Telecom Italia CEO says tie-up with Iliad remains possible
"We will continue to pursue the possibility of a deal with Iliad," TIM Chief Executive Pietro Labriola told analysts in a call after it released quarterly earnings.
However, he added that it would not be a nightmare for TIM if an alternative tie-up happened between Iliad and rival Wind Tre.
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The Guardian
a minute ago
- The Guardian
Crystal Palace hit out at Europa League ban: ‘merit is rendered meaningless'
Crystal Palace have called on Uefa to scrap its 'poorly conceived' rules on multi-club ownership (MCO) and questioned whether they received a fair hearing at the court of arbitration of sport after their appeal against demotion from the Europa League was rejected. Cas confirmed on Monday that it had upheld Uefa's decision to demote the FA Cup winners to the Conference League after it decided that John Textor held shares and had a decisive influence in Palace and Lyon, who also qualified for the Europa League. He has since sold his 43% stake in the south London club to his fellow US businessman Woody Johnson. Palace, who are expected to miss out on up to £20m in extra revenue as a result, confirmed in a strongly worded statement on Tuesday that they are would take up their place in the Conference League – in which they will face Norway's Fredrikstad or Midtjylland of Denmark in playoff this month – as they continue to take legal advice on whether to make a claim against Uefa for compensation. Palace described the decision to sanction them as evidence that 'sporting merit is rendered meaningless' and claimed that 'certain clubs, organisations and individuals have a unique privilege and power'. 'This growing and unhealthy influence has shattered the hopes and dreams of Crystal Palace supporters, and does not bode well for aspirational teams all over Europe competing to progress when rules and sanctions are unevenly applied in the most flagrant way,' read the statement. 'Multi-club structures hide behind the charade of a 'blind trust' while clubs such as ours, who have no connection to another club whatsoever, are prevented from playing in the same competition. To compound the injustice, clubs that appear to have huge informal arrangements with each other are also allowed to participate and even possibly play against each other.' Several clubs who are part of MCOs have been able to place their ownership in blind trusts to circumvent Uefa's regulations, although Palace missed Uefa's original 1 March deadline to do so. They are believed to have presented evidence to Cas that only members of the European Club Association (ECA) were informed that the deadline could be extended until 31 May. That argument was rejected by the Cas panel, which said that Uefa's regulations were clear 'and do not provide flexibility to clubs that are non-compliant on the assessment date'. The regulations were updated last year to allow clubs who are part of MCOs to compete in different Uefa competitions but Palace believe further changes are needed from European football's governing body. 'A combination of poorly conceived regulations and their unequal application means our brilliant fans will be deprived of the chance to watch this team compete in the Europa League for the first time in our history,' they said. 'This should be a turning point for football. Uefa must fulfil its mandate to pass coherent rules which are properly communicated and applied, with reasonable cure periods to resolve uncertainty and consistent sanctions, treating all clubs equally with a proper appeal process. 'The European court of justice has made it clear that rulings similar to this will be under greater scrutiny from national courts in future. Only then will fairness and due process be granted to every team.' Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Palace were also critical of their treatment at Cas, with frustration understood to stem from its refusal to consider what they believe was crucial evidence of correspondence between the ECA and some of its clubs over the extended deadline. 'While we respect the Cas tribunal members, the process is designed to severely restrict and, in our case, make it almost impossible to receive a fair hearing. The denial of all disclosure requests to obtain correspondence between the relevant parties, the refusal to allow witness testimony from those involved, and the general lack of formality and respect for law mean decisions cannot be properly challenged, leading to pre-determined outcomes.' Cas and Uefa have been contacted for comment.
The Guardian
32 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Middlesex in advanced talks over funding for home away from Lord's
Middlesex are in advanced negotiations with two international investment groups over a funding deal that would enable the club to build a permanent home away from Lord's. A source involved in the discussions said the proposals are not mutually exclusive, with a final decision to be made by the end of the year. Uxbridge Cricket Club in west London is understood to be the preferred site for a new ground and training base, although Middlesex would aim to stage around 70% of their men's matches at Lord's. Middlesex have been looking for external investment for about 18 months and in February appointed the gaming and sports investment specialists Oakvale Capital to conduct a review of its ownership. After that review Middlesex are understood to have resolved to seek a financial partnership that would enable them to build a new ground in London to accompany their tenancy at Lord's, rather than sell a stake in the club and take it into private ownership, a move that could have been blocked by their members. Middlesex have received expressions of interest from a variety of global groups who are already invested in sport, including the NFL and Indian Premier League. The club have prioritised investors with a history in sport rather than private equity firms, with a number of funds from America having been rebuffed. Middlesex are also in active discussions with Marylebone Cricket Club to extend their 12-month lease at Lord's, which expires at the end of the summer. While this is regarded as a formality, the financial terms have yet to be agreed. The MCC remain committed to a landlord-tenant relationship with Middlesex that has run without interruption since 1877, but with the volume of domestic cricket increasing the availability of Lord's is a problem In addition to the rapid recent growth of women's cricket, with Lord's staging a women's Test match for the first time next summer, between England and India, from next year the MCC will also be running professional teams for the first time in their 238-year history in the form of London Spirit. The MCC's partners in the Hundred, the so-called Tech Titans, have made it clear they will want more access to Lord's in return for their £151m investment, while the competition could also expand from its eight-team format, which would mean more matches. The England and Wales Cricket Board are also looking into staging women's matches as stand-alone events, which would put further demands on venues such as Lord's. Middlesex have used Radlett and Merchant Taylors' school for County Championship, T20 Blast and One-Day Cup fixtures this season. Last year, they played two 'home' Blast games at Chelmsford in Essex last year, which made financial sense, but angered members. The club regularly used Uxbridge for Championship and one-day matches in the 1980s and 1990s, but have not played there since 2017 as the ground needs to be developed. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion In a separate development, Middlesex have begun work on a new venue for their women's and girl's operation in Brentford, which will open next year and will be used as a training base for national teams competing in the women's T20 World Cup. Middlesex Women are in tier two of the new county set-up launched this year by the ECB, but hope to be promoted to an expanded tier one in 2029. Middlesex declined to comment.
Reuters
32 minutes ago
- Reuters
European Union awaits US follow-up on trade deal promises
BRUSSELS, Aug 12 (Reuters) - The European Union could not say when a joint statement on tariffs with the United States would be ready, nor when the White House would issue an executive order on European car import duties, a spokesperson said on Tuesday. The EU and U.S. reached a framework trade agreement at the end of July but only the 15% baseline tariff on European exports had so far come into effect, as of last week. EU officials previously said a joint statement would follow the deal "very soon" along with executive orders from U.S. President Donald Trump on key carve-outs. "It is an agreement that we believe is strong and the best we could have ... Of course, we expect the U.S. to take further steps that are part of this agreement but I don't believe at this stage we can put a timeline on these engagements," the European Commission spokesperson said. The carve-outs include a reduction of the current 27.5% U.S. import tariff on EU cars and car parts to 15%. While duties on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors are currently zero, if they rise as a result of a U.S. probe into imports of those products, Trump assured these would not exceed the 15% ceiling. As part of the deal, the EU and U.S. are still finalising a list of products where tariffs would go down to zero on both sides, such as on aircraft, while other products would revert to a much lower most-favoured-nation rate. Separately, negotiations on rates for spirits and wine are expected to drag into the autumn. Europe still faces tariffs of 50% on steel and aluminium exports to the U.S. but the two sides have agreed to set a quota system and a "metals alliance" that would later lower duties. In the interim, however, EU smelters are under pressure as U.S. tariffs have led to a surge in exports of their main input, scrap metal.
