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    Saudi Arabia ready to suspend its alcohol ban to boost its bid to host 2034 World Cup

    SAUDI Arabia is ready to suspend its alcohol ban to boost its unpopular bid to stage the 2034 World Cup.Fearing thousands of fans would shun a dry tournament, a compromise deal could see booze sold in hotels and restricted fan zones.
    Saudi Arabia is ready to suspend its alcohol ban to boost its bid to stage the 2034 World CupCredit: Reuters
    The Arab nation became the controversial favourite to host 2034 after Fifa handed the 2030 tournament to Spain, Portugal, Morocco — plus opening games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
    Critics accused football chiefs of grabbing “dirty money” from a state guilty of appalling human right abuses and the gruesome murder of a dissident journalist.
    The Muslim country outlaws alcohol sale and consumption — and foreigners caught drinking face public flogging, huge fines, lengthy imprisonment and deportation.
    But a Saudi source told The Sun: “Football fans will be allowed to drink if Saudi Arabia stages the World Cup.
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    “It has not been publicly discussed but it is an accepted fact.
    “We acknowledge very serious mistakes have been made in the past and want the world to understand that we are changing.”
    Last year, Qatar broke its promise to allow beer sales at matches just two days before kick-off — banning sponsor Budweiser’s lager until after the evening call to prayer. More

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    I live next to a Premier League ground and they want to have boozy, late-night concerts – but we took them on

    ONE OF the Premier League’s wealthiest football clubs has suffered a defeat long before the new season starts – dished out by neighbours unhappy about their boozy late-night gig plans.Residents living close to the billionaire-backed team’s stadium launched a protest campaign against the prospect of pop concerts featuring all-day alcohol sales.
    A Premier League giant has been forced to back down on pop concert plansCredit: Reuters
    The rebellion by neighbouring residents marks the latest recent setback for the BluesCredit: PA
    The high-profile gigs would have added to the existing annual sporting calendar of 19 league home games plus cup ties.
    But the plan has now been scrapped in a victory for neighbours over the club’s rich US owners.
    The venue in question is Stamford Bridge, in well-to-do west London – and the club now licking its wounds is two-time Uefa Champions League winners Chelsea FC.
    The ruling has been hailed as a triumph for people power, with campaigners today celebrating how they had “frightened” the footballing power which has a lion on the badge and as its mascot.
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    Chelsea were bought by a US consortium headed by Todd Boehly last summer, after Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich – bankroller of the Blues since 2003 – was forced to cede control following his country’s invasion of Ukraine.
    The club, who have long been investigating for years how to boost Stamford Bridge’s 41,000-capacity, wanted to boost revenue in the meantime by hosting concerts there.
    London rivals Tottenham Hotspur have attracted music superstars such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Guns N’ Roses to perform at their new 62,850-capacity stadium since opening it in 2019.
    Yet Chelsea have been forced to abandon their hopes of doing similar.
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    Hundreds of residents living around the ground – which is in Fulham, south-west London – signed petitions urging Hammersmith and Fulham council to refuse permission.
    Chelsea had applied for approval for a concert venue in part of their stadium.
    Under their proposals, it would have remained throughout the year with an alcohol licence from 10am until 11pm, the Mail On Sunday reported.
    Yet after talks with council officers, the club has now decided to withdraw the application – to neighbours’ delight.
    Writer Kate Reardon, who has lived close by for eight years, said: “We are thankful Chelsea have chosen to engage and listen to residents’ concerns.”
    But she went on: “What really frightened them was the sheer scale of the application.
    “It would have given any future owners the possibility of making the residents’ lives a misery.
    “Chelsea have been here since 1905 and their ability to influence the health and happiness of the neighbourhood cannot be understated.”
    Another happy local, 49-year-old Ramzi Mroueh, said: “We are relieved and very grateful that Chelsea FC listened to our concerns and pulled the application.”
    And neighbour Adriana Ennab said: “It shows what is possible when the community works together towards a goal.”
    Chelsea’s hopes of emulating London rivals such as Spurs, Arsenal and West Ham United by getting a bigger ground have also been hampered by technicalities.
    Stamford Bridge is owned by thousands of fans in shares, giving the the Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC organisation a big say on whether the Blues can move.
    The group have to approve the shift from Stamford Bridge if the club were to continue in their current form of “Chelsea”.
    The CPO also owns the freehold to the Bridge and would need to be bought out by the club’s owners for control of the stadium.
    Abramovich, a former ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, attempted to buy the land in 2012 but was rebuffed by CPO shareholders.
    Blues fans suffered more misery in the Premier League season which concluded last month, with the club finishing 12th in the table – their lowest placing since 14th in 1994.
    They went through four managers in 2022-2023 – Thomas Tuchel, ex-Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter, one-game interim head coach Bruno Saltor then returning club legend Frank Lampard whose 11-match caretaker spell brought just one win.
    They have since hired a permanent replacement in former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino.
    Spurs are not the only Premier League club in London who are able to put on pop concerts.
    Arsenal’s 60,074-capacity Emirates Stadium has hosted the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Green Day, the Killers and earlier this month the Arctic Monkeys ahead of their Glastonbury headline spot this weekend.
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    The Rolling Stones, Robbie Williams, the Foo Fighters, Muse and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers have played West Ham’s 66,000-seat London Stadium which was originally built for the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics.
    Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s home since 1905, currently has capacity for 41,000 fansCredit: Getty
    Beyonce last month brought her Renaissance world tour to the home of Chelsea’s London rivals Tottenham Hotspur for five nights
    The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has also hosted Lady Gaga and Guns N’ RosesCredit: Getty More

