LONDON: Todd Boehly’s proposed takeover of Chelsea moved a step closer to completion on Tuesday when the Premier League board announced it had approved his purchase of the London club in a deal that could yet be finalized later in the day.
A consortium led by Boehly, a co-owner of baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, had already agreed a record £4.25 billion ($5.3 billion) deal to buy the Premier League club from owner Roman Abramovich on May 7.
And a Premier League statement said Tuesday: “The Premier League Board has today approved the proposed takeover of Chelsea Football Club by the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Consortium.
“The purchase remains subject to the (British) Government issuing the required sale license and the satisfactory completion of the final stages of the transaction.”
Officials would like everything to be wrapped up on Tuesday so Chelsea can meet all registration deadlines for next season’s competitions, with an unnamed Government source telling Britain’s Press Association: “We now believe everyone will be ready to issue the necessary licenses.
“The last remaining hurdle boils down to a number of final technical details that are being discussed with the club. It’s going to go down to the wire.”
Russian billionaire Abramovich put Chelsea on the market in early March, just before he was sanctioned by the British government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Completing the purchase has been a lengthy process due to government concerns over the potential for Abramovich to profit from the sale.
The total value of the deal smashes the previous record for the sale of a sports team — $2.4 billion for the New York Mets baseball franchise in 2020.
There had been fears the takeover would collapse because of the £1.5 billion debt owed by Chelsea’s parent company, Fordstam Ltd, to Camberley International Investments, a Jersey-based company with suspected links to Abramovich.
Abramovich, who has said he has not asked for his loan to be repaid, is understood to have provided confirmation to the government that his associate, Demetris Ioannides, has resigned from the trust owning Camberley International.
Earlier on Tuesday, a spokesman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the government were working with Chelsea and also holding “intense discussions with the relevant international partners” to get the deal done.
“We want to get this process done as soon as possible while also ensuring the sanctions regime is protected, but we will say more on this as soon as we possibly can,” the spokesman also said.
The Premier League statement added: “The board has applied the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (OADT) to all prospective directors, and undertaken the necessary due diligence.
“The members of the Consortium purchasing the club are affiliates of the Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter.
“Chelsea FC will now work with the relevant governments to secure the necessary licenses to complete the takeover.”
Chelsea have been forced to operate under a special license from the UK government since Abramovich, who bought the club in 2003, was sanctioned.
Under the terms of the license, Chelsea were unable to offer new contracts to existing players or sign players from other clubs.
The sale of the European champions brings the curtain down on 19 years of nearly unbroken success under the 55-year-old Abramovich, who has overseen five Premier League titles and two Champions League triumphs.
Chelsea finished third in the 2021/22 Premier League season completed Sunday and so gained a place in Europe’s Champions League, the continent’s leading club football competition.
The Blues also reached the finals of English football’s League Cup and FA Cup, only to lose both matches to Liverpool in penalty shoot-outs.
Premier League approve Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea
https://arab.news/nzyuq
Premier League approve Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea
- A consortium led by Todd Boehly, a co-owner of baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers, had already agreed a record £4.25bn deal to buy the club from Roman Abramovich
- Russian billionaire Abramovich put Chelsea on the market just before he was sanctioned by the British government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
Davis Cup: US, Spain, Italy and Britain win their opening group matches
- The No. 3-ranked Alcaraz clinched victory for Spain against the Czech Republic in Group B when Tomas Machac retired injured with the score at 6-7 (3), 6-1
- Brandon Nakashima beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (3) after Reilly Opelka defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to give the Americans a winning 2-0 lead over Chile in Group C
VALENCIA, Spain: Less than two weeks after his shocking second-round exit at the US Open, Carlos Alcaraz was staring at another upset when a set down in his opening group-stage match for Spain in the Davis Cup Finals on Wednesday.
This time, Alcaraz turned things around — though he needed some help from his opponent.
The No. 3-ranked Alcaraz clinched victory for Spain against the Czech Republic in Group B on Wednesday when Tomas Machac retired injured with the score at 6-7 (3), 6-1 in Valencia. It gave Spain an unassailable 2-0 lead, with Roberto Bautista Agut having already defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (1), 6-4, and Alcaraz then partnered with Marcel Granollers-Pujol to win the doubles in three sets and wrap up a 3-0 victory.
They were Alcaraz’s first matches since losing in straight sets to Botic van de Zandschulp — who was ranked 74th — at Flushing Meadows.
Spain joined the US, defending champion Italy and Britain in gaining victories on Wednesday.
Brandon Nakashima beat Alejandro Tabilo 7-6 (5), 2-6, 7-6 (3) after Reilly Opelka defeated Cristian Garin 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) to give the Americans a winning 2-0 lead over Chile in Group C in Zhuhai, China.
