The Sports Desk

From the crowd trouble at Wembley during the Euro 2020 final to attacks on players during end-of-season pitch invasions, fan disorder has been a constant theme this season. So what are the causes of the unrest and what can be done to ensure we don’t see similar scenes next season? We hear from Maheta Molango, CEO of the Professional Footballers’ Association, who is calling for rapid action before...

On this week’s podcast, will the decision of Blackpool striker Jake Daniels to come out as gay help football become a more inclusive space or merely highlight the prejudices that still pervade the sport? We speak to Matt Morton, the gay player-manager cited by Daniels as an inspiration, and the co-founder of England’s LGBT supporters’ group Di Cunningham. And with homophobic chanting still being h...

With Manchester City and Liverpool firmly established as the Premier League's dominant teams, we’ll be analysing the mental battle between their managers Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp. We’ll look back at how serial winners Sir Alex Ferguson and José Mourinho used mind games to get inside the heads of opponents. And sports psychologist Michael Caulfield, who has worked with Gareth Southgate, Dean...

In a special, extended edition of The Sports Desk, Sarah Mulkerrins, Dan Roan and Jane Dougall explore and explain the issues surrounding transgender women competing in women’s sport. With the governing bodies of cycling and swimming reviewing their transgender policies and widespread calls for more leadership from the International Olympic Committee, what happens next as sport wrestles with a com...

We discuss how far women’s boxing has come as Katie Taylor prepares to defend her world titles against Amanda Serrano at Madison Square Garden. The bout is the first time a women’s fight has headlined at the iconic venue in New York. We hear from Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, promoter Eddie Hearn and the unified super-featherweight world champion Mikaela Mayer. Panellists: Sarah Mulkerrins, Nesta...

As US authorities step up their hunt for Daniel Kinahan and the Kinahan organised crime group, world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury insists he has no involvement with the man who used to be his adviser. But with the wider boxing world scrambling to distance itself from Kinahan ahead of Fury’s Wembley showdown with Dillian Whyte, how much damage has already been done to the sport’s reputation? Pan...

This season marks 150 years of the men’s FA Cup, an institution of the English game. But has it taken a back seat in recent years as the Premier League and Champions League flex their financial muscle? We hear from former Aston Villa and Ipswich manager Paul Lambert on the tricky balancing act clubs have to juggle when it comes to competing in multiple competitions. We get the view from fans of th...

Whether it’s through sponsors on the players’ shirts or advertising around the big games, the betting industry and football have never been closer. Yet with the government’s imminent white paper expected to loosen that grip, we assess the pros and cons of football’s relationship with gambling. Does sponsorship and advertising glamorise a dangerous vice that can foster addiction and ruin lives? Or...

With the spotlight on Qatar for the World Cup draw, we assess whether football can bring progress in a country blighted by human rights concerns. We hear from a migrant worker on the tough conditions endured while building World Cup stadia and bring you a rare interview with the man in charge of delivering the tournament, Hassan Al-Thawadi. Plus, what should we expect from the players themselves?...

Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed super league has shaken the world of golf and sent former World No.1 Phil Mickelson into exile. So is it a chance to grow the game and give players more freedom or a cynical venture motivated by greed? Leading players such as Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson have distanced themselves from the controversial project. But with a record $25 million purse for each tournament –...

It’s become a trope in sports psychology to say that athletes are the only people who die twice – once at the end of their lives and once when they stop playing the sport that has come to define them. We discuss the challenges of retirement with former England rugby player Leon Lloyd, who helps athletes manage the transition into life after sport. Former England cricketer Ryan Sidebottom reveals t...

Roman Abramovich has been sanctioned by the UK government as part of its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. With Chelsea FC among his frozen assets, we analyse what the future holds for the club on and off the field. Who will buy the club and for what price? Will the managers and players of the men’s and women’s teams stay? And what lessons can English football learn from the Russian billio...

Whether it’s the inspiring leadership of former boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko – or the courage of tennis player Sergiy Stakhovsky - Ukrainian sports stars are joining the fight against Russia. Stakhovsky, who has left his family in Hungary to enlist on the front line, speaks to us as he patrols the streets of Kyiv. We hear from British tennis star Andy Murray on why he’s donating all his pr...

