Sports
Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
Manchester United legend Bryan Robson has been dealt a double financial blow after losing his IR35 tax case against HMRC whilst also facing salary cuts in his club ambassador role.
The former England captain’s appeal was rejected by the First-Tier Tribunal, which found he was acting as a ‘disguised employee’ in his ambassadorial position at Old Trafford.
The ruling comes as United’s new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe implements widespread cost-cutting measures affecting club ambassadors’ salaries.
Robson, who has served as a Global Ambassador since 2011, currently receives £150,000 every six months for making a minimum of 35 personal appearances at functions and events.
Bryan Robson has been hit by a salary cut as well at United
PA
The tax bill stems from HMRC’s view that Robson should have paid National Insurance contributions and PAYE between December 2019 and April 2021.
Robson’s personal services company, Bryan Robson Limited, was found to be heavily dependent on Manchester United, with the club accounting for 87 per cent of his income (£171,000) in 2019/20.
This dependency increased to 94 per cent (£319,000) in 2020/21, strengthening HMRC’s position that he was effectively an employee rather than a contractor.
Seb Maley, CEO of IR35 specialist Qdos, said: “This high profile HMRC win underscores the importance of ensuring compliance – whether you’re a freelancer, contractor or business engaging these workers.”
“But make no mistake, this wasn’t your average freelancer and client relationship. Manchester United controlled many elements of this engagement – a hallmark of an employer-employee relationship,” Maley added.
The exact amount of the tax bill remains undisclosed, as HMRC’s calculations included separate image rights income.
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The salary cuts affecting Robson are part of broader financial restructuring at United, with fellow ambassadors Denis Irwin and Andy Cole also facing reduced earnings.
Current matchday ambassadorial duties, which include hosting sponsors and hospitality guests during home matches, command between £500 and £1,000 per appearance.
The reductions are particularly significant as many affected legends played before the era of high football wages.
These cuts follow other cost-saving measures under INEOS ownership, including Sir Alex Ferguson giving up his £2m ambassador salary.
The club has also implemented 250 non-playing staff redundancies and reduced Christmas bonuses from £100 payments to £40 vouchers.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been huge cuts at United in recent months
PA
United’s annual £40,000 donation to The Association of Former Manchester United Players has been stopped.
The Manchester United Foundation is also facing funding cuts, while match ticket prices for children and pensioners have risen to £66 minimum.
Robson, nicknamed ‘Captain Marvel’, scored 74 goals in 345 league games for United after joining for a then-record £1.5m in 1981.
The former midfielder earned 90 England caps and inspired future stars like David Beckham and Steven Gerrard.
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Bryan Robson is regarded as one of United’s best players of all time
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His ambassador role, which began in 2008, is part of his continued association with the club where he helped end a 26-year wait for a league title in 1993.
The financial restructuring comes as Ratcliffe has already invested £300m of his personal fortune beyond his initial 27.7 per cent stake purchase.
These funds were intended for the new stadium project but may be consumed by existing losses, with the club recording £113m losses last year.
United currently sit 13th in the Premier League, having won just seven of their 22 matches this season.
Wrexham captain James McClean will be assessed by the club’s medical team after he was involved in a car accident on his way to training on Wednesday morning.
The League One club confirmed a first-team player – who they did not name – had been involved in a single car accident with no other vehicles involved and that emergency services attended the scene.
The statement added: “The player reported to the club this morning and will undergo further medical checks.”
Local media reports named the 35-year-old former Republic of Ireland international McClean as the player who was involved in the accident.
North Wales Police confirmed in a statement that they had received a report of road traffic collision on the A534 in Wrexham, near to Wrexham Golf Club shortly before 09:00 GMT.
The statement added: “Officers and colleagues from the North Wales Fire and Rescue Service attended the incident, which had blocked the road until the vehicle was recovered shortly before 10am.
“No serious injuries were reported from the scene.”
Masters snooker champion Shaun Murphy has jokingly admitted how he now wishes he’d never revealed completing sport’s hardest hat-trick.
The potting ace previously told how he has the unique title of bagging a nine-dart finish at darts, a hole in one at golf and a 147 at snooker.
Murphy’s claim has since become a talking point on social media and even featured in a hilarious advertising campaign ahead of the Masters – which he won on Sunday.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, the 42-year-old said: “I will say we had a lot of fun with it in the build up to the tournament, Paddy Power got involved with it, and we were all over it.
Masters snooker champion Shaun Murphy has jokingly admitted how he now wishes he’d never revealed completing sport’s hardest hat-trick
GBNEWS
“We had a lot of laughs with it, but the amount of people who were up in arms about it on socials was hilarious, but it was a long time ago.
