Antonio Conte’s problems at Tottenham have not been helped by an astonishing collapse in the financial assets of one of the club’s potential investors, Singaporean billionaire Forrest Li.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had been hopeful of attracting fresh investment with which to bolster Conte’s squad last month, with Li seen as a prime candidate after he recently visited the club, but it failed to materialise as the internet entrepreneur lost billions on the New York Stock Exchange.
Li’s gaming and e-commerce company Sea Ltd was worth around £15billion last October, but the stock has almost halved in value since, following a number of set-backs, including the Indian government banning many of its gaming apps.
Li has denied an imminent bid for Tottenham, but has previously outlined plans to invest in European football after buying Singapore club Lion City Sailors in 2020.
Tottenham have suffered more than most Premier League clubs during the pandemic due to the cost of refinancing loans related to the new stadium. That has limited their scope for on-field investment, much to Conte’s frustration.
BT SPORT MISS OUT ON REDS ROUT
BT Sport executives were left kicking themselves this week after missing out on televising Liverpool’s 6-0 thrashing of Leeds despite the fixture being one of their live picks.
Leeds’ trip to Anfield - in which Sadio Mane and Mo Salah both scored twice - was scheduled to take place on Boxing Day but postponed due to a Covid outbreak.
BT opted to show Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Crystal Palace that day, rather than wait for the game to be rearranged.
BT also had the rights to show another rearranged game last Wednesday - Palace’s 4-1 win over Watford - but opted not to do so to avoid a clash with their Champions League coverage, the highlight of which was Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.
Burnley’s win over Tottenham this week also took place without any live TV coverage, but that game was never due to be broadcast.
TURN OVER TO SEE FA CUP TIES
Fans are facing the prospect of having to channel-hop if they want to watch this week’s FA Cup fifth-round ties to their conclusion due to late kick-off times and the possibility of extra time leading to clashes with the News at Ten, on both BBC and ITV.
Both broadcasters have delayed their nightly news bulletins when they clashed with football in the past, but are unlikely to do so on this occasion given the seismic events unfolding in Ukraine following Russia’s invasion.
Tottenham’s trip to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night is due to be shown on BBC One with a 7:55pm kick-off, which would go beyond 10pm in the event of extra time.
ITV’s coverage of Liverpool v Norwich and Everton v Boreham Wood on Wednesday and Thursday respectively - which both kick off at 8.15pm - will definitely conflict with the news.
The BBC and ITV are understood to be keeping their schedules under review, with moving the end of the FA Cup ties off their main channels the most likely outcome.
GOVERNMENT WARY OF PILING PRESSURE ON UEFA
The government have been wary of putting too much pressure on UEFA to take sporting sanctions against Russia.
They want to keep Europe’s governing body onside pending the outcome of the Home Nations Euro 2028 bid.
Although Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries welcomed the decision to move the Champions League final from St Petersburg to Paris, it has been noticeable that there have been no calls from ministers for UEFA to end their £33.5million-a-year sponsorship deal with Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned utility company.
UEFA are set to end the contract two years early however, with termination expected before the Champions League last 16 resumes on March 8.
PREMIER LEAGUE LOOK TO DROP COVID RULES
The Premier League are aiming to drop all of their Covid-19 protocols for the final two matches of the season in May with a view to beginning next season with no restrictions in place.
Clubs have opted to continue testing their players and staff twice a week, as well as maintaining limited-access red zones at stadiums and training grounds.
This is despite the Government lifting all Covid measures this week, but clubs want to return to normal in August.