1 week agoNew York StateComments Off on Staggering monthly fee Prem aces pay for luxury online butler service offering private jets, hotels & shopping revealed
PREMIER League stars are signing up to a luxury £1,700-a-month online butler service offering private jets, hotels and shopping.
The app promises “exclusive lifestyle management for football elites” including help with travel plans, fashion and VIP event tickets.
GettyPremier League stars including Joshua Zirkzee are signing up to a luxury £1,700-a-month online butler service[/caption]
The service offers private jets, hotels, shopping.and more
The Amsterdam firm was founded six years ago by pals Emmanuel Ntow, Ward Struwer and Mitchell Spel.
Their most expensive one-off purchase was for a star of Germany’s Bundesliga who asked them to source a Patek Philippe Nautilus 5711 watch worth £105,000.
Other requests include handbags worth £20,000 and £10,000 designer trainers.
But one anonymous player’s partying ended up in a brush with the law.
Emmanuel told The Sun: “A player asked us urgently through Instagram if we could help him with a very difficult last minute request.
“He needed a private jet for the next day to Ibiza as all flights were cancelled.
“We used all our power to get this done and he was very happy.
“A week later when he arrived back from his holiday he asked us to fly two girls in from Ibiza.
“Everything was taken care of but after they landed we were called with a very strange conversation.
“He said the girls were not allowed to enter the country because they were being sought by Interpol.”
But he said most requests were more straightforward to deal with.
Emmanuel said: “We offer personalised travel — whether that’s a secluded private villa, a luxury yacht charter, or a five-star resort.”
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme –Sun Club.
1 week agoNew York StateComments Off on Doctor Who’s demise is an overdue lesson for woke BBC – & a warning to other companies who’ve become slaves to diversity
SO farewell Fifteenth Doctor, off to fiddle with your sonic screwdriver in some woke utopia at the end of a Gallifrey rainbow.
Doctor Who’s demise has been an overdue lesson for its smug producers.
APOf course, the Doctor Who debacle is not just a lesson for the BBC[/caption]
High on their own self-importance and right-on zealotry, they managed to ruin a franchise that was beloved by millions.
As we revealed this week, audiences for Ncuti Gatwa’s truncated Time Lord found it “rubbish”, “boring” and “woke” and complained producers had put social justice issues above quality.
And who let them get away with that?
Craven BBC executives terrified of appearing homophobic, transphobic or displaying some other LBGTQ+ phobia by pointing out how utterly crap it was, I suspect.
They gave overbearing writer Russell T Davies far too much freedom and, in return, he turned the 62-year-old show into a pulpit for his own sermons on gender ideology.
We can only hope that whoever gets the gig next lives on the same planet as the rest of us.
It is a vivid case study of what happens when you become so weak and battle-worn by the “culture wars” that you roll over and let others do things in your name that just p**s people off. And it isn’t the only casualty of this crisis of confidence.
Just last month Jaguar, the British car brand once the ultimate status symbol of middle England, canned its advertising agency.
We didn’t need Jag fan Inspector Morse to work out why.
Jaguar had allowed a pretentious advertising firm to reinvent the company with a Technicolor “inclusive” ad campaign that would make Benetton cringe.
The resulting backlash was an avalanche of derision.
When it aired, I gave the ailing company the benefit of the doubt on these pages for at least having the balls to try something different.
But I assumed — naively it seems — that a brand whose parent company recorded £29billion in revenue last year would have done its homework and formulated its new direction after listening to prospective clients.
Apparently not.
So the big cat of motoring became yet another dog humiliatingly wagged by its own tail.
That disaster would follow this collective decision to let people, many who are essentially activists, determine how an organisation should behave was all too predictable.
When the first drumbeats of wokeism started emanating from the US, social justice campaigners over here tuned in with great excitement.
The Great Overcorrection began.
Fingers were pointed, social media pile-ons were unleashed and all our political, educational, cultural and corporate institutions panicked.
“Is my leaflet about breastfeeding transphobic? Are my lessons racist? Is saying ‘ladies and gentleman’ a microaggression? Does my washing powder have white privilege? Oh God, what shall we do? HELP!!!”
That help came quickly in the form of right-on diversity “consultants” — cynical agents, who for a large fee, could ensure that you avoided what they deemed “problematic” practices.
Ideological madness
Value systems were franchised out to strangers with agendas.
Like the LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, which charges £3,000 for companies to become “diversity champions” and be advised (read “bollocked”) about gender issues by blue-haired busybodies.
