Debbie Hewitt to become first female chair of the FA as she leaves Restaurant Group June 8, 2021 Debbie Hewitt is set to become the FA’s first female chair, with the Restaurant Group confirming she will be leaving the same position at the hospitality firm this morning. Hewitt will leave the Restaurant Group – which owns Wagamama and Frankie and Benny’s – at the end of December 2021. Read more: FA Cup to [...]
Private equity giant CVC in talks to invest in OneTennis, a proposed merger between of the men’s ATP Tour and women’s WTA Tour June 7, 2021 CVC Capital Partners is in talks to buy a stake in a proposed new entity that combines the men’s and women’s tennis tours, according to reports. OneTennis would unify the ATP Tour and WTA Tour under one organisation, with CVC taking a minority shareholding in the new commercial vehicle. Approval for the merger could come [...]
Nico Rosberg on running his own motor racing team in Extreme E, striking deals with sponsors and recruiting drivers on Instagram June 4, 2021 It is five years since Nico Rosberg performed the ultimate mic drop, walking away from Formula 1 just days after being crowned world champion. Rosberg hasn’t completely abandoned the spotlight since. He has enjoyed a high-profile second career as an investor, particularly in tech companies and those with a green agenda, while staying involved in [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Mexican stand-off over Club Necaxa NFT; press conferences overshadow French Open; English football in distress June 3, 2021 From NBA Top Shot to Christian Fuchs, the march of the NFT in sport has looked unstoppable. Until now, that is. Mexican football chiefs this week put the brakes on the plans of Club Necaxa to become the world’s first sports team to sell an ownership stake using blockchain technology. Club Necaxa, whose shareholders include [...]
Matchroom leaves Sky Sports for DAZN in five-year, £100m deal – but Anthony Joshua fights aren’t included June 3, 2021 Boxing promoter Matchroom has signed a deal with DAZN to show its fights exclusively on the sports streaming platform in the UK and Ireland. The five-year agreement, reported to be worth more than £100m, begins in July when Matchroom’s contract with Sky Sports ends. The deal also cements the relationship between Matchroom and DAZN, which [...]
Exclusive: Vegan footballer Chris Smalling invests six-figure sum in plant-based meat company Heura June 3, 2021 Former Manchester United footballer Chris Smalling has become an investor in plant-based meat company Heura. Smalling, who switched to a vegan diet five years ago, is understood to have invested a six-figure sum in the Spanish brand. “Backing from a top athlete like Chris further bolsters Heura’s nutritional credentials, which are second to none,” said [...]
Sponsors and sports must do more to protect the mental health of athletes like Naomi Osaka June 2, 2021 Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open on mental health grounds should come as a surprise to no one, given the conversation around the wellbeing of elite athletes. The four-times grand slam winner may be one of the more reserved tennis players on the women’s circuit, so to speak openly about her depression and anxiety [...]
Ladies European Tour CEO Alexandra Armas on new $4m Aramco Team Series, raising the profile of women’s golf and working with Saudi Arabia June 2, 2021 The Ladies European Tour (LET) has announced a stellar line-up for the London leg of the inaugural, big-money Aramco Team Series. Major winners Georgia Hall, Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist and order of merit champion Emily Kristine Pedersen have all signed up to play at Centurion Club in St Albans from 8 July. Each of the [...]
French Open chiefs ‘sorry and sad’ at ‘unfortunate’ withdrawal of Naomi Osaka following row over media duties June 1, 2021 French Open organisers say they are “sorry and sad” after women’s world No2 Naomi Osaka pulled out of the tennis grand slam. Osaka withdrew on Monday following a row over her refusal to take part in post-match press conferences. She revealed in her statement that she had suffered long bouts of depression, and said it [...]
Championship Play-Off Final: £170m prize at stake for Brentford and Swansea in football’s most lucrative match May 29, 2021 Saturday’s Championship Play-Off Final is worth £170m to the winning team, making it football’s most lucrative match, according to Deloitte. The Wembley fixture, to decide which team gets the remaining place in next season’s Premier League, is this year between Brentford and Swansea City. “Promotion to the Premier League remains the most valuable prize in [...]