Alex Lowe was writing in The Times about toxicity at Twickenham. Egg chasers have an historic reputation for being good sports (well outside Wales, anyway). But what Lowe had to say about the breakdown of the social contract between fans and clubs in football is worth quoting at length. I'n the Premier League it is now de rigueur for boos to ring out at half-time if the home team are not winning. Why has it flipped? The cost of watching live sport has vastly outstripped wage inflation. Long gone are the days of paying on the turnstile at a top-flight football match. Now you often need to pay to be a club member for the right to buy tickets that can exceed £100. Fans are treated as consumers, which can lead to an estrangement from the team. There will always be a hardcore fighting against the tide, but the sense of community erodes. West Ham United fans had to launch a protest campaign to force the club to reinstate junior and OAP ticket prices. The club were prepared to ...
Premier League football teams could be banned from accepting sponsorship from gambling companies without a UK licence, as ministers look to crack down on black-market betting. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy on Monday said it was “not right that unlicensed gambling operators can sponsor some of our biggest football clubs, raising their profile and potentially drawing fans towards sites that don’t meet our regulatory standards”. The plans, which will be put out to consultation in the spring, are intended to reduce harm from gambling and “eliminate unfair competition” for companies regulated by the Gambling Commission, according to the government. Several teams in the English football leagues, including the top division, have sponsorship arrangements with unlicensed gambling operators. These partnerships are not prohibited at present, so long as UK customers cannot access the illicit platforms. But the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said ministers were “deeply concerned” that...