PAAudiences for Ncuti Gatwa’s truncated Time Lord found it ‘rubbish’, ‘boring’ and ‘woke’[/caption]
Everyone from the Bank of England to the House of Lords signed up to this hustle until they realised they were being conned.
At one point £1.2million was given to Stonewall by public bodies.
HR bosses lapped this stuff up, relishing a new level of importance, a world where they didn’t just sign off maternity leave or work out how to sack people for shagging on the photocopier.
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion departments mushroomed, not least in the civil service where, we learnt this week, £27million of taxpayers’ cash has been spent on DEI officers.
Thankfully, the worm appears to be turning.
Just as Reform UK is purging its council DEI departments, smart private sector operators are starting to realise themselves that much of what they have been taught to be worried about is nonsense.
They already know it is simply good business to be inclusive and respectful of their customers, employees, students or patients.
But they also know there is a line — where common sense ends and ideological madness begins.
So Stonewall is out (even the BBC has ditched it) and the fight back is on.
People are finally, to coin a phrase, waking up.
The Doctor is not the only one regenerating.
THANK GOD IT'S FRYDAY
HAPPY National Fish and Chip day, folks.
There are few things more exciting in life than a chippy tea, right?
Will it be a jumbo cod or haddock? Maybe they’ve got skate tonight.
And what about a chaser of a crunchy saveloy or pickled egg? Decision, decisions.
Whatever I choose, it will always be accompanied by a bag of chips so enormous Desperate Dan would struggle to finish the lot.
And if 50 per cent of them aren’t stuck to the paper I’m taking them back.
I’m lucky I have a good chippy nearby.
Many are dying out, forced to close thanks to energy costs soaring and Rachel Reeves’ hike of employers’ National Insurance.
So if you haven’t been to your local for a while, get yourself down there today . . . before they have had their chips.
It’s a jaw-dropping look, Si
THAT squeaky-voiced youth who won Britain’s Got Talent had some very clever tricks.
But nothing as mesmerising as how Simon Cowell looked in a promo for the show.
instgarmSimon Cowell now looks like he’s auditioning for Love Island[/caption]
Simon, 65, hasn’t looked like himself for a good few years but in an Instagram reel his hollow eyes and gigantic lantern jaw made him look utterly insane.
And the teeth! They looked whiter than Liam Gallagher’s mirror in 1996.
What’s going on?
I like Simon and used to speak to him pretty much every day when The X Factor was huge.
He’s a pretty down-to-earth bloke and part of his charm was that he was just a normal-looking geezer (albeit one in weirdly high-waisted jeans) who had no time for showbiz tweakments.
Now he looks like he’s auditioning for Love Island.
It’s a no from me.
WHAT A RIGHTS TO DO
REMEMBER when the luvvies were in a tizzy over London’s snooty Garrick Club refusing to allow women to be members?
Folk like Stephen Fry and Sting demanded ladies be let in, despite having been members of this 200-year-old anti-oestrogen institution for many years.
Well, the ban was lifted last year, the floodgates opened and a whopping, er, three women have joined – acting dames Judi Dench, Sian Phillips and Celia Imrie.
What a result! Treble G&Ts all round.
You can hardly blame women for giving it a swerve.
Paying two grand a year for the privilege of sitting near the host of ITV’s Jeopardy as he eats a coddled gull’s egg in an oak-panelled library doesn’t seem that much of a draw.
ER, SO WHAT TAYLOR?
NOW I confess I’m quite the fan of Taylor Swift’s music – she has a good ear for a melody does our Tay-Tay.
But please tell me why I should care that she’s bought back her master recordings.
GettyWhy should I care that Taylor Swift bought back her master recordings for a reported £220million?[/caption]
The breathlessly announced purchase was treated as if she’d discovered the Holy Grail hanging up behind the bog door in her tour trailer.
Unless I’m missing something, it was simply the culmination of her amassing so much cash that she was able to pay around £220million for the rights to her first six albums.
And as she admitted herself, a lot of that loot came from fans paying eye-watering sums for tickets to her Eras tour last year.
So will that make parents feel better about shelling out the price of a small car to take the kids to see their favourite pop star?
No? Thought not.
Life's too... short
MUCH consternation about Tinder allowing women to weed out shorter men.
Speaking as a man who lives within 5ft 8in of the ground, I would presumably be one of those poor souls filtered out, should I find myself suddenly back on the dating scene.
