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Tottenham reject takeover interest from third group

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Tottenham have “unequivocally rejected” an informal expression of interest from a consortium led by American tech entrepreneur Brooklyn Earick.

It is the third expression of interest rejected by the club’s board since the sudden departure of executive chairman Daniel Levy earlier this month.

In a statement, Enic Sports & Developments Holdings Ltd – which has an almost 87% stake in Tottenham – said it wanted to “reconfirm that Tottenham Hotspur is not for sale and Enic is not looking to sell its stake in the club”.

Earick has fuelled speculation by posting an image of the dressing room at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on social media, including a timer counting down the 27 days to 24 October.

UK takeover and merger rules dictate that, having had an expression of interest rejected, Earick’s consortium must make an offer by that date or announce he is not intending to do so.

Earick is a former DJ who also worked in spacecraft research for NASA before founding Redacted RnD, which focuses on technology, media, sport and entertainment.

The family of UK businessman Joe Lewis own the majority of Enic, while about 30% is held by Levy and his family.

A source close to the Lewis family also reiterated that the club is not for sale and said “this unsolicited and unnecessary interest does nothing to change the family’s resolve and commitment to do whatever it takes to drive success on the pitch”.

On 8 September, the club rejected approaches from former Newcastle United shareholder Amanda Staveley’s PCP International Finance Limited and a consortium led by Dr Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk Holdings Limited.

Tottenham manager Thomas Frank says he has received assurances about the future of the club from the Lewis family and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.

“The Lewis family has been very transparent, very good in the way they have communicated and it’s very clear the club is not for sale,” he said.

“Vinai, on top of everything, is very clear and for me, personally, I feel in a very stable environment going into work every day.”

Levy was the Premier League’s longest-serving chairman and is estimated to have earned more than £50m ($67.5m) during his almost quarter of a century in the role.

But he was also the target of regular protests by Spurs fans, especially last season.

The north London club won their first trophy in 16 years when they beat Manchester United in May’s Europa League final.

‘Spurs viewed as a club that is purchasable’

Today’s announcement by the Tottenham board is viewed by individuals close to the matter as largely a formality.

Market regulations require formal statements following speculation of such potential buy-outs.

It has been claimed to BBC Sport that Earick was approached to issue the statement to the London Stock Exchange following a report in a national newspaper that claimed he was spearheading a takeover bid.

However, it was eventually left to Tottenham and Enic to publicly address the speculation, despite the fact Earick has been posting on social media about the reported takeover bid on Friday morning.

The seriousness of Earick’s advances will become much clearer in the coming weeks. But what is clear is Tottenham is currently viewed as a club that is purchasable.

Of course, the key catalyst of the recent flurry of interest from parties interested in taking over at Tottenham is the departure of long-serving executive chairman Levy.

Levy’s exit has been taken by some as a clear sign that the Lewis family, who ultimately own the club, are preparing to sell.

However, the soundings, publicly and privately, are in complete contrast to the belief from some industry figures that the club is on the market.

The Lewis family are maintaining the club is simply not for sale. But that isn’t preventing groups from testing the water.

Indeed, in addition to Earick’s interest, a consortium involving Staveley have been among a number of parties not to have been dissuaded from pursuing a Spurs buyout despite the Lewis’ family’s stance.

If Earick is serious, then we may be about to find out how staunch the Lewis family are about leading Tottenham into the post-Levy era.

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Twig-gate? – Hatton makes great escape from behind branch

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Worried about the government’s €10m NFL spend? Donohoe says the payout will be ‘immense’

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AS CROKE PARK prepares to host an NFL game this weekend, the government is betting €10 million on the spectacle, with finance minister Paschal Donohoe promising the economic rewards will be huge.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings will meet in Dublin on Sunday in what will be the first regular-season NFL game ever played on the island of Ireland.

Around 75,000 people are expected at the Jones’ Road venue, with government estimates suggesting 30,000 of them will have travelled from abroad, according to Fáilte Ireland and the Department of Tourism.

They have projected that the event will generate €64m in additional economic activity for Ireland, with a direct Exchequer return on the State’s investment of nearly two to one.

The government has invested €9.95 million (before VAT) in hosting the match.

Donohoe said the spend was justified by the scale of international tourism and revenue that the game would bring.

“Yes, significant investment has gone in to delivering this NFL game, but I’m absolutely confident the reward in economic terms will be immense,” he said.

“This is a particular event… because of its ability to attract international and American tourists, some of whom are coming to Dublin for the first time, and that has an additional economic impact that we do have to justify.”

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Last year’s college football clash between Notre Dame and Navy at the Aviva Stadium was valued at €180 million, while the 2022 Nebraska v Northwestern game generated €53.5 million.

Munich’s first NFL game in 2022 produced a boost of just over €70 million.

The high-profile fixture this weekend has faced backlash from local politicians and sports figures, however

Eight-time All-Ireland winner Michael Darragh MacAuley said he would join protests against the event, criticising what he described as the NFL’s close ties with the US military.

“I’m disappointed about it,” he told The 42.

“I’m nearly laughing at myself when I hear some dissenting voices here saying sport and politics doesn’t mix. Try to say that to the NFL and the military.

“I think this is this is an organisation that doesn’t hold a high moral bar to anyone,” MacAuley added.

Some critics have also pointed to US support for Israel’s continued assaults and blockade on Gaza.