“I don’t play darts anymore, as recent footage shows, it’s awful these days, and I was never that good, if truth be told.
“But what can I say? It was a random night in the pub, and it’ll never happen again. Part of me wishes I’d never mentioned anything!”.
Murphy, now a top UK motivational speaker, is returning to the practice table today ahead of flying off to the German Masters.
Speaking to Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello he admitted he’d thought his days of winning majors were gone. But now, following his Masters success, he thinks he has an outside chance for the World title in April.
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He continued: “To be totally honest with you, I’d sort of thought that those days were numbered for me. I really thought those days had gone.
“It’s been such a long time since I competed for any of the majors in snooker. I’ve won events over the years, but those big ones, they’re a little bit different. They’re in a bit of a league of their own.
“I thought those days were gone, so I’m still in shock about it, to be honest. It still hasn’t sunk in at all.”
Asked about practicing, he said: “I think as you get older, the practice time goes down a little bit as you get other commitments in your life.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
“I’ve sort of started out in my own broadcasting career. I do the BBC events for them, I’ve got my podcast and all my socials and stuff like that. I’ve got my YouTube channel going on. I’m trying to practice as well for these events.
“It’s probably not nine to five anymore, but it’s every day, and I’ve had a couple of days off since the win at Ally Pally. Today is actually my first day back.
“I’m going to go to the ‘office today, going to get the cue out, see if I can still pot a ball after the excitement of the last few days, because we head to Germany on Sunday for the German masters. So we’re straight back on the bike and have no time to rest.”
On the World Championship, he continued: “I suppose it’s all totally changed now, following the win last weekend. I hope it doesn’t come across as a bit of a line, but my belief had totally gone that I could do that still.
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Shaun Murphy is a man on top of the world following his recent Masters triumph
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“I’ve paired up with Peter Ebdon. A lot’s been made of that. He’s helped me rediscover my self-belief.
“I’ll go to the World Championship now thinking that actually, I could win it. Whether I will or not obviously remains to be seen. There are plenty of good players who are going to try and stop me and win it themselves.
Shaun Murphy is confident of winning the World Championship after securing Masters glory
PA
“But in years gone by, you can kid everyone else, but you can’t kid yourself. And, you know, I perhaps had lost that belief and just didn’t really, truly believe it, whereas now I’ve got the trophy to show myself that actually I can still do it.”
Sports
Australian Open 2025 results: Britain’s Henry Patten ‘trying to replicate Wimbledon win’ as he reaches doubles last four
Britain’s Henry Patten says he and Finnish partner Harri Heliovaara will “try and replicate” their Wimbledon success at the Australian Open after the pair reached the men’s doubles semi-finals in Melbourne.
The pair claimed a thrilling victory at Wimbledon last year, just three months after joining forces.
They moved a step closer to a second Grand Slam title together with a 6-3 7-5 victory over Monaco’s Hugo Nys and Frenchman Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Wednesday’s quarter-finals.
Sixth seeds Patten and Heliovaara, who have yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park, will face German duo Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz in the semi-finals.
“We’ve been in this position before, although not in Australia,” Patten said.
“And when we were here last we played very, very well, so it’s nice to have that in your back pocket.”
Patten returned to court later on Wednesday in the mixed doubles, but he and fellow Briton Olivia Nicholls lost 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 to Australian wildcards Kimberly Birrell and John-Patrick Smith in the semi-finals.
Patten is the last Briton in the doubles after Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool were beaten 7-6 (11-9) 7-6 (7-5) by Krawietz and Puetz.
Chelsea midfielders Erin Cuthbert and Guro Reiten take on the ultimate friendship test and reveal a few home truths to one another in Honesty Cards.
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Sports
Lewis Hamilton fans suffer blow as F1 legend drives a Ferrari for the first time ahead of 2025 season
Lewis Hamilton’s eagerly anticipated first drive of a Ferrari Formula One car was largely obscured by thick fog at the Fiorano Circuit in Italy.
The seven-time world champion took to the track in an older Ferrari F1 car, but visibility was severely limited for the spectators.
“He has disappeared in the mist,” joked one fan on social media.
“Looks like some kind of a secret reveal. Just need to wait for the mist to clear and we will see Hamilton,” another commented.
Lewis Hamilton drove a Ferrari for the first time on Wednesday
REUTERS
Sky Sports News’ attempt to broadcast the historic moment live was thwarted by unfortunate timing.
Reporter Craig Slater had to inform viewers: “I am afraid your timing is very unfortunate because Lewis Hamilton has just flashed past in the last few seconds.”
