The Premier League look as though they will have a major new player entering the next TV rights auction, which is expected later this year, setting the stage for another bonanza payday.

There is widespread speculation in the industry following positive noises from Amazon Prime's Seattle headquarters that they will bid for the set of three-year packages from the 2019-2020 season.

Certainly Amazon are regarded as the most likely of the digital media giants to bid for PL content ahead of Facebook, Google, Twitter and Netflix.

Amazon are set to be a major player in the next Premier League TV rights auction

Amazon's purchase of ATP tennis tournaments will give them experience of handling live sports events on their streaming service platform.

And with Amazon having the financial muscle to buy as many packages as they want, the Premier League will be rubbing their hands, anticipating another rise in the value of their games for which Sky are already paying £11million a match.

This would not necessarily be the case if Sky and the other current rights holders, BT Sport, were the only pay TV operators interested in the live rights as both are very wary of paying above their own valuation.

Sky are already paying £11million a match and Amazon's involvement should push that up

The shortcomings of the FA's half-hearted governance of football agents were laid bare by the disagreements between FA representatives and intermediaries at the Association of Football Agents summit in north London on Tuesday.

The FA's handling of multiple representative contracts lodged by different agents for the same player has been the main area of dispute. The FA's defence was that the agents had to take responsibility for their own actions.

Honor Hancock is taking betting giants Coral to a Gibraltar employment tribunal

Honor Hancock, well known sports industry figure, is taking betting giants Coral to a Gibraltar employment tribunal claiming victimisation and bullying in the workplace.

Hancock, who has worked for numerous companies, lasted just over four months as head of partnerships at Coral interactive.

After she made complaints about the attitude of one member of her team, Hancock faced allegations from Coral about turning up for work in Gibraltar under the influence of alcohol. Coral declined to comment ahead of the tribunal, which starts on Friday.

One proactive move by the agents has been setting up a course for intermediaries to learn the football business at the sporting mecca of Loughborough University.

The cost of a term's tuition is £1,500. But such are the FA's differences with the agents, it's no surprise the governing body have so far been reluctant to endorse it.

Agents have set up a course for intermediaries learn the football business at Loughborough

BT saddled with Owen

Michael Owen, who is said to arrive at BT Sport for his TV football duties with the Racing Post tucked under his arm, is once again showing where his sporting priorities lie.

The former England striker is training to ride in a charity race at Ascot in November.

Owen says: 'It's two and a half months to the race now and I really need to knuckle down. I've just done my first canter up the gallops and need to get my head down now and get into riding. I've another stone to lose.'

If only Owen, who has been switched by BT from being a very ordinary co-commentator to an equally poor analyst, would ever show such dedication to improving his football punditry skills.

BT Sport pundit Michael Owen is training to ride in a charity race at Ascot in November

Ireland remain hot favourites to win the World Rugby council vote on November 15 to host the 2023 World Cup, especially as the rival bid from France is in some disarray.

The French have not been helped by the fact that their main man Bernard Lapasset, a former World Rugby president, is immersed in Paris staging the 2024 Olympics, which will also hinder their World Cup chances.

World Rugby will not want to choose another country — after Japan in 2019 — staging their flagship event the year before an Olympic Games.

The Aviva Stadium in Dublin would be among the venues for the 2023 Rugby World Cup