Reaction to the news that Roman Abramovich is selling Chelsea after 19 trophy-laden years. What does his departure mean for the London club, English football and its relationship with overseas money? The Russian billionaire's decision follows the threat of possible sanctions in the wake of his country's invasion of Ukraine. The 55-year-old is alleged to have ties to Russian President Vladimir Puti...

With revenues of $1 billion and a global audience approaching half a billion, esports is one of the fastest growing sectors in the media and entertainment industries. But is it right to put competitive video gaming on an equal footing with more traditional sports? It’s a debate that’s entered the mainstream with esports set to feature at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham as a pilot event this s...

15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva came to the Winter Olympics in Beijing with the weight of a nation on her shoulders, but now has the eyes of the world on her instead. Valieva was allowed to compete despite the revelation that she failed a drugs test just weeks before the start of the Games. We’ll hear from the chief executive of the US Anti-Doping Agency Travis Tygart, and Rob Koe...

The year 2021 was a record-breaking one for women’s sport, with The Hundred and the Women’s Super League drawing in millions of new viewers. But with boxer Katie Taylor set to headline Madison Square Garden - plus a home Euros and Commonwealth Games - could 2022 be even bigger? We’ll be assessing the reasons for the growth but also the hurdles still to be cleared in the drive for parity with men....

In this special bonus edition, we bring you an exclusive broadcast interview with the Danish footballer Christian Eriksen, eight months on from the shocking incident that nearly cost him his life. The cardiac arrest suffered by Eriksen during the Euros last summer was among the most distressing incidents the sport has ever witnessed. But with the world watching on, the Denmark star survived - and...

Dave Ryding says his historic World Cup gold medal has broken the ceiling for future skiing generations in Great Britain. But was it a one-off or the mark of system geared up for sustained success? We’ll hear how a combination of increased funding, nationality switches and talent searches are turning Team GB into genuine contenders in several Olympic snow events in Beijing. We hear from snowboardi...

When it comes to Manchester United, the fall has been almost as dramatic as the rise. But could a change of leadership herald a change in fortunes for one of the world’s biggest clubs? With Richard Arnold replacing the much-maligned Ed Woodward as United chief executive, we analyse the task facing him as he looks to revive the team’s fortunes, renovate a decaying stadium and navigate the toxic rel...

As England’s Test cricket team return home from Australia we reflect on how the side can come back from such a crushing Ashes defeat. We’ll hear from Kent all-rounder Darren Stevens, who some have targeted as the example of why the domestic game is to blame. And as voices call for a slimming down of the county game we speak to Leicestershire County Cricket CEO Sean Jarvis. We also take a look at p...

With the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing starting next month, we discuss how alleged human rights abuses in China have prompted diplomatic boycotts by countries including the USA and UK. We hear from US basketball star Enes Kanter Freedom, one of China’s most outspoken critics, who is calling for athletes to boycott the Games. Former figure skater Jessica Shuran Yu says the treatment of tennis sta...

A special bonus edition of The Sports Desk reacting to Novak Djokovic winning his appeal against the cancellation of his visa, seemingly paving the way for him to defend his Australian Open title in Melbourne next week. Sarah Mulkerrins and Dan Roan are joined by BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller and New York Times tennis writer Ben Rothenberg to discuss the decision by a Melbourne judge and...

It was an evocative sight for football fans up and down the country – supporters at Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford legally standing to cheer on their teams for the first time in 27 years. Ahead of the proposed rollout of safe standing next season, we’ll be asking the man in charge of the project about its benefits and potential pitfalls. We’ll hear from two parents of Hillsborough victims who ar...

Refereeing has never been easy but the signs are that it’s getting harder than ever. With more than 90% of grassroots referees reporting some form of abuse, hundreds are choosing to walk away from the sport they love. Others are going on strike in protest, while some leagues have withdrawn refs from games for their own protection. Two grassroots referees tell us why they continue to give up their...