But I can confirm that I would have no problem with being screened by some fussy female hunting for a Richard Osman rather than a Richard Hammond.
1 week agoNew York StateComments Off on Fans convinced UFC have CONFIRMED Jon Jones’ retirement with shock Tom Aspinall social media post
MMA fans are convinced the UFC have confirmed Jon Jones’ retirement from the sport.
The former pound-for-pound king and current heavyweight champ has left fight fans on tenterhooks over the last few weeks with conflicting statements over his future.
GETTYJon Jones’ fighting future is up in the air[/caption]
GETTYThe UFC legend has toed and froed with the prospect of retirement[/caption]
GETTYBrit bruiser and rival Tom Aspinall recently came out and claimed Jone has ‘retired’[/caption]
UFC@YOUTUBEThe UFC have added fuel to the fire by sharing the interview in which Aspinall made the bombshell claim to its official YouTube channel[/caption]
Jones, 37, has left interim counterpart Tom Aspinall in limbo with his constant tooing and froing from the prospect of retirement.
Wigan warrior Aspinall came out this week and claimed the MMA great is “RETIRED” during an appearance on Good Guy/Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen.
And the UFC made the unprecedented decision to post the ESPN interview, which had a simple thumbnail including a picture of Aspinall and “he’s retired” emblazoned across it, on their official YouTube channel for their 21 million subscribers to watch.
Their sharing of the video, which isn’t a huge surprise given ESPN are the current owner of the promotion’s North American broadcast rights, set fight fans’ chins wagging.
And several of them interpreted the post as the promotion admitting Jones’ fighting days are over.
One commented on the video: “The fact that the UFC is posting this is encouraging.”
Another said: “You know Jones is ducking when the UFC allows this on their socials.”
And another said: “The fact that the UFC uploaded this interview to their channel with this title says A LOT.”
1 week agoNew York StateComments Off on My husband promised to end affair and rebuild our relationship – but he lied and never ended things with mistress
DEAR DEIDRE: I THOUGHT that becoming a parent would strengthen my relationship with my husband, but instead it has exposed his affair.
We’d just had our first baby when I started noticing a change in him.
He became distant and hardly helped with our newborn, preferring to sit glued to his phone.
I was exhausted and emotional and trying to adjust to being a mum, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right.
Finally, I snooped on his phone and I discovered he’d been having an affair with a colleague.
When I confronted him, he said it meant nothing and begged me to give him another chance.
After that, we had counselling and he promised to cut all contact with this woman outside work.
I wanted so badly for our family to stay together, so I chose to believe him.
But months later, I discovered he never really ended things with her and he’s been lying to me the whole time, sneaking over while pretending to rebuild our relationship.
Now I don’t know what to do. I feel like a complete fool.
Part of me still loves him and wants to work on things for the sake of our family, but the other part feels broken. I don’t want to keep living a lie. I’m 32 and he’s 35. Our baby is 15 months old. I feel so lost.
How can I move forward from this? Is it even worth it?
DEIDRE SAYS: Learning that your partner has been having an affair during such a vulnerable time is devastating, and for him to continue the fling after promising that he would end it only adds to the pain.
Trust, once broken, is incredibly hard to rebuild, especially when the betrayal is repeated.
Ask yourself what you truly want – not just for your relationship, but for yourself and your child.
You’ve already shown great strength in trying to work through it, but unless he pulls out all the stops now to show his remorse and determination to improve things, I’m afraid you do need to consider if it’s time to leave this relationship.
You may need more counselling, either together or individually, to help process what’s happened and consider if you would be best going your separate ways. Contact tavistockrelationships.org (020 7380 1960).
My support pack, Cheating – Can You Get Over It?, can also help you decide whether to walk away or not.
Get in touch with Deidre
Every problem gets a personal reply, usually within 24 hours weekdays.
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page.
HELP ME FIND A MAN WHO WANTS MORE THAN ROMPS
DEAR DEIDRE: WHY do men only want me for one thing? I get my hopes up, only to find they were never serious about me in the first place and it’s all about sex.
I’m a 62-year-old woman, I’ve never married, don’t have children and have spent most of my life alone.
Five years ago, I was left devastated after someone I truly cared for used me for sex. I was heartbroken and swore I would never go through that pain again.
Now, I’ve started seeing someone I actually like. He’s funny, attentive and romantic – and I was beginning to trust him. But then I noticed he’s friends with loads of attractive women on Facebook.
To make matters worse, a friend found him on a dating website known for hook-ups. I feel like a fool for opening my heart again, and I can’t help but think the worst.
