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The family which controls Tottenham Hotspur Football Club is vying with the Premier League side's former chairman to win control of a new European basketball league's $1bn (£741m) London franchise.

Sky News can reveal that the Lewis family is part of a consortium which has submitted an offer to buy the NBA Europe's team in the capital.

The Lewises have joined forces with the Checketts family, which has owned or invested in professional sports franchises including Major League Soccer team Real Salt Lake and the NHL's St Louis Blues.

The third leg of the consortium is the Eccles family, which has helped develop sporting facilities and events connected to the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Olympics and the 2034 Games, which will also be held in Utah.

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People close to the situation confirmed that the triumvirate of families had tabled a bid for the NBA Europe's London team.

One intriguing subplot arising from the Lewis family's involvement in the auction is that it pits them against Daniel Levy, Spurs' former chairman, who left the club in apparently acrimonious circumstances earlier this year.

Sky News has previously reported Mr Levy's involvement in a consortium including Liberty Global and MSP Sports Capital, a former backer of McLaren Racing, which is also among the contenders for the NBA London team.

Joe Lewis, who invested in Spurs in 2001 for a modest sum and has since seen it grow into a multibillion-pound valuation, transferred his Enic ownership to a family trust in 2022.

Last year, he was reportedly pardoned by the US President, Donald Trump, having pleaded guilty to insider trading in 2024.

A source close to the London basketball consortium said it combined "some of the most experienced basketball and sports investors and operators globally".

The source added that the group was supported by "substantial institutional and private capital".

"Collectively, they represent a rare combination of basketball expertise, world-class sports ownership experience, state-of-the-art venue development capability and long-term capital - uniquely placed to support a franchise of this scale and ambition," the source said on Tuesday.

Both the Checketts and Eccles families own stakes in Burnley FC, who were relegated from the Premier League last season.

David Checketts has also held a number of senior roles across the NBA, while his family has been involved in the operation or revival of venues including Madison Square Garden.

The emergence of the consortium's involvement in the London NBA auction underlines the frenzy of capital chasing what has become one of the world's most sought-after sports franchises.

In recent months, Sky News has revealed that bidders for the team, or backers of offers, include the Liberty Global consortium; ABG, the owner of a stake in David Beckham's consumer goods stable; the Reuben family, which owns a stake in Newcastle United FC; and Nikesh Arora, the US technology billionaire who led the acquisition of English cricket's most lucrative Hundred franchise.

London has rapidly become most highly prized of the 12 new NBA Europe outfits, with other teams based in cities such as Berlin, Manchester, Milan, Munich, Paris and Rome.

The US National Basketball Association (NBA) wants to generate billions of dollars by selling the rights to the teams, with the first transactions expected in the coming weeks.

Advisers to the NBA received indicative bids in late March from dozens of prospective investors ranging from private equity firms and football clubs to wealthy individuals and media groups.

Owners of some of the continent's biggest football clubs expressed an interest in other locations, including RedBird Capital Partners, the owner of AC Milan, and Qatar Sports Investments, owner of the French Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain.

NBA executives met with some of the bidders for the European teams in New York last month during the weekend of the World Cup final, in which Spain beat Argentina.

"We have received significant interest from a range of prospective teams and investors for permanent franchise spots in a new league in Europe backed by the NBA and FIBA," Mark Tatum, NBA deputy commissioner, said in a statement earlier in the year.

"The level of engagement, and the scale of the bids, reflect the marketplace's belief in our proposed model and the enormous, untapped potential for European basketball."

However, Sky News reported in April that some prospective investors had expressed reservations about the proposed revenue and costs model associated with the new league.

Establishing an NBA Europe team will involve substantial infrastructure costs, with some uncertainty about the league's likely popularity given basketball's limited previous appeal in Europe compared to sports such as football and tennis.

The NBA has said that it will invest billions of dollars from its own financial resources to help get the league up and running.

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The auction is being run by bankers at JPMorgan and Raine.

A spokesman for the Lewis consortium declined to comment.

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Tottenham Hotspur's captain Cristian Romero has been criticised for travelling to Argentina just days before a crunch game for his side.

The defender was not expected to play in Sunday's home clash against Everton, which could decide his team's future Premier League status, due to a knee injury.

However, fans said he should still be there because of the importance of the match, and to support his teammates.

It is unclear if he will return to London in time.

But Former England captain Stuart Pearce said the timing of the trip "stinks".

