Premier League
SINGAPORE FIRM CLOSE TO BUYING NEWCASTLE UNITED
The Singapore-registered company that says it is close to buying English soccer club Newcastle United admits it doctored photos of former US president Barack Obama in marketing materials used to publicise the newly formed group.
Bellagraph Nova Group (BN Group) also said some of the information in those materials was released prematurely or contained errors after Reuters found inconsistencies when speaking to firms and persons BN Group says it is involved with.
Speaking on behalf of BN Group’s principals, Nereides Antonio Giamundo de Bourbon, head of investor relations, acknowledged that the company had altered photos of Obama to make it look as though he had attended a meeting with its executives in Paris.
His admission came on Wednesday (Aug 19) in response to questions from Reuters.
BN Group has now removed the photos from its website.
However, Bourbon denied that the company had deliberately made any false claims about certain aspects of its business.
The company, which says it had a turnover of US$12 billion (S$16 billion) last year and describes itself in marketing materials as the “world’s fastest growing conglomerate”, has said on its website and in press releases that it is headquartered in Paris.
No company called Bellagraph Nova Group is registered in France, according to official online records checked by Reuters on Friday. Reuters could not find any company by that name at the address it has given – 10 Place Vendome – when a reporter visited on Tuesday.
A receptionist at an office rental business operated by Regus in the building said BN Group had used its space but its staff were not always present. Bourbon maintained to Reuters that BN Group had a permanent office in Place Vendome.
In addition, the group, which was incorporated in Singapore last month, has said financial technology firm – Hydra X – is one of the entities in its global empire and that it is implementing a trading system for the Singapore Exchange.
Hydra X has denied both those claims. The Singapore Exchange has also denied Hydra X is implementing a trading system.
‘PHOTOSHOP PICTURE’
BN Group’s website and press releases in recent weeks have featured photos of Obama with the firm’s owners, Singaporean businessmen Terence and Nelson Loh, and Evangeline Shen, a Chinese jewellery merchant and former Morgan Stanley banker.
While Shen and the Lohs had photos taken with Obama at a charity event they sponsored in Singapore on Dec 14, BN Group’s Bourbon said some of the photos published in press releases on its website and sent to media had been edited to make it look as though Obama was in a private meeting.
“We are serious people… the only ambiguous thing has been the photoshop picture,” he said. “There wasn’t any malicious aim behind it.”
Shen declined to be interviewed for this story. The Loh cousins did not respond to requests for comment.
The charity event where the photos of Obama were taken was sponsored by Novena Global Lifecare, a Singapore healthcare company founded in 2010 by the Loh cousins.
The photographer who took the pictures confirmed to Reuters that they were taken at the gala event in Singapore.
Obama’s office and the Obama Foundation did not respond to requests for comment about the photos or the BN Group.
The company grabbed global headlines on Aug 15 when it announced it had submitted a takeover bid for one of England’s most high-profile soccer clubs, adding that it had enlisted the help of Newcastle legend and former England captain Alan Shearer as well as another former player, Michael Chopra, in its bid.
The surprise announcement adds to years of speculation over the future of Newcastle United, which has been the subject of several fruitless takeover bids, including a US$390 million Saudi-backed deal that collapsed last week.
If BN Group’s bid is accepted, the English Premier League would then carry out its owners and directors test which involves looking into the backgrounds of the people involved to assess their suitability to own a soccer club.
Newcastle United declined to comment on the bid or BN Group. The club’s owner, Mike Ashley, did not respond to requests for comment.
Shearer’s management told Reuters he was not involved in the takeover bid. Chopra, who on Aug 14 retweeted a picture of himself at the offices of BN Group, did not respond to a request for comment.
HYDRA X
A firm called Bellagraph Nova – which lists the Lohs and Shen as its three directors and shareholders – was incorporated in Singapore on July 20 and is registered to an office above a row of shops in the city-state.
