Sports Ticker #161 – Man City's judgment day, Haaland takes Nordic carrot sales to new heights and On kick starts football boot campaign with Mbappé

In a fortnight that saw Wakefield Trinity clinch their first ever Super League Grand Slam title, Clearlake Capital Group acquire an additional 25.66% of Chelsea FC, DPD acquire naming rights at Northampton Saints’ ground, and PREM Rugby extend its partnership with trading platform etoro, we bring you news of that “Core Decision” published by the Premier League concerning Manchester City, a look at a new community-minded partnership announced between Tesco and Women’s Super League Football, and an insight into the BBC’s broadcasting rights deal with the World Rally Championship.

A Positive Partnership: Tesco joins forces with WSL Football
WSL Football has entered a multi-year deal with Tesco which sees the retailer become the Official Supermarket Partner for the Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) and Barclays Women’s Super League 2 (BWSL2). As part of the partnership, WSL Football will contribute ten pence towards Tesco’s “Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme” for each attendance at a BWSL or BWSL2 match in each season. Tesco’s Customer Director, Suzanne Quinn, stated that the programme aims to “help one million children access free fruit and veg” through its school and community programmes. The initiative will allow fans to contribute beyond the final whistle, whilst also increasing awareness of the programme and reinforcing the positive momentum around women’s football.

Norway rides into Scotland as national surfing body announces new home
Norway’s surfing governing body, Brettforbundet, has chosen Edinburgh’s Lost Shore Surf Resort as its new National Performance Centre. Head Coach of Norwegian Surfing, Scott Erlandsen, has celebrated after seeing a “considerable amount of progress” from his roster athletes in a short period of time spent at the facility. A key factor contributing to the progress is thought to arise from coaches’ ability to offer immediate feedback to athletes from Lost Shore’s wave pool, a facility the resort describes as Europe’s largest. The move solidifies Lost Shore’s status as a European hub for high-performance surfing, after Irish Surfing also chose the resort to be its National Performance Centre in June. The resort is becoming an increasingly popular destination for professional surfers given its proximity to Edinburgh Airport, and the on-site accommodation facilitating adequate rest and recovery under one roof.

BBC races ahead with the World Rally Championship
The BBC has secured a three-year broadcasting deal for the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) in the UK, bringing the sport back to the broadcaster for the first time since 2001. The BBC is set to broadcast every WRC round live and will showcase hour-long highlights for all fourteen rallies from 2027 to 2029. It also plans to air four days of extensive coverage of “Rally Scotland”, a new UK round entering into the WRC calendar from 2027. Additional content will also feature on other BBC platforms such as BBC iPlayer. CEO of WRC Promoter, Éric Boullier, said that partnering with the national broadcaster is a key part of the WRC’s strategy “to grow the WRC’s reach and visibility in the UK”. The deal coincides with the Championship’s return to home soil, with Rally Scotland set to be the first round hosted in Britain in eight years. The sport also aims to reconnect with existing rally fans and open the sport to a growing motorsport audience. The full 2027 Championship calendar is expected to be announced later this year.

Bring it On: Swiss sportswear brand enters the footballing world
Swiss sportswear brand, On, has made a landmark entry into the football market, aiming to replicate the rapid growth it has enjoyed in running and tennis. The Federer-backed company is reportedly planning to launch its first football boots in 2027, built around its Lightspray technology, before expanding into kits and other accessories. Breaking into football has historically been difficult, as the market continues to be dominated by legacy brands such as Nike and Adidas who dominate in the fields of player endorsements and retail distribution. Against that backdrop, On has struck a lucrative sponsorship deal with French forward Kylian Mbappé, providing the Swiss brand with instant global visibility. Mbappé is not the only football figure involved in the brand – former French captain, Thierry Henry, has served as On’s director of football since late 2025. Speaking about the deal, Mbappé said that it would be an “opportunity to build something entirely new together that will help shape tomorrow’s game”.

It’s just the beginning it’s not the end – Man City case enters a new chapter

A fortnightly update from lawyers cannot be complete without at least a mention of the publication of the “Core Decision” from the commission appointed to hear the so-called “115 charges” brought against Manchester City.  As of the time of writing, Manchester City has appealed the findings, most of the detail of which are confidential and have not been publicly disclosed. The club is reported to have unlawfully reported an inflated income by c. £900m between 2009 and 2018.  City has maintained its innocence throughout the process, and has confirmed intentions to “pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe”. The Premier League’s statement can be found here. The focus on the appeal is the logically anterior step for the club, but the reporting is entirely focused on what happens if the appeal is unsuccessful – the only thing that is clear is that this is simply the start of another phase of this long running dispute, and whatever the outcome of the appeal, it is not the end.

Extra time...

…and finally, Erling Haaland has assisted carrot sales to reach new heights in his native Norway. It has been reported that Haaland’s habit of munching on carrots in viral clips and memes, including when signing autographs or even from behind the wheel, has inspired his fellow Norwegians to adopt carrots as a snack of choice. This summer, the Man City striker even appeared in an advertisement for Norway’s largest fruit and vegetable distributor with a carrot in hand. Recent figures suggest a 25.4% year-on-year rise in carrot sales in Norway, partially thought to result from the player’s heightened popularity following the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, in what has been described as the “Haaland-effekt”. It is understood that carrots are being affectionately referred to by particularly avid fans as “Haaland candy” across the country.