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35 shares 253 View comments Quiet determination: Behind Mr Hammond's bank-manager-style exterior lies a man of considerable accomplishment You may not have heard of Philip Hammond — there’s little reason why you should. After all, the Defence Secretary is not the most charismatic politician. Grey both literally and metaphorically, he has an unfortunate knack of reminding people of John Major.  In public appearances he is always competent, but often sets new standards for dreariness. However, behind Mr Hammond’s bank-manager-style exterior lies a man of considerable accomplishment.  Unlike most of his colleagues, he has  had a proper job — he was a successful businessman in property and manufacturing before joining the Tory front bench, and has made a reputed £9 million fortune. Some of his friends say that, keenly aware of his own abilities, he harbours a quiet determination to lead his party — which is reason enough to pay particular attention to his public p

6 View comments One of the world's poorest countries, Burma, where workers earn an average of just £819 a year, has splashed out £25million to buy the rights to show Premier League football on television. With Burma's current TV contract worth a mere £200,000 over three years, the new deal represents an astonishing 12,400 per cent hike in rights fees. The deal, involving a pay-TV company called Sky Net, is just one example of the extraordinarily successful way the Premier League have sold their worldwide broadcasting rights for 2013-2016. Star of Africa: Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure In the last round of overseas rights sales, for 2010-13, the League earned £1.437bn from all foreign broadcasters combined. But overseas deals for 2013-16 will surge past £2bn in value, which, when added to domestic deals for live rights (£3bn from Sky and BT), Match of the Day highlights (£178m from the BBC) and near-live rights and internet r

0 shares 5 View comments The controversial move to stage football's 2020 European Championship in a dozen or more countries is likely to be followed by major leagues across the continent, including the Premier League, fighting any bid to reschedule the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter. The 2020 decision was a summer whim by UEFA president Michel Platini and will mean tens of thousands of fans making arduous journeys to follow their teams. Making plans: UEFA President Michel Platini (left) and FIFA President Sepp Blatter A 2022 seasonal move needs to be rubberstamped by FIFA but is a strong possibility. Their president, Sepp Blatter, said in January last year that he expects a Qatar World Cup 'will be held in winter', but this is not yet FIFA's formal decision. Over the past few days, Qatar 2022's communications and marketing director, Nasser Al Khater, has confirmed: 'We bid for the World Cup to be held in summer and

4 View comments David Beckham is in talks to become the owner of a Major League Soccer club in the United States and is expected to buy a controlling interest in a team based in New York, Miami or Los Angeles. But contrary to reports from the US that Beckham will be part of deal involving Manchester City buying an MLS franchise in New York, sources close to the former England captain told Inside Sport: 'That's not really a partnership he'd envisage.' Talks: David Beckham Beckham, 37, is a lifelong Manchester United fan who played for the Old Trafford club for 10 years before moving to Real Madrid and then LA Galaxy. In his final match for Galaxy earlier this month, he helped them to win the MLS Cup. He is considering his next move and may play for one last club for a short period before turning his attention to club ownership in the US. Sources say Beckham is likely to buy a controlling stake in an MLS team in partnership with Simon Fuller, t

3 View comments The BBC hope their festive Olympic Superstars show will lead to a longer-term revival of the hit programme of the 1970s and 1980s - although one of the London 2012 athletes who features in the Christmas special jokes that he will be hiding in embarrassment when it is screened. Superstars became a family favourite as top sportsmen from Formula One's James Hunt to judo star Brian Jacks took part and through famous moments such as Kevin Keegan crashing his bike. Paddle power: Mo Farah has fun in the kayak head-to-head with Peter Wilson The Olympic special, to be screened next Saturday evening, pits 16 heroes from London 2012 against each other - from double gold-winning runner Mo Farah to boxing's Nicola Adams and Anthony Joshua, triathlon's Brownlee brothers, rower Kath Grainger and equestrian pin-up Laura Bechtolsheimer among others.

3 View comments Andy Murray would have every right to feel aggrieved for receiving ‘only’ an OBE in the New Year’s honours, but you will not find Britain’s best tennis player complaining about it — his focus is firmly on 2013, when he says his main aim, aside from winning matches, will be to retain his Fantasy Football title. Murray’s historic 2012 included Olympic singles gold and the US Open title (the first Slam title by a British man for 76 years) in tennis’s greatest era for quality bar none, as well as being voted into third place in the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award. Yet Murray’s OBE was two tiers down from the award handed to Bradley Wiggins (knighthood), a tier below the CBEs handed to Mo Farah, Jess Ennis, Victoria Pendleton and Kath Grainger, and on the same level as up-and-coming cyclist Laura Trott and dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin. Main man: Andy Murray was honoured with an OBE after his winning season

6 View comments Clark Carlisle, chairman of the Professional Footballers' Association, has told Inside Sport that he will support any player in English football who walks off the pitch after being subjected to racist abuse - as  former Spurs and Portsmouth midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng did when playing in a friendly for Milan in Italy last week. 'I will always back a player who walks off because he doesn't feel the situation is being dealt with by the referees, by warnings over the Tannoy or by offenders being thrown out,' said Carlisle. Everybody off! Kevin-Prince Boateng gestures at abusive fans But he criticised the Football Association's new plans to combat racism as being 'too flowery' and lacking 'any definitive detail'. Last month the FA said players, coaches and clubs in England will face tougher penalties for racist behaviour 'to ensure the game is inclusive and free of discrimination'.  Boateng, a Ghana interna