Simon Stone

1 week ago | bbc.com | Chris Wathan |Simon Stone

Former Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale was part of a bid launched in May to buy hometown club Cardiff City. The 35-year-old former Wales captain, who retired from playing in January 2023, is understood to have been part of a group that made direct contact with Bluebirds owner Vincent Tan with a proposal to take a controlling share at the League One club. The offer was rejected, with the Malaysian businessman thought to have little interest in selling at the moment.

1 week ago | bbc.co.uk | Shamoon Hafez |Simon Stone

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Manchester City finished third in last season's Premier LeagueManchester City have been fined over £1m by the Premier League after repeatedly kicking-off or restarting matches late last season. Nine of City's matches last season started or restarted late, with the longest delay coming before the second half of the Manchester derby in December 2024 which resumed two minutes and 24 seconds later than billed.

1 week ago | bbc.com | Simon Stone

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Boxing Day traditionally stages a full league programme of fixturesThere will be Premier League football on Boxing Day next season, even though the traditional holiday programme of a full fixture list was missing when the top-flight's match schedule was revealed on Wednesday. Instead, a full round of matches was listed for the following day - though the Premier League confirmed games can be brought forward to 26 December to be shown on television.

1 week ago | bbc.com | Simon Stone

It was lost amid the new fixtures coming out and the row over Manchester United's ticket price rise but Nick Cox's decision to leave the club to take over as technical director at Everton is pretty big. United is built on its youth programme. There has been a home-grown player, or someone from the academy in their squad for every first-team match since October 1937, a run of over 4,000 games.

1 week ago | bbc.com | Simon Stone

Manchester United fans have accused the club of giving fans a "kick in the teeth" after announcing matchday ticket prices could reach £97. The most expensive matchday tickets at Old Trafford last season were £66. And this follows their worst domestic campaign since the 1973-74 season, when the club were relegated. Despite finishing 15th last season, the club are for the first time introducing price categories for the approximately 20,000 tickets available for each game.