BN Group has said on its website and in marketing materials that it is a French company with an office in Paris at 10 Place Vendome, an exclusive square home to the Ritz Paris hotel and luxury stores such as Chanel and Louis Vuitton.
Reuters found no record of any company registered in France called Bellagraph Nova Group on the online database of the Registries of the Commercial Courts, the French state agency that holds company information.
Singapore-based Hydra X is one of the entities BN Group has said in marketing materials sent to Reuters on Monday is part of its global conglomerate of 23,000 employees.
It said in those materials that Hydra X was “designing and implementing” a trading system for the Singapore Exchange.
When contacted for comment, Hydra X and the exchange denied this. Bourbon said there had been a mistake in translating the company’s description in its marketing documents.
Hydra X said BN Group was not a shareholder. It said in an emailed statement to Reuters that it was privately owned, predominantly by individual investors, and that it shared no legal or beneficial owners with the BN Group, nor was part of, or a subsidiary, of the BN Group.
Hydra X said it had entered “into a joint venture with a related entity” of BN Group to build technology solutions unrelated to financial technology. It declined to name the entity.
Bourbon maintained to Reuters that Hydra X was owned by BN Group and was in the process of merging into the group. He said sharing further details would break non-disclosure agreements.
“Sometimes the marketing moves faster than the process,” he said.
NETX LISTING
BN Group’s official Instagram account also says one of its entities, a robotics company called NETX, is listed in Singapore and on New York’s Nasdaq exchange.
Reuters found no record of a company called NETX on those exchanges. Bourbon said they had announced the listings “prematurely” but they were under way.
Without elaborating further, the Singapore exchange referred Reuters to a filing in which a company listed on its junior bourse, bought by the Loh’s investment company DORR Group last month, has proposed to change its name to NETX later in August.
Nasdaq did not respond to requests for comment.
BN Group’s modest Singapore office – on the top floor of a four-storey building above a pet shop and an Indian restaurant – is also the address of Novena Global Lifecare and other firms it owns such as a fine wine merchant and an investment manager.
When Reuters visited the office on Thursday, there was nobody at the reception desk. In the hallway stood a dormant, shoulder-height robot like the ones used in online marketing campaigns for NETX.
A woman, who came out of a glass-walled meeting room to speak to Reuters, said neither the Lohs nor Shen were present.
Bourbon said the Singapore-registered Bellagraph Nova company at that address was the parent firm. “We started from Singapore but we are moving all our realty to Europe.”
-Reuters
Arsenal edged a step closer to the Premier League title with Leandro Trossard’s late goal and a slice of fortune in stoppage time, securing a precious 1-0 victory at relegation-threatened West Ham United to put them five points clear on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta’s side looked like dropping points to keep the door ajar for chasing Manchester City, but Trossard’s 83rd-minute goal means that victories over Burnley and Crystal Palace will guarantee their first English crown since 2004.
An off-key Arsenal were living on their nerves and survived a huge scare in stoppage time as West Ham’s Callum Wilson fired home in a goalmouth scramble, but his effort was ruled out for a foul on Arsenal keeper David Raya after a lengthy VAR check.
It completed a stunning week for Arsenal, who reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006 by beating Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Victory left them on 79 points from 36 games with City, who have a game in hand against Crystal Palace on Wednesday, on 74 from 35. West Ham stay third from bottom on 36 points from 36 games and will be desperately hoping that Leeds United can take points off 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Monday.
“It has been a hell of a week, a rollercoaster of a week, with everything we have had to play for and all of the emotions in those games,” Arteta said.
West Ham’s bitter defeat means Leeds and Nottingham Forest are safe from relegation. Forest drew 1-1 at home against Newcastle United with a late equaliser by Elliot Anderson, taking them to 43 points.
Aston Villa suffered a European hangover in a 2-2 draw with already-relegated Burnley that stalled their hopes of sealing a place in the Champions League.
Three days after reaching the Europa League final, Villa found themselves trailing to an early goal by Jaidon Anthony, but Ross Barkley levelled before halftime, and Ollie Watkins fired Villa ahead after the break.
