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Betting the house: A former Nigel Farage aide has been accused in court papers of helping the owner of Brighton & Hove Albion operate a secret £600 million gambling syndicate to bet on football matches. https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/brighton-tony-bloom-gambling-nigel-farage-george-cottrell-x568ssgm2 Nigel Farage aide fronted Tony Bloom’s £600m betting syndicate, court told High Court claim alleges George Cottrell was the ‘whale’ for syndicate of Brighton owner, who has had special dispensation from the FA to gamble on football since 2014 Bloom, left, is a professional gambler while Cottrell, right, has admitted to betting since he was 12 years old Tony Bloom, the owner of Brighton & Hove Albion, has been accused of operating a secret £600million gambling syndicate to bet on football matches, using accounts including some belonging to Nigel Farage’s former chief of staff. Bloom, the 55-year-old billionaire businessman and professional gambler, also has a significant stake in the Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts. He controls the “Tony Bloom Betting Syndicate”, which is said in court papers to have agreed with George Cottrell, Farage’s former aide, to use his offshore gaming accounts “to place bets on sporting fixtures, predominantly football matches”. Cottrell has previously been jailed for money laundering in the United States. The allegations are included in a claim filed at London’s High Court by a former employee of Starlizard, a betting advisory company owned by Bloom through which his syndicate — which boasts more than 100 members that he invites personally to join — places some of its bets. Cottrell was jailed for eight months in 2017 for money laundering in the US In the claim seen by The Times, Ryan Dudfield alleges he is owed £17.5million of the profits made via Cottrell’s accounts after introducing the political aide to the syndicate. Dudfield said the syndicate used “secret exotic accounts . . . in the name of third parties, through which Mr Bloom and his betting syndicate placed their bets”. Somebody like Cottrell is described as a “whale” — a term used to describe high-stakes gamblers who act as a front to place bets on behalf of a syndicate. Dudfield says he has known Cottrell, 32, a former deputy treasurer of UKIP, for five years. Cottrell is known in political circles as “Posh George” and was previously Farage’s chief of staff. While it is believed that Bloom has never met Cottrell personally, he is said to have been introduced to the syndicate by Dudfield via a senior employee at Starlizard in 2022. In 2017, Cottrell was jailed for eight months in the US after admitting offering to use the “dark web” to launder money for drug dealers. He was caught in an operation by undercover agents. Read more Who’s the convicted aristocrat at Nigel Farage’s side? Dudfield also claims that Bloom and the syndicate used the betting accounts of “well-known footballers, sportsmen and businessmen” to place bets. While it is not thought that any ex-footballers are members of Bloom’s syndicate, The Times understands some placed the same bets as those on the syndicate. Evidence submitted as part of the claim includes a list of bets which Dudfield suggests may be linked to the Bloom syndicate, some of which are said to be on Premier League matches. In 2014 Bloom was given special dispensation by the Football Association to operate his betting consultancy, Starlizard, and continue to bet on football through his syndicate. The exemption was extended to other club owners with pre-existing business interests in gambling, including Brentford’s Matthew Benham. However, the FA policy does not permit participants to place bets on matches or competitions involving their own clubs, meaning Bloom is not allowed to bet on Brighton games, any other Premier League game, or matches in knockout competitions involving Premier League teams. As part of an agreement with the FA that has never been publicly disclosed, all his bets are audited both by a leading accountancy firm and the FA every year. Bloom has never been found to have breached the special agreement with English football’s governing body. Cottrell, right, with Farage in 2019 ALAMY Indeed, it is expected that lawyers acting for Bloom will reject any suggestion that his syndicate has placed bets on Premier League matches or games involving top-flight teams in the 11 years since the FA introduced its exemption. They plan to file a defence rejecting the allegations in response to Dudfield’s claim next month. But within the 19-page claim, which was accepted at the High Court on November 20, the details around Bloom’s betting activities in football remain eye-watering when other participants in football, from players to club employees and officials, are banned from betting on the sport worldwide. The England internationals Ivan Toney and Kieran Trippier are among those to have been banned in recent years for breaches of FA rules on gambling. Lawyers acting for Dudfield say their client is owed a share of $250million (£188million) in estimated profits. Collectively, the claim states that the syndicate — which it inaccurately calls the “Starlizard Betting Syndicate” — makes about £600million each year in winnings. Dudfield claims the syndicate is “highly successful”. Dudfield is suing Bloom, known in the gambling world as “The Lizard”, and “all other members of the ‘Starlizard’ betting syndicate”. Bloom has overseen Brighton’s rise from the lower leagues to an established Premier League club since becoming chairman in 2009 ANTHONY HANC/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK He says the syndicate is operated via “Starlizard Consulting Limited”, which was incorporated by Bloom in January 2006. He says the shares are owned by Blue Lizard Commercial Ltd, in which Bloom is the majority shareholder. Dudfield claims he was employed by Starlizard Consulting as a “placer” to decide when and where to place bets “usually on behalf of Mr Bloom and his betting syndicate”. He says he was based at a small “satellite office” in Canary Wharf, London, and operated in a “secretive manner” so other employees of the consulting company were unaware of their activities. Bloom is alleged to be the “head of the syndicate” and “the sole beneficial owner of the bank accounts into which the syndicate’s winnings are paid and out of which winnings are distributed”. Cottrell is described in the claim as a high-stakes gambler who is involved in co-ordinating an offshore sports and casino betting business called “tether.bet”, which allows its users to place bets in cryptocurrencies. Dudfield says Cottrell contacted him in February 2022 asking for the likely identity of the person who was placing bets via the “tether.bet” website, which resulted in seven-figure wins. Dudfield claims he believed it could be Bloom and informed Ian McAleavy, the syndicate’s head of football, via WhatsApp and during a meeting at the Bald Faced Stag pub in East Finchley, north London. Dudfield says he offered to introduce Cottrell to McAleavy, in order to strike an agreement between the syndicate and Bloom to use the aide’s betting accounts. Dudfield claims he arranged a meeting with McAleavy, Cottrell and Cottrell’s then girlfriend, the socialite Georgia Toffolo, at Daphne’s restaurant in Chelsea, west London. Toffolo, 31, appeared in the E4 reality show Made in Chelsea and won ITV’s I’m a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! in 2017. Cottrell was previously in a relationship with the Made in Chelsea star Toffolo AARON CHOWN/PA He claims an agreement was reached that 60 per cent of the profits made using Cottrell’s accounts would go to Bloom and the syndicate, 33 per cent to Cottrell, and 7 per cent to himself. The syndicate also allegedly agreed to stop placing its bets via gambling platforms in which Cottrell had a financial interest, such as tether.bet. Dudfield said messages from McAleavy suggested that the agreement led to £3million of profits by October 20, 2022, and £4.5million by November 25, 2022. Dudfield says he was told the syndicate stopped using Cottrell’s betting accounts between December 22, 2022, and July 2023. He says Cottrell told him at Brinkley’s restaurant in Chelsea on July 6, 2023 that he ended his relationship with the syndicate because “he did not consider they would win him enough money”. Dudfield says the claims that the syndicate stopped using Cottrell’s accounts were “false” and “fraudulent”, and that Bloom and the syndicate have benefited from “unjust enrichment” by cutting him out of his 7 per cent share of the profits. Cottrell is alleged to have already made an estimated $85million (£64million). Dudfield claims after he introduced the syndicate to Cottrell that it placed bets using the aide’s accounts on Stake.com, a gambling site based on the Caribbean island of Curaçao which is not authorised to operate in the UK. It is not unlawful for US gamblers to place bets on unregulated sites. Cottrell describes himself on LinkedIn as a “political adviser and strategist” who was deputy treasurer of UKIP during the EU referendum campaign in 2016 and The Brexit Party in 2019, and served as a senior adviser to Farage. Cottrell was arrested in 2016 after attending the Republican National Convention, where Donald Trump won the party’s nomination for president. He pleaded guilty to wire fraud after offering advice to undercover federal agents in Las Vegas, posing as drug traffickers, on “ways criminal proceeds could be laundered” on the dark web. He served eight months in prisons in Arizona and Illinois. Cottrell has signed a deal to co-write a book titled How to Launder Money, which is described by the publisher as a “unique insiders’ guide to money laundering — and how to stop it”. He started placing bets at the age of 12, and has admitted being so addicted to gambling that he once took a Harvey Nichols bag stuffed with £50,000 cash into a William Hill bookmakers’ and lost it all. He is reported to have once lost $20million in a single poker game. Cottrell has a deal to co-write a book titled “How to Launder Money” ALAMY His father, Mark, went to Gordonstoun School with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his mother, Fiona, a former glamour model, was romantically linked to Prince Charles in the 1970s. His mother is the biggest donor to Reform, contributing £250,000 in March to take her total to £750,000 over the past year. Cottrell was privately educated on Mustique, the Caribbean island, and later at Malvern College. He divides his time between London and Montenegro. Bloom has declined to comment. Both Cottrell and his lawyers have also been approached for comment. The FA will not respond while legal proceedings are in progress.