The broadcaster then had to wait for Hamilton to complete another lap, but the heavy fog made it nearly impossible to see the car clearly.
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Lewis Hamilton’s eagerly anticipated first drive of a Ferrari Formula One car was largely obscured by thick fog at the Fiorano Circuit in Italy
SKYSPORTS
Ferrari released footage of Hamilton, now 40, emerging from the historic house of founder Enzo Ferrari wearing their iconic red race suit.
The British driver has been at Ferrari’s headquarters in Maranello since the start of the week following his arrival from Mercedes.
On Monday, Hamilton was photographed in front of the iconic Ferrari house wearing a stylish suit during his first day at the Scuderia base.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
Around 1,000 fans gathered at the Fiorano Circuit hoping to catch a glimpse of their new star driver.
The atmosphere was electric despite the challenging visibility conditions.
“This is absolutely awesome, what a moment,” one supporter wrote on social media.
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Another fan expressed their disbelief, stating: “Still feels like I am stuck in a dream.”
Hamilton’s move to Ferrari comes after ending his illustrious 12-year partnership with Mercedes at the conclusion of last season.
The British driver has signed a two-year contract with Ferrari, reportedly worth £100million.
Lewis Hamilton will be aiming to win a record eighth F1 title in 2025
REUTERS
Adding to the significant changes, Hamilton’s trusted colleague Angela Cullen is set to join him at Ferrari.
Cullen, described as Hamilton’s “chief confidante”, will reunite with the driver after spending the last two years working apart.
Testing for the new season begins in Bahrain on February 26, with the first race of the season poised to take place in Australia on March 16.
Watch Lorenzo Sonego score an incredible winner with a volley that spins back over the net during his Australian Open quarter-final defeat by Ben Shelton.
Celtic winger Luis Palma, 25, is being chased by Sunderland, Stoke City, Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers as well as several European clubs. (Football Insider), external
Meanwhile, Celtic have been handed a boost in their quest to bring 27-year-old Scotland defender Kieran Tierney back to the club with the emergence of talented teenage Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly opening the door further for a January exit from London. (Record), external
However, Celtic are unlikely to reach Aston Villa’s asking price for Louie Barry after reportedly having a £10m bid rejected for the 21-year-old forward. (Football Insider), external
Rangers are demanding a price for striker Cyriel Dessers that is unaffordable for Leganes, who tried to sign the Nigeria international when he was with Feyenoord. (AS), external
Vicko Sevelj wants Dundee United to bounce back from their Scottish Cup exit against Rangers in Sunday’s Premiership meeting and believes catching the second-placed team is still a possibility. (Record), external
United need to start games the way they are finishing them, says former defender Lee Wilkie. (Courier – subscription), external
Luke Littler opted for video games over his first legal pint as the darts star celebrated turning 18 on Tuesday.
The teenage star marked his milestone birthday with an intimate family dinner at his parents’ house in Warrington, shunning traditional pub celebrations.
The low-key affair offered Littler a chance to unwind after a remarkable year that saw him dominate the sport and claim multiple major titles.
Instead of heading to the pub, Littler enjoyed a family takeaway dinner, with his father Anthony Buckley making a trip to Castlerise Fish & Chips in Runcorn.
Luke Littler opted for video games over his first legal pint as the darts star celebrated turning 18 on Tuesday
PA
The proud dad was spotted wearing a ‘Nuke’ branded hoodie, referencing his son’s nickname, while collecting the food.
The meal marked a change from Littler’s usual favourite – a kebab wrap with doner meat, lettuce, onion and mayonnaise, accompanied by chips and a fizzy drink.
Back at home, Littler spent his birthday hosting a live stream while playing EA FC 25, the popular football video game.
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Luke Littler opted to play on his Xbox, rather than go to the pub, after turning 18
TIKTOK
The stream attracted 3,500 viewers at its peak, with the darts champion sharing footage on his TikTok account.
His gaming content reached his substantial social media following, which includes 686,000 TikTok followers.
The birthday celebrations provided a welcome break from competitive darts for the young star, who enjoyed a successful 2024 winning the Premier League, Grand Slam and World Series Finals.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
His recent success culminated in winning the PDC World Championship, defeating Michael van Gerwen 7-3 at Alexandra Palace at the start of the year.
The victory earned him a £500,000 prize, pushing his total earnings to £1.18m and securing him second place in the PDC Order of Merit.
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After celebrating his birthday, Littler will return to competitive action at the Dutch Darts Masters, which begins on January 24.
