Informed sources said that the direct investment company “Avenio Capital” is the most prominent party that submitted an offer to acquire a minority stake in the company that will own the international media broadcasting rights for the Italian First Division.
The League is considering selling a stake in a company that will handle its international broadcasting, sponsorship and betting rights, and last month it received final offers from direct investment companies.
The two sources said that the Italian League clubs met on Friday to conduct a preliminary review of the offers.
The two sources explained that Avenue Capital, which is based in New York, aims to acquire a 10 percent stake in the media company for 320 million euros, which raises the total valuation of the project to 3.2 billion euros ($3.59 billion).
One of these two sources said that Avenue Capital is leading the race despite some competitors offering to pay larger amounts, because its offer comes in the form of an investment in common stocks, without providing guarantees related to future cash flows that some competitors seek.
The source added that the companies “Carlyle” and “Nextalia”, which cooperated to submit a joint offer, offered about 650 million euros in exchange for a share of about 17 percent, which estimates the value of the project at about 3.75 billion euros.
The two sources said that the “Avenue Capital” offer will be subject to a more detailed study by the clubs in the coming weeks, and at the same time they indicated that no final decision has been taken on the matter.
Both Avenue Capital and the League declined to comment. It was not possible to obtain an immediate comment from Carlyle and Nextalia.
Any deal requires the support of at least 14 of the 20 clubs in the Italian League.
The NBA asked its sports betting partners in a memo on Friday to ban certain categories of bets and winnings this season in the wake of recent betting scandals, according to a media report.
This ban includes player statistics, as well as bets on players achieving performance below the expected limit, due to the association of former players with betting issues, including Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter, who was banned for life in 2024, according to what ESPN reported.
The association directed its authorized betting partners, including FanDuel and DraftKings, not to offer bets on certain categories, such as the winner of the opening match, or players who miss certain shots, and others who are expected to play less than 12 minutes during the match.
“There's a balance between making sure we're removing problematic betting classes, but also making sure we're not moving activity into the illegal market,” Scott Kaufman-Ross, executive vice president of the league, told ESPN.
He added: “We believe that what we have reached now is the right balance between these two goals.”
Sports betting offices will be prohibited from offering higher-profit bets on predictions that players will perform poorly or achieve lower than expected numbers.
The league's agreements with sports betting offices allow the league to restrict the bets they offer.
Federal prosecutors said a bettor bet $80,000 on six statistical categories for Porter on a Toronto Raptors game during the 2023-2024 campaign, with a potential win of $1.1 million.
Porter played only 3 minutes, before later admitting that he deliberately appeared in such a bad light for the benefit of bettors.
Prosecutors allege Rozier was involved in a similar situation while defending the colors with the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, though he has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing.
In another note to clubs, the NBA pointed to new integrity procedures that will begin this season, with former NFL star and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman leading training on sports betting laws and enhancing artificial intelligence in search of unusual betting patterns related to the league.
The memo said the league seeks to better protect players, coaches and other employees from threats or harassment from bettors.
Spaniard Mikel Arteta, coach of Arsenal, the English Premier League title holder, on Friday praised Swede Victor Geukeris, who is going through a difficult period, praising his “amazing will and determination,” as the striker seeks to score his first goal this season.
The 28-year-old striker did not participate in the starting lineup in the early stages of the current season, nor did he succeed in scoring in any competition, despite his brilliance and scoring goals regularly with the Swedish national team.
Arteta preferred to rely on German international Kai Havertz in the attacking line, while Gyokeris did not start any match in the Premier League this season.
In response to a question before facing Nottingham Forest, on Sunday, about whether Gyukiris was suffering from a decline in self-confidence, Arteta said: “This is a very personal question. “I think what the player is showing is amazing will and determination, in addition to great effort to improve and help the team, that’s all.”
He added: “This is Victor’s condition every day, regardless of his position, or whether he scored a goal or not, and for this reason he always remains an available option to participate.”
Arteta pointed out that Gyukiris, who scored 21 goals last season upon arriving at Arsenal, was unlucky not to be able to open his scoring record this season.
He continued, saying: “We are trying to help him as much as possible.” He had some very good moments.”
He explained: “Three or four times he found himself in front of an empty goal, and the ball should have reached him, but it did not.”
Arteta stressed that “it is a matter of very small details. Scoring or not scoring completely changes the story.”
On the other hand, Arteta mentioned that Spanish midfielder Martin Zubimendi may be ready to participate against Nottingham, while Ecuadorian defender Piero Hincapé is likely to miss the trip to the City Ground.
The two players suffered two ankle injuries during a training session on the Emirates Stadium, following the team’s victory last week over Leeds United.
Arteta said: “Piero’s condition is improving very well... I am confident that it will not take long, but it will most likely need an additional week or two. Zobi seems to be in much better condition. His condition today was very good. We have another training session on Saturday, after which we will evaluate his readiness to participate in the match against Forest.”
Defending champion Arsenal ranks second in the league with 15 points, three points behind leaders Manchester City.
On the other hand, Arteta said that the club’s management informed him that the process of laying off employees would help the club achieve the desired success, after revealing the club’s desire to lay off 60 employees.
The British news agency (PA Media) reported that Richard Garlick, CEO of Arsenal, informed employees this week that the body responsible for managing the club’s operations would reduce the number of employees, with the exception of players and coaching staffs in the men’s and women’s teams.
These cuts are expected to affect up to 7 percent of the club's total 871 permanent employees.
This step came after Arteta's contract was renewed last week for a period of 4 years, where he will receive an amount of up to 20 million pounds ($26.7 million) per season after he led the team to win the English Premier League title for the first time since 2004.
Arteta said in response: “First, this question is not directed at me.”
He added: “The matter was made clear to me regarding this step and the analyzes conducted at the club level, which always aim to develop and improve.”
Arteta continued: “We must make some decisions to put people in the appropriate roles, and continue investing, in order to achieve what we aspire to, that is, the success that we seek to build. This is what has been made clear.”
He concluded by saying: “It is clear that I am not the right person to answer this question, that is for sure, and I hope everyone respects that.”
