Football's "New Deal" failure

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Head Start

FOOTBALL

Prem Fails To Agree “New Deal for Football” 

The Premier League’s controversial profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) are set to be replaced as early as this summer by a new system of financial regulation. The 20 Premier League clubs came together yesterday and voted to change to reflect the squad's cost-to-revenue ratio within UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR).

The new rules will not affect the ongoing cases regarding Everton, Nottingham Forest and Manchester City, who will continue to be judged on the existing financial models.

But, at the same meeting, the top-flight clubs failed to agree on a new funding package for the English Football League (EFL). The EFL receives around £350 million from the Premier League, but with mounting pressure from the government, there have been calls for the top-flight to offer around £125 million a year more. Yet, the so-called “New Deal for Football” wasn’t even put to a vote as club bosses were too divided on the issue. 

The Premier League will continue to honour its financial commitment to the English game, which adds up to £1.6 billion over the current three-year broadcast rights cycle.

FORMULA ONE

Massa’s Legal Action Over “Crashgate”

Former Ferrari driver Felipe Massa takes legal action against Formula One, Bernie Ecclestone and the FIA. A court document handed into the London High Court yesterday said that Massa seeks recognition as the 2008 world champion and compensation worth £64 million plus interest.

Massa claims the FIA breached its regulations by failing to investigate Nelson Piquet Junior’s crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix. If the FIA had “acted properly”, Massa would have won the Drivers’ Championship that year, an achievement he had missed out by one point to Lewis Hamilton. The infamous ‘Crashgate’, when Piquet Jnr. deliberately crashed his car to give a sporting advantage to his Renault teammate, Fernando Alonso.

The case lay dormant for 15 years as it was accepted that the FIA and Ecclestone only became aware of Renault’s actions during the 2009 season. But an interview Ecclestone gave in 2023 revealed that he knew about the incident during the 2008 season which has reignited the case. “Max Mosely and I were informed during the 2008 season what had happened in the race in Singapore,” Ecclestone told F1 Insider in March last year. The Briton, now 93, told Reuters that he could not remember saying the quotes attributed to him. 

More to follow on this case.

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Across The Field

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Your Home Advantage

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Extra Time

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On Today

FOOTBALL

Champions League RO16: Arsenal v FC Porto (20:00 GMT, TNT Sports 1)

Champions League RO16: Barcelona v Napoli (20:00 GMT, TNT Sports 2)

TENNIS

Indian Wells RO32: Multiple Matches (18:00 GMT, Sky Sports Tennis)

BASKETBALL

NBA: L.A. Clippers v Minnesota Timberwolves (02:00 GMT, Viaplay)

HOCKEY

NHL: Multiple Matches (23:00 GMT, Viaplay)

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