Those two singles matches lasted in excess of five hours and the US brought in Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram for the doubles, which they won 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (3) against Tomas Barrios Vera and Matias Soto to seal a 3-0 sweep.
“It was truly an epic day of tennis for both teams, everyone showed a lot of heart, a lot of guts,” US captain and retired doubles great Bob Bryan said. “I don’t think it’s ever happened in Davis Cup that all matches went to the third-set breaker . . . historic day. Just feeling very, very proud of the players.”
The US, which has a leading 32 Davis Cup titles but none since 2007, is bidding to reach the quarterfinals for the second time since the Davis Cup Finals were introduced in 2019. In the qualifiers this year, the Americans defeated Ukraine 4-0 on neutral ground in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Italy didn’t need top-ranked Jannik Sinner, the newly crowned US Open champion, to begin its title defense with a 2-1 win over Brazil in Group A in Bologna.
Matteo Berrettini beat Joao Fonseca 6-1, 7-6 (5) before Matteo Arnaldi gave Italy an unassailable 2-0 lead by beating Thiago Monteiro 7-5, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (5). Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo won the doubles for Brazil, beating Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in three sets.
“It was a great, great feeling. I’ve been missing this kind of feeling for so long for so many reasons,” Berrettini said. “The Davis Cup, the tournament in Rome, it felt like almost a first time.”
Britain also established a 2-0 advantage over Finland in Manchester, England, in Group D thanks to wins by Dan Evans and Billy Harris.
Evans beat Eero Vasa 7-6 (3), 6-2 and Harris, the guy who once lived out of a van while playing tennis tournaments around Europe, defeated Otto Virtanen 6-4, 7-6 (4).
“He (Vasa) was playing so freely in the first set and I did well to weather the storm and find a way to win,” Evans said. “That’s what you have to do in the Davis Cup.”
It finished 2-1 for Britain after Virtanen teamed with Harri Heliovaara to beat Evans and Neal Skupski 7-6 (4), 7-5 in doubles.
The four groups are playing in four cities this week to qualify for the Final 8 knockout stage to be held in Malaga, Spain, in November. The top two countries in each four-team group will advance.
In opening play on Tuesday, Belgium beat the Netherlands 2-1, Australia defeated France 2-1, Germany — playing without No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev — beat Slovakia 3-0 and Canada defeated Argentina 2-1.
Mbappe rejects mediation offer in $60m financial dispute with PSG
- Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million)
- PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season
PARIS: Kylian Mbappe is not ready to compromise with Paris Saint-Germain.
The France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the French soccer league’s legal commission on Wednesday in his dispute with his former club over wages and bonuses.
PSG officials and Mbappe’s representatives met in Paris after Mbappe asked the commission to get involved. Mbappe, who joined Real Madrid this summer on a free transfer, says PSG owes him €55 million ($60 million).
In a statement to The Associated Press, Mbappe’s representatives said the player asked the commission to take note of the non-payment of three months’ salary and the last third of a loyalty bonus.
“The eventuality of a mediation was mentioned this morning,” the statement read. “This possibility was rejected during the meeting by the player’s representative. A mediation would be useless to record a lack of payment that would be seen from a simple analysis of the player’s payslip.”
PSG, which said it was pleased with the two-hour hearing at the commission on Wednesday, said in a statement it recalled that Mbappe had formerly made “clear, repeated public and private commitments that must be respected, having been afforded unprecedented benefits by the club over seven fantastic years in Paris.”
PSG has argued that it does not owe money to the World Cup winner under an agreement when Mbappe was sidelined ahead of the 2023-24 season — following his decision not to prolong his contract with the club — with the player allegedly stipulating that he would relinquish bonuses over his reintegration into the team.
“To avoid its payment obligation, the club seeks to demonstrate the existence of a secret agreement that would justify it. But the club fails to demonstrate the existence of such an agreement,” Mbappe’s representatives said.
PSG said that the league’s legal commission recommended “mediation between the parties,” which the club said it had been seeking for months.
The French league did not respond to a request for comments from the AP.
The player’s representatives did not say what action they will now take. In light of the current deadlock, it’s likely the case will ultimately be settled by an employment court.
Mbappe’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions during his final season at the club.
PSG felt let down by Mbappe after offering him the most lucrative contract in the club’s history when he signed a new contract in 2022. But Mbappe was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept.
When he signed the new deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappe was reportedly annoyed about this because the contract was until 2024 with the option for an extra year.
Mbappe stunned PSG in June last year by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively into its final year, it put PSG in the position of needing to sell Mbappe to avoid losing him for free when the contract expired.
His PSG career could have ended in the summer of 2023 amid a tense transfer standoff. After telling the club he would not extend his contract for an extra year, Mbappe was left off a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said it would rather sell him than let the player leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300 million move to Saudi team Al-Hilal.
