Everton's owners, The Friedkin Group, put the club up for sale less than two years after buying it

The rest of the day

42 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Leicester's price looks too high to experts

   Leicester City's Thai owner, Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, put the club up for sale in August for 200 million pounds ($264m). [15] Leicester won the Premier League in 2016 but now play in League One, England's third tier. [15] A six-point penalty for breaking spending rules helped send them down. [15] Sunderland in 2021 and Reading in 2025, clubs of a similar kind, were reportedly valued at about 30 and 25 million pounds when bought in League One. [15] The finance expert Kieran Maguire said he would be amazed if the owner got anything near 200 million. [15]

   Leicester's asking price200 m pounds

   Sunderland, bought 202130 m pounds

   Reading, bought 202525 m pounds

   Why it matters — Outside the Premier League a club loses the league's shared TV money, which paid even the bottom club 109 million pounds in 2024-25. [15] So a buyer has to plan for years of losses before any climb back.

2. 03

   Lakers family fight shows a secret deal

   A court filing from five of Jeanie Buss's siblings has shown the deal that kept her in charge of the Los Angeles Lakers, one of basketball's best-known clubs. [17][18] When Mark Walter bought control in 2025, he agreed to keep her as the club's governor, the owner who speaks for it at the league, for five years. [18] That held only while her family owned at least 15%, the NBA's minimum for a governor. [18] The siblings now want to sell the family's last 17.8% for about $2.2bn, and say she cannot stop them. [17][19]

   Why it matters — Walter has agreed to sell control at a $12.5bn value, about a year after buying at $10bn. [17] If the siblings sell, Jeanie Buss could lose her place at the club her father bought in 1979. [17]

3. 04

   Basketball clubs worth 21% more in a year

   The average club in the NBA, North America's top basketball league, is now worth $6.64bn, according to Sportico, a sports business site. [16] That is 21% more than last year and 183% more than in 2020. [16] The Golden State Warriors lead at $14.5bn, with the New York Knicks second at $12.8bn. [16] The top half of clubs rose 26% on average, and the bottom four rose just 5%. [16]

   Why it matters — League income rose 12% last season as a new 11-year, $76bn TV deal began. [16] If new clubs join in Las Vegas and Seattle, each current owner could get more than $500m from the entry fees. [16]

4. 05

   More money flows into football clubs

   Crystal Palace, a Premier League club in London, is reportedly looking for outside investors at a value of nearly $1.2bn. [12] It has hired Raine Group, an investment bank, to help. [12] John Textor, an American who owned stakes in several clubs at once, sold his 43% of Palace last year to Woody Johnson, owner of the New York Jets. [12] Separately, the NBA star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is investing in Atletico de Madrid through Apollo Sports Capital, which bought most of the Spanish club in November. [12]

   Why it matters — Apollo also owns part of Wrexham, a Welsh club, and has agreed to put $2.6bn into baseball's New York Yankees. [12] That is one investment firm holding pieces of clubs in three countries at once.

5. 06

   Glasner returns to the club he left

   Oliver Glasner takes Nottingham Forest to Crystal Palace on Sunday, his first game back at the club he left in the summer. [11] He won the FA Cup and then the Conference League, Europe's third club competition, with Palace. [11] Palace only played in that competition because UEFA moved them down from the Europa League. [11] That followed a complaint from Forest that Palace broke UEFA's rules on one owner having several clubs. [11] Forest's owner, Evangelos Marinakis, is also suing Palace over a banner its fans showed. [11]

   Why it matters — Forest took Palace's place in the Europa League, and Glasner joined Forest 40 days after winning the Conference League. [11] He said he accepts there could be booing on Sunday. [11]

6. 07

   Dream and Valkyries reach the WNBA Finals

   The Atlanta Dream beat the New York Liberty 85-83 on Friday to win their semi-final 3-0 and reach their first WNBA Finals since 2013. [22] Angel Reese scored 22 points, and she has now reached the Finals before her better-known rival, Caitlin Clark. [22][24] Later that night the Golden State Valkyries beat the champions, the Las Vegas Aces, 87-77 in overtime to win their semi-final 3-0 too. [21][23] The Valkyries, from the San Francisco area, are only in their second season. [21] The Finals begin on 17 October. [22]

