Tottenham F Harry Kane said that he will sponsor the shirts of his former club Leyton Orient, currently in League Two, for next season by "thanking frontline workers for their efforts during the coronavirus crisis and promoting two other charities." The club's home shirt "will be emblazoned with 'Thank You Frontline Heroes,'  while the away and third kits will carry the logos of Haven House children's hospice and mental health charity Mind." Leyton Orient "hailed Kane's generosity at a troubled time" for lower league clubs. Most teams in the lower reaches of English soccer are "far more reliant on gate receipts than television revenue to survive" (AFP, 5/14). 

Kane and Leyton Orient have been given "special approval" from the EPL, FA and English Football League for the deal, which is the "first of its kind." The amount of money Kane is giving the club as part of the deal is unknown (London EVENING STANDARD, 5/14).

Premiership Rugby clubs that breach the salary cap in the future "should face a punishment that 'fits the crime,' including possible stripping of titles and suspensions." Other recommendations, in what would be a "radical overhaul of the salary cap regime," include "stronger investigatory powers" and making Premiership Rugby, club executives, players and agents "more accountable." The review of the rules came after breaches by reigning champions Saracens. A series of additional measures also were "considered part of the review, including disciplinary hearings in public, the publication of player salaries and further restrictions on salaries and image rights payments." However, former U.K. Financial Services Secretary Paul Myners, who carried out the review, said he had been convinced by clubs that "these more draconian measures are not necessary" (BBC, 5/14).

The Australian Football League has become "embroiled in a dispute with the sport’s key broadcasters," who are jockeying for a cut to the costs of the existing TV deal due to the "fewer number of matches to be played this season." Broadcasters Seven West Media and Foxtel will "lobby for a reduction of at least" A$125M ($81M) from the AFL’s deal, as the "fight over control of the first block of games for the return of the 2020 season also intensifies." The AFL is "days away from releasing the playing schedule for the restart, but the impasse with broadcasters could disrupt negotiations" (THE AUSTRALIAN, 5/14). The AFL "pockets an average" of A$417M ($269M) per year in TV rights as part of its six-year, A$2.5B ($1.6B) deal with Channel 7, Foxtel and Telstra that expires at the end of '22 (HERALD SUN, 5/14). 

LaLiga, Mediapro and Asian sports marketing firm Super Sports Media announced the creation of a joint venture in China. The new company, which has been established for an initial period of 15 years on a renewable basis, aims to provide more resources for the exploitation of commercial assets in China. It will begin to operate immediately across the territories of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. It will work in parallel with LaLiga’s China offices. LaLiga China Managing Dir Sergi Torrents will be CEO of the joint venture, known as SFCM. The joint venture's board will be formed by Mediapro Asia Pacific CEO Pilar Jiménez (board president), LaLiga Business, Marketing & Int'l Development Dir Oscar Mayo (board VP), LaLiga President Javier Tebas (board member), Mediapro CEO Jaume Roures (board member) and SuperSports CEO Yu Lingxiao (board member) (LaLiga).

France's Ligue 2 has "requested an increase in its share of TV rights" with respect to Ligue 1 in exchange for giving the top division control over the Ligue de Football Professionnel, which oversees professional soccer in France. Ligue 2 in a working document denounced the "incessant guerrilla warfare between the two divisions" since May '18, when the LFP agreed to a €1.23B ($1.32B) per year TV deal with Mediapro from '20-24, which will see annual TV revenues increase from €748.5M ($807M) under the LFP's current deal. Ligue 2 will only see an  €11M ($12M) increase in '20-21 due to a contractual "max ceiling" limiting it to €110M ($119M) per year. Under the proposal, Ligue 2 wants to earn €162M ($175M) per year. In return, the second tier would "give Ligue 1 the keys" to the LFP, allowing it full control to "manage and direct" the organization (L'EQUIPE, 5/14).

Meanwhile, Ligue 1's most prominent clubs are "considering reexamining the [intra-Ligue 1] TV rights distributions" from the Mediapro deal, despite agreeing in March to equally distribute revenue among all Ligue 1 clubs. This could bring the "return of a war between 'big' and 'small' clubs" in France (L'EQUIPE, 5/14).

