Arsenal have reconnected with fans this season but on-field slump threatens to undo good work April 20, 2022 Since the dark days of lockdown, Arsenal have been engaged in a major branding exercise aimed at reconnecting with supporters. Club staff have conducted thousands of interviews with fans in the UK and overseas, particularly in Los Angeles and Shanghai, in an attempt to gauge what they had been doing right and where they had [...]
Chelsea sale heading for full time as deadline arrives for potential world record £2.5bn deal April 13, 2022 This is a big week for Chelsea Football Club on the field, with the Blues’ men’s and women’s teams both preparing for FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday. For the men, the game is a must-win if they are to lift a trophy this season, as well as a chance to bounce back from a painful [...]
Fifa takes on Netflix and Amazon Prime by launching new streaming service Fifa+ April 13, 2022 Fifa has joined the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime by launching its own streaming platform Fifa+. The free service will provide football fans with live matches from around the world, along with archive content and documentaries. “Fifa+ will provide access to live matches from every corner of the world, interactive games, news, tournament information, [...]
Kenny Shiels: Football manager sparks row by claiming women are more emotional than men April 13, 2022 The manager of the Northern Ireland women’s football team, Kenny Shiels, has claimed that it is difficult to stop women’s teams conceding one goal after another because they are “more emotional than men”. Shiels, who is due to lead the team in their major tournament debut at Euro 2022 this summer, said an “emotional imbalance” [...]
Review: Football: Designing the Beautiful Game at the Design Museum April 10, 2022 A photo emerged last summer of beaming England footballer Bukayo Saka leaping into a swimming pool astride an inflatable unicorn. Such was the pure joy captured by the image that it quickly attained cult status and, as these things do, spawned a thousand memes. Well, anyone who quipped on social media to “Hang it in [...]
Chelsea handed £30m cash boost and permission to sell tickets as government relaxes licence March 23, 2022 Chelsea have been handed a £30m boost from the government and given permission to sell some tickets again. The strict licence that the Premier League club has been operating under since owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned was relaxed slightly today. It means Chelsea can receive up to £30m from their parent company “in respect of [...]
Arsenal set goal of selling out 60,000-seater Emirates Stadium for women’s game March 23, 2022 Arsenal’s new commercial chief Juliet Slot believes their women’s team can attract sell-out crowds to the 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium as the club embarks on a wider push behind the Women’s Super League leaders. Arsenal Women switch big games from Boreham Wood FC to Emirates Stadium to allow for bigger attendances and are due to play [...]
Explained: What Roman Abramovich sanctions mean for Chelsea sale, matches and transfers March 10, 2022 The future of Chelsea FC has been plunged into uncertainty after owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government today. Abramovich has had his assets frozen because of his links to Russia and its prime minister Vladimir Putin, and that has major ramifications for the Premier League club’s operations and his plan to sell [...]
Fifa, Uefa and IOC heed calls to ban Russia from international sport February 28, 2022 Russia faces an indefinite period of exile from international sport after major bodies including the International Olympic Committee, Fifa and Uefa bowed to calls to ban the country. The IOC said Russian teams and athletes should not be allowed to compete in international competitions, even under a neutral flag, as a result of the country’s [...]
Chelsea facing calls to clarify Roman Abramovich role February 27, 2022 Chelsea are facing calls to publicly clarify Roman Abramovich’s role after he said he had handed the club’s “stewardship and care” to trustees of its charitable foundation. Ministers have been urged to seize billionaire Abramovich’s assets on the basis of his links to the Russian state in the wake of the country’s invasion of Ukraine. [...]