Burnley’s Zian Flemming equalised, though, to leave Villa in fifth place with 59 points, behind Liverpool on goal difference. Villa play Liverpool next week.
RELIEF FOR ARSENAL
Rarely has a capital derby had more riding on it than the clash between West Ham and Arsenal at the London Stadium.
Both sides were desperate for a victory for contrasting reasons, and Arsenal were breathing a huge sigh of relief after a dramatic conclusion to the contest.
With Manchester City beating Brentford 3-0 on Saturday to close the gap to two points, the pressure was on Arsenal in what always looked like a treacherous fixture.
Apart from a dominant opening 25 minutes, they struggled against a battling West Ham side and needed two great saves from Raya to keep the hosts at bay.
When Trossard fired home after being picked out by Martin Odegaard in the 83rd minute, it sparked delirium behind the goal where the Arsenal fans were massed.
But deep in stoppage time, Wilson drove a shot through a forest of legs to seemingly earn West Ham a priceless point in their battle to extend their 14-season stay in the top flight.
Silence descended around the stadium as VAR checked for a foul on Raya by West Ham’s Pablo, and there was a stomach-churning wait as referee Chris Kavanagh watched replay after replay on the monitor before deciding to disallow the goal.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville described it as the “biggest VAR call in the history of the Premier League,” and it certainly had huge ramifications at the top and bottom of the table.
“It was a massive call, but it was clearly the right call,” a relieved Arteta said. “Today I have realised how difficult and how big the referee’s job is.”
Everton’s dreams of qualifying for Europe suffered a setback as substitute Jean‑Philippe Mateta rescued Crystal Palace with a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw.
Palace, fresh from booking their place in the Conference League final on Thursday, twice came from behind.
James Tarkowski put Everton ahead early before Ismaila Sarr levelled in the 34th minute. Beto restored Everton’s lead with a brilliant solo effort, but Mateta struck in the 76th minute.
Everton are 10th on 49 points, six points back of a top-six finish and a place in Europe. Palace are 14th on 44 points.
At The City Ground, Anderson struck an 88th-minute equaliser against his former club as Forest earned a vital draw with Newcastle, a result that means they are safe.
Harvey Barnes had put Newcastle ahead.
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Manchester City kept the Premier League title race bubbling with a 3-0 win over Brentford on Saturday, thanks to second-half goals by Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush as they cut the gap with leaders Arsenal to two points with three games left.
City have 74 points from 35 games, but their draw at Everton on Monday means they need Arsenal — who visit relegation-threatened West Ham United on Sunday — to squander points in one of their remaining games to have a chance at the title.
“If you play for Manchester City, you think of titles every single day,” Haaland said of his team’s title hopes.
City dominated much of the game at The Etihad, but Brentford held strong before Doku, City’s best player on the night, produced a moment of brilliance on the hour, cutting inside from the left and curling a right-foot shot into the top corner.
Haaland gave City a two-goal cushion when he bundled the ball into the net after 75 minutes.
In what was far from the prettiest of goals, Antoine Semenyo cut the ball back for Haaland, whose shot was blocked. The big Norwegian was, though, able to back-heel the ball into the net past Caoimhin Kelleher for his 26th league goal of the season.
Marmoush struck deep in injury time when he latched onto a pass from Haaland, took a touch and then struck the ball across the keeper and into the far corner to wrap up the win.
City remain unbeaten in the league since January in a relentless run that has turned the final weeks of the season into a breathless title chase.
“We’ll see. (The title race) is not in our hands,” Guardiola said. “We will do our job. We didn’t do perfectly at Everton. It was tough. On Wednesday, we host Crystal Palace, another team set to play a European final. We just do our job and wait.”
Palace face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final later this month before City’s title rivals Arsenal take on Paris St Germain in the Champions League final.
BRENTFORD’S EUROPEAN HOPES DENTED
Brentford’s loss was a blow to their hopes of a place in Europe next term. They sit eighth, four points off the top six.