Lawyers representing Ligue 1 club Bordeaux sent a latter "ordering" shirt sponsor Bistro Regent to "pay what it owes" to the club after the restaurant chain last month suspended its contract amid the coronavirus pandemic. Bistro Regent Founder Marc Vanhove said that he will meet with club officials next week to "discuss the future of their partnership" (L'EQUIPE, 5/14). 

Oliver Dowden said that the EPL's return "should include widening access for fans to view live coverage."GETTY IMAGES

The EPL has been told by the U.K. government that it "must show some matches free-to-air" and put more money into the English Football League and grassroots game "as a condition for restarting this season." The demands were made by U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden at a meeting on Thursday at which he "gave the green light for matches to resume provided it is safe to do so." The EPL is in negotiations with its broadcast partners Sky and BT over "finding a solution to showing some matches free-to-air when the season resumes." The government's preferred solution is that the "remaining 45 matches not already covered under the terms of existing TV deals are shown either on freely accessible TV channels or via a streaming platform such as YouTube" (London GUARDIAN, 5/14).

Meanwhile, Tottenham Manager Jose Mourinho "rejected claims he wants a delay to the resumption" of the EPL. Mourinho: "I have not asked for any delay. I want to train, and I am desperate for the Premier League to return as soon as it is safe to do so, particularly now we are seeing other leagues preparing to return to action" (ESPN.com, 5/14).

The takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabia-backed consortium has "hit significant political obstacles which could hold up any sale of the club." Conservative MP of the Digital, Culture, Media & Sport Committee Giles Watling has called for that select committee to "hold an evidence session on Saudi-based piracy of British sport including the EPL." Conservative MP and U.K. Parliamentary Football Club Chair Karl McCartney also will "call on the government to 'block the purchase of Newcastle United.'" In a separate development, the Liberal Democrats have "called for the sale of Newcastle to the Saudis by Owner Mike Ashley to be blocked." U.K. Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden had previously said that the Government "will not intervene in the takeover" (LONDON TIMES, 5/14).

Pro14 rugby club Ospreys has been taken over by a sports marketing group which bought a 75.1% stake in the club. Asian-based Y11 Sports & Media company has become Ospreys' major shareholder in a "multi-million pound deal." Y11 CEO James Davies-Yandle and his business partner and financier Donald Tang join Ospreys as new directors. Ospreys Chair Robert Davies "continues in his role" with the club. A new holding company, Ospreys Int'l Group, "has been established, with Ospreys saying all the financial benefits from the transaction" will be "ploughed back into the region." Davies and the other pre-existing shareholders will collectively retain a 24.9% stake. Ospreys "have been searching for new investment since a proposed merger with Scarlets was shelved" in '19 (BBC, 5/13).

U.S. sports fans believe the NFL promotes its corporate partners better than any other property, while In the U.K., professional soccer is the highest-ranking sport because of its strong reach, according to a new study conducted by rEvolution. rEvolution also found that esports have an extremely high level of sponsor friendliness in the U.K. The Chicago-based company fielded a series of four online surveys in the U.S. and the United Kingdom from December through March that asked 1,000 fans ages 18+ in each country attitudinal and behavioral questions about sports properties and the brands that sponsor them.

A “sponsor friendliness” index was created for each country using survey results, such as the impact of the sponsorship on brand opinion. That was paired with data that measured the interest, or “reach,” of each sport to determine an overall ranking.

Darren Marshall, rEvolution’s chief of staff, said that most properties typically score high in one category and not the other.

On average, fans were more likely to express loyalty to sponsors of emerging sports than traditional leagues because they recognize how vital those brands are to the existence of the newer leagues.

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Taiwan's Chinese Professional Baseball League on Thursday said its teams can admit up to 2,000 fans to games from Friday while "most of the world's sports remain idled by the new coronavirus pandemic." The CPBL, which opened its season on April 12 behind closed doors, last week began allowing up to 1,000 fans to attend its games. Taiwan's government has "now given the go-ahead to admit larger crowds." With the "risk of infection considered low in Taiwan, stadiums will be able to sell food and beverages from Friday." Families also will be "allowed to sit together provided they do not sit next to other spectators." South Korea's Korea Baseball Organization began playing behind closed doors on May 5 (KYODO, 5/14). 