Nothing launches "understated, confident" Phone (3a) Lite https://www.dezeen.com/2025/11/14/nothing-phone-3a-lite/ British tech company Nothing has launched Phone (3a) Lite, an affordably priced smartphone created to make the brand's distinctive design features available to a broader range of consumers. The Phone (3a) Lite is Nothing's first entry-level phone, featuring the company's signature transparent casing, monochromatic operating system, and Glyph Light – its light-up back – all at a budget-friendly price point. "Phone (3a) Lite combines unmistakable style, heavy-hitting features and a seamless software experience at an accessible price, proving that innovation and personality don't have to come with a premium tag," Nothing said. "It's instantly recognisable but subtly different, with understated, confident styling." The phone is set into a dust- and water-resistant nano-coated glass IP54 casing, revealing the internal aluminium battery frame. Both elements were chosen to ensure good durability compared to other entry-level smartphones. Nothing's phones are characterised by what it calls the Glyph Interface – LEDs embedded into the back of the phone that illuminate in various ways. The Phone (3a) Lite uses a pared-back version dubbed Glyph Light, which can provide customisable, silent notifications or a camera countdown. Its triple camera system is powered by the same TrueLens Engine 4.0 image pipeline as Nothing's flagship Phone (3), with a 50-megapixel main sensor that the brand says captures 64 per cent more light than others in its class. Nothing's OS 3.5 operating system serves as the user interface, with Nothing OS 4.0 set to be rolled out to the Phone (3a) Lite in early 2026. Included are the Essential Key and Essential Space artificial-intelligence tools, aimed at helping the user organise notes, ideas and media, while the Essential Search function makes it easy to find saved items even when not connected to the internet. According to Nothing, the phone's battery "comfortably lasts almost two days with mixed use" and reaches 50 per cent charge in around 20 minutes. Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is available in black and white, with prices starting at £249 or €249. Nothing was founded in 2020 and has positioned itself as a design-led disruptor of the consumer-technology market. To learn more about Nothing and its products, visit its website.