A video of the Argentinian at the training ground of Buenos Aires-based Belgrano, was posted on X on Thursday by his boyhood club.

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If Roberto De Zerbi's team loses on Sunday, while West Ham beat Leeds, Spurs will be relegated to the Championship.

Any other combination of results for the London sides and Tottenham will stay up, while the Hammers go down.

Pearce told TalkSPORT: "If you're a Tottenham fan and your captain is thousands of miles away, wow, there's a statement there.

"That means I've [Romero] not got you in this problem, it's not my fault, that's what that statement sent out to me. It's not good."

Pearce said he had watched Romero, who recently signed a new contract at Spurs, play earlier this season and looked at "how he was playing [the] game, how selfish his defending was. I looked at him and I thought, 'that's your captain?'".

Romero was described as a "great captain" by De Zerbi on Monday.

If he does not return to the UK in time for Sunday, it is thought the 28-year-old may instead watch his boyhood club's game against River Plate in a title-deciding final that same day.

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Belgrano president Luis Artime told TyC Sports: "Yesterday he [Romero] was training and I told him I think he's going to be the one who arrives at the World Cup in the best shape. I've seen him and he's in great form. He's going to arrive well-rested, ready to join the team at its peak."

Romero was not at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, where Spurs lost 2-1 to Chelsea, but he was present for his side's draw with Leeds on 11 May.

According to De Zerbi, he has contributed to the squad's preparations despite being unable to play since mid-April.

But any absence on Sunday for one of the biggest Premier League matches in Tottenham's history may prove the final straw for some supporters.

Sky News has contacted Spurs to ask if Romero will return in time for Sunday's match.

Premier League strugglers Tottenham Hotspur have appointed Roberto De Zerbi as their permanent head coach, two days after Igor Tudor left the club.

The Italian, who was in charge of Premier League Brighton for a little under two years until he left in the summer of 2024, is tasked with keeping Spurs in the world's richest football league.

De Zerbi, 46, has agreed terms over a five-year deal with Spurs, who are one point above the relegation zone with seven games remaining. The contract does not include a relegation release clause.

In a statement, De Zerbi, whose first game in charge is at Sunderland on 12 April, said: "In all my discussions with the club's leadership, their ambition for the future has been clear - to build a team capable of reaching great achievements, and to do that playing a style of football that excites and inspires our supporters.

"I am here because I believe in that ambition and have signed a long-term contract to give everything to deliver it.

"Our short-term priority is to climb the Premier League table, which will be the complete focus until the final whistle of the last game of the season. I'm looking forward to getting out on the training pitch and working with these players to achieve that."

Having sacked Thomas Frank in February, the north London club parted company with his replacement, interim manager Tudor on Sunday afternoon after five defeats in seven matches during a shambolic 44-day reign.

The team last won a league match in December, 13 games ago.

De Zerbi's appointment will not be universally popular among the Spurs fanbase after three supporter groups on Friday urged the board not to hire him due to his past association with Mason Greenwood at Marseille.

Proud Lilywhites, Women of the Lane and Spurs Reach all expressed their concerns with 'No to De Zerbi' statements.

The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters Trust said in a statement on Tuesday that it cannot support the hiring of De Zerbi.

It said: "This appointment raises serious and far-reaching concerns, and many fans have been in touch with us to urge us to communicate the strength of feeling.

"We raised these concerns directly."

Former Manchester United forward Greenwood was charged in October 2022 with one count of attempted rape, one count of controlling and coercive behaviour and one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm over allegations relating to a young woman after images and videos were posted online.

The Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges in February 2023 owing to "a combination of the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light", which meant there was "no realistic prospect of conviction".

Greenwood has since resumed his career and joined Marseille in 2024.

In November, De Zerbi described Greenwood as a "good guy" who had paid a "heavy price" and added: "It saddens me what happened in his life, because I know a totally different person than the one who was described."

Tottenham are just one point and one place above the relegation zone, with seven games to go in the Premier League season.

Tottenham head coach Igor Tudor has left the club after just six weeks in charge.

Tudor did not win a single one of his five Premier League games, drawing just one, and losing the other four, having replaced Thomas Frank in February.

Spurs said on X: "We can confirm that it has been mutually agreed for head coach Igor Tudor to leave the club with immediate effect.

"Tomislav Rogic and Riccardo Ragnacci have also left their respective roles of goalkeeping coach and physical coach.