   Why it matters — Five of the last six WNBA Finals included the Aces or the Liberty, and this one has neither. [23] The WNBA is also investigating the Liberty's complaint that referees wrongly told them they had no timeout left in Game 2. [25]

7. 08

   The richest and poorest WNBA clubs meet

   Sportico values the Valkyries at $850m, the most in the WNBA, and the Dream at $280m, 13th in the league. [20] The Valkyries are the first women's sports team to earn $100m in a year. [20] Under a players' deal signed this year, each player on the winning team gets $60,000 and each runner-up $20,000. [20] The old amounts were $22,908 and $8,521. [20]

   Champion, old deal$22,908

   Champion, new deal$60,000

   Runner-up, old deal$8,521

   Runner-up, new deal$20,000

   Why it matters — From next season the Dream will play all home games in the Atlanta Hawks' 16,900-seat arena instead of a 3,500-seat one. [20] That is almost five times as many seats to sell.

8. 09

   Mike Ditka dies at 86

   Mike Ditka, who coached the Chicago Bears to their only Super Bowl win, has died at 86, his family said on Friday. [26][28] No cause was given. [26] As a player he changed the tight end, once mainly a blocker, into a player who also catches passes. [26] In 1988 he became the first tight end in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. [27] His 1985 Bears won 15 of 16 games and beat the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX. [28]

   Why it matters — After coaching he campaigned for better medical and retirement benefits for former players. [29] Tributes came from the Bears, the NFL and two US presidents, Donald Trump and Barack Obama. [30]

9. 10

   Verstappen wins a wet sprint in Singapore

   Max Verstappen of Red Bull won Saturday's sprint, a short extra race, at the Singapore Grand Prix. [31] Heavy rain delayed the start by 30 minutes. [34] George Russell of Mercedes crashed out and called it a silly mistake. [31] The two McLaren drivers hit each other on the last lap. [31] Seven cars failed to finish, a record for a sprint. [31]

   Why it matters — Russell will start Sunday's race from the back, on a track where overtaking is very hard. [31] The engine settings that the FIA, Formula One's ruling body, sends to every car went wrong again in Friday's qualifying, five days after a software fault slowed cars in Malaysia. [32] The FIA blamed a human error in its race control. [33]

10. 11

    Mercedes boss denies favouring one driver

    Toto Wolff, who runs the Mercedes team, called claims that he favours Kimi Antonelli over George Russell brainless. [13][14] Antonelli, 20, leads the championship by 84 points from Russell, his own teammate. [13] Russell's engine failed in Malaysia while he was running third, and fans online accused the team of bias. [13][14] Wolff asked whether people think he has a button for a Russell engine failure. [13]

    Why it matters — Wolff says the team gains nothing by holding one driver back, because it is also chasing the title for teams, which adds up both drivers' points. [13] Antonelli would be the youngest world champion ever. [14]

11. 12

    Rwanda set to host Africa's first race in decades

    Rwanda looks set to host the first Formula One race in Africa in more than 30 years, beating South Africa, according to sources quoted by the AFP news agency. [35] President Paul Kagame launched the bid two years ago to raise the country's standing through sport. [35] South Africa's sports minister appeared to confirm it and suggested the race would be in 2030. [35] He is now lobbying for a second race in Africa. [35]

    Why it matters — Rights groups accuse Rwanda's government of using sport to cover a record of silencing critics, which it denies. [35] Rwanda's government says its sports strategy has brought more tourists. [35]

12. 13

    All Blacks keep the Bledisloe Cup

    New Zealand beat Australia 50-19 at Eden Park in Auckland on Saturday to keep the Bledisloe Cup, the trophy the two rugby nations play for each year. [36] New Zealand have not lost at Eden Park since 1994, a run of 54 Tests. [37] Australia trailed only 17-14 at half-time, then gave up five tries after the break. [37] It was Australia's first defeat under coach Les Kiss, after six games unbeaten. [37][36]

    Why it matters — The teams meet again in Sydney next week. [36] Australia host the next Rugby World Cup, so heavy defeats to New Zealand hurt their hopes on home soil. [36]

13. 14

    Renshaw rescues Australia in Durban

    Matt Renshaw scored a century for Australia on the second day of the first Test against South Africa in Durban. [38] Australia began the day on 187 for six and reached 283 for eight, with Renshaw on 108. [38] He shared a stand of 86 with the captain, Pat Cummins, before the bowler Wiaan Mulder broke it. [38] It is already the second-best Test score of his career. [38]

