owners

Head coach Eddie Howe says the desire of Newcastle United‘s owners to get to the top remains “unchanged” after meeting with them this week.

Chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), and minority owner Jamie Reuben are among those who have flown in for a two-day annual summit at Matfen Hall in Northumberland.

Although the PIF is to withdraw its multi-billion dollar backing of LIV Golf at the end of the season, senior figures at Newcastle were informed a couple of weeks ago that the pullout would not affect the club.

Newcastle are 14th place in the Premier League, but Howe stressed the “determination to succeed” came through from those above him in the meetings he attended on Thursday.

“The desire is unchanged,” he said. “It’s to try and get to the top of the Premier League, to try and consistently win as many trophies as possible.

“I don’t think that will change while the PIF are our owners, part owners or majority owners. They are very ambitious for the football club.”

Newcastle’s hierarchy have talked of achieving such goals by 2030, but Howe recognised that the infrastructure needed to elevate the club to such a position will take time.

Following a major capital investment, an announcement is expected regarding plans for a new state-of-the-art training ground to underline the owners’ commitment.

There have also been discussions this week regarding the future of St James’ Park as Newcastle weigh up whether to expand the stadium or build a new ground in a bid to turbocharge income streams in the long run and bridge a huge revenue gap on the league’s highest-earning clubs.

“They clearly care so much about the football club [given] the long-term planning that’s going on, on a number of levels,” Howe said of the PIF, who bought an initial 80% stake in 2021 before going on to increase their share.

“[There are] very exciting times ahead for the club, regardless of what happens short-term. The long-term vision is clearly there.”

This gathering of executives, which had been in the diary for several months, was viewed as an opportunity to discuss such infrastructure projects, recruitment plans, the team’s slide down the table and how the club go about addressing it.

Howe was among those to give a presentation on Thursday, as was always planned.

Rather than reacting emotionally, the view internally remains that Newcastle need to respond rationally with the help of cold, thorough analysis.

Howe had “challenging conversations” with those at the top, but the head coach sounded upbeat at his news conference on Friday before the visit of Brighton.

“I was pleased by the level of support given to me, but of course still understanding how football works and knowing we need to get results,” he said. “That will never change.”

Rosenior’s dismissal may solve one problem, but those in Chelsea‘s boardroom must take the major share of the blame for a club that looks increasingly out of control.

Chelsea‘s recent losses eclipsed Manchester City‘s £197.5m deficit in 2011, despite bringing in £490.9m in revenue, which the club says is the second highest total in its history.

Since the current ownership took control in 2022, Chelsea have spent around £1.5bn on players, focusing on securing a raft of younger players on long-term contracts.

In this time, they have sacked Champions League winner Tuchel at the end of their first 100 days at the helm, then his successor Graham Potter seven months later.

Frank Lampard had a short second spell in charge as interim boss before former Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino took charge, leaving by mutual consent after one season.

Enzo Maresca took over, but was sacked in January, less than six months after winning the Club World Cup to add to the Uefa Conference League.

If the final straw for Rosenior was criticism of his players, Maresca’s departure came amid friction with Chelsea‘s hierarchy, stunning key figures at the club after a 2-0 win against Everton in December by stating “many people” had made it his “worst 48 hours” since joining the club.

Cryptic, perhaps, but the beginning of the end for the Italian, as those in charge at Chelsea took a dim view of his public expression of discontent.

Those with knowledge of Maresca’s views, though, said he had grown unhappy at a multitude of factors, including encouragement over which players should start and which substitutions should be made during matches.

It led to the Rosenior experiment, which backfired on BlueCo, who may reflect on the number of managers hired and fired during their tenure and finally think: “It’s not them. It’s us.”

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin told BBC Radio 5 Live: “You would have to be a bit simple to be surprised at the situation with all the evidence in front of you.

“This is four seasons the new ownership has been in. This is manager number six. When you change it that amount of times, you have to ask the question – is the problem really the manager?”

As of today (Wednesday, 22 April), there has been a change in how pets travel abroad into the EU, and if the owner does not have the right documents, their dog could be refused entry

British pet owners have been warned about a new EU rule that impacts how they travel abroad with their dog or cat.

Under the new rules, the majority of pet passports will be invalid from today (Wednesday, 22 April), and Brits have been warned that they “should no longer use” them to travel into the UE. Instead, Brits travelling into the EU with a pet dog, including an assistance dog, cat or ferret, will need to get an animal health certificate (AHC).

In an update on the government website, it states: “If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, from 22 April you cannot use a pet passport (even if it was issued in the EU). If you use a pet passport, your pet may be refused entry into the EU.”

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The animal health certificate must be issued by a vet within 10 days of the trip, and a new one is required for every journey to the EU. However, the AHC can be used for up to 6 months for onward travel within the EU and for re-entering Britain, provided the rabies vaccination is still valid.

The government confirmed that the new rule applies to the “non-commercial movement of pet dogs, cats and ferrets entering the EU from Great Britain.” However, there are no changes to the pet travel documents for their return journey into GB, and they can still use EU pet passports.

In a further update on the government website, it stated: “EU pet passports may now only be issued to people whose main home is in the EU and should not be used by people who have holiday homes in the EU or visit seasonally. EU pet passports issued to GB residents before 22 April 2026 may no longer be valid documents for entry to the EU.

“This means GB residents – even if they already have an EU pet passport – may need a different document to take their pet to the EU. To guarantee smooth travel, owners resident in Great Britain should get an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret(s) if they’re travelling from Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland) to an EU country.”

