Tottenham make pre-match facilities for visiting teams less hospitable, Donald Trump’s links to the darkest levels of sport and plans for Ryder Cup to be held in Bolton accelerate: INSIDE SPORT
Tottenham are pulling out all the stops in an attempt to make their new stadium less hospitable for visiting teams.
Those who previously travelled to the shiny facility were treated to a dressing room along with no fewer than four separate rooms in which to prepare.
However, it has been noticeable that some of the rooms have now been locked on matchdays, bringing the facilities offered in line with their Premier League rivals.
The decision is thought to have been made by senior leadership, with the backing of manager Roberto De Zerbi.
Plans for the Ryder Cup to be held in Bolton, first revealed by Daily Mail Sport in 2021, appear to be gathering pace. New Prime Minister Andy Burnham is known to be behind the proposals, while Greater Manchester Combined Authority have already green-lighted £60m for a key new road around the site, in Hulton Park.
Officials are now waiting to hear if they have been chosen as the venue for the UK’s bid for the event in 2035.
Tottenham are pulling out all the stops in an attempt to make their new stadium less hospitable
If the Trump family’s investment into the Enhanced Games, alongside their shameless involvement in the Gianni Infantino scheme to plunder the soul of world football was bad enough, along comes an even more bizarre case with links to the highest and darkest levels of world sport.
The hugely influential Russian oligarch, Umar Kremlev, who is close to president Vladimir Putin is widely reported to have covered the cost of Donald Trump Jr’s recent wedding.
Kremlev is also the president of the Olympic-ostracized International Boxing Association and is desperately seeking high level connections to get back in favour with the IOC.
And while the Trump family are now claiming it will all be paid back, their portfolio of wealth generation schemes from the darker side of sport continues to grow.
There is a buzz among publishers about a book at the early stages of being written by former West Ham midfielder and maverick manager Martin Allen.
Allen, better known throughout football as ‘Mad Dog’, has been putting down the stories from a playing and managerial career stretching back more than four decades.
Umar Kremlev, who is close to president Vladimir Putin is widely reported to have covered the cost of Donald Trump Jr’s recent wedding
Among the many tales there is understood to be a sensitive episode from Allen’s past that will require careful legal consideration before publication. Allen won’t discuss the details, saying only: ‘I’ve got plenty of stories.’ The book is still at an early stage, but it would appear that Mad Dog has rather more to tell than the usual well-worn dressing-room autobiography.
There were raised eyebrows at Southampton when officials watched the Jose Mourinho documentary on Netflix.
In one revealing section, former Chelsea captain John Terry reveals that Mourinho obtained a video of a Bolton Wanderers training session, before the two were to play each other.
‘It was just like – wow, who gets footage from someone’s training ground? I am actually still not sure where he got the footage from!’
Saints are waiting to hear the FA’s punishment for their role in Spygate, having been thrown out of last season’s play-offs by the EFL after an intern was caught filming a Boro session from behind a tree.
