SPORTS AGENDA: The £3.75BILLION price tag put on Manchester United by the Glazers could tempt interest from Dubai – who are yet to follow other states in buying a Premier League club
- The Glazers have set a price tag of around £3.75billion on Manchester United
- That may well be within the range of a sovereign wealth fund such as Dubai
- The PGMOL are looking for a Chief Operating Officer and Performance Director
- Leeds United are continuing their quest to redevelop their Elland Road stadium
- The identity of Jack Draper’s father was airbrushed from the story of his rise
- Liz Truss’ press secretary is appointed to the British Horseracing Authority
- Brexit has impacted the carbon footprint of the Premier League as a whole
Around £3.75billion would be enough to prise Manchester United from the Glazer family, according to well-placed sources.
It remains to be seen whether such a figure would be palatable to Britain’s richest man and United supporter Jim Ratcliffe, who failed with a recent bid for Chelsea.
It may well, however, be within the range of a sovereign wealth fund such as Dubai, which is yet to follow Abu Dhabi (Manchester City) and Saudi Arabia (Newcastle United) in adding a top-flight club to its portfolio. The Emirate is rumoured be a contender.
The Glazer family have put a price tag of around £3.75billion on Manchester United
Dubai is yet to follow Abu Dhabi (Manchester City) and Saudi Arabia (Newcastle) in adding a top-flight club to its portfolio
PGMOL still looking for Chief Operating Officer
With Howard Webb confirmed as chief refereeing officer, the officials’ body PGMOL are still looking to add a chief operating officer and performance director.
Announcements are expected in due course. Given this weekend’s VAR mayhem, the new appointees cannot arrive quickly enough.
Leeds progressing with their bid to develop Elland Road
Leeds United are progressing with their quest to redevelop Elland Road which would see capacity raised to 55,000 and hand a huge boost to the club’s revenues.
Managing director Angus Kinnear is leading the drive, and expect Peter Lowy — former chief executive of the Westfield Group — to play an influential role when the project gets underway.
The club have 22,000 fans on a waiting list for season tickets and the expansion would include a significant increase in corporate and retail facilities.
No dates have been set but expansion is high on the agenda.
Leeds are continuing in their quest to redevelop Elland Road with 22,000 fans on a waiting list
Jack Draper’s father airbrushed from story of his rise
British media at the US Open in New York were alerted this week by the Lawn Tennis Association’s vast communications operation to a potentially helpful piece on their website about Jack Draper, the rising star of the domestic game.
Published ahead of his third-round match against Karen Khachanov (from which he was forced to retire), it tells in some detail the story of his progress from promising junior to the world’s top 50.
The press pack was bemused to find one of the most interesting biographical facts had been airbrushed from this official history: there was no mention that Jack’s father Roger was chief executive of the LTA from 2006 to 2013.
The identity of the father of Britain’s Jack Draper was absent in the US Open’s story of his rise
Liz Truss’ press secretary joins British Horseracing
Liz Truss’s press secretary has been appointed director of communications at the British Horseracing Authority.
Greg Swift, a former assistant editor at the Daily Express, joins the BHA on the same day his current boss is expected to be announced as Prime Minister. BHA officials hope Swift’s extensive government background will be a key asset.
Indian Olympic chief had his transport privileges removed at Birmingham 2022
Indian Olympic Association treasurer Anandeshwar Pandey had his transport privileges removed during the Birmingham Commonwealth Games after claims of inappropriate behaviour towards a female bus driver.
The volunteer felt ‘uncomfortable’ and ‘in an awkward situation’. Pandey suggested to the Press Trust of India that the incident had been trivial.
‘If I would have done anything serious, my Games accreditation would have been revoked but that did not happen,’ he said. ‘Only my transport privileges were withdrawn.
‘It was a case of misunderstanding with a female driver while I was on my way back to the Games village from the wrestling venue.’
Pandey has also been accused of sexual assault in his homeland by handball player Seema Sharma.
The situation comes with India hosting next year’s International Olympic Committee session and hoping to host the Games in the future.
Brexit affects Premier League’s carbon footprint
Brexit would appear to have done little for the Premier League’s carbon footprint.
Until the decision to leave the European Union, clubs would often use planes based in the UK, but registered in Europe, to take their squads to long-distance fixtures.
That is no longer possible and sides have struggled to find jets big enough to take their travelling parties.
Some have needed to charter two smaller planes and the issue has created logistical problems, with Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel bemoaning he and his staff had to travel by road to Leeds because the plane available was only big enough for his players.
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel bemoaned his side’s inability to charter a plane to Leeds
Premier League sides set for warm-weather training
Last-minute deals may be the order of the day when it comes to Premier League clubs’ plans for the winter World Cup.
A number of top-flight sides are considering warm-weather training camps for those players not representing their countries in Qatar.
The situation, however, is complicated given the clubs do not know how many players will miss out on call-ups. Expect a rush to the travel agents when the final squads are announced.
WSL sides to continue to take the knee
Players in the Women’s Super League are set to continue taking the knee before matches.
Each club will continue to decide what they want to do, but insiders have disclosed that most are keen to continue with the anti-racism gesture.
In the Premier League, players have agreed to take the knee at high-profile moments during the season rather than before the start of each game.
Sky Sports cameraman undeterred in Aubameyang pursuit
Top marks to Sky Sports News cameraman Dave Scattergood, who was having none of it when a jumped-up member of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s entourage tried to block his lens as he filmed the Chelsea new boy on a public street in London, arriving to complete a medical ahead of his move from Barcelona.
Aubameyang happily spoke to Sky reporter Gary Cotterill but a member of his group repeatedly tried to cover Scattergood’s camera — only to have his arm moved out of the way.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Chelsea on deadline day for £10m from Barcelona
USA gymnastics re-write policy for protecting athletes
USA Gymnastics have just launched a new look, seemingly to help the sport move on from the horrific sexual abuse of multiple young athletes by former team doctor Dr Larry Nassar.
The federation has re-written its policy for protecting athlete safety and welfare after widespread consultation with the gymnastics community.
Judging by the recent dramatic rise in sexual abuse allegations by athletes against sports officials around the world, the USAG policy could become a blueprint for others when it comes to safeguarding the young and vulnerable.
USA Gymnastics launched a new look to help the sport move on from sexual abuse scandal
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