By Nick Harris 27 May 2010 Under proposals for ‘Financial Fair Play’ in European football, approved by Uefa’s executive committee today, clubs aspiring to play in European club events will apparently need to start balancing their books from next year, the 2011-12 season. The word “apparently” is appropriate because it is not yet clear when […]

By Nick Harris 26 May 2010 A leading law firm that has advised a number of potential buyers of Premier League clubs this season has called for the scrapping of the nine-point penalty for entering administration, arguing that it encourages bad business practice. Points penalties are now the norm in English football for clubs entering […]

By Nick Harris 24 May 2010 The latest failed attempt to kick-start a high-stakes auction for Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith’s 15.9 per cent stake in Arsenal ended in a whimper this afternoon when a Nigerian billionaire emphatically denied any interest in buying the shares, effectively rubbishing earlier reports to the contrary. Aliko Dangote, 53, is Nigeria’s […]

By Nick Harris 23 May 2010 Blackpool’s victory in the Championship play-off final yesterday guarantees them the biggest payout in the history of global sport for any one team or sportsman as a result of one single match or fixture: £95m. That £95m is extra income they will get because they won that one match. […]

By Nick Harris 21 May 2010 The award-winning film director and activist Ken Loach is to give the keynote address at a Supporters Direct (SD) conference next month where football fans will discuss proposals that could allow wider fan ownership and more fan influence in the running of clubs. Loach, 73, whose new film ‘Route […]

By Brian Sears 21 May 2010 A new in-depth sportingintelligence analysis of the play-off winners during the 23 seasons of the play-offs’ existence in English football suggests that Blackpool have statistical history on their side when they face Cardiff tomorrow in the Championship play-off final at Wembley. The Welsh team may be the favourites, but […]

By Nick Harris 20 May 2010 Avram Grant is “more than 90 per cent certain” to be manager of West Ham within a week according to a high-level source, speaking after Grant posted an emotional resignation letter to Portsmouth fans on the Pompey website this evening. The Israeli, 55, has been the No1 choice of […]

By Nick Harris 20 May 2010 The Manchester United Supporters Trust has responded to claims that the Red Knights’ attempt to buy the club is ‘doomed to failure’ by saying the super-rich fans’ plan is “progressing very positively”. Media reports this morning said there is disaffection within the Knights group – led by Goldman Sachs’ […]

By Pete Wilson 19 May 2010 The mascots for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were revealed today: Wenlock and Mandeville. The full story of their background and future can be seen on the official 2012 site, and on a special mascots sub-site. You can also see images and watch in different languages here, […]

By Nick Harris 19 May 2010 Goldman Sachs, the global investment bank, and their chief economist Jim O’Neill – the head of the Red Knights group of super-rich fans who want to buy Manchester United – have produced a 70-page report, ‘The World Cup and Economics 2010’, that includes the prediction that this summer’s World […]