    Why it matters — Renshaw scored his runs with the last batters in the order, who usually add few. [38] A total near 300 puts Australia in a far better place than the under-200 they seemed headed for. [38]

14. 15

    England, Wales and Scotland win first play-off games

    England's women beat Greece 3-1 in Crete on Friday in the first leg of a play-off for next year's Women's World Cup in Brazil. [40] It took them 39 minutes to score against a team ranked 54 places below them. [39] Wales won 1-0 in Albania through an own goal, and Scotland won 2-0 in the Czech Republic. [41][42] Northern Ireland lost 4-0 at home to Portugal. [43] The second legs are on Tuesday. [40][41]

    Why it matters — England have won the European title twice in a row but had to play off after finishing second in their group. [40] Northern Ireland's manager, Michael McArdle, said their chances have gone from improbable to impossible. [43]

15. 16

    Matildas beaten 4-2 by a young Germany

    Australia's women's team lost 4-2 to Germany in a friendly in Karlsruhe. [44] Australia were 2-0 down before Sam Kerr scored. [44] Australia's starting players had more than 1,000 international games between them, and Germany's had 325. [44] Several regular starters, including Mary Fowler, were missing. [44]

    1,000+ capsAustralia's starters

    vsvs

    325 capsGermany's starters

    Why it matters — The next Women's World Cup, in Brazil, is next year. [44] Australia's three forwards in this game, Kerr, Caitlin Foord and Hayley Raso, are all ageing players. [44]

16. 17

    Mexico lose at home to Jamaica

    Mexico's women lost 4-3 at home to Jamaica in Aguascalientes in a warm-up game. [45] Jamaica led 2-0 inside 20 minutes and scored again in the 90th minute. [45] More than 17,000 people watched. [45] Mexico play Haiti in Dallas on 28 November for a place at the World Cup in Brazil. [45]

    Why it matters — Mexico play Jamaica again on Tuesday in Queretaro. [45] Haiti, their rival for that World Cup place, lost 5-1 to Japan in a friendly. [45]

17. 18

    US women face Spain without two starters

    The United States women's team plays Spain, the world champions, in Washington on Saturday, the first of two friendlies. [46] Naomi Girma, a centre-back, and Sam Coffey, a defensive midfielder, are out injured. [46] The US are the Olympic champions. [46] The games come a month before World Cup qualifiers and eight months before the tournament. [46]

    Why it matters — Coach Emma Hayes will test defenders with few games for the country, including Kate Del Fava, who is new to the senior team. [46]

18. 19

    City's whistleblower keeps his protection

    Rui Pinto, the Portuguese hacker whose leaked files helped start the Premier League's case against Manchester City, will stay in witness protection for now. [47] He was due to leave the programme on Saturday. [47] Portugal's Ministry of Justice said on Friday it had suspended that, because the commission in charge did not properly tell him why. [47] He now has 10 days to study a risk report that rates the threat to him as low. [47]

    Why it matters — Pinto calls himself a whistleblower, but Portugal convicted him of crimes including illegal access to data and attempted extortion. [47] City were recently found guilty of the league's charges and have appealed. [47]

19. 20

    City spent 1.388 billion pounds on players

    The Athletic, a sports news site, worked out that Manchester City spent 1.388 billion pounds on new players in the nine seasons covered by the charges. [48] That is 1.061 billion after selling players. [48] An independent panel found City had 921.4 million pounds of hidden funding, which came from its Abu Dhabi owners. [48] In 2015-16, when City's accounts showed no money from the owners, the panel found 120.2 million arrived dressed up as sponsorship. [48]

    Why it matters — Only Chelsea and Manchester United also spent more than a billion pounds on new players in that time, each about 300 million less than City. [48] That hidden money arrived in the season City paid 99.5 million pounds for Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling. [48]

20. 21

    Rival clubs argue over City's punishment

    Owners and bosses at other clubs told The Athletic they want City punished with money, with points and with action against its board. [49] One investor in several clubs suggested City put a billion pounds into a pot shared out by how much each club was harmed. [49] Shaun Harvey, a director at Wrexham, warned that relegating City would take one of the three promotion places from clubs in the second tier. [49] The punishment will be set by the same three-lawyer panel that found City guilty. [49]

