ICC braced for major financial hit if Pakistan v India World T20 game off

6 février 2026 à 13:31

Intensive negotiations going on behind scenes
Game could be worth up to £367m in media rights

The Pakistan v India T20 World Cup fixture remains in doubt on the eve of the tournament with International Cricket Council sources telling the Guardian they expect the dispute to go down to the wire before their scheduled meeting in Colombo next weekend.

Intensive negotiations are continuing behind the scenes after the Pakistan government triggered a crisis last weekend by announcing their national team would not take the field against India on 15 February – a boycott that could cost the ICC a huge rebate in a fixture worth around $500m (£367m) in media rights.

England’s late 2026 World Cup start gives FA headache over warm-up matches

The Guardian

Par :Matt Hughes

5 février 2026 à 14:32

Tuchel ideally wants World Cup sides on 6 and 10 June
Most qualified teams not available on second date

The Football Association is experiencing difficulties in securing suitable opposition for England’s World Cup warm-up games owing to their late start to the expanded 48-team tournament.

England open against Croatia on the last day of the first round of games on 17 June, six days after the first match between Mexico and South Africa, and Thomas Tuchel wants final preparation games as close to his team’s tournament kick-off as possible.

Top players reject offer to have greater say in running of major tennis championships

The Guardian

Par :Exclusive by Matt Hughes

2 février 2026 à 19:00

Grand slams proposed setting up a player council
Australian Open not involved in the pay dispute

The tennis pay row has escalated further with the world’s top 10 male and female players rejecting an offer from the grand slams to set up a player council that would give them a greater say in the running of the major championships.

In correspondence sent to Wimbledon, the French Open and US Open last week, the players turned down the offer of a meeting with representatives of the three grand slams at the Indian Wells Masters in March and accused the tournament organisers of ignoring their concerns about pay and player welfare.

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