Littler’s success has been closely supported by his parents, Anthony and Lisa, who have accompanied him to tournaments due to his previous age restrictions.
Luke Littler recently won the World Darts Championship
PA
His father played a crucial role in his career path, encouraging him to switch from football to darts at age nine.
The family’s support was evident at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award ceremony in December, where they shared an emotional embrace before Littler collected the runner-up prize.
Sports
Champions League permutations: What do Man City & PSG need to qualify – and what is cost of not qualifying?
Manchester City’s surprising poor form has spanned across all competitions.
It began with Tottenham knocking them out of the EFL Cup in October and Pep Guardiola’s side have since won just five of their 17 matches in all competitions.
When it comes to the Champions League, City took seven points from their opening three games, but then suffered losses to Sporting and Juventus and squandered a three-goal lead against Feyenoord to draw 3-3 at Etihad Stadium.
City have looked to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window, although new additions will not be able to play in the league phase.
“Of course it is a really important game for us and for PSG, but we still have another game against Bruges at home,” said Guardiola.
“I don’t know how many points we will need. Six points will be mathematically [sure], but maybe four, maybe three.
“But if we don’t qualify we have to accept we were not good enough.”
Meanwhile, PSG are yet to lose in the French top flight but have failed to replicate that form in Europe – earning a measly seven points from six matches with three losses, one draw and two wins.
In the table, they are the lowest of Europe’s so-called ‘big clubs’ and currently sit in an elimination spot.
Luis Enrique’s side have suffered defeats by Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, as well as a home draw against PSV.
“The reality is we should have won the games against PSV and Atletico,” said Enrique. “With those [extra] five points we would already be qualifying for the next round.
“But I am very optimistic and confident. Is it a must-win game? The obligation is all the players give 100%, and I take the same attitude every day.
“You can lose games, and that’s life. The most important thing is to be committed.”
Sports
Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend drops cryptic nine-word message after KSI brutally mocked John Terry scandal
Vanessa Perroncel has broken her silence with a cryptic social media message after KSI’s controversial comments led to Wayne Bridge pulling out of their planned boxing match.
“The smallest minds often come with the biggest mouths,” wrote Perroncel, responding to KSI’s taunts about her alleged affair with John Terry from 2009.
The former model, who shares an 18-year-old son with Bridge, posted the nine-word message after KSI made crude remarks about her past during a face-off with Bridge at Misfits 20.
The comments ultimately led to Bridge withdrawing from the March 29 fight, citing the need to protect his family.
Wayne Bridge was recently mocked by KSI, with the former footballer then choosing to withdraw from their boxing match
GETTY
At Saturday’s Misfits 20 event, KSI confronted Bridge with a taunt about his previous relationship with Perroncel.
“Wayne Bridge, aren’t you the guy that let John Terry smash your ex? That is what you are known for,” KSI said during their face-off.
Bridge initially appeared to brush off the comments, saying: “I think that’s just him, innit? It’s the cameras, what he does, put him in a room on your own he probably doesn’t do it.”
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Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend, Vanessa Perroncel, has responded with a nine-word message after the former footballer was mocked by KSI
GETTY
KSI later posted on social media: “From playing with him in FIFA Ultimate Team to knocking out Wayne Bridge in the ring at the end of March, what a life.”
The comments referenced a 2010 scandal involving Bridge’s former Chelsea teammate Terry, though Perroncel has always denied the alleged affair.
Hours after the exchange, Bridge announced his withdrawal from the fight through an Instagram story.
READ MORE: Man Utd legend Bryan Robson faces massive tax bill after losing HMRC case as ‘disguised employee’
“I feel like what was said on Saturday crossed a line,” stated the former England international.
“These are deeply personal comments that affect mine and other families involved in the situation. I’m a family man first and my priority is protecting them,” Bridge explained.
The 44-year-old, now married to Saturdays star Frankie, added: “My opponent is someone that many children look up to around the world, including my kids.”
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“I will no longer be fighting on 29th March.”
Bridge has previous experience in the boxing ring since retiring from football in 2014.
The former defender has competed twice, including an England Boxing licensed amateur bout.
Wayne Bridge and John Terry were once team-mates at Chelsea
PA
He notably defeated Made In Chelsea’s Spencer Matthews on points in 2018, impressing fans with his boxing skills.
His decision to withdraw from the KSI fight has received support from fellow footballer Danny Simpson.
Simpson, who drew with Danny Aarons in his own Misfits Boxing debut last year, tweeted: “Disrespecting the ballers. Cant be having that @KSI @MamsTaylor @MisfitsBoxing.”
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