Tottenham court Qatar for stadium funding

[tototoner]

sounds promising

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-court-Qatar-for-funding-for-new-stadium.html

Tottenham are looking to secure a £150 million sponsorship deal to help fund their proposed new stadium, with Qatar Airways the likeliest contender.


Daniel Levy, the club’s chairman, confirmed at last Tuesday’s annual meeting that the club are going ahead with the Northumberland Park plan, in which a 60,000-seat stadium would be built adjacent to their White Hart Lane home.



After giving up on the bid for the Olympic Stadium, Spurs are committed to staying in Tottenham but need to find £350–£400 million, almost half of which could come from sponsors.



And having won shareholders’ approval to delist from the Alternative Investment Market in January, the next stage of the plan is to agree a sponsorship package similar to those of Arsenal and Manchester City, who have shirt branding and stadium naming rights deals with Emirates and Etihad Airlines respectively.



Qatar Airways, controlled by the government of Qatar, is one of six potential sponsors identified by Tottenham, and Levy has already had talks with the airline, which is owned by the Qatari royal family.



The Qatar Foundation sponsor Barcelona’s shirts and the emirate is desperate for a high-profile presence in the Premier League during the build-up to hosting the 2022 World Cup finals.



But having bought Paris St-Germain in the summer through its Qatar Investment Authority vehicle, the emirate’s government cannot buy more than 25 per cent of another club in European competition, according to Uefa regulations.


That makes a naming-rights and shirt sponsorship with Tottenham the next best option.


Once Tottenham are privately owned again, next month, and a sponsorship deal is agreed, Levy can look for funds from the banks and institutions that were reluctant to invest in when it was a public company.
He said: “Football clubs should not be public companies. It is not a business model the institutions are interested in.”


When asked what would happen if there was a plan B if the full funding was not found, Levy replied: “There is no [other] option or time limit. We will find a way to make it happen.
“I am absolutely determined to bring a new stadium to Tottenham.”