“We were playing against a team fighting for the title. You could see that from their urgency,” Brentford boss Keith Andrews said. “I liked a lot of what we did today. I liked the bravery and courage of our approach.”
City had 25 shots to Brentford’s four and 10 shots on target to the visitors’ two.
Phil Foden had a couple of City’s best chances, including one that forced a magnificent save from Kelleher, who managed to just flick his shot over the bar.
Brentford appealed twice for red cards to no avail.
Tempers flared in the first half when City captain Bernardo Silva and Nathan Collins battled for the ball, and Silva punched Collins in the back of the leg as he fell.
Then Kevin Schade went down in the box late on under pressure from Matheus Nunes, but after a VAR check, it was decided there was not enough contact for a penalty.
“I will be the first to tell what a difficult job they have to do on a day-to-day basis,” Andrews said.
“It’s difficult with all the contentious issues and at times the playacting. I thought the Kevin Schade incident was a penalty. So that was really disappointing.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
Manchester City sent out a defiant message to Premier League title favourites Arsenal as Pep Guardiola’s side scored three second-half goals to beat visiting Brentford 3-0 on Saturday.
Anything other than a win would have left City’s hopes of reclaiming the crown hanging by a slender thread, and it looked unlikely in a subdued first half.
But a superb strike into the top corner by Jeremy Doku and further goals by Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush earned City the win that cut Arsenal’s lead to two points.
Liverpool failed to wrap up Champions League qualification as they drew 1-1 at home to Chelsea, while Bournemouth moved into sixth place with a 1-0 win at Fulham in which both sides ended with 10 men.
Brighton & Hove Albion also boosted their hopes of qualifying for Europe with a 3-0 win over bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Manchester United, who are already assured of a top-five finish, drew 0-0 at Sunderland.
HAMMER BLOW
City’s chaotic 3-3 draw at Everton in midweek was a hammer blow to Pep Guardiola’s side and left Arsenal in prime position to win the title for the first time since 2004.
It left City five points adrift with a game in hand, but on Saturday, they showed they are not ready to throw in the towel.
Liverpool failed to wrap up Champions League qualification as they drew 1-1 at home to Chelsea, while Bournemouth moved into sixth place with a 1-0 win at Fulham in which both sides ended with 10 men.
Brighton & Hove Albion also boosted their hopes of qualifying for Europe with a 3-0 win over bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers. Manchester United, who are already assured of a top-five finish, drew 0-0 at Sunderland.
HAMMER BLOW
City’s chaotic 3-3 draw at Everton in midweek was a hammer blow to Pep Guardiola’s side and left Arsenal in prime position to win the title for the first time since 2004.
It left City five points adrift with a game in hand, but on Saturday they showed they are not ready to throw in the towel.
They now have 74 points behind Arsenal on 76 after 35 games but the Gunners have a goal difference advantage of one. Arsenal face a tricky derby at relegation-threatened West Ham United on Sunday.
Win that, and with a home game against relegated Burnley next, Arsenal would be breathing easier, but any slip at the London Stadium would leave the door ajar for City.
City’s next game is at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
“We knew we had to win after the draw (at Everton),” Belgian Doku, who scored a last-gasp equaliser at Everton, said. “When you arrive at this point you always find some energy to push through and we will continue in the next games.”
Brentford were proving a tough nut to crack until Doku cut in from the right in the 60th minute and curled an unstoppable right-foot shot high into the far corner.
They now have 74 points behind Arsenal on 76 after 35 games but the Gunners have a goal difference advantage of one. Arsenal face a tricky derby at relegation-threatened West Ham United on Sunday.
Win that, and with a home game against relegated Burnley next, Arsenal would be breathing easier, but any slip at the London Stadium would leave the door ajar for City.
City’s next game is at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
“We knew we had to win after the draw (at Everton),” Belgian Doku, who scored a last-gasp equaliser at Everton, said. “When you arrive at this point you always find some energy to push through and we will continue in the next games.”