    Why it matters — Mikel Arteta, now Arsenal's manager, was City's assistant coach from 2016 to 2019 and said his conscience is clear. [50] Manchester United's manager, Michael Carrick, said he has his own questions about the case. [51]

21. 22

    City go to Anfield top of the league

    Manchester City play Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, top of the Premier League after winning all five games under their new manager, Enzo Maresca. [52] It is their first visit since the guilty verdict. [52] Maresca said on Friday that City's titles are absolutely not tainted. [52] Liverpool finished second to City in 2013-14, 2018-19 and 2021-22. [52]

    Why it matters — Only 2013-14 falls inside the nine seasons the charges cover, 2009-10 to 2017-18. [52][47] In the two later seasons Liverpool finished one point behind City. [52] A former Liverpool coach, John Achterberg, spoke of successes he feels they were wrongly denied. [52]

22. 23

    Palmer signs with Chelsea until 2034

    Cole Palmer, 24, has signed a new Chelsea contract to 2034, a year longer than his old one. [53] Only three other Premier League players are signed for that long: Erling Haaland of Manchester City and Palmer's teammates Joao Pedro and Geovany Quenda. [53] Chelsea bought Palmer from Manchester City for 42.5 million pounds in 2023. [53] The deal is one of several at Chelsea meant to reward players without breaking the club's pay scale. [53]

    Why it matters — Clubs count a transfer fee in their accounts spread over the years of the contract, so a longer deal lowers the cost counted each year under spending rules. Palmer is expected back for Saturday's game against Bournemouth after missing England's games. [53]

23. 24

    Fury against Joshua sells out in an hour

    Tickets for Tyson Fury against Anthony Joshua, two British former heavyweight champions, sold out in one hour on Friday. [54] About 80,000 went on sale for Cardiff's Principality Stadium, priced from 88.50 to 13,128 pounds, and more than 500,000 people queued online. [54] Ringside seats soon appeared on resale websites at 73,645 pounds. [54] The fighters are due in the ring around 1am on 12 December, and Netflix will show it worldwide. [54]

    13,128 poundsTop official ticket

    vsvs

    73,645 poundsRingside, on resale

    Why it matters — The two men reportedly share a purse of close to $200m. [54] Resale prices more than five times the top official price show how far below some fans' limit the tickets were sold.

24. 25

    Florida State keep a coach it cannot afford to fire

    Florida State lost 44-20 to Louisville on Friday after leading 14-0. [55] Louisville's Isaac Brown ran for 235 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown. [55] It is the second time in four weeks Florida State have led by 14 and lost by 14 or more, which had not happened once in 385 games over 30 years. [55] Firing the coach, Mike Norvell, would cost the school $46.7m. [55]

    Cost to fire the coach$46.70m

    Pay for the whole roster$20m

    Why it matters — That buyout is more than twice the roughly $20m the school pays its players this season. [55] Florida State also has no permanent athletic director, after firing the last one in September. [55]

25. 26

    Iowa and BYU win on Friday night

    Iowa beat Washington 41-24 in Seattle with a backup quarterback, Jeremy Hecklinski, making his first start. [56] Kamari Moulton ran for 208 yards and two touchdowns. [56] Iowa go into a week off with five wins and one loss. [56] BYU, ranked eighth, beat Iowa State, whose attack struggled all night. [57]

    Why it matters — The question for Iowa is whether Hecklinski keeps the job after the break. [56] Iowa State also have a week off next. [57]

26. 27

    Georgia against Alabama goes ahead in a hurricane

    Hurricane Isaias grew into a Category 3 storm on Friday as it neared the Gulf Coast. [59] The game between second-ranked Georgia and sixth-ranked Alabama in Tuscaloosa is still due to go ahead on Saturday night. [59][58] Alabama banned tailgating, the parties fans hold in car parks, before noon, and ESPN moved its College GameDay show indoors. [59] President Donald Trump cancelled plans to attend. [58]

    Why it matters — The game could rival Ohio State against Texas, watched by nearly 14 million, as the season's most-watched. [59] The storm should be north of Tuscaloosa by kickoff, but the SEC, the teams' conference, may still move the start time slightly. [59][58]

