Manchester City deny Amazon access to Pep Guardiola's team talks despite company paying £10m to shoot documentary at the Etihad Stadium

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Even an eight-figure sum can't get you into the Manchester City dressing room at half-time to hear manager Pep Guardiola's team talk.

City have confirmed that Amazon Prime will be doing a fly-on-the-wall documentary series of 10 episodes following the favourites for the Premier League title throughout their season - as first revealed by Sports Agenda.

But the £10million-minimum Amazon are paying for behind-the-scenes access, with an option of two more years coverage, does not include filming Pep's dressing-room chat before a match or during the interval.

Even £10m can't get Amazon into Man City's dressing room to hear Pep Guardiola's team talk

City have confirmed Amazon Prime will be doing a fly-on-the-wall series of 10 episodes

However, City haven't ruled out the Amazon cameras being invited into the inner sanctum at the Etihad Stadium after the final whistle and they will be filming everywhere else around the club, including football staff meetings.

The Amazon deal has been months in negotiation and had to overcome serious opposition from Sky and BT Sport, as well as the Premier League, over their match day rights agreements. Arch rivals Netflix become so frustrated with the obstacles that they have done a deal with championship club Sunderland instead.

It is understood the Premier League have given the go-ahead to Amazon and City on condition the filming doesn't breach their existing media rights at home and abroad. The series must be aired during the close season.

Amazon's growing sports portfolio also includes streaming of NFL Thursday night football and a contract to broadcast all the top tennis tournaments under the grand slams.

Amazon will follow the exploits of City as they aim to win the Premier League in 2017-18

A number of former professional footballers from the Sixties and Seventies, some of whom are not in the best of health, have started to meet and discuss whether they might have cases against their former clubs for mistreatment around injuries, in this age of litigation.

For instance, playing on after concussion and the regular use of cortisone and pain-killing injections to get players out on the pitch at any cost were prevalent in those days.

The players' initiative also begs the question - not for the first time - as to what exactly their super-rich Professional Footballers Association union have done to help them over the years.

Rugby union is one major sport surprisingly not deemed worthy of a dedicated channel on Sky Sports and the cracks in the coverage are starting to show.

Reporter James Cole, who is not a rugby specialist, was slaughtered by dismissive England head coach Eddie Jones in front of Sky cameras for the uninformed questions he asked at Thursday's England press conference.

This follows Cole's rugby colleague Gail Davis being criticised by British Lions coach Warren Gatland in his new book.

Reporter James Cole was slaughtered by England coach Eddie Jones in front of Sky cameras

Rebekah Vardy, feisty wife of Leicester striker Jamie, is understood to be heading for the Australian jungle as a contestant on ITV reality show I'm A Celebrity. Rebekah had been in negotiations ahead of last year's series before pregnancy ruled her out of taking part.

Rebekah Vardy, wife of Leicester striker Jamie, is understood to be heading for I'm A Celebrity

FA fan flames of rivalry

Organisers of EnglandFans football club have a match against Brazil supporters on Friday in honour of former national team manager Graham Taylor at the Bedfont & Feltham ground - and they are less than impressed that the FA have promoted on their website an England Supporters Club game against Germany, which is played on the same day.

EnglandFans' tireless manager Garford Beck called the FA publicity for the rival attraction 'provocative and divisive'. The FA say they didn't know about the EnglandFans game.

Doha-based BeIN Sport have won a six-year contract to show Australian international cricket in the Middle East and North Africa territories - starting with the upcoming Ashes series.

Like the Neymar transfer to Qatar-owned Paris St Germain, the TV deal is seen as another flexing of financial muscle following Qatari isolation in the Gulf states blockade. Especially as the rights were captured from Dubai's OSN, who are a big cricket network.