ICE could launch raids targeting World Cup fans, White House warns Haitian and Iranian fans will also be barred from next year’s tournament under visa rules designed to ward off any ‘potential threat’ to the US https://www.thetimes.com/us/american-politics/article/world-cup-fans-banned-ice-iran-haiti-8qcx3rzhz Fans from Haiti and Iran will be banned from attending the World Cup and American immigration officials could launch raids targeting supporters during matches, the White House has said. Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House task force on the World Cup, said people who were a “potential threat” to the US would not have their visas approved but said international supporters who want to “spend your disposable income” were welcome in the US. The White House expects between five to seven million fans to visit the US for the World Cup despite concerns over President Trump’s immigration crackdown. Trump has sharpened his anti-immigration rhetoric in recent days, calling Somalis “garbage” and saying refugees who come to the US from warzones and disaster-struck countries “do nothing but bitch”. “We don’t want them in our country,” he said. “Let them go back to where they came from and fix it.” In Minneapolis, a major city in Minnesota, an immigration crackdown is believed to be under way as immigration agents specifically target its Somali community, the largest in the US. A separate immigration operation began in New Orleans on Wednesday, focusing on criminals who had been released from local custody, according to the department of homeland security. Speaking before Friday’s draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, Giuliani condemned the “fictional narrative” that “the president is not welcoming to foreigners” and said Trump’s recent rhetoric reflected his “unique style”. “I think it’s why he’s such an effective leader, to be perfectly honest,” he said. “I think it’s why he actually is the consummate host for this incredible World Cup that is going to be the largest in human history.” Giuliani, 39, is the son of Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York who served as Trump’s attorney for several years. • Sabrina Carpenter condemns White House’s ‘evil’ use of her song Juno Haiti and Iran, two countries that have qualified for the World Cup, are both on the list of 19 nations that presently face a total visa ban. Trump is expected to expand that list to 30 countries after the shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, meaning that supporters of other countries could also be prevented from travelling to the US. The White House has introduced an exemption to allow the Haitian and Iranian teams to travel to the US next year. “Every visa is a national security decision first and foremost,” said Giuliani. “If you are a potential threat, you’re not going to get approved … if you’re coming here to enjoy, spend your disposable income, enjoy the United States of America, you’re welcome.” • Trump vows permanent pause on ‘third-world immigration’ Given the popularity of football with Latino communities in the US, there are fears that Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) officials could target fans at matches involving South and Central American teams. Asked if the White House would rule out ICE raids on World Cup games, Giuliani said: “The one thing, and I’ve known the president for 25 years, the president has not ruled out anything that will make American citizens safer.” Trump’s administration will also set up additional vetting for H-1B visas, an issue which has been a litmus test among Maga supporters after the president said the visas for skilled foreign workers were needed, and the US did not have enough homegrown “talent”. A state department memo, seen by Reuters, said anyone involved in “censorship” of free speech will be considered for rejection. The message, sent to US consular officers, demands they review the CVs or LinkedIn profiles of H-1B applicants and those of occupying family members.

