Brighton & Hove Albion have banned the Guardian’s reporters and photographers from attending matches at the Amex Stadium after it reported on allegations relating to the English Premier League club’s owner, Tony Bloom.
The club on Sunday notified the newspaper to say it felt it “would be inappropriate for journalists and photographers from the Guardian to be accredited to matches at the Amex, starting from Sunday’s game against West Ham [United].”
The move follows reports in the the newspaper that have raised questions from British MPs about the activities of Bloom, a billionaire who has made his money from gambling.
Photo: Reuters
The Guardian revealed last week that Bloom, the majority shareholder at Brighton, is being sued in a lawsuit that alleges “frontmen” were sometimes used when his gambling syndicate placed bets on sports events. The details were set out in a public document at the high court in London, which named George Cottrell, a close associate of the Reform party leader Nigel Farage, as one person who acted as a front for the collective, known as the Starlizard Betting Syndicate. The case involves a dispute between Bloom and Ryan Dudfield, a former associate who claims he is owed a share of gambling profits.
The syndicate makes about ￡600 million (US$800 million) each year in winnings, the document alleges.
Bloom has yet to file a defense against the lawsuit.
He did not respond to questions from the newspaper about the claim.
Lawyers acting for Cottrell were approached for comment.
On Friday, the Guardian published a second story which focused on allegations Bloom could be an anonymous gambler behind US$70 million in winnings — which allegedly included bets on his soccer teams.
Bloom declined to comment about this specific claim, but through a source made clear he denied betting on his own teams or competitions that involve them, describing any such allegations as “entirely false.”
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