I’m sick of being used. How can I tell if this is real or if I’m just another stop along the way?
DEIDRE SAYS: It’s completely natural to feel wary after being hurt, especially when someone you trusted shows signs that bring back old fears.
Before jumping to conclusions, have an honest talk with him about what you’ve found and how it makes you feel.
If his answers don’t reassure you, or he continues to behave inconsistently, don’t be afraid to walk away.
My support pack, Finding The Right Partner, will help you recognise red flags and build healthier relationships.
SO DOWN OVER MY BINGEING ON JUNK
DEAR DEIDRE: I’M trapped in a constant battle where food feels like my comfort and my curse.
No matter what I do, I can’t control my eating habits and it’s making my life a misery.
I’m a 34-year-old man and I’ve had a difficult relationship with food ever since I was a teenager.
Lately, stress at work and feeling lonely in my personal life have made me feel more out of control. I’m scared I’m damaging my health, physically and mentally.
Most evenings, I eat to the point of discomfort – packs of biscuits, family-sized bags of crisps, takeaways, whatever I can get my hands on.
It’s like I’m using food to fill a gap I can’t explain.
I’ve gained a lot of weight and constantly feel low. I hate what I see in the mirror.
I’ve never told anyone because I’m ashamed and scared they’ll just think I’m weak or lack self-control.
I’m desperate for help.
DEIDRE SAYS: Struggling with binge eating can feel overwhelming, but know that you’re not alone.
Many people use food to cope with stress or emotional pain, and breaking the cycle often takes time and support.
It’s important to be kind to yourself and seek help.
Organisations like beateatingdisorders.org.uk (0808 801 0677) offer specialist guidance for eating disorders.
My support pack, Eating Disorders, should help too.
LIFE OF FAILURE HAS LEFT ME FUMING
DEAR DEIDRE: HOW can I stop being furious at the world? For as long as I can remember, life has felt like one long uphill battle.
I struggle to make close friends and romantic relationships fall apart before they even begin.
I’m 33 and have watched everyone my age fall in love, find jobs they care about, travel the world and build meaningful lives, while I’m stuck in a constant loop of failure and frustration.
My career hasn’t taken off and I feel like I’ve never really belonged anywhere. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to catch a break.
Every rejection and failure just chips away at me. Lately, the frustration has turned to real anger. I constantly snap at people over small things and feel like I’m always on the verge of blowing up.
It feels like I was dealt a bad hand, and sometimes I wonder if things will ever get better or if I’m destined to feel this way for ever.
DEIDRE SAYS: It’s totally understandable to feel overwhelmed and angry when life seems to throw one setback after another at you.
Feeling targeted by the universe is a common reaction when things don’t go your way, but remember, these things don’t define your future.
Anger can be a powerful emotion, but holding on to it can stop you from making the necessary changes.
Try to channel that frustration into small, positive steps — whether it’s seeking support from a counsellor, finding new activities to meet people or setting manageable goals.
Talking to someone impartial could help you unpack what’s behind this frustration. Contact mind.org.uk (0300 123 3393) or bacp.co.uk to find a qualified counsellor near you.
My support pack, Managing Anger, should also help you.
1 week agoNew York StateComments Off on Crystal Palace closer than ever to being kicked out of Europe as Man Utd trick to stay in Europa League fails
CRYSTAL PALACE are facing complete EXPULSION from Europe next season after Uefa rejected a desperate ploy from club shareholders.
The Eagles are facing the prospect of not playing in the Europa League, which they qualified for by winning the FA Cup, due to shareholder John Textor owning a stake in French outfit in Lyon.
ALAMYCrystal Palace are facing complete expulsion from Europe next season[/caption]
GETTYOliver Glasner’s troops may not play any European footall due to shareholders John Textor and David Blizter owning stakes in clubs in the Europa League and Conference League[/caption]
APAmerican Textor also owns shares in Ligue 1 side Lyon[/caption]
Lyon are also set to feature in the competition having qualified with a sixth-placed finish in the Ligue 1 last season.
Uefa rules prohibit anyone from “simultaneously be involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management, administration, and/or sporting performance of more than one club participating in a Uefa club competition.”
The prospect of Palace dropping into the Conference League is also nigh-on impossible as other shareholder David Blizter also has a stake in Danish oufit Brondby, who are set to play in European football‘s tertiary club competition next season.
In a desperate bid to see the Eagles fly across Europenext season and comply with Uefa rules, Textor and Blizter offered to put their shares in a blind trust.
