Olympic Stadium High Court case gets underway
By David Gold
August 24 – Tottenham Hotspur’s legal fight over the future of the 2012 Olympic Stadium has begun at the High Court, contrary to reports suggesting they were set to drop their case.
Premier League
Arsenal extends deal with Citroën
By David Gold
August 24 – Arsenal has agreed to renew its relationship with automotive partner Citroën for a further three years in a bid to strengthen the team’s international presence.
Former London 2012 marketing director appointed new chief executive of QPR
By Duncan Mackay
August 22 – Philip Beard, who played a leading role in London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics, has been appointed as the new chief executive of Premier League club Queens Park Rangers, it was announced today.
Independent inquiry approves decision to award Olympic Stadium to West Ham
By Tom Degun
August 22 – An independent inquiry has upheld the Olympic Park Legacy Company’s (OPLC) decision to award the Olympic Stadium in Stratford to West Ham United following the London 2012 Games.
Three-quarters of a million foreign visitors watched British football last year
By Marcus Crawley
August 19 – New figures released today by the national tourism agency revealed that more than 750,000 inbound visitors who came to Britain last year experienced a football game.
Manchester City’s sponsorship deal with Etihad to be probed by UEFA
By David Gold
August 17 – UEFA will investigate the sponsorship deal Manchester City signed with Etihad earlier this summer in the first major test of their new financial fair play regulations.
Manchester United to float on Singapore stock exchange
By David Gold
August 16 – Manchester United are set to publicly float up to £610 million ($1 billlion /€690 million) of the club’s shares on the Singapore Stock Exchange by the end of the year, it was revealed today.
Tottenham’s opening Premier League fixture succumbs to the London riots aftermath
By Andrew Warshaw
August 11 – The widespread civil unrest that has gripped parts of England snared its first Premier League game today when Saturday’s sold-out fixture between Tottenham Hotspur and Everton was called off.
Committee backs Premier League in fight against Portsmouth landlady screening live games
By David Gold at Westminster in London
July 29 – The Culture, Media and Sport Select committee have urged the Government to use its influence to prevent the European Court of Justice ruling in favour of Karen Murphy (pictured), a Portsmouth landlady, who wants to retain her right to broadcast Premier League football in her pub through a Greek satellite decoder.
Reform or we will do so for you, Committee tells football authorities
By David Gold at Westminster in London
July 29 – MPs today threatened to legislate in an attempt to force English football to make a number of reforms, including the introduction of a licensing system for professional clubs, if the Football Association (FA) was unable to do so, with MP Damian Collins telling football authorities that “doing nothing is not an option”.
Fulham take Dave Richards case to Supreme Court
By David Gold
July 22 – Fulham are taking their case to have Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards’ removed from his role over alleged involvement the transfer of then Portsmouth forward Peter Crouch to Tottenham Hotspur in 2009 to the Supreme Court, the club has confirmed.
Goal-line technology could be a reality by 2012, hopes Scudamore
By Andrew Warshaw
July 20 – Goal-line technology could be introduced in the Premier League at the start of the 2012-13 season according to chief executive Richard Scudamore – but only if approved by FIFA.
Manchester United tops world rich list
By David Gold
July 18 – Forbes has named Manchester United as the most valuable sports team in the world, just ahead of American Football giants the Dallas Cowboys and baseball’s New York Yankees.
Arsenal replaces Thomson with Thomas Cook as its official travel partner
By Emily Goddard
July 13 – Thomas Cook Sport will return as Arsenal FC’s official travel partner for the 2011/2012 football season, bringing an end to the club’s three-year deal with Thomson after just a season.
Manchester City sign £100 million deal with Etihad Airways
By David Gold
July 8 – Manchester City has announced a 10-year deal with Etihad Airways worth a potential £100 million, which involves renaming their stadium and shirt sponsorship, marking a significant step towards compliance with UEFA’s financial fair play rules, though the nature of the deal could attract attention from Europe’s governing body.