"We thank Igor, Tomislav and Riccardo for their efforts during the past six weeks, in which they worked tirelessly."

The club added that "an update on a new head coach will be provided in due course".

His 44 days at the helm now represents one of the shortest managerial tenures in Premier League history.

Only three managers had less time at the top: Sam Allardyce served just 30 days at Leeds in May-June 2023, Ange Postecoglou had 39 days at Nottingham Forest last Autumn, and Les Reed had 40 days at Charlton at the end of 2006.

It comes a week after Tottenham went down to a 3-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest.

Tudor learned of the death of his father, Mario, immediately after the game and was unable to fulfil his post-match commitments.

Recognising his loss, Spurs' statement today said: "We also acknowledge the bereavement that Igor has recently suffered and send our support to him and his family at this difficult time."

With seven games left in its Premier League season, the club is now without a head coach, and just one place and a single point above the relegation zone.

Players not away for international duties will be trained by assistant coach Bruno Saltor in the interim, the Press Association understands.

The side aims to appoint a new head coach in time for its next fixture, on 12 April, against Sunderland.

Among the potential contenders are former Brighton boss, Roberto De Zerbi, and the former manager of Burnley, Everton, and Nottingham Forest, Sean Dyche.

Tottenham Hotspur Supporters' Trust urged the club to now make a "wise choice" in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

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Tottenham boss Thomas Frank has been sacked after just eight months in charge.

The Dane left after Tuesday's 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle.

Tottenham sit 16th in the Premier League, five points above the relegation zone.

Frank, who was appointed last summer after consistently over-performing as Brentford boss, has the worst Premier League home win percentage of any Spurs manager since 2008. He won just 13 of his 38 games in charge.

Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris said it has been an "incredible season of contrast" for Spurs, as they have struggled domestically but performed strongly in Europe, progressing to the Champions League round of 16.

"It has been a quite fractious time between Thomas Frank, the Danish manager, and the fans. He's been a source of quite a bit of friction. It's been quite a poor atmosphere around the club as well," Harris added.

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Tottenham said they had been determined to give Frank "the time and support needed to build for the future together" since he was appointed head coach in June 2025.

"However, results and performances have led the board to conclude that a change at this point in the season is necessary," the club said in a statement, announcing that Frank will leave on Wednesday and thanking him for his "unwavering commitment, giving everything in his efforts to move the club forward".

Tottenham will now be looking for their sixth permanent manager in seven years since Mauricio Pochettino's departure in 2019.

There is no obvious interim manager who can step in, Harris said, questioning why the decision to sack Frank was made now.

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"They're already out of the FA Cup, there's no match this weekend - so they're not playing for a week and a half. But what a first match the interim manager will have: the north London derby against Arsenal," he said, adding this was a "wider reflection of just how brutal the managerial business can be".

Potential candidates to replace Frank as head coach include former Spurs boss Pochettino, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, former Brighton coach Roberto De Zerbi, and Barcelona great Xavi.

Former Tottenham and England footballer Martin Chivers has died at the age of 80.

He played more than 400 games for Spurs and is one of their greatest ever goal scorers.

Chivers also won 24 caps for his country.

The forward played for Bill Nicholson's Spurs side from the early 1970s, winning the League Cup twice as well as enjoying UEFA Cup success.

A statement from Tottenham read: "It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of our legendary former striker Martin Chivers.

"We extend our deepest sympathies to Martin's family, friends and former teammates at this incredibly sad time.

"Our players will wear black armbands during this evening's fixture against AFC Bournemouth. Rest in peace, Martin. One of the all-time greats."

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A South Korean woman has been sentenced to four years in prison for blackmailing former Tottenham Hotspur footballer Son Heung-min.

The woman, identified only as Yang, was charged with extorting 300m won (£152,000) from Son in 2024 after sending him an ultrasound of a baby she claimed was his and demanding money to stay silent.

She later conspired with a man, identified as Yong, to try to extort more money from Son.

The Seoul Central District Court said Yang "lied" to Son, though she had not confirmed whose child she was carrying.

Yang denied the charges of extortion and attempted extortion, the court said.

Yong, who confessed, was sentenced to two years in prison, according to the court.

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Earlier this year, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that a woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s had been detained on suspicion of attempting to blackmail Son in June last year - while he was still at Tottenham.

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Son, 33, is one of Asia's greatest football players.

He joined LAFC in August after a decade at Spurs in the Premier League. He also captains the South Korea national team.