January
Our preference is to buy a Premier League club. That’s what my kids want to watch on television.
-- American investor Matt Hulsizer, on buying into the Premier League.
I need a challenge. I want new stadiums, cities and restaurants to know. Three years is enough in a club.
-- Bayern Munich Manager Pep Guardiola, confirming that he wants to manage in the Premier League next season.
I don’t care how we get a solution, as long as we do.
-- IAAF independent commission Chair Dick Pound, on the IAAF rushing through reform proposals to mitigate anticipated damage from upcoming second report on corruption.
We were surprised by a perfect storm of a political crisis married with an intense economic crisis. Usually it’s one or the other, but we have both.
-- Rio 2016 Olympic Committee spokesperson Mario Andrada, on Brazil's mounting challenges in the run up to the Games.
Members should detect in me no hostility towards God, her majesty the Queen, to God Save The Queen or to the United Kingdom.
-- Shadow Defence Minister Toby Perkins, after calling for "God Save The Queen" to be replaced as the song sung before English sporting events.
I want someone who comes into my office every single day demanding we should be chasing this player or that player and coming up with solutions and proposals for how that can happen.
-- NRL Wests Tigers CEO Juston Pascoe, on hiring an American-style GM to oversee operations.
I find it very sad.
-- BBC Trust Chair Rona Fairhead, on the likelihood the BBC will lose more sports rights over the next five years.
If I could be the first French club to be champion of England, you think I wouldn’t do it?
-- French Top 14 rugby side Toulon President Mourad Boudjellal, after writing the English Premiership to ask if his club could join the league.
There is no need at all for a club that I have invested my money in to regard me as an enemy.
-- Chinese businessman Wang Hui, after Dutch club Ado Den Haag claimed he had not provided the financial support he had promised.
What does it mean, this maybe list? Maybe I am going to have a date with Angelina Jolie? Probably not. So how can you say maybe? You either have a list or you don’t have a list.
-- Former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic, on identifying players who are allegedly involved in suspicious matches.
February
When the Chinese government says they are setting their mind to something, it means, 'This is how you're going to get on our good side.'
-- Shanghai-based Mailman Sports Business Dir David Hornby, on Chinese businessmen throwing their financial muscle behind football.
Pep won everything in Spain, nearly everything in Germany, so I think he wants to win everything in England, that is clear.
-- Liverpool Manager Jürgen Klopp, on Pep Guardiola being on a "mission to conquer Europe."
It would be a dereliction of duty for us not to explore all commercial opportunities.
-- Crystal Palace CEO Phil Alexander, on the possibility of the club selling naming rights to its home ground Selhurst Park.
If your starting point is to pull out a sword and have a dueling contest, then I think it’ll be a pretty unedifying experience for everyone.
-- NSW Sports Minister Stuart Ayres, on the contentious debate over where to build a new 55,000-seat stadium in Sydney.
If I am really honest I am not sure we can put it into words -- we did not expect this. It is unprecedented that they have apologized, remarkable.
-- Spirit of Shankly spokesperson Jay McKenna, after Liverpool owners' U-turn on ticket prices.
It's Italian. A lot of conversations at the moment and not much action.
-- F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone, on Monza's future as host of the Italian F1 Grand Prix.
I'd never heard him complain of anything to do with his heart.
-- Former RUSADA General Dir Ramil Khabriyev, on the sudden death of Nikita Kamayev from a "massive heart attack," the second Russian antidoping official to die in the last two weeks.
The future is female ... we see more and more women across the world are doing sports.
-- Puma CEO Björn Gulden, after the company credited sales of Rihanna's sneaker line for boosting its bottom line.
I might pick my words a little bit differently, but I think his actual general message isn’t far off.
-- JMI Founder & Exec Chair Zak Brown, on Eccelstone's comment that the sport is "the worst it has ever been."
I think there is an opportunity for FIFA to start again.
-- FA Chair Greg Dyke, on Friday's FIFA presidential election.
Know that once in the president's chair, friends become rare.
-- Ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter, in an open letter to his successor Gianni Infantino.
March
That would be like turkeys voting for Christmas. They definitely don’t share that view.
-- Rugby official Adam White, on the chances of the RFU board agreeing to a ban on tackling for school-aged players called for by a coalition of medical professionals.
No pressure, but the world is counting on you.
-- Billie Jean King, after delivering her three-point plan to get more women into football positions to new FIFA President Gianni Infantio.
There seems to be some evidence that they're just changing deckchairs on the Titanic.
-- Former WADA President Dick Pound, on Russia's efforts to come into compliance with antidoping reforms.
Maria may have made a mistake, but she has earned the benefit of the doubt and we are extending it to her.
-- Head Chair Johan Eliasch, on the company extending its racket sponsorship of Maria Sharapova despite her postive test for a banned substance.
We were told to wait and see. Now we saw, and I don't think it was very exciting.
-- Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, on F1's now dumped plan to add excitement by changing qualifying.
It is spring-time for football in Asia.
-- Wanda Group Chair Wang Jianlin, saying two more Chinese companies will join his company as FIFA sponsors.
The A-League is today only 50 percent of its true potential and we cannot afford to take our foot off the accelerator.
-- Sydney FC Chair Scott Barlow, on competition the league is facing from China and the U.S. for marquee players.
Very soon, a large, internationally renowned company will come into F1 as a global sponsor, and they wouldn't do it if they were of the opinion that the sport is on the way down.
-- Triple world champion Jackie Stewart, on suggestions Formula 1 is broken.