Renault F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo will race for McLaren in '21, taking the seat of Carlos Sainz, "who will move to Ferrari" to replace Sebastian Vettel (BBC, 5/14).

An intermediary of Saudi prince Al-Walid ben Talal made contact with U.S. Ambassador to France Jamie McCourt, who is also Ligue 1 side Marseille Owner Frank McCourt's ex-wife, to discuss the "possible sale" of the club, according to sources. Another source said that McCourt would "consider selling the club" for a bid of €250M ($270M) after purchasing it for €45M ($49M) in '16 (L'EQUIPE, 5/14). Marseille Sporting Dir Andoni Zubizarreta is reportedly "leaving the club amid a crisis with the current owners." His exit "could directly affect" the future of Manager André Villas-Boas (AS, 5/14).

The Chinese Super League reportedly "will start in June at the earliest with teams competing in two groups as the initial stage" (SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, 5/14). 

Chinese Super League side Tianjin Tianhai was "finally forced to admit defeat in its survival fight ... with the club disbanding and quitting the CSL due to 'financial desperation'" (CHINA DAILY, 5/13).

Former Test cricketer Nadeem Khan "has been appointed" as the Pakistan Cricket Board Dir of High Performance, replacing Dir of Academies Mudassar Nazar and Dir of Domestic Cricket Haroon Rasheed (DAWN, 5/14).

UEFA "plans to make three temporary changes" to Financial Fair Play rules, according to sources. Changes include evaluating club accounts over 24 months instead of 12, increasing the authorized deficit to €60M ($64M) from €30M ($32M) and postponing this year's FFP hearings until '21 (RMC SPORT, 5/14). 

The Austrian Bundesliga has "initiated proceedings for a possible violation of the guidelines" after Red Bull Salzburg accused first-place LASK of "returning to full training too early" (BBC, 5/14).

This year’s Tour of Britain scheduled for September has been cancelled and the same route will be used for the '21 edition, organizers said on Thursday (REUTERS, 5/14).

"I'd say there is a 99% chance that Serie A can resume on June 13. To talk about the chances of it finishing, you would need a crystal ball" -- Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) President Giovanni Malago, on whether the league will resume next month (REUTERS, 5/14).

"I think naturally NSOs [national sports organizations] are starting to talk about that now. Every organization in sport is going to operate differently than they have been. Clearly, there will need to be different ways of driving efficiency and providing content and opportunities" -- Sport NZ CEO Peter Miskimmin, on smaller NZ organizations possibly merging (STUFF, 5/14).

"Our business model is absolutely robust enough. We will be racing next year irrespective of what happens this year" -- W Series CEO Catherine Bond Muir, claiming the series can "ride out the financial impact of the coronavirus outbreak even if it is unable to race this year" (London GUARDIAN, 5/12).

The London Times' Owen Slot wrote that the salary cap proposals for Premiership Rugby "will ensure that cheats like Saracens no longer prosper." 

The Australian's John Durie explained that when following Australian Football League logistics, "the key is to follow the money, which will dictate just where the coin lands for the start of this season on June 11."

The internet is here to stay!https://t.co/S5LG0BUsXO pic.twitter.com/DS0zvVVz7P

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) May 14, 2020

Very proud to announce that I'm supporting the club that gave me my first pro start and three amazing causes by sponsoring @leytonorientfc's shirts for the 2020/21 season. pic.twitter.com/hTh1M7xNf3

— Harry Kane (@HKane) May 14, 2020

💰 Lewis Hamilton is the richest sportsperson in Britain, according to the 2020 Sunday Times Rich List.

📈 Anthony Joshua meanwhile has enjoyed the biggest rise among sport stars. https://t.co/w2BPKI8COc

— standardsport (@standardsport) May 13, 2020

Brighton the only Premier League club to continue weekly press conferences during the Premier League shutdown.
Club has shown the rest of football the importance of regular communication with fans & the wider public, becoming the voice of the Premier League during the pandemic pic.twitter.com/uX0ERFru8v

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) May 14, 2020