Premier League criticised by Football Supporters Association over NFT partnership with Serena Williams and Lionel Messi-backed company January 30, 2023 Football supporters groups have criticised the Premier League for entering the NFT market in a £120m deal with fantasy gaming and digital collectibles platform Sorare. After more than a year of deliberations, English football’s top division today announced a four-year contract with the French company, which is backed by sports stars including Lionel Messi, Kylian [...]
Premier League’s first NFT partnership explained: Inside the £120m deal with Sorare January 30, 2023 The Premier League has taken its first step into the NFT market by agreeing a deal with fantasy gaming and digital collectible platform Sorare. After more than a year of deliberations, English football’s top division has signed a four-year contract worth around £30m annually which includes an option to take equity in the French company. [...]
Australian Open prize money 2023: How much can tennis players win in Melbourne this weekend and how does it compare to other Grand Slam tournaments? January 27, 2023 The Australian Open may be the first Grand Slam on the calendar, but it comes last of the four tennis majors for prize money. The men’s and women’s singles champions in Melbourne this weekend stand to receive AUD $2.98m, which equates to $2.08m or £1.67m at current exchange rates. That trails the £2m ($2.5m) Wimbledon [...]
Explained: Why replays are back in the 2022-23 FA Cup but face an uncertain future January 27, 2023 FA Cup replays were one of the casualties of the pandemic but they are back in football’s oldest knockout competition in 2022-23. The congested calendars caused by Covid-19 delays to English football’s normal schedule caused the Football Association to shelve replays in the last two seasons. Instead, all ties were decided on the day, going [...]
International Tennis Federation facing mounting questions over Davis Cup deal after Gerard Pique’s Kosmos group brings legal action January 26, 2023 Former footballer Gerard Pique’s Kosmos investment group has heaped more pressure on the embattled International Tennis Federation by launching legal action over the early termination of their $3bn Davis Cup deal. The ITF ripped up the 25-year agreement after less than five years earlier this month in response to Kosmos asking to renegotiate the $120m-a-year [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]