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    Ex-Premier League star who went from millions to Universal Credit & bankruptcy wins row over house ownership

    A FOOTBALL star who went from earning millions to going bankrupt and claiming benefits has won a court battle over a home.Ex-Premier League striker Marcus Bent has fought off bankruptcy trustees who tried for four years to seize a London property.
    Ex-Premier League footballer Marcus Bent has been battling bankruptcy officialsCredit: Simon Jones – The Sun
    They said the former striker – who played for top-flight sides Everton, Brentford, Crystal Palace and Wolves – owned the house and should hand it over to help pay off debts.
    Yet 45-year-old Bent, who went bankrupt in January 2019, insisted it belonged to his 19-year-old daughter.
    He bought it for her in 2006 and meant it to be held in trust for her until she turned 18, he told London’s specialist Insolvency and Companies Court.
    Now judge Clive Jones has ruled in his favour, London’s Evening Standard newspaper reported.
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    He said Bent’s estimated debt following bankrutpcy proceedings brought by tax officials was “a couple of million”.
    But Mr Jones said the house “fell outside the bankruptcy estate” and that trustees administering the estate, had “no interest” in it.
    Former England Under-21 international Bent, watching via videolink, told the judge after hearing the verdict: “We are very happy.”
    His daughter is from a former relationship with ex-fiancee Kelly Clark which ended in 2006, the same year he got together with Hollyoaks actress and future Strictly Come Dancing star Gemma Atkinson.
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    After they too split he later dated model and Celebrity Big Brother contestant Danielle Lloyd.
    Bent earned up to £20,000 a week during his football career but endured a miserable fall from grace after retiring.
    He turned to drugs and alcohol and also found himself with a criminal record after a police raid which saw him Tasered.
    And despite earning an estimated £10m during his playing days, he struggled with his finances – culminating in bankruptcy in 2019.
    He later told of being forced to claim Universal Credit benefits.
    Bent, born in Hammersmith in west London, was banned from the roads for 32 months in March last year after being found four times over the drink-drive limit.
    He pleaded guilty to driving his grey BMW X5 three-litre diesel on the A3 at Tibbet’s Corner in south-west London on February 27 last year.
    Magistrates in Wimbledon rejected his excuse he had only had two glasses of wine the night before, describing his reading as one of the highest they had seen.
    He was recorded at 134 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, whereas the the legal limit is 35.
    Bent’s lawyer Scott Ewing told the court the ex-footballer was “remorseful” while outlining his financial woes.
    Mr Ewing said: “He is not working at the moment, but does some football match commentary and recently was on Universal Credit.
    “He has no income, save for a £20,000 return on an investment, and says he had depression that led to drug and alcohol issues in the past.”
    Mr Ewing also described football as a “comfort blanket” for Bent, who struggled to cope after retiring and “went from having a high-profile, successful career to nothing”.
    The lawyer added: “Unfortunately sycophants and leeches provided unregulated investment advice.
    “He has now hit rock bottom, from where he’s looking up and there’s only one direction to go and that’s to give advice to others so they don’t fall into the same traps.
    “It is a pity it has taken something like this for Mr Bent to get the assistance he needs.”
    Bent had appeared in the same courthouse in 2016, being fined £385 for possessing cocaine at Chessington World of Adventures.
    Earlier that year he received a suspended prison sentence for possessing cocaine and affray, after being Tasered by police arresting him at his home in Esher, Surrey.
    His affray trial heard how he was high on cocaine when he ran at officers while wielding a meat cleaver and a kitchen knife.
    He later insisted: “At no point was I ever going to take someone’s life. I called them because I was hallucinating, paranoid, terrified.”
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    But he revealed it prompted him to go into rehab, including a spell helped by former England and Arsenal captain Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance clinic.
    Bent’s other clubs during a 573-game, 113-goal career included Sheffield United – also now in the Premier League – as well as current Championship sides Birmingham City, Blackburn Rovers, Ipswich Town, Leicester City, Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers.
    Bent’s 14 English league clubs included Championship side Birmingham CityCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    The former striker was banned for drink-driving by Wimbledon magistrates last yearCredit: Square Mile News More