Labour councillor Darragh Moriarty warned of the “political and cultural cost” of tying Ireland’s national stadium to the NFL, while Green councillor Janet Horner called the city-wide promotion “ridiculous” and said it prioritised tourists over Dubliners.

People Before Profit TD Ruth Coppinger told the Dáil yesterday that American football was “steeped in militarism, racism and macho culture.”

With reporting from Jane Matthews

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‘Smirking’ men jailed for life over double murder

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imageShekaj and Reid families

“Smirking” killers who ran amok at a music video shoot, fatally stabbing two young people and severely injuring a third, have been handed life sentences.

Leonardo Reid, 15, and Klevi Shekaj, 23, were killed and 28-year-old Abdullah Abdullahi was badly hurt when a group of men armed with machetes ambushed the event in Archway, north London, on the night of 29 June 2023.

Lorik Lupqi, 22, and Jason Furtado, 28, had planned the attack and enlisted Abel Chunda, 29, Xavier Poponne, 22, and Eden Clark, 31, to help carry it out.

On Friday, they were handed two life sentences for the murders and 25 years in jail for attempted murder, having been found guilty after a long-running trial.

At the Old Bailey, Judge Anjua Dhir KC told Lupqi he would spend at least 39 years in prison for the “planned, brutal, murderous group attack”.

Furtado and Poponne received minimum terms of 37 years and Chunda and and Clark were given minimum terms of 38 years.

Lupqi, the instigator of the violence, lashed out in the dock and was verbally abusive towards Judge Dhir.

Judge Dhir told the defendants: “With the exception of Xavier Poponne, your behaviour during this trial has been appalling with constant outbursts in court, fights in the dock, disruptive behaviour in the cells in this building and difficult behaviour coming to and leaving this court.”

She said Lupqi had been “by far the worst”, adding that the defendants had shown “a complete lack of respect for the court process and the families of your victims”.

imageMetropolitan Police A composite image of Lorik Lupqi and Jason Furtado's police mugshots. Lupqi, on the left, wears a dark top and has dark thick straight eyebrows, a widow's peak, a short moustache and beard. Furtado, on the right, wears a grey marl top and has a short moustache and beard, pointed thick eyebrows, and jaw-length braids with a centre parting.Metropolitan Police

“However, I am sentencing you for offences and not for your conduct in court,” the judge said.

As Lupqi was being sent down in handcuffs, he swore and told Judge Dhir: “When I come out I’m going to kill you.”

All but Poponne had previous convictions, with a combined total of 201 offences, including for drugs and possession of weapons. Chunda alone had 97 convictions.

Earlier, the murder victims’ mothers had criticised the defendants for their lack of remorse, “smirking” during their trial and treating it like a “game”.

‘Played with our pain’

Leonardo’s mother, Valentina Locci, said: “My past, present and future has been crushed and taken, not only from me but my family, his siblings and all of our loved ones and friends, and for what?

“An adrenalin rush, an ego boost, a full sense of worth, a selfish gratification with no rewards, at cost to others. What I lost, what we have lost, cannot be found nor replaced.”

Mr Shekaj’s mother, Valbona Shekaj, said in her statement: “Instead of showing remorse or asking for forgiveness, they smirked at us from the defendant’s box.

“They played with our pain, and treated this entire trial as a game, as if the life they took and the devastation they caused meant nothing.”

imageMetropolitan Police Composite of Xavier Poponne, Abel Chunda and Eden Clark police mugshots. Pomponne wears a dark tracksuit top and has short fluffy facial hair on his chin and a blemish on the side of his nose. Chunda wears a grey tracksuit jacket over an olive-green high neck shell top with a zip. He has stubble and an uneven skin tone. Clark wears a blue football shirt and a beard and moustache. All three are pictured in front of a grey wall and are looking at the camera with sullen expressions.Metropolitan Police

The trial had heard how violence erupted after a large group gathered on the Elthorne Estate to record a music video for an artist called Tight Road Baby.

Lupqi had heard that members of a rival gang might be there and called for the attack with the help of Furtado who enlisted Chunda, Clark and Poponne.

Lupqi booked a taxi to pick up the three men from near where Furtado lived in Canonbury, north London.

They wore masks and were armed with machetes as they travelled to the Elthorne Estate where they met Lupqi.

Leonardo and his brother had been watching the music video being filmed with friends.

They scattered after one of their number spotted a black-clad figure wearing a balaclava crouching down and moving towards them with a large knife.

Leonardo’s brother looped back later and saw someone lying motionless on the ground. It was only then he realised it was his brother.

Leonardo had been stabbed in the chest, the wound cutting through his left lung and one of the major blood vessels in his body, causing fatal blood loss.

Mr Shekaj was stabbed in the back, with the wound cutting through his left lung and deep into his body. He died on arrival at hospital.

‘Got me a trio’

Mr Abdullahi was chased and struck with a machete twice to the right side of his body, to the head and right knee.

Judge Dhir said he was “terrified” when he came to court to give evidence in the trial.

After the attack, the taxi took Chunda, Poponne, Clark and Lupqi away from the scene to Chunda’s home in Highgate Hill.

Jurors were told of lyrics recovered from Islington resident Poppone’s phones in which he glorified the killings and bragged he “got me a trio”.

Furtado and Lupqi were wearing electronic tags at the time of the attack.

Lupqi, from Archway, cut off his tag and fled to Kosovo, but was extradited back to the UK.

On Friday, Poponne was handed additional concurrent sentences for dealing in class A drugs and carrying knives, offences he admitted.

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