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
Premier League
Arsenal Paint London Red with Premier League Victory Parade Despite Champions League Heartbreak
Thousands of jubilant Arsenal supporters flooded the streets of north London on Sunday as the club celebrated its first Premier League title in 22 years, putting aside the disappointment of losing the UEFA Champions League final just 24 hours earlier.
The celebrations came less than a day after Arsenal suffered a penalty shootout defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final in Budapest. Yet the setback did little to dampen the spirits of the club’s faithful, who turned out in huge numbers to honour a historic domestic triumph.
Players and coaching staff paraded through north London aboard an open-top bus, proudly displaying the Premier League trophy that Arsenal had finally reclaimed for the first time since Arsène Wenger’s legendary “Invincibles” side lifted it in the 2003-04 season.
Arsenal had wrapped up the title before the final round of fixtures after establishing an unassailable lead over defending champions Manchester City, who eventually finished seven points adrift of Mikel Arteta’s side.
The league crown marked Arsenal’s first major trophy since Arteta guided the club to FA Cup success in 2020 during his debut season as manager. It also ended years of frustration after the Gunners had finished runners-up in the Premier League in each of the previous three seasons.
Red flares, fireworks and the sound of vuvuzelas filled the air as supporters celebrated a long-awaited return to the summit of English football.
“We’re not European champions, but we are champions of England, and that’s what matters right now,” said Arsenal supporter Julien Guillenenat. “We’re happy to celebrate with everyone.”
Another fan, 44-year-old Mathieu Garnier, believes the Premier League triumph has finally removed the psychological burden that had weighed heavily on the team.
“Three years in a row we finished second, and now that pressure is gone,” he said. “These players are going to be flying next season. I really believe that.”
Adding to the festivities was Arsenal’s women’s team, who joined the celebrations after their successful FIFA Champions Cup campaign this season.
Midfielder Declan Rice, signed from West Ham United in 2023 for a club-record £105 million, said the title triumph had silenced many of the club’s critics.
“People were pointing and laughing at us before,” Rice told Sky Sports. “What happened? They’re not laughing anymore. I love this team, I love this manager, and to see the joy we’ve brought to the fans is incredible.
“Next season we’re coming back for more.”
Despite the pain of falling short in Europe, many Arsenal supporters remain optimistic that the club will soon challenge again for continental glory.
Twenty-two-year-old fan Theo Grant believes the Champions League disappointment will only strengthen the squad’s resolve.
“Honestly, this loss will give the players even more motivation,” he said. “We’ll be back. I believe we’ll reach the final again next season.”
For Arsenal supporters, however, Sunday was not about what might have been in Europe. It was about celebrating the end of a 22-year wait to be crowned champions of England once again.
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Tottenham Hotspur lost 2-1 at Chelsea on Tuesday and still face the risk of relegation from the Premier League in their final game of the season this weekend after goals either side of halftime from the home side’s Enzo Fernandez and Andrey Santos.
Fernandez let rip with a dipping shot from over 25 metres that Antonin Kinsky could not get close to in the 18th minute, electrifying the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge as the home fans revelled in the misery of their North London rivals.
The Argentina midfielder turned provider for Chelsea’s second goal in the 67th, cushioning a high ball into the feet of Santos, who scored from close range.
Richarlison got one back for Spurs in the 74th minute, but the defeat means Tottenham remain two points above West Ham United, who currently occupy the last relegation spot.
However, Spurs have a much better goal difference, meaning a draw at home to Everton on Sunday would all but guarantee their Premier League survival.
Chelsea, fresh from announcing former Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso as their next manager after a limp 2025/26 campaign, climbed to eighth place, which offers a berth in the UEFA Conference League next season
The Blues, who lost to Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday, are one point behind Brighton & Hove Albion, who currently occupy the last of the Europa League spots.
Spurs had only themselves to blame for Tuesday’s defeat.
After Mathys Tel hit the post with a header in the 11th minute, they allowed Chelsea to dominate until Richarlison’s goal raised their hopes of rescuing the point they needed.
Substitute James Maddison looked sure to equalise in the 84th, but Chelsea defender Jorrel Hato stretched out a leg to block his angled shot.
The win was Chelsea’s first in the Premier League since March 4, giving their fans something to celebrate after a miserable run that included six consecutive league defeats.
It also means Spurs have only won once at Stamford Bridge since 1990.
-Reuters
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Arsenal F.C. have been crowned Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years after Manchester City F.C. were held to a 1-1 draw by AFC Bournemouth, ending the most dramatic title race of recent seasons and completing a remarkable transformation under manager Mikel Arteta.
The title triumph marks Arsenal’s first league championship since the legendary “Invincibles” side led by Arsène Wenger went unbeaten throughout the 2003-04 campaign.
For Arteta, it represents the crowning moment of a rebuilding project that began when he replaced Unai Emery in December 2019. The Spaniard inherited a struggling Arsenal side but gradually rebuilt the club into genuine title contenders, guiding them to second-place finishes in each of the previous three seasons before finally ending Manchester City’s dominance.
Arsenal appeared in danger of suffering another late collapse after surrendering a nine-point lead earlier in the campaign, particularly following City’s crucial victory over them at the Etihad Stadium in April.
However, the momentum shifted again when City stumbled with a draw against Everton, allowing Arsenal to seize control of the race.
The North London club responded impressively, winning four consecutive matches without conceding a goal, including Monday’s tense 1-0 victory over Burnley F.C. that piled pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side heading into their trip to Bournemouth.
City’s failure to secure victory finally confirmed Arsenal as champions, triggering emotional celebrations among supporters gathered around the Emirates Stadium.
Fans watching the decisive match in nearby pubs poured onto the streets at the final whistle, while thousands more marched toward the Emirates within minutes of the title being secured.
Arteta had admitted before the match that he expected it to be difficult watching City’s game because of the enormous stakes involved, but the Spaniard ultimately witnessed the completion of one of the most significant managerial achievements in modern Arsenal history.
The Gunners will officially receive the Premier League trophy after their final game of the season against Crystal Palace F.C. at Selhurst Park on Sunday.
Arsenal’s triumph could yet become part of an even greater achievement.
The club now have the opportunity to complete a historic double when they face Paris Saint-Germain F.C. in the UEFA Champions League final on May 30.
Only five English clubs have previously managed to win both the league title and the European Cup in the same season, with Manchester City the last side to achieve the feat in 2023.
The title success also signals a changing of the guard in English football.
With Guardiola expected to leave Manchester City after a decade in charge, Arteta — once his assistant at City — is poised to become the longest-serving manager across England’s top four divisions, underlining how dramatically his status has risen since arriving at Arsenal less than seven years ago.
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