In the style of Moisés Caicedo: Chelsea and Liverpool fight for the same Ecuadorian player Liverpool has not yet decided on Joel Ordóñez, and a new team is reportedly looking to sign him. https://bolavip.com/futbol-ecuador/al-estilo-moises-caicedo-Chelsea-y-liverpool-pelean-por-el-mismo-jugador-ecuatoriano Joel Ordóñez is a player everyone in Europe likes, and several big teams have expressed interest in signing him in recent weeks . It was revealed that Liverpool sent scouts to continue watching the Ecuadorian, but another team has now joined the race. Chelsea is reportedly interested in entering another race against Liverpool for an Ecuadorian player . The London club knows they need a new defender and recently showed interest in Joel Ordóñez. Therefore, the Ecuadorian center-back has clubs like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Inter Milan closely monitoring his future. However, a decision won't be made until January or after the World Cup . Buying him in the next transfer window could be key to avoiding paying even more for him. Club Brugge wouldn't make it easy for the Ecuadorian player to leave either, as Ordóñez is a key part of their starting eleven. However, unlike last summer's transfer window, Club Brugge is now facing clubs that do have the financial resources to pay more than 40 million euros. On the other hand, Chelsea already beat Liverpool to the punch for an Ecuadorian player, securing Moisés Caicedo in 2023 and thus acquiring a player who is defining an era for his team. This move could now be repeated. Club Brugge recently renewed Joel Ordóñez's contract, giving them a significant advantage for his future sale. The Ecuadorian center-back has a long-term contract in Europe, which is always important when negotiating a transfer. Joel Ordóñez's statistics this season So far this season, Joel Ordóñez has already accumulated over 1,000 minutes on the pitch. Therefore, the Ecuadorian center-back is also on track to become one of the most consistent players for any team he joins. He has already featured in 17 matches. In summary: Chelsea joins the fight to sign Joel Ordóñez, competing with Liverpool and Inter Club Brugge would not facilitate the departure of Joel Ordóñez , whose value could exceed 40 million . Ecuadorian centre-back Joel Ordóñez has played over 1,000 minutes in 17 games this season.

