The Premier League, EFL, FA, and Women’s Super League (WSL) have announced a new code of conduct for gambling-related agreements in football.

The code, which will be implemented at the start of the 2024-25 season, is designed to regulate gambling sponsorships across the professional game, emphasising four key principles: protection, social responsibility, reinvestment, and integrity.

A key aspect of the code is its emphasis on reinvestment. Revenue generated from gambling sponsorships must be redirected into football-related infrastructure and community programmes. This includes improvements to stadiums and training facilities, as well as investments in grassroots football and local community participation.

Under the new code, gambling sponsorships will also be required to target their marketing efforts more carefully to avoid reaching children and individuals at risk of gambling-related harm. Additionally, any gambling-related sponsorship must include educational initiatives and awareness campaigns designed to promote responsible gambling practices.

GO DEEPER

‘Some players bet on football – they know it’s breaking the rules but still do it’

The importance of maintaining the integrity of football competitions is also stressed in the code, adding that gambling sponsorships must…

Dear readers,

The Premier League and Champions League are over for another season but the summer of 2024 is packed full of live action and transfer fun and games — and we’ll cover it all in detail on The Athletic.

From Europe’s major clubs travelling across the world (and to the United States in particular) to all the moves (and nearly moves) of the summer transfer window, plus two major international tournaments, Emma Hayes starting her reign as USWNT head coach and the Olympics, our team of reporters will bring you in-depth coverage of the things you care about.

We’ll be on the ground in Germany for Euro 2024; across the U.S. for Copa America, MLS, NWSL and Premier League pre-season; in Paris, France for the summer Olympic Games’ football action, and everywhere in between — ensuring you don’t miss a thing when it comes to the beautiful game.

The club content you know and love won’t stop either. Our trusted team of reporters will hit the phones to bring you the latest moves in the transfer window as we embark on an ambitious project to cover the summer ins and outs like never before.

And it doesn’t stop there.

You might already follow our NFL, NBA or NHL coverage, but did you know we also cover a range of other sports, including golf, Formula 1 and tennis? Mark out…

Everton Women manager Brian Sorensen has signed a new contract to remain in charge until June 2026.

Sorensen, 43, joined the Merseyside club from Danish outfit Fortuna Hjorring ahead of the 2022-23 season and led Everton to a top-six finish in the Women’s Super League (WSL) in his maiden campaign.

Sorensen — whose previous deal was set to expire this summer — said: “I’m very happy – I really like it here. I like the club, I like the people in the club and I like the fans.

“There’s a plan in place, we have a good future and a good squad going forward. I think it’s important to show in the background there’s a plan.”

The Toffees have won one of their past five WSL outings, but Sorenson says the “building blocks” are in place for future improvement.

“Results this season haven’t been the best at times – injuries to key players have been a big part of that – but we are performing extremely well and we have a good group. We want to continue working on that. The building blocks are there.”

He added: “We’re all determined to keep moving forward with Everton.”

Also extending his stay is Sorensen’s assistant manager Neligan. The duo previously worked together at Danish clubs FC Nordsjaelland and Fortuna Hjorring, with the Australian moving to…

It is that time of year again. Lighter nights, daffodils and the sobering discovery of just how much your football team has handed over to agents.

The Football Association (FA) published its annual figures yesterday and, as is the norm, they were bigger, more gasp-inducing than ever before.

The Premier League’s 20 clubs combined to pay £409million ($509m) in agents’ fees in a 12-month monitoring period that began on February 1, 2023. Include the EFL’s outlays and English clubs handed over close to half a billion to that select group of men and women representing a footballer’s interests.

It was the usual suspects leading the way but the Premier League’s spend continues to rise. This year’s total is markedly up on the £318million of last season and almost twice the amount paid in 2017-18.

The Athletic picks out the key points from the FA’s latest report.

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Chelsea drive spending records… again

An age of excess at Stamford Bridge has seen Chelsea spend like no club has ever spent before. Close to £1billion has funded a lavish overall that is yet to deliver discernible progress under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake-led ownership group and the fees paid out to agents are another marker of their intemperance.

Brace yourself for Chelsea’s full outlay over 12 months:…

Miami-based investment firm 777 Partners has told London Lions’ women’s basketball team that it will not be competing in Europe next season, despite the team becoming the first British outfit to reach the last four of the EuroCup Women competition this campaign.

The decision, which has not yet been publicly announced, will raise fresh questions about 777’s ability to fund its proposed takeover of Everton.

777 bought the Lions in 2020 and one year later bought a 45 per cent stake in the British Basketball League, too. Under its ownership, the team has dominated men’s and women’s basketball in the UK, with the women’s team being almost untouchable in domestic competition.

Similar success against the best teams in Europe, however, had been elusive until this season, with the Lions winning all 12 games they have played so far in the EuroCup to set up a semi-final against Reyer Venezia. The first leg is in Italy on Wednesday evening, with the return fixture in London next Tuesday.

But even if the Lions make the final of European basketball’s second tier competition and win that match too, becoming the first British team to claim a European title, they already know they will not be able to defend it.

