MONDAY 08 JUNE 2026 - TORONTO - Following our article last week on allegations of illegal ticket pricing, FIFA reportedly started selling tickets at up to 30% below face value through a resale marketplace run by Ticketmaster. Critics allege however that these are actually direct sales by FIFA to circumvent any obligation to refund earlier buyers at higher prices. This raises questions that matter as much to finance professionals as they do to football fans: Is it fair that ea

MONDAY 01 JUNE 2026 - LONDON - So last weekend I caught up on the ticket prices for the World Cup as it now looks like I can be there this month after chairing the 2026 ICAEW Webinar on Sport. Rather than kicking off with the usual spreadsheet of people, places and dates like I did for WAFCON in Morocco last year, this time I was shocked on sight as FIFA appeared to be advertising tickets up to USD 5.75m - for one match! Admittedly, my cousin has expensive taste and it was S

ECB confirmed end of trial on Kookaburra balls. Dukes will provide all balls for English county cricket throughout 2026. This follows Dr Rewilak's research which confirmed that the Kookaburra ball reduced the likelihood of home win by almost 50% (from 33% to 17%). While away win probability remained constant. Therefore the probability of a draw rose sharply whenever the Kookaburra ball was used in like-for-like conditions.

The recently-concluded Anderson Tendulkar Trophy was a mouthwatering ensemble of skill, perseverance and drama. England and India fought toe to toe and no other outcome than a 2-2 sharing of the honours would have been a fair reflection of the series. There were numerous noteworthy performances from both sides and enough fire in the middle to ensure edge-of-the-seat entertainment. The five Tests were so engaging that even deliberate time wasting only added to the overall thea

Gibson Alexander is proud to hear that our Managing Partner, Graham I Smith, has been honoured with the appointment as Vice Chair of the strategic advisory group on Entertainment, Sport and Media at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). The ICAEW is the professional membership organisation for Chartered Accountants with more than 210,000 people across 150 countries.