Ahead of the Game: Trump’s pledge to LIV and PGA, Charlton eye move
LIV Golf executives will be cheered by Donald Trump’s march on the White House in the belief that the former president’s second US election win would lead to the long-heralded merger with the PGA Tour finally taking place.
Negotiations between the two rival tours have been taking place for over 18 months, with one of the biggest obstacles to a deal being the Department of Justice’s threat to block it on the grounds a merger would violate competition law.
While the DOJ is independent of the executive under the US Constitution, the president exerts considerable influence through making key appointments, such as the attorney general, deputy attorney general and solicitor general.
There is little doubt that as president golf fanatic Trump would be in the Saudi-backed LIV corner, and on a presidential visit to Japan in 2019 he described crown prince Mohammed bin Salman as a “friend of mine”.
The friendship has extended to business, with five LIV Golf events played at courses owned by Trump in the first three years of the tour, and Saudi’s Public Investment Fund ploughing $2bn in Affinity Partners, the private equity firm owned by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Trump has also played golf with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the PIF governor and LIV Golf chairman, and has made it clear he would push through a deal.
“I could certainly help, but I could probably get it done,” Trump told Bill Belichick’s Let’s Go podcast earlier this week ahead of the US election. “I would say it would take me the better part of 15 minutes to get that deal done.”
Ironically, the PGA Tour, which cut ties with Trump two years ago by stripping his Bedminster course in New Jersey of hosting rights for the PGA Championship, would also benefit.
Charlton offered Valley alternatives
Charlton Athletic have been offered two potential sites for a new stadium on the Thames should they be forced to leave The Valley.
The League One’s club’s preference is to remain at the ground that has been their home since the 1920s, but the stadium belongs to Belgian businessman and politician Roland Duchatelet, their controversial former owner.
Charlton signed a 15-year lease for The Valley with Duchatelet after he sold the club to East Street Investments in 2020. The club were subsequently sold on last year to Global Football Partners, who are seeking to renegotiate the terms of a lease which has 11 years remaining.
Charlton are understood to have held positive talks with Duchatelet about extending the lease in a deal which could be the precursor to them buying the ground outright.
In addition to providing greater security, a stadium purchase would increase the club’s prospects of expanding The Valley beyond its current 27,000 capacity.
Having been offered other sites by property developers, Charlton have considered the merits of a possible move, but the cost is considered prohibitive, with the price of building a new stadium projected to be at least £100m.
Leaving The Valley would also prove controversial with Charlton fans as many supporters have a strong emotional connection to the ground.
In 1985 Charlton moved to Selhurst Park to groundshare with Crystal Palace due to financial problems, with Greenwich Council blocking a subsequent plan for the club to move back to The Valley.
In response Charlton fans formed the Valley Party to contest the 1990 council elections, unseating the chair of the planning board, before finally returning to their home two years later.
A spokesperson for Charlton Athletic said: “The Valley is the home of Charlton Athletic and the club have no plans to leave the stadium. We have a medium-term lease on the stadium and our only interest is securing the club’s long-term tenure at The Valley.”
Third county digs in over The Hundred sale
Warwickshire have joined Surrey and the MCC in signalling their determination to keep hold of the 51 per cent share in the Hundred franchise, Birmingham Phoenix, that they will be gifted by English cricket chiefs the ECB.
All three clubs want to keep majority control of their Hundred team rather than sell to private investors, which the other five franchise hosts appear willing to do.
The second round of bidding in the Hundred auction closes later this month, with a final round before Christmas. The ECB had been buoyed by receiving several bids of more than £100m in the first round, although at this stage they are only indicative rather than binding.
Aggers void left unfilled at BBC
The BBC has no immediate plans to replace Jonathan Agnew as cricket correspondent following his retirement last month – a sign that the corporation may be scaling back its coverage of the sport.
The iconic Test Match Special programme has lost many of its rights packages in recent years to Talksport, which is currently offering live coverage of England’s white-ball tour of the West Indies.
Talksport also has the rights to next month’s Test series in New Zealand and the one-day and T20 series in India in January.
The BBC does not have any live cricket rights until the Champions Trophy in Pakistan in February and March, although they remain the exclusive radio home of England’s domestic matches and have the rights for next winter’s Ashes tour.
Agnew will continue to commentate for TMS without filling the correspondent’s role, with the BBC likely to rely on their team of reporters including the highly-regarded Henry Moeran and Stephan Shemilt for news and analysis, in the short term at least.
The absence of a full-time BBC cricket correspondent breaks a chain stretching back to 1963 when Brian Johnston was the corporation’s first appointment to the role.
The legendary Johnners was succeded 12 years later by Christopher Martin-Jenkins, who was in turn replaced by Agnew in 1991, the start of a remarkable 33-year stint.