In a memo sent to players and staff, which The Athletic has seen, the…

Permanent concussion substitutions will be introduced into the laws of football, the game’s lawmakers have confirmed.

The measure, which has been trialled in a number of competitions such as the Premier League, Women’s Super League and FA Women’s Championship and FA Cup, will come into effect from July 1, 2024.

Teams will be able to use additional substitutions, outside of their allotted amount, if any player is showing signs of a concussion, regardless of the number of changes they have made already.

However, a trial for temporary concussion substitutions — a measure which has been called for by the Premier League as well as players’ unions — was not approved at the annual general meeting of The International Football Association Board (IFAB) in Scotland on Saturday.

It is understood the Premier League remain of the view that permitting professional leagues to trial temporary concussion substitutes will significantly benefit player welfare and the sport.

Scottish Football Association CEO, Ian Maxwell, said: “Regarding permanent concussion substitutions, the trial we’ve run is effectively concluded and that is now enshrined in the laws of the game.

“It will be for competitions to determine whether they want to use permanent concussion substitutes, as per the…

It’s raining in Galicia, with drops running down the windows at Celta Vigo’s recently opened Cidade Deportiva Afouteza training ground.

Bounding into the media room comes Rafa Benitez, still wearing his ‘RB’ personalised shorts and jersey, having just taken training with Celta — his 14th job in almost three decades managing at the top level.

Over that time, Benitez has won 13 trophies with six clubs in three countries, with highlights including two La Liga titles and the 2003-04 UEFA Cup with Valencia, the 2004-05 Champions League with Liverpool and the 2012-13 Europa League with Chelsea.

The 63-year-old took on a new challenge last summer, joining Celta on a three-year contract, and the team from Spain’s far north-west are currently 17th in the 20-team La Liga table, with wobbling champions Barcelona coming to town this weekend.

Benitez warmly welcomes The Athletic to his new workplace for an interview that often returned to one major theme — the importance of timing and opportunity in the career of a coach or manager.

This is an edited transcript of the conversation.

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The Athletic: Vigo seems quite like Liverpool — the rain, the river, the port…

Benitez: When I speak with my wife, who is there in Liverpool, I tell her, ‘It’s raining’. And she says, ‘Of…

Welcome to Full Time, The Athletic’s women’s football column, a one-stop shop every Monday to discuss the big issues in the game in the UK and Europe.

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Spurs showcase youth in seven-goal epic

As the wind-battered West Ham United’s home, the Chigwell Construction Stadium in Dagenham, Tottenham Hotspur triumphed in a thriller, ending 4-3, which delivered everything you would want from a Sunday night game under the lights: incredible finishing, unusual defending and a controversial goal.

The goals by Tottenham manager Robert Vilahamn’s side were all created by or scored by players who were 23 or under, showing off the youthful nature of his exciting team.

Tottenham were looking to follow up their first-ever North London derby win against Arsenal (1-0) from before the winter break with another positive result, and despite being pegged back from 1-0 to 1-1 and 3-1 to 3-3, 23-year-old Jessica Naz’s 75th-minute winner secured all three points.

The win and impressive nature of the finishes are evidence of Tottenham’s direction, with Manchester United loanee Grace Clinton in particular being the star of the show. The 20-year-old midfielder has impressed in all aspects of her game this…

Everton could face a second points deduction this season after being charged with another breach of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

Nottingham Forest were also charged, meaning both clubs have been referred to an independent commission after reporting losses that exceed the allowed amount over a three-year cycle.

Everton are already appealing against a 10-point deduction for breaches relating to the 2021-22 campaign.

Previously measures like these have often been referred to as FFP — Financial Fair Play — but the Premier League now refers to them as PSR, though the intention is the same: to police how much money clubs are allowed to lose over a given period of time.

Under the Premier League’s PSR rules, clubs are entitled to lose a maximum of £105million ($133m) over three seasons, although certain costs can be deducted, such as infrastructure, women’s football, investment in youth and community work.

But how did England’s top flight agree on the £105million figure and is there an argument that it should be increased in line with inflation?

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Why is it £105m?

The simple answer is that the Premier League followed UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) rules, which European football’s governing body established in 2009 and introduced at…

It looks increasingly likely that Everton’s survival hopes will hinge on the outcome of two hearings later this season.

On Monday, the club were referred by the Premier League to a commission for an alleged breach of profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) in the 2022-23 season.

This follows the 10-point deduction, imposed in November, for another PSR breach in the 2021-22 season — a decision currently under appeal.

So what is going on? What chance do they have of avoiding another debilitating points deduction? And how damaging could this all be to their chances of avoiding relegation this season?

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Hang on, haven’t Everton already been charged? Could they be deducted points again this season?

Well, yes and yes is the short answer.

Following a hearing in October, Everton were found to have breached PSR by £19.5million (now $24.8m) and lost 10 points this season — the largest sporting sanction in Premier League history. The club have appealed against the decision, describing it as “wholly disproportionate” and “unjust”.

Clubs are permitted to lose up to £105million over a three-year period once all permissible deductions are taken into account. These include expenditure on community schemes, academy and women’s teams, infrastructure projects and the impact of…