Who needs Amazon?

PREMIER LEAGUE clubs were hopeful last night that today’s TV rights auction for 2019-2022 will bring a small increase on the £5.1billion paid in the current deal.

PL chief Richard Scudamore gave no indication at yesterday’s club summit of where the bids will come from before the 10am deadline. But there is optimism of more cash, even if only BT Sport and Sky are in for the seven live packages.

The possibility expressed yesterday by Manchester United executive vice- chairman Ed Woodward in a conference call with investors that the auction could be decided in today’s first round points to Amazon and the other tech giants not entering the fray. But Woodward also said the process could take two weeks.

CRICKET agent Neil Fairbrother, who represents England players Joe Root, Stuart Broad, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, has split with International Sports Management boss Chubby Chandler and set up sports agency Phoenix Management Group. It is another hammer blow for Chandler, who was very supportive of Fairbrother when he fell ill a few years ago. Golfers Lee Westwood and Danny Willett left Chandler’s ISM last year to spark the crisis for his troubled agency.