They also noted that additional documents are required if someone other than the owner is travelling with their pet. The person travelling with the animal must travel within five days of the owner and have the owner’s written permission.

The written consent should be carried with the pet’s travel document. Brits are now also only allowed to have a maximum of five pets in a private vehicle, although there are exceptions for competitions, events or training under specific conditions.

Despite the important change, it shouldn’t put any pet owner off from taking their beloved pet abroad. An APHA spokesperson said: “From 22 April, new EU rules change how GB residents travel to the EU with their pets, but holidays with your pets are still possible.

“Anyone planning to travel should check guidance on GOV.UK, and the entry rules for their destination.

“To avoid delays and ensure a smooth journey, pet owners residing in Great Britain should get an Animal Health Certificate if they’re travelling from Great Britain to an EU country.”

For more information on taking your pet abroad when travelling to an EU country, visit the government website. There’s also further information on pet passports and securing an animal health certificate.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Amid the bustle and glitz of last week’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas, one question loomed over the annual trade convention — how will the proposed Paramount Skydance-Warner Bros. Discovery deal affect the movie theater business?

That anxiety showed up in a state of the industry speech from Cinema United trade group President Michael O’Leary, who reiterated his organization’s opposition to further industry consolidation.

It showed up in a trailer for Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming film “Spaceballs: The New One,” when a voiceover poked fun at Hollywood studios “merging willy-nilly” as images of the Paramount sign and Warner Bros. water tower flashed across the screen.

And the subject again took center stage — literally — when Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison himself gave a speech during his studio’s presentation at Caesars Palace. He sought to reassure the assembled movie theater operators and exhibition executives that the combined company would indeed release a minimum of 30 films a year.

“I wanted to look every single one of you in the eye and give you my word,” he said during an onstage speech, in which he also committed to a 45-day theatrical window and 90-day period before films go to streaming services. “People can speculate all they want, but I am standing here today telling you personally that you can count on our complete commitment. And we’ll show you we mean it.”

It’s true that Paramount has nearly doubled its theatrical releases since Ellison took over. As he noted in his speech, the storied studio is now planning 15 films this year, up from eight in 2025.

But as I’ve written previously, theater owners and other studio executives question how releasing 30 movies a year across the combined Paramount-Warner Bros. would work — not only in terms of giving each film the proper marketing campaign to succeed in theaters but also because of the massive cost cuts that will inevitably occur once the merger is final.

Still, Ellison’s commitment to 30 films a year got a round of enthusiastic applause — and at least one high-profile boost.

A day earlier, AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Adam Aron told me in an interview that he backed Ellison’s takeover of Warner, saying he and AMC believed in the tech scion’s talent as a filmmaker and a movie executive, as well as his pledge to release those 30 films a year.

“We’re enthusiastic that David will fulfill his promises,” Aron said. “And that in the end, this will prove to be a good thing for our company and our industry.”

Not everyone shares that enthusiasm.

More than 4,000 people have now signed an open letter opposing the Paramount-Warner deal, arguing that consolidating two studios will lessen consumer choice and job opportunities for creatives, particularly at a time when Hollywood is already struggling. (Notable signatories include “Dune” director Denis Villeneuve, actors Glenn Close and Emma Thompson, as well as director and producer JJ Abrams.)

O’Leary of Cinema United similarly wasn’t convinced.

“While recent pledges attempt to address the threats of consolidation to our industry, they are not yet sufficient in addressing our concerns,” he said in a statement released hours after Ellison’s speech. “We remain open to tangible commitments that will ensure a vibrant global theatrical exhibition industry for years to come.”

Elsewhere at CinemaCon, the mood was upbeat.

Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy struck a triumphant tone after an award-winning year for the studio, capped off by the best picture win for “One Battle After Another.”

They unveiled footage from new films like the upcoming “Digger” from director Alejandro G. Iñárritu and brought out lead actor Tom Cruise to a sustained standing ovation from the audience. And both De Luca and Abdy espoused optimism for the future of the theatrical business. The studio plans to release 14 films this year and as many as 18 for 2027.

“The film business has always required smart betting, and we have 4 billion reasons from last year to think we’re holding the right cards,” De Luca said during the presentation, referring to the studio’s worldwide box office revenue last year.

“We all know they’re not all going to work. That comes with taking swings,” Abdy said of the studios’ films. “There’s no version of this business that’s risk-free. But our job is to step up, make our bets and own it when it doesn’t work.”

But the end of the presentation felt more somber, with the executives asking the heads of Warner Bros.’ labels to come to the stage and be recognized. Shortly after, they asked Warner Bros. employees in the audience to stand for applause. It was hard to escape the feeling that this may be the end of an era.

Stuff We Wrote

Film shoots

Number of the week

1,000

Last week, Walt Disney Co. began a sweeping round of layoffs that’s expected to cull 1,000 jobs across multiple divisions.

As my colleague Meg James reported, the cuts hit Disney’s television and movie studios, sports giant ESPN, its product and technology unit, corporate functions and marketing. Even Marvel Studios’ visual development team was affected.

The layoffs are one of the first major moves under new Disney Chief Executive Josh D’Amaro, who took the reins of the company last month. In a message to employees, he said the company needed to “constantly assess how to foster a more agile and technologically-enabled workforce to meet tomorrow’s needs.”

What I’m watching

Some friends and I watched “Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare” this past weekend, a truly eye-opening documentary that explains what happened during the March 11, 2011, nuclear accident and whether the world has learned anything from it.