A big win for Chelsea against Barcelona in midweek has put the Blues on a whole new level…View the full article

Time after time he is given chances, time after time he lets us down League 1 defender

John Terry has spoken people, and like all of us, as a diehard Chelsea fan first and foremost,…View the full article

Completely useless . No big club is signing bums from Fulham on a free

Signed some plumber from Ipswich and people surprised he isn't 2013 falcao. Was always going to be dogshit

One of those Northern hell holes. Elland Road now stands at just 6 wins in 49 league visits

— Heinrich von Treitschke, German nationalist historian and politician, 1871 The Franco-Prussian War, which started in July 1870, saw France defeated in May 1871 by the Kingdom of Prussia and other German states. The end of the war led to the unification of Germany. Otto von Bismarck annexed Alsace and northern Lorraine to the new German Empire in 1871. France ceded more than 90% of Alsace and one-fourth of Lorraine, as stipulated in the treaty of Frankfurt; Belfort, the largest Alsatian town south of Mulhouse, remained French. Unlike other member states of the German federation, which had governments of their own, the new Imperial territory of Alsace–Lorraine was under the sole authority of the Kaiser, administered directly by the imperial government in Berlin. Between 100,000 and 130,000 Alsatians (of a total population of about a million and a half) chose to remain French citizens and leave Reichsland Elsaß–Lothringen, many of them resettling in French Algeria as Pieds-Noirs. Only in 1911 was Alsace–Lorraine granted some measure of autonomy, which was manifested also in a flag and an anthem (Elsässisches Fahnenlied). In 1913, however, the Saverne Affair (French: Incident de Saverne) showed the limits of this new tolerance of the Alsatian identity. During the First World War, to avoid ground fights between brothers, many Alsatians served as sailors in the Kaiserliche Marine and took part in the Naval mutinies that led to the abdication of the Kaiser in November 1918, which left Alsace–Lorraine without a nominal head of state. The sailors returned home and tried to found an independent republic. While Jacques Peirotes, at this time deputy at the Landrat Elsass–Lothringen and just elected mayor of Strasbourg, proclaimed the forfeiture of the German Empire and the advent of the French Republic, a self-proclaimed government of Alsace–Lorraine declared its independence as the "Republic of Alsace–Lorraine". French troops entered Alsace less than two weeks later to quash the worker strikes and remove the newly established Soviets and revolutionaries from power. With the arrival of the French soldiers, many Alsatians and local Prussian/German administrators and bureaucrats cheered the re-establishment of order.[28] Although U.S. President Woodrow Wilson had insisted that the région was self-ruling by legal status, as its constitution had stated it was bound to the sole authority of the Kaiser and not to the German state, France would allow no plebiscite, as granted by the League of Nations to some eastern German territories at this time, because the French regarded the Alsatians as Frenchmen liberated from German rule. Germany ceded the region to France under the Treaty of Versailles. Policies forbidding the use of German and requiring French were promptly introduced.[29] In order not to antagonize the Alsatians, the region was not subjected to some legal changes that had occurred in the rest of France between 1871 and 1919, such as the 1905 French law on the separation of Church and State. Alsace–Lorraine was occupied by Germany in June 1940 during the Second World War. Although never formally annexed, Alsace and Lorraine were incorporated into the Greater German Reich. Each was placed under a Chief of Civil Administration (CdZ), who was the Nazi Party Gauleiter and Reichsstatthalter (Reich Governor) of the adjacent German territory. Alsace was administered as part of Gau Baden under Robert Heinrich Wagner and his deputy, Hermann Röhn. Lorraine was administered as part of the Gau Saarpfalz, (later Gau Westmark) under Josef Bürckel and his deputy, Ernst Ludwig Leyser [de].[30] During the war, 130,000 young men from Alsace and Lorraine were conscripted into the German armies against their will (malgré-nous). There were some volunteers for the Waffen SS.,[31] although they were outnumbered by conscripts of the 1926–1927 classes. Thirty of said Waffen SS were involved in the Oradour-sur-Glane massacre (29 conscripts, one volunteer). A third of the malgré-nous perished on the Eastern front. In July 1944, 1500 malgré-nous were released from Soviet captivity and sent to Algiers, where they joined the Free French Forces. I understand this(was a fascinating reading btw), but it's a 20 years old Dutch-Nigerian football player, maybe shouldn't have taken that seriously what he said..

