China firm scraps deal to buy Southampton ‘stake’
Dundee sack manager
SHANGHAI, April 17, (Agencies): Chinese stadium builder Lander Sports said late on Sunday it was terminating plans to buy a stake in English soccer club Southampton, citing uncertain factors wrought by changes in China’s securities market and policies.
In a statement issued to the stock market, Lander Sports said the process to buy an 80 percent stake in the Southampton’s holding firm, St Mary’s Football Group, also involved having to gain approval from government bodies including China’s foreign exchange regulator and top economic planner.
“Whether the company can eventually complete the acquisition of the target firm’s shares remains uncertain,” it said in the statement.
“To keep to principle of prudence, ensure the company’s development remains normal and to safeguard the majority of investors’ interests, the company has decided to end this major asset restructuring.”
The company had earlier this year said it had struck a deal with Saints’ owner Katharina Liebherr, without disclosing the price.
Reuters reported in March that Chinese buyers including materials giant Amer International and CITIC Securities Co Ltd were preparing a rival bid. Chinese entities and individuals have ploughed more than $3 billion into overseas soccer investments since late 2015, encouraged by avid fan President Xi Jinping, who wants the country to become a soccer superpower.
A number of sports-related deals, however, have hit hurdles after Beijing said it would rein in risks from “irrational” outbound investments, with particular focus on sectors including hotels, entertainment and sports.
A 740 million euros ($784.92 million) agreement for Italian club AC Milan, which was held up as the buyers struggled to get approval from Beijing, finally closed last week eight months after it was agreed.
Scottish Premiership strugglers Dundee have sacked manager Paul Hartley, the club announced on Monday.
Dundee have lost their last seven matches and are second-bottom of Scotland’s top flight, five points above basement club Inverness Caledonian Thistle with five games of the season remaining.
The bottom club at the end of the season will be relegated, with the second-bottom side entering a relegation play-off.
Dundee have won just eight of 33 league games so far this season. The Scottish Premiership is divided in two for the final few weeks of the campaign and Dundee’s first postsplit fixture is at Motherwell, the team immediately above them, a week on Saturday.
Hartley arrived at Dens Park in February 2014 and took Dundee up from the Championship to the top flight in his first season.
An Argentine soccer fan has been declared brain dead after he was chased down the terraces of a stadium and allegedly thrown from the bleachers.
The Emergency Hospital in Cordoba says Emanuel Balbo remains on a ventilator. But the hospital’s head of surgery tells local Todo Noticias channel on Monday that Balbo will not recover.
Balbo was beaten by other fans on Saturday during the derby in Cordoba between Belgrano and Talleres that ended 1-1.
Video footage shows he was forced down the terraces to avoid more violence and pushed over the stands to a concrete staircase below.
Balbo’s father says his son was attacked by a mob after he faced off with a man that Balbo blamed for killing his brother.
Everton must focus on their own performances and ignore what the clubs around them are doing as they bid to finish among the Premier League’s top six, defender Ashley Williams has said.
Everton, on 57 points after 33 games, currently occupy sixth spot, three points ahead of Arsenal but having played three more games than the London club.
“All we can do is look after our own performances. Hopefully we are in that group of teams that are in the mix for those spots,” Williams told the club’s website. (www.evertonfc.com)
“We have a lot of confidence and we are winning a lot of games. In that top six is where we want to be.
“But we know it is a difficult ask to push into that elite group. We are just trying to finish the season as strong as we can and as high as we can.”
Everton’s 3-1 win over Burnley on Saturday was their eighth consecutive home league win. Ross Barkely’s shot deflected off Burnley’s Ben Mee for Everton’s second goal and the midfielder picked up the Man of the Match award.
Middlesbrough can emulate relegation-threatened teams from the past few seasons and go on a winning run in their remaining games to stay in the Premier League, interim manager Steve Agnew said.
Middlesbrough are 19th in the table having failed to win a league game since mid-December and are six points adrift of safety with seven games left to play. Leicester City and Sunderland have escaped relegation with late positive runs in recent years.
Leicester won seven of their last nine fixtures during the 2014-15 campaign to remain in the league and Sunderland survived last year by avoiding defeat in their last six games.
Darmstadt’s Jerome Gondorf (right), and Schalke’s Thilo Kehrer challenge for the ball during the German Bundesliga soccer match between SV Darmstadt 98 and Schalke 04, in Darmstadt, Germany, April
16. (AP)