but huge sporting events have sought refuge in the likes of Saudi Arabia, the [...]
Marcus Rashford’s investment company faces being forcibly shut down January 2, 2025 The investment company owned by troubled Manchester United star Marcus Rashford is at risk of being forcibly shut down. MUCS Investments Limited, which counts the footballer as its sole director, has been sued with a compulsory strike off notice by Companies House. The action has been taken after the firm failed to file its accounts [...]
Ratcliffe, IPL and Littler: The Morning Wire Sport 2024 year in review December 31, 2024 It was the year that was in sport; when iconic athletes retired, major brands made fascinating choices and one pole vaulter was knocked out of the Olympics because of his hefty package. The 12 months that made up 2024 weaved the retirement of cricketer James Anderson with the iconic breakdancer Raygun, it saw a German [...]