27. 28

    College playoff may grow to 24 teams

    Rich Clark, who runs the College Football Playoff, said a 24-team playoff would be spectacular, though he loves the current 12. [60] The heads of the two biggest conferences, the Big Ten and the SEC, must both agree to any new format. [60] ESPN pays $7.8bn for the playoff until 2031-32 and has first right to bid for the extra games. [60] The playoff must tell ESPN by 1 December whether 24 teams can start in 2027-28. [60]

    Why it matters — More teams mean more games to sell, but conferences may have to drop their own championship games, which the SEC fears would cost it money. [60] Clark also backed the Protect College Sports Act, a bill the US Senate passed in September. [60]

28. 29

    Cowboys and Chiefs draw the biggest TV crowds

    The Dallas Cowboys average 25.93 million TV viewers across three national games this season, the most of any NFL team. [61] The Kansas City Chiefs average 25.32 million. [61] The Chiefs' 30-27 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on 4 October drew 28.45 million, the biggest audience for the fourth week of a season since 1988. [61] The Cowboys get six national games in the first seven weeks. [61]

    Why it matters — The league and its TV partners put the most popular teams in the national slots, and the ratings reward them for it. [61] Sportico notes that changes since 2020 in how viewers are counted make records hard to compare. [61]

29. 30

    Adverts that find fans when their team is losing

    Genius Sports, a British sports data company, says it can show food delivery adverts to fans while their team is losing. [62] Its chief executive, Mark Locke, said one big delivery company sees orders 20% bigger when a fan's team is losing. [62] Genius says it can identify 250 million sports fans in the US. [62] The company is moving into advertising to earn money beyond selling match data. [62]

    Why it matters — A fan's mood during a match has become something a data company can sell to advertisers. [62] Fanatics, which sells team shirts, built its business on selling gear within minutes of a big win. [62]

30. 31

    The NBA wants to see betting app data

    Adam Silver, who runs the NBA, said on Friday the league wants data from prediction markets, apps where people trade on outcomes such as who wins a game. [63] He said the league wants it to catch insider trading, and also wants control of the market. [63] He called contracts on whether a coach will be fired odd behaviour. [63] Unlike the NFL, which wants US states to regulate the apps, Silver backed one national regulator. [63]

    Why it matters — He said about 40 different authorities already regulate the NBA. [63] The NFL told the US Supreme Court that $1.8bn of the $3.3bn traded on the apps on the season's first Sunday was on its games. [12]

31. 32

    Senator widens a probe into big-spending bettors

    US Senator Richard Blumenthal says he will question DraftKings and the prediction apps, as well as FanDuel, about programmes for their biggest customers. [64] It began after a video from baseball star Bryce Harper reached a man deep in gambling debt through FanDuel's VIP programme. [64] FanDuel says it has sent about 30 such videos from athletes and entertainers over two years. [64] Blumenthal said FanDuel's reply dodges significant questions. [64]

    Why it matters — A spokesperson for Kalshi, a prediction app, said a sportsbook's VIP is by definition a losing customer, because the betting firm only makes money when people lose. [64] Kalshi says it does not reward customers for losing. [64]

32. 33

    Who pays for the kicking contest

    Pat McAfee, a former NFL punter who presents on ESPN's College GameDay, has funded a weekly contest where a fan tries a long kick for big prize money. [65] He has given away more than $6m over three seasons, according to ESPN. [65] This season the hardware chain Home Depot agreed to match what McAfee puts up each week. [65] On 12 September a Texas student won $1.2m on a second try, and a charity got half. [65]

    Why it matters — Saturday's contest goes ahead indoors because of Hurricane Isaias. [59] A sponsor matching his money makes bigger prizes possible each week. [65]

33. 34

    A deciding game for the last semi-final place

    The Cleveland Guardians host the Chicago White Sox in a deciding Game 5 of their baseball play-off series on Saturday. [66] The winner meets the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League semi-final. [66] The away team has won all four games so far. [66] Cleveland have lost six of their last seven play-off games at home. [66]

    Why it matters — Both teams have used many relief pitchers in each game, so each side's hitters have already seen most of the other's pitchers. [66]

34. 35

    A lockout sets a deadline for the Mariners

    The Seattle Mariners are looking for a new manager after a disappointing season. [67] Baseball's labour deal ends on 1 December, and owners are widely expected to lock the players out. [67] During a lockout, clubs may not talk to players on their 40-man rosters. [67] Two Seattle hitters, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor, have just had surgery. [67]