But Uefa chiefs have REJECTED the offer, leaving Palace’s proposed European adventure next season in limbo.
The proposal was rejected as Palace missed the registration deadline to submit it.
Had it been approved, a blind trust would’ve seen a group of trustees take control of Textor’s shares in Palace for the 2025/26 season.
English clubs aren’t strangers to utilising blind trusts so as not to fall afoul of Uefa rules.
X / OLJohn Textor is willing to sell his Palace shares to ensure they can play in Europe next season[/caption]
Manchester City and Manchester United utilised blind trusts last season as sister clubs Girona and Nice both qualified for the Champions League and Europa League respectively.
Palace held crunch talks with Uefa to try to resolve the potentially devastating issue earlier this week.
And the meeting on the shores of Lake Geneva ended up in Textor putting his shares in the south London club up for sale.
He told The Daily Mail: “Look, all of the UK knows that I don’t have decisive influence over Palace. It was a good meeting.
“They listened and we’ll see what happens. I wouldn’t be trying to sell (his stake) if I did.”
Textor, 59, added: “”We are trying to help separate it and sell.
“We wanted to buy but it’s become clear that isn’t going to happen and so we’re trying to help Palace and the situation with UEFA.
1 week agoNew York StateComments Off on The Premier League clubs most at risk of PSR rule breaks as Man Utd’s summer transfer spree is explained
THE finance of football is becoming just as important and high-profile as what happens on the pitch these days.
Every fan wants to know how much money their club can splash on transfers and whether they are at risk of a dreaded points deduction.
GettyPremier League CEO Richard Masters and his team will be taking a keen look at every club’s finances[/caption]
Ruben Amorim and Manchester United look to be safe from PSR breachesGetty
With the end of the 2024/25 accounting period for 15 of the 20 Prem clubs on the horizon, intrigue in clubs’ financial situations is growing.
Those figures exclude spending on certain areas of the club such as investments in youth development, women’s football and infrastructure, but are the limits for the majority of spending.
Breaching those rules can result in hefty points deductions and fines – as evidenced by Everton’s two points penalties during the 2023/24 season
Now The Athletic have figured out an estimate for just how much wiggle room each team has to avoid a PSR breach – outlining the figure each club can afford to register in pre-tax losses across the 2024/25 season.
The estimates are good news of Manchester United, who many thought would be in dire financial straits after missing out on European football for the first time since 2015.
It’s estimated that United can lose over £140million, perhaps explaining their decision to splash out on Matheus Cunha already and their plans for a move for Bryan Mbeumo.
That surprisingly large figure is born out United’s PSR position being calculated using the accounts of Red Football Limited (RFL), rather than Manchester United PLC.
GettyMan Utd are keen on signing Bryan Mbeumo[/caption]
GettySir Jim Ratcliffe’s takeover costs are not included in RFL’s accounts[/caption]
RFL, which is a subsidiary of PLC, posts significantly smaller losses than the PLC company as a whole – partly because it does not include any costs borne by the PLC as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe‘s minority takeover.
While it also benefits from the structuring of loans within the Manchester Untied Group as a whole.
RFL’s pre-tax loss across the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons was £55.1m, and United’s loss limit across the three-year PSR cycle is £105m following Ratcliffe’s injections of equity in 2024.
United are considered as “safe” from PSR punishment by The Athletic, alongside a whole host of other top clubs.
Perhaps shockingly, mega-spenders Chelsea are thought to have the biggest margin for loss – boasting a £300m safety blanket despite splashing out on signings in recent seasons.
The intra-group sales of hotels, car parks and their OWN women’s team have allowed the Blues to keep their books in a positive place – as shown by their early spending on Liam Delap.
Brighton, Man City and Tottenham are all also thought to have in excess of £275m of breathing space.
Newcastle United, Leeds, Everton and Burnley are all thought to be in slightly riskier positions, but should be fine if they approach things carefully.
While Aston Villa are the only club who are at serious risk of facing PSR punishment with just £15m of allowable losses.
Villa, who missed out on Champions League football on the final day of the season, have lost £206.2million pre-tax in the past two seasons, the highest deficit in the Premier League in that time.
Unai Emery‘s team will have to sell this summer if they want to avoid a breach, with missing out on the Champions League hitting their accounts big time.
GettyChelsea have signed Liam Delap[/caption]
Shutterstock EditorialUnai Emery’s Aston Villa are at risk of a breach[/caption]
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