That is a grey area. I have met many, and know many that are really good people. They have morals, a code of conduct within humanity that would put many so called christians to shame. I also have christian relatives that are good people, and worked with muslims that were extraordinarily generous, and kind people.

I just hope Josh doesn't leave as there will be plenty of clubs keen on getting him in.

Oh and let's not forget how fucking shite Joao Pedro has been, honestly he is a greedy selfish bastard and I lost count over the last two games how many times he never released the ball when he should have to players in better positions. He ain't a striker and nor is he a 10 that is not good enough, and in the 10 he will get his nose pushed out by Palmer/Estevao in the coming months

Bullshit, absolute bullshit he is a 30M championship striker who's second touch is a tackle He's fucking rubbish and needs to be put in the same bracket as the other average shite we have here Tosin, Badiashille, Gittens, Chalobah and Joao Pedro

Josh will never start ahead or get a run of games ahead of Maresca's favourite in Tosin We have to understand the hard facts here, Maresca has his favorites and whether they play bad or not, or make ten mistakes over three games they will always start

I absolutely agree Tosin is our worst player this season. Would probably play Disasi ahead of him.

Yep these teams creeping up! Luckily Liverpool drew as it is theyre 2 behind 4th place race it will be...

Josh's Premier League starts this season - 0-0 vs Palace, 2-1 vs Liverpool, 0-3 vs Forest and 1-2 vs Sunderland where he was taken before Sunderland's winner was scored thanks to Tosin. I think you are seriously underestimating how much of an upgrade having ball playing CBs like Josh, Fofana are in comparison to CBs like Tosin.

Trump Says Your Donations Will Help Him 'Earn' a Place in Heaven Trump claims he is fulfilling God's agenda in fundraising email https://meidasnews.com/news/trump-says-your-donations-will-help-him-earn-a-place-in-heaven Donald Trump sent out a fundraising email ahead of the holidays framing his 2024 assassination attempt as a divine intervention and casting his campaign as a mission commanded by God. In the email, Trump, once again, ties his appeal for campaign cash with his desire to get to heaven. In the message titled “He didn’t save me for a participation trophy," Trump recounts hearing the “loud crack” in Butler, Pennsylvania, and "feeling the hand of God” move his head before the bullet “pierced [his] skin.” He writes that he is “blessed to be alive,” insisting that God spared him so he could “finish the mission… saving America," which he says is "the only way" he can "earn" a spot in heaven. The email is illustrated with an image of Trump waving from an aircraft stairway, framed by clouds. Trump then pivots to an urgent pitch for donations, warning supporters that “terrified” and "dangerous" opponents are plotting to thwart mass deportations, major tax cuts, and his agenda. Trump Fundraising Email: “I Want to Try to Get to Heaven” Read More Trump then claims he has launched an “emergency 12-hour ‘Never Surrender’ fundraising blitz” with a goal of "75,000 contributions before sunrise." The email urges supporters to donate specific amounts such as "$47 for the “47th president" and $250 in order to "finish what God started."

Even if we lost, Josh is still a better defender than Tosin. No reason to keep him out. Tosin has bungled up too many times this season. How he keeps getting selected for matches is down to the club's rotation policy to grant some players more exposure.

At the same time, are people expecting same 11 players to play every game? Today we used all our best attackers. Blame for first 2 goals could go on Chalobah and Enzo who are regular starters... If Josh played instead of Tosin pretty sure we would lose again.

Was the wrong call though We don't have a strong enough squad to rotate so much. We managed it vs Burnley when Santos subbed in for Caicedo but this league is too tough and we should respect that

Again, if this wasn't evidence enough.. Obviously he would be an idiot to say Tosin is doing well., so he deflects by saying 'Wes is doing well, Chalobah is doing well". There is pressure to make Tosin start games. It's becoming more apparent.

And on cue, Tosin returns. Fuxk. I'm telling you, the knobheads up top are also influencing the selection. That news article from the Mail makes more sense. Rotation is the name of the game and Maresca is a stooge at the hands of these guys, as they want certain players to gain as much exposure as possible. The only reason Acheampong got a run of games this season is because Mr.Tosin was out.