    Why it matters — A manager hired after 1 December might not be allowed to speak to his own injured players all winter. [67]

35. 36

    Rangers lose their star goalkeeper

    Igor Shesterkin, the New York Rangers' star goalkeeper, left Friday's game against the Washington Capitals with a right leg injury. [68] He jammed his skate into the post and was helped off without putting weight on the leg. [68] Washington won 3-1 and ended the Rangers' run of four wins. [68] Dylan Garand replaced him and saved 11 of 12 shots. [68]

    Why it matters — The club has not said how long Shesterkin will be out. [68]

36. 37

    Eagles arrive in London short of players

    The Philadelphia Eagles play the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Sunday without running back Saquon Barkley and receiver DeVonta Smith, both injured. [71] This week the team also lost tackle Lane Johnson to retirement and traded lineman Cam Jurgens to Baltimore. [71] The team has also reportedly released its backup quarterback, Andy Dalton, 38. [69] The Nigerian singer Ayra Starr will perform at half-time at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. [70]

    Why it matters — The NFL says its London games are the base of its plan to grow abroad, and it chose an African singer to reach new fans. [70]

37. 38

    Shaun Edwards joins Argentina

    Shaun Edwards, one of rugby union's most successful defence coaches, has joined Argentina's staff until the end of next year's World Cup in Australia. [72] He helped France win three Six Nations titles before leaving earlier this year. [72] The move ends talk that he would join Steve Borthwick's England. [72] He will first finish advisory work with England's women's team. [72]

    Why it matters — Argentina are coached by Felipe Contepomi, and Edwards said he has always admired Argentine players. [72]

38. 39

    Balding moves ahead in the trainers' race

    Andrew Balding moved further ahead of Aidan O'Brien in the race to be Britain's champion Flat racing trainer, decided by prize money won. [73] On Friday his horses finished first and second in one race, worth 129,000 pounds in total, and won another worth 51,000. [73] Balding was about 700,000 pounds behind O'Brien at the end of August. [73] O'Brien is the defending champion. [73]

    Why it matters — Champions Day at Ascot next weekend could decide it. [73]

39. 40

    A women's baseball league finishes its first season

    The Women's Pro Baseball League has finished its first season, the first league of its kind in 70 years. [74] Players from the US and 11 other countries played for four teams named after New York, Boston, San Francisco and Los Angeles. [74] All eight weeks were played in Springfield, Illinois. [74] The Los Angeles Queens became the first champions. [74]

    Why it matters — Most players fitted the season around school or second jobs. [74] The youngest, Addisyn Baird, was 18 and still in high school. [74]

40. 41

    Raphinha hurt after a trip to Australia

    Raphinha, who has scored 14 goals for Barcelona this season, looks set to miss the club's next two games with a thigh injury. [75] He was hurt playing for Brazil against Australia in a friendly. [75] Barcelona's coach, Hansi Flick, asked whether it was necessary for him to fly thousands of kilometres to play there. [75] Flick said the injury is not serious, but Raphinha had three injuries last year. [75]

    Why it matters — Barcelona play Paris St-Germain and Real Madrid this month. [75] Flick said Brazil cannot arrange friendlies in Europe because European teams are busy with the Nations League. [75]

41. 42

    No video review, and a wrong penalty

    West Ham drew 1-1 with QPR in the Championship, England's second tier, on Friday. [76] QPR scored from a penalty given for a foul that replays showed was outside the area. [76] VAR, the video review used in the Premier League, would have overturned it, but the Championship has no such system. [76] QPR's 21-year-old goalkeeper, Pierce Charles, then saved a penalty from Jarrod Bowen in stoppage time. [76]

    Why it matters — The draw cost West Ham top place in the division. [76] Promotion is worth at least 109 million pounds a year in Premier League TV money, so one wrong call can be very costly. [15]

42. 43

    Former Essex cricketer's trial set for 2028

    Robin Das, a former Essex cricketer, appeared at Inner London Crown Court charged with raping a woman twice in Brixton in March 2024. [77] The judge set a five-day trial for January 2028. [77] She said the courts are badly stretched at the moment. [77] Das, 24, played 60 times for Essex, which did not renew his contract. [77]

    Why it matters — Essex suspended him after he was charged and said not renewing his contract was a separate decision. [77] The trial will start almost four years after the alleged attacks.