Manchester City’s fightback begins

{"text":[[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":5.75,"text":"It’s been another gruelling few days for executives at Nike. On Thursday the company announced a fresh round of job cuts and gave investors another gloomy forecast for the year ahead. Shares dropped more than 6 per cent yesterday, their lowest level since 2013. "}],[{"start":21.6,"text":"Sales in China, its second-biggest market, fell by more than a fifth in the first quarter of its financial year ending in August. Nike has been seriously squeezed there by local brands and has so far struggled to regain its footing. "}],[{"start":36.55,"text":"The sportswear maker also announced a new campus in Bengaluru, a sign that it sees India as a potential saviour. But if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, it’s pretty hard to see right now. "}],[{"start":47.099999999999994,"text":"So, time to get on to the biggest story in sport — Manchester City’s legal war against the competition it has come to dominate. Plus, the NFL’s international expansion shows signs of overexposure. Do read on — Josh Noble, sports editor"}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":64.3,"text":"Manchester City’s legal war begins"}],[{"start":67.6,"text":"At 7pm on Thursday, Manchester City’s attempts to overturn the damning findings of an independent commission formally kicked off. City was judged to have arranged a series of “sham” sponsorship deals that — along with moves to hide costs off the books — flattered the club’s accounts to the tune of more than £900mn over a period lasting almost a decade. "}],[{"start":91.25,"text":"The club, owned by a member of Abu Dhabi’s royal family, said it had lodged its appeal against the Premier League-appointed panel:"}],[{"start":98.05,"text":"The club’s firm position is that, on multiple grounds, the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact and is unsafe."}],[{"start":107.89999999999999,"text":"The club is innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League and a comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence exists in support of all of its positions, relating to this case."}],[{"start":117.55,"text":"The appeal had been widely flagged ahead of time and is just part of the response to the ruling by the club and its allies. "}],[{"start":124.3,"text":"On Wednesday, Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad threatened legal action against the Premier League, saying its communications around the case had “created damaging implications”. Etihad, City’s principal sponsor, said it “categorically rejects any finding, conclusion or implication that suggests the airline has ever been involved in improper commercial arrangements”."}],[{"start":147.5,"text":"There is a significant political element too. City chair Khaldoon al-Mubarak is an influential figure in Abu Dhabi’s government, and chief executive of the sovereign wealth fund Mubadala. You can read our in-depth profile of him here. "}],[{"start":161.7,"text":"British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was forced to backtrack on comments earlier this week after saying he would be “really concerned” if City’s owners were forced out. Downing Street later said: “The initial judgment is serious and there can’t be any suggestion that anyone is above the rules.”"}],[{"start":178.95,"text":"English football’s new independent regulator also weighed in with a rather pointed statement:"}],[{"start":184.1,"text":"The IFR has powers to assess the suitability of owners, directors and executives and we will use these powers where appropriate, in the interests of protecting the sustainability, honesty and integrity of English football where there is clear evidence of wrongdoing by individuals."}],[{"start":200.35,"text":"City’s football empire stretches well beyond the Premier League. The parent company has five clubs in Europe alone, with more in Australia, Brazil, the US and beyond. Any suggestion that certain owners or executives are “unsuitable” would have implications across the game. "}],[{"start":218.25,"text":"Legal experts have billed City’s chances of overturning the verdict itself a serious uphill climb. But with the club insisting it will pursue all avenues available, many expect the case to run and run. One lawyer described this week’s events as being more like the “end of the beginning” rather than anything approaching an ending. "}],[{"start":237.25,"text":"This is all pretty miserable for the Premier League. City, after all, are currently top of the league. Bookmakers currently rate the club as the second most likely to be crowned champions and the fourth most likely to be relegated. The uncertainty hanging over the competition will weigh heavily. "}],[{"start":253,"text":"In the short term, it’s hard to see much of a knock to the Premier League’s business. If anything, the soap opera may well make the action on the pitch even more enticing for subscription-paying fans. "}],[{"start":263.5,"text":"But if every result against City this season is now going to come with a caveat, the integrity of the world’s most popular football league is going to come under increasing strain. "}],[{"start":273.5,"text":"Novelty wears off for the NFL and London "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":276.9,"text":"As the NFL’s footprint spreads around the globe, there are signs of American football fatigue in London, the cradle of the league’s international expansion."