PSG left Mbappe out of the team’s opening league game of that season as the standoff continued but eventually let him return to the lineup after “constructive and positive talks” between the two parties, PSG said at the time.
Argentina goalkeeper Martinez under fire for hitting TV cameraman after loss to Colombia
- Jackson: Out of the blue he slapped me. I felt angry, very angry. I was working, just like he was
- Footballers have been suspended from games in similar situations, and that is what Colombia’s association of sports journalists — known as ACORD — wants FIFA to do
- Martinez and South American soccer body CONMEBOL did not make comments
BOGOTA, Colombia: A TV cameraman said Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez “slapped me” after Colombia’s 2-1 win in a World Cup qualifying match.
Jhonny Jackson told Colombian media he approached Martinez after the final whistle in Barranquilla on Tuesday as the goalkeeper greeted another player. Footage he captured shows the World Cup winner who Argentines know as Dibu hitting the camera, which quickly shakes to the ground after the impact.
“Out of the blue he slapped me,” Jackson told RCN Deportes on Wednesday. “I felt angry, very angry. I was working, just like he was. He was playing and I was shooting with my camera.”
He also sent a message to Martinez: “Dibu, my brother, how are you? I am Jhonny Jackson, the cameraman you assaulted in the match against Colombia. I wanted to tell you it is all good, my brother. Everyone has lost a match in their life. This defeat clearly meant a lot to you. But look ahead, Dibu.”
Jackson works for a company that delivers footage to channels Caracol Television and RCN Deportes.
Footballers have been suspended from games in similar situations, and that is what Colombia’s association of sports journalists — known as ACORD — wants FIFA to do. Its president Faiver Hoyos Hernandez said in a statement that Martinez attacked freedom of expression.
“As the journalistic authority in this country, ACORD wants FIFA to produce an exemplary sanction against Mr. Emiliano Dibu Martinez, who is no role model for new generations,” the statement said.
Martinez and South American soccer body CONMEBOL did not make comments.
Argentina lead the South American World Cup qualifying with 18 points after eight matches, two points ahead of Colombia. All teams have two more qualifying matches next month. The top six teams will get automatic spots at the 2026 World Cup.
England’s new white-ball era off to shaky start in loss to Australia in first T20 cricket match
SOUTHAMPTON, England: A new era for England’s white-ball teams got off to a shaky start with a 28-run loss to Australia on Wednesday in the first of three T20 matches between the fierce cricket rivals.
Australia was put into bat and dismissed for 179 with three balls remaining — an under-par score at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton given the team smashed 86 off the powerplay and was 118-2 after 10 overs. Travis Head hit a 19-ball fifty in his knock of 59 to get the Australians off to a rapid start.
England, with a batting lineup missing injured captain Jos Buttler and including uncapped Jordan Cox and Jacob Bethell, stumbled to 52-4. After Liam Livingstone (37) and Sam Curran (18) threatened a fightback with a 54-run partnership for the fifth wicket, England lost three wickets in 10 balls to plunge to 113-7 and was eventually all out for 151 with four balls left.
The other matches in the T20 series are in Cardiff on Friday and Manchester on Sunday. Then comes a five-match ODI series between the teams, where Buttler — England’s white-ball talisman — may return from his right calf injury that will cause him to miss the T20s.
With the 30-year-old Jamie Overton also selected for the first time, England’s lineup included three uncapped players as well as a stand-in captain in Phil Salt. Australia’s more-established team had too much for the hosts, with the 86-run opening partnership between Matthew Short (41 off 26 balls) and Head building an excellent platform.
Head crashed 30 runs off the first over bowled by Curran, who quickly disappeared from England attack.
It took the arrival of spinners Adil Rashid and Livingstone to slow the run-rate, and Australia started to quickly lose wickets — with the last eight departing for 61.
In the chase, the 23-year-old Cox was out for an unconvincing 17 off 12 balls and the 20-year-old Bethell managed only 2. Overton was also in the top seven of an inexperienced and fragile batting lineup, and made 15.
Australia’s fielding was brilliant, with Tim David’s catch — on the dive after turning round and running into the leg side — to remove Cox particularly standing out.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez gets 6-month driving ban
- The 23-year-old Fernandez did not appear in court for sentencing on Wednesday
CARDIFF: Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has been banned from driving for six months because of motoring offenses in Wales.
The 23-year-old Fernandez did not appear in court for sentencing on Wednesday. He had been found guilty earlier this year on two charges of failing to identify the driver of a Porsche Cayenne.
A driver of the car allegedly ran a red light in the town of Llanelli in November and was caught speeding in Swansea last December.
It was not proven that Fernandez was the driver of the vehicle.
Fernandez, who played for Argentina in Colombia on Tuesday, was the vehicle’s registered owner but did not respond to police requests for information.
He also was ordered to pay 3,020 pounds ($4,000) in fines and costs.
