Welcome to the latest edition of the RPC Sports Ticker – with 14-day bite-sized updates from across the sports industry.
Click here for the full sports ticker
The appeals court says there is nowhere to hide for the Premier League or Man City
The Court of Appeal (THE) has decided in favor of the Premier League (EPL) on an interesting aspect of his long-running (but until recently largely confidential) argument with Man City. The dispute relates to an EPL investigation into alleged financial fair play violations by Man City. In December 2018, the EPL launched a disciplinary investigation against the club after allegations of Man City appeared in various European media reports that revealed the details of confidential documents obtained by hacking the club’s email servers. The EPL alleges that the media reports contain information indicative of Man City violations of the EPL rules. In the course of its investigation, the EPL requested information and documentation from the club. The club appealed, the EPL commenced arbitration to seek disclosure, the arbitral tribunal ordered Man City to disclose the documents, and Man City moved the Commercial Court to: (i) the arbitral tribunal has no jurisdiction; and (ii) the tribunal was clearly biased. The court disagreed and decided to publish its judgment. Man City was given permission to appeal whether the verdict should be published. The EPL also argued that the judgment should not be published unless the EPL wished to invoke it in other proceedings. The Court of Appeal rejected the arguments of the parties ordering the publication of the judgment and one of the Lord Justices commented: “There is a public interest in the publication of a judgment”. [dealing with an allegation of apparent bias]because there is a public interest in maintaining appropriate standards of fairness when conducting arbitration proceedings ”. The transparency and openness of private sports arbitration has re-emerged as a hot topic of discussion, with many advocating less secrecy in official decisions and dispute settlement. The full verdict is available here. The verdict comes at a time when City Football Group, the Abu Dhabi-controlled parent company owned by Manchester City, recently received $ 650 million after taking out a loan due in July 2028. Read more here.
No attempts for Australia and New Zealand after withdrawing from the Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is due to take place in England at the end of 2021. However, as a blow to the competition, both Australia and New Zealand national teams have withdrawn from the competition – citing player welfare and safety concerns, the COVID-19 pandemic and England’s recent lifting of restrictions. As expected, there are now concerns about the tournament being able to take place, especially considering Australia are the reigning champions and New Zealand are strong contenders. The organizers of the World Cup have issued a statement expressing their disappointment and considering the possible “far-reaching effects” of the withdrawal. Both nations have requested to postpone the tournament to 2022; We do know, however, that the players were not consulted prior to the teams ‘withdrawal, according to Christian Welch (Melbourne Storm and Queensland prop striker and director of the Rugby League Players’ Association). Continue reading
Aston Martin F1’s new TikTok content deal
Aston Martin’s Formula 1 racing team has entered into a content creation partnership with TikTok as its “Official Creator Partner”. Aston Martin, along with the platform’s community, will work with TikTok’s in-house creative team to produce exclusive content on the team’s official account (see here). TikTok will also launch a global hashtag challenge series, including #CatchChallenge, which will test platform users’ reactions to see if they can keep up with Aston Martin drivers Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll. This is the social media company’s first deal in Formula 1 and follows reports that sports-related content, including Formula 1, has generated close to “100 billion views on related hashtags” across the TikTok ecosystem. Based on other recent collaborations – including the launch of its “I / AM” fan and partner engagement platform in Silverstone (see here) – it is clear that social engagement for Aston Martin is a strategic focus to attract new and diverse audiences to open up in the creative (and measurable) area) ways. Continue reading
Stop what you doping: The new anti-doping system from Sportradar
Sportradar has announced that it will introduce a Remote Testing System (RTS) that will allow anti-doping organizations (such as UK Anti-Doping) to collect doping control samples remotely. The RTS uses blockchain, multi-factor authentication and server clusters to store any data, with the RTS making it possible to test athletes more efficiently and less invasively, and enable cost savings for the organizations themselves. RTS includes test methods built into the system such as exhaled breath analysis (which analyzes the compounds found through an athlete’s breath) and Dried Blood Spot analysis (which analyzes the composition of dried blood as opposed to liquid blood) . The new system will be used in conjunction with more traditional testing methods, but this feels like a big step forward in addressing the challenges with current anti-doping policies, including the testing processes and logistics affected by the pandemic. The diversification of services offered by sports data providers continues to grow, with many in the market making significant acquisitions and developments in artificial intelligence, streaming content, and augmented reality. Continue reading
Great. Human. The advertising campaign of the C4 Paralympics 2020
“Great. Human.” is Channel 4’s new advertising campaign for coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The campaign, which is attended by a variety of Paralympians, including Ellie Simmonds, Ali Jawad and Kadeena Cox, focuses on the various sacrifices Paralympians make in their pursuit of Paralympic champions. After his introduction, Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee commented: “Channel 4 continues to set the standard for how all other channels worldwide cover the Paralympics, not just in terms of coverage during the Games and the variety of television programs. Screen talents, but in terms of commitment and support ”. In addition to Channel 4 coverage, Bridgestone (the global partner for the Olympic and Paralympic Games) has unveiled a new 10-part series that will take fans “behind the scenes” at Team GB’s prep camp as they prepare for the final games. We look forward to getting a glimpse of what preparation looks like and feels like for these athletes, especially for such unusual games (read more here).
Extra time …
… and finally, in April of this year, Minister of Culture Oliver Dowden announced an independent review of the English football system after the fall of the European Super League in order to improve governance, personal responsibility and financial sustainability. The preliminary findings and recommendations are set out in a letter from MP Tracey Crouch (who heads a football governance review) released last week, July 22, 2021 (see here). The results of working with fans and stakeholders such as leagues, clubs and the FA include the need for an “independent regulator of English football”. The exact role that an independent regulator will play has yet to be debated, but plans are made to address issues relevant to English football (Read More here).
The post Sports Ticker (July 29, 2021) – Premier League vs. Man City, Rugby League World Cup and F1 TikTok content – a quick read of important commercial updates from the sports world first appeared on monter-une-startup.
