Time to post this again, an afternoon with the boxing GOAT. on.ft.com/413jmJM

I sold Hugh Grant a pair of white socks while working a single day as a temp at Ralph Lauren.

From funding decades of seed and soil research to financing other tournaments around the world - how Wimbledon is almost single handedly keeping grass court tennis alive. on.ft.com/3Tlka8X

Talented and devout: Crystal Palace faithful look to make south London history and topple Manchester City giants on.ft.com/43jUQo8

FC Barcelona executives hope a €1.5bn stadium revamp will help the club escape its financial purgatory. But construction delays and looming debt repayments risk making things even worse. on.ft.com/3GPkmKz

A budget of €20mn. A staff of 20. Yet Norway’s fearless “fish hippies” have beaten some of Europe’s biggest clubs on the way to tonight’s Europa League semi final against Spurs. on.ft.com/4malyZc

Wonder how Chinese TV manufacturer Hisense is feeling about its Club World Cup sponsorship today.

The latest from @banxtoons.bsky.social

Trump is imposing a 10% tariff on the Heard and McDonald Islands. The Heard and McDonald Islands are uninhabited.

Superb obit here of my friend and former colleague Gwen Robinson by @edwardluce.bsky.social - she was one of a kind. Probably had the widest network of contacts of any journo I have known. Lost far too soon. www.ft.com/content/ec0b...

Donald Trump says US must gain control of Greenland on.ft.com/4iLKHqR

Anecdotal but still instructive. on.ft.com/422zw6d

Holy moly

Indeed, who needs Waitrose when you have two M&S Foodhalls!

Sponsors are quitting, the TV market is in flux, and cash strapped sporting federations are struggling. Meanwhile the IOC is spending large sums on surging headcount and its own pet projects. on.ft.com/4bQDHGu Does the Olympic business model still work?

FT comments are different. This under a piece about female influencers in F1.

Sponsors are quitting, the TV market is in flux, and cash strapped sporting federations are struggling. Meanwhile the IOC is spending large sums on surging headcount and its own pet projects. on.ft.com/4bQDHGu Does the Olympic business model still work?

A lengthy press release. An hour of presentations. Yet absolutely zero mention of the people who actually own the club. on.ft.com/41F8nFZ Manchester United reveals plans for 100,000-seater stadium

Manchester to London on a Sunday. Standing room for 3+ hours and no functioning toilet. British infrastructure at its finest.

The US owner, the local auditor and the French regulator of Olympique Lyonnais are at loggerheads over whether other team’s players count as “shared assets”. The fight is setting the limits of what multiclub ownership is about. on.ft.com/3V5LTeQ

My afternoon with Oleksandr Usyk… “Our brain is sly. It doesn’t want to work. It wants to lie in bed and look through Instagram. But the brain is a muscle, you have to train it.”

First taste of the WSL. Good game so far.

When Luton Town host Manchester City later today, English football’s Cinderella will go up against an Emirati prince. It’s probably the biggest financial mismatch in top flight history. on.ft.com/3RAoHUI

Some of England’s oldest lawn tennis clubs have had to bring in waiting lists as they struggle to keep up with demand for padel on.ft.com/3Rb6a13

More shoe leather reporting today.

“Instead of giving $20,000 in an envelope to the head of a football federation to buy his vote, now you can sponsor the activity of a football league or competition. It’s legal and much more effective.” on.ft.com/47jENHA

The combined Lib Dem/Lab vote share in mid-Beds should terrify Tories. There aren't that many seats where it's so unclear which party is in 2nd place. That splitting the opposition vote wasn't enough to save a safe home counties seat points to electoral carnage for govt.

A trip to Twickenham is a reminder that even West London is miles away from West London.

One of the weirdest evenings of my life was when I saw the Isley Brothers play York Opera House 20-odd years ago. There were maybe 40 people in the crowd. Afterwards we went back to their hotel and drank champagne out of teacups with an Isley cousin. Legends. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/9d45...

Gymshoe reporting today … from a luxury padel club.

Made my first trip to reborn Tottenham Hotspur yesterday. Modern stadiums are comfortable, efficient - just generally very impressive - and yet super uninteresting.