Uefa probes Brighton and Hearts connection under Tony Bloom ownership
Uefa is scrutinising the relationship between Hearts and Brighton and Hove Albion, with both clubs connected to Tony Bloom on course to qualify for Europe.
Brighton owner Bloom holds a 29 per cent stake in Hearts – deliberately below the 30 per cent threshold Uefa prohibits owners from holding in more than one club in its competitions.
Hearts finished second in the Scottish Premiership and will enter the Champions League play-offs, with the Europa League or Europa Conference League still possible depending on their progress.
Brighton sit seventh in the Premier League, a position that would secure a Europa League place, though defeat to Manchester United on the final day – combined with a series of results going against them – could push them out of the top eight.
Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body will determine whether any measures are required to allow both clubs to compete in Europe.
A key Uefa rule states that no individual can “exercise by any means a decisive influence in the decision-making” over more than one club competing in a Uefa competition. A decision is expected by early June.
Brighton remain confident that they will face no issues. The structure of Bloom’s investment last summer stipulated that all voting rights would remain with the Hearts fans’ foundation.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos held a 27.7 per cent stake in Manchester United when they qualified for Europe alongside sister club Nice in 2024, but Uefa imposed special measures to restrict influence. The clubs were barred from trading players and Uefa blocked United’s attempt to sign Nice defender Jean-Clair Todibo.
PFA to oppose wage restrictions
Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Maheta Molango has laid the blame on EFL owners for the dire financial state of clubs.
A group of League One owners has met regularly this season to build a consensus on new financial rules to curb costs, with wage inflation – up around 80 per cent in the past two years in League One – a major concern.
Last week League One clubs voted to restrict spending on wages to half of turnover, down from 60 per cent, while only 50 per cent of owner equity injections can be spent on wages. Manager salaries are now included in this. League Two clubs, however, did not approve the changes.
Molango wrote on LinkedIn: “To listen to some clubs is to believe that they are simply locked into a market, against their will, where they have no choice but to participate in a game of financial brinkmanship they cannot afford. To believe this is to excuse them the responsibility they have for the proper management and running of their club.
“Football is, of course, a pressurised, competitive and results-driven business. But so are many other industries. It must always be remembered that absolutely nobody is forcing clubs to offer contracts and to pay wages they say they cannot afford.”
The PFA successfully blocked previous attempts to bring in a wage cap six years ago. Clubs voted in favour of the proposal, but the PFA mounted a legal challenge.
Molango has hinted they are prepared to fight again. “Until the point where a proper assessment takes place, and all stakeholders can arrive at a unified approach to ensuring the financial sustainability of clubs, we will continue to back our members’ right to seek maximum value for their talents – a value determined by a free and open market,” he added.
Tie Break Tens puts LIV Golf to shame
While LIV Golf appears to have failed with its experiment to make golf shorter – in search of that supposedly attention-span-deficient younger audience – tennis is successfully embracing a sharper version of the sport.
One of LIV’s founding principles was reducing events to 54 holes, instead of the traditional 72. So intrinsic was it that LIV is the Roman numeral for 54, but the controversial breakaway league abandoned the idea in November and, more recently, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has pulled future funding, leaving LIV in a fragile position.
A PwC Emerging Sports report analysing younger audiences suggests Tie Break Tens – tennis’s rapid-fire format – “is well positioned to enhance the existing tennis eco-system”. The report found the average age of major sports fans is around 50, but the under-45s preferences are crucial to future success.
The International Tennis Federation has partnered with TB10 to integrate it into its Junior Tennis Initiative as an entry point for young players.
The format – first to 10 in a knockout tournament of eight to 16 players – has already featured at Indian Wells and the Australian Open, finding a place within traditional tennis. Past competitors include Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams and Andy Murray.
Terrorism threat prompts tighter security
Fulham supporters face enhanced security measures when entering Craven Cottage after the UK terrorism threat level rating was raised from “substantial” to “severe” following the Golders Green terror attack, in which two Jewish men were stabbed.
Fans entering the turnstiles will undergo extra bag searches and either pat-downs or metal-detector screening. The club had already planned to introduce stricter measures next season but accelerated the rollout in response to the threat level change.
A “severe” rating means a terrorist attack is considered highly likely within six months. Other Premier League clubs are also understood to have increased security.
Wilkes outperforms Maradona
FotMob, a football live-score and stats app used by more than 20m fans a month, has partnered with Soccer Aid to provide a full dataset for the annual charity football match – and its analysis has produced a remarkable finding.
The deal includes FotMob generating statistics for all previous 19 editions of the match dating back to the inaugural Soccer Aid fixture, in which Diego Maradona featured in a side managed by Ruud Gullit, while Jonathan Wilkes – best known as Robbie Williams’s friend – played in a team coached by Terry Venables.
Maradona scored a penalty, but left winger Wilkes netted the winner, and was given a FotMob rating of 8.4 – pipping Maradona’s 8.2.
The ratings are generated from more than 300 Opta data points fed into FotMob’s bespoke algorithm. Paul Gascoigne was awarded man of the match with an 8.8.
Carlos Tevez holds the record for the highest rating – 9.9 – after scoring four goals in a single match.
Singer Olly Murs, who has appeared seven times, has taken 13 shots without scoring, the most of any player yet to find the net.