}],[{"start":287.15,"text":"Facing slower ticket sales than usual, the NFL has cut prices down to £79 ($105) for tomorrow’s game between the Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Stadium. Tickets are available for even less on resale markets."}],[{"start":303.5,"text":"Excitement was probably damped by initial face-value prices of up to $325 for a match-up of middling teams. The NFL is also playing games in Paris, Madrid and Munich this season, giving fans in Europe options beyond the British capital."}],[{"start":318.15,"text":"While London remains a hub for the NFL’s global ambitions — it hosts three games this season — the city is just one stop in the league’s ever-growing International Series. This year, that includes a record-breaking nine games spanning seven countries and four continents, with an appetite for more."}],[{"start":338.75,"text":"The NFL has toyed with the possibility of a Super Bowl in London but more recently backed off the idea. Meanwhile, commissioner Roger Goodell told a German publication last month that he has “no doubt” that there will eventually be an NFL team outside the US. "}],[{"start":354.65,"text":"Such an idea faces significant logistical barriers. A more realistic outcome of the NFL’s global expansion is Goodell’s vision of a 16-game international schedule, which would mean every team plays one game abroad each season. In typical NFL fashion, the league could then carve out a lucrative broadcast rights package to sell to a global streamer like YouTube or Netflix. "}],[{"start":378,"text":"The NFL views the Premier League’s global reach as inspiration, as Kansas City Chiefs president Mark Donovan told the FT in June:"}],[{"start":386.45,"text":"It might have been eight years ago now, we sat in a league meeting, and the NFL put up a map of the EPL, and said, “If you look at the EPL, one of the most successful leagues out there, 20 per cent of their franchise fans are in the country. Eighty per cent are around the world. If you look at the NFL, 80 per cent of our fans are in the country, 20 per cent are around the world.”"}],[{"start":411.25,"text":"The league’s efforts to change that include its Global Markets Program, which awards franchises marketing rights to countries to build their own fan bases. The NFL has also invested in the development of flag football around the world, and successfully pushed for the low-contact sport to be added to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. "}],[{"start":431.35,"text":"Time will tell if global audiences embrace American football, a game that mystifies even a few Americans. Last month’s NFL debut in Australia — a San Francisco 49ers blowout of the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne — drew a modest 3.2mn viewers outside the US on Netflix, where it was broadcast globally."}],[{"start":450.95000000000005,"text":"On the other hand, 100,000 fans filled the Melbourne Cricket Ground for that game. Another 72,792 packed Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracanã Stadium for last Sunday’s match-up between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens and erupted when the Ravens won in dramatic fashion. "}],[{"start":470.90000000000003,"text":"The NFL played its first game in Brazil just two years ago, compared to the dozens held in London since 2007. The novelty may have faded in the UK but there is still massive room for growth there and beyond."}],[{"start":483.75000000000006,"text":"Highlights"}],[{"start":485.15000000000003,"text":"The board of Madison Square Garden Sports, which owns the NBA’s New York Knicks and the NHL’s New York Rangers, approved the split of the two franchises into separate publicly traded companies."}],[{"start":496.95000000000005,"text":"The NBA is expected to select the winning bid for ownership of a Las Vegas expansion team in the “very near future”, according to ESPN, with a price of at least $12bn to $13bn for the franchise and a new arena."}],[{"start":511.00000000000006,"text":"The US Senate passed legislation that aims to regulate college sports — primarily American football and basketball — which have rapidly professionalised after a series of court rulings allowed revenue sharing and for athletes to profit from their “name, image and likeness”. The bill, which still requires approval from the House of Representatives, would grant the National Collegiate Athletic Association an antitrust exemption to enact rules that cap player pay and limit transfers."}],[{"start":538.5,"text":"Final Whistle"}],[{"start":540.4,"text":"The Chicago White Sox won their first playoff series since 2005 with a sweep of the Houston Astros this week. During the booze-fuelled celebration, Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami sidelined his translator and gave an interview for the ages. "}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":563.5500000000001,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1791027681_8939.mp3"}