Brentford were proving a tough nut to crack until Doku cut in from the right in the 60th minute and curled an unstoppable right-foot shot high into the far corner.
Haaland then bundled his way through to a 26th league goal of the season and Marmoush slotted a silky third late on.
CHELSEA END LOSING RUN
Enzo Fernandez’s free kick secured a point for Chelsea to end their six-game losing run in the Premier League and earn caretaker manager Calum MacFarlane a first point in charge.
Liverpool had taken an early lead with a wonderful strike from the edge of the box by Ryan Gravenberch.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool remain fourth in the table with 59 points from 36 games although they could drop to fifth if Aston Villa, who have 58 points, win at Burnley on Sunday.
Liverpool’s fans vented their frustration at Anfield with derision greeting Slot’s decision to substitute teenager Rio Ngumoha while there were boos at the final whistle.
“There were a lot that didn’t agree with the change, which is completely understandable,” Slot said. “He was having problems with his muscles and, when I asked him, he said he was not sure he could continue.
“I knew this would be the reaction because he is such a good player. So often in football people don’t know everything. I am the manager and I need to make decisions.”
With sixth place potentially coming with a Champions League berth, should Villa win the Europa League final and finish fifth in the table, Bournemouth are still in the hunt for a dream debut in Europe’s elite club competition.
RAYAN STRIKES FOR BOURNEMOUTH
Brazilian teenager Rayan struck home a low shot early in the second half for Bournemouth after being teed up by Adam Smith.
Bournemouth were reduced to 10 men when Ryan Christie’s yellow card for a lunging tackle on Timothy Castagne in the 39th minute was upgraded to a red following a VAR check.
However, he was soon followed by Fulham’s Joachim Andersen for a foul on Adrien Truffert, also after a VAR check.
Brighton struck twice in the opening five minutes against Wolves with Jack Hinshelwood heading the club’s fastest-ever Premier League goal after 35 seconds.
Captain Lewis Dunk made it 2-0 with another header. Relegated Wolves improved after the break but Yankuba Minteh struck a third goal for Brighton late on.
Manchester United were fortunate to emerge with a point at Sunderland as their goalkeeper Senne Lammens made several fine saves to keep the hosts at bay at The Stadium of Light.
United did not have a single effort on target until Matheus Cunha’s stoppage-time effort was saved by Robin Roefs.
“Today is a positive result in terms of the point,” United’s caretaker coach Michael Carrick, whose side have 65 points from 36 games, said. “Was it going to be a perfect game? We weren’t expecting a perfect game. It is what it is.”
-Reuters
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
SportyTV Lands Three-Year Free-to-Air NBA Broadcast Deal in Africa
Ouahbi Steps Up Morocco’s World Cup Build-Up With Three Warm-Up Games
Free Soccer-Themed Condoms to Welcome World Cup Fans
Breaking! Uzoho suspended from Super Eagles’ next match with Sierra Leone
No longer Super League as CAF changes name of its new clubs competition
NIGERIAN FOOTBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SANUSI CHARGES NIGERIAN COACHES TO BE UPRIGHT, DILIGENT
- World Cup5 days ago
FIFA Plans Three Opening Ceremonies in All Host Nations for 2026 World Cup
- World Cup4 days ago
United States Unveils Hollywood-Style FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Ceremony
- World Cup5 days ago
Mexico president wavers on plan to cut school year by 40 days for the World Cup
- World Cup6 days ago
Burna Boy Joins Shakira for Official 2026 World Cup Song ‘Dai Dai’
- World Cup1 week ago
Despite 2026 Absence, Nigeria Still Leads Africa’s World Cup Winners’ Chart
- Premier League5 days ago
Man United’s Fernandes and City’s Shaw win FWA Footballer of the Year awards
- Nigerian Football5 days ago
Sporting Lagos Crowned 2026 NNL Champions After Dramatic Super Four Finale
- Premier League2 days ago
Arsenal survive huge scare to edge towards title