Eastern Daily Press

The British billionaire, who handed ownership of the club to the Lewis Family Trust in 2022, was fined five million US dollars (£3.8 million) after he pleaded guilty in January 2024 to charges alleging he had committed securities fraud and conspired to commit securities fraud by insider trading.

A White House official confirmed the pardon and said Lewis, 88, requested it so that he could receive medical treatment and visit his grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the US, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

He had initially denied the charges of securities fraud and conspiracy with which he was faced.

According to prosecutors, he passed secrets to romantic partners, personal assistants and friends.

The information allowed them to bet on companies in which he had invested, using information only those with access to the business could have known.

The Lewis family took full operational control of Tottenham this year, after former chairman Daniel Levy stepped down.

Lewis will not be returning to the club, which will continue to be run by the next generation of the Lewis family.

Lewis said: “I am pleased all of this is now behind me, and I can enjoy retirement and watch as my family and extended family continue to build our businesses based on the quality and pursuit of excellence that has become our trademark.”

A source close to the family added: “Joe and the Lewis family are extremely grateful for this pardon and would like to thank President Trump for taking this action.

“Over his long business career, Joe has been a visionary, creating businesses across the world which multiple generations of his family are now taking forward.

“This is why there is so much more to the Joe Lewis story than this one event.”

Lewis built his wealth through the investment company Tavistock Group, and bought a controlling stake in Tottenham Hotspur in 2001.

In 2022 he ceded control of the club and formally handed his stake to a family trust and has no day-to-day involvement with the club.

Spurs is now run by Joe Lewis’s daughter Vivienne, his son Charles, and Vivienne’s husband Nick Beucher, as well as non-executive chairman Peter Charrington and chief executive Vinai Venkatesham.

Mr Levy stepped down as chairman of the club in September after nearly 25 years.

An expression of interest by Earick’s consortium, which was reportedly ready to launch a £4.5billion takeover bid, was “unequivocally rejected” by ENIC, which is run by the Lewis family Trust, on September 26.

On Monday, it was confirmed via the London Stock Exchange that Earick had pulled out of the running, which was welcomed by the Lewis family Trust, who again reiterated a long-term commitment to Spurs. This news follows Asia-based consortium Firehawk Holdings Limited also ruling out a bid.

“The Board of Tottenham Hotspur Limited (the “club”) notes the recent announcements from the Firehawk and Mr Earick’s consortiums that they do not intend to make an offer for the club,” a statement on London Stock Exchange read.

“The Board thanks them for the constructive approach taken in the discussions with the club’s and the Lewis family’s representatives and respecting the clear position of the Lewis family that the club is not for sale.

“Following the announcements made by the consortiums, the club is no longer in an offer period under the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers.”

It was announced at the start of September that Spurs’ majority owners ENIC had “unequivocally rejected” two expressions of interest in acquiring the north London club, with one from a consortium of investors led by Dr Roger Kennedy and Wing-Fai Ng through Firehawk.

Amanda Staveley’s PCP International Finance immediately confirmed via the London Stock Exchange on September 8 that it did not intend to make an offer for Tottenham and Firehawk confirmed its intentions on October 3.

This left a consortium led by Earick as the only public interested party in Tottenham, but he has withdrawn his interest in the Premier League club.

ENIC, run by the Lewis family Trust, owns almost 87 per cent of Tottenham, but due to the remaining shares being publicly traded, the club is subject to the UK Takeover Code. This means any expression of interest or bid must be lodged with the Takeover Code panel and made public.

Since Daniel Levy was invited to step down after 24 years as chairman on September 4 by majority owners ENIC there have been three expressions of interest to buy Tottenham, but the Lewis family Trust insists the club are not for sale.

A source close to the Lewis family told the PA news agency on September 26: “This unsolicited and unnecessary interest does nothing to change the family’s resolve and commitment to do whatever it takes to drive success on the pitch. The club is not for sale.”

The Browns had been on course for victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after a touchdown from David Njoku gave them a 17-14 lead in the third quarter.

The Vikings had led earlier after replying to a Harold Fannin touchdown and Andre Szymt field goal with scores from Josh Oliver and Jordan Mason.

Addison had the final say on a 12-yard pass from Wentz, lifting the Vikings to 3-2 in NFC North, while the Browns slip to 1-4 in AFC North.

England forward Solanke has endured an injury-hit few months and only featured three times this season, with his last appearance for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City.

After a lengthy lay-off in pre-season with the same issue, Solanke’s absence over the past five weeks has sparked a flurry of questions for new boss Thomas Frank and he finally underwent surgery on Wednesday.

“The last few months have been very frustrating as I’ve tried everything possible to try and push through my ankle issue before taking the option of surgery,” Tottenham’s £65million forward Solanke said on Instagram.

“None of this managed to solve the problem, so we had to go ahead with minor surgery, which I underwent this morning.

“It was all successful so hopefully I’ll be back on the pitch in the very near future. Thank you for all your love and messages.”

Tuesday’s 2-2 draw at Bodo/Glimt was the sixth match Solanke has missed this season and stand-in captain Micky van de Ven admitted to being disappointed at the team’s overall performance in Norway.

Spurs had to fight back from being 2-0 down after two fine second-half strikes by Jens Petter Hauge to leave with a point in the Champions League.

Van de Ven was given the armband in the absence of injured captain Cristian Romero and started the comeback with a 68th-minute header for his maiden goal in the competition before Archie Gray’s low shot forced an 89th-minute own-goal from Jostein Gundersen.

“A tough game, really tough and 2-0 down, so I think we can be happy with a point,” Van de Ven told SpursPlay.

“It’s a nice feeling (to score) and I’m happy also we get the point otherwise if you lose 2-1 and you score it doesn’t matter, but happy to score my first goal (in the Champions League).

“Yeah, really proud moment. I am happy to help the team as well today. I was hoping for a better performance from our team, but I am happy with the point and a really proud moment for myself and my family (to be captain).”

A flying header by Dutchman Van de Ven from Pedro Porro’s cross came 146 seconds after Bodo’s second goal.

The Spurs centre-back acknowledged the instant reply was significant, adding: “That is also important because I think that gives some extra pressure on them.

“They knew if we score the 2-1 straight away, they need to drop and we are coming. I think we played really well after this and got the point.”

It is the third time in September that Tottenham have been forced to come from behind to claim a point.

Spurs trailed by two goals at Brighton and required an equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time on Saturday to rescue a point at home to Wolves.

Centre-back Kevin Danso added: “Our mentality came out. I think that is the third time this season we have been down and come back.”

Solanke, who last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City, was absent from training again on Monday ahead of the Champions League fixture away to Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday.

England forward Solanke had returned to training earlier this month before he was pulled out last week, but Frank revealed in Norway that a final decision had been made to go down the surgery route.

“Dom has got that ankle issue that’s been bothering him for a little while, so now we’ve decided to make a minor surgery,” Spurs boss Frank told a press conference.

“It’s a small procedure, so that will mean he is not ready for today of course and of course Leeds (on Saturday) as well. We’ll have more news about a timeframe after the international break, but I don’t expect it to be long.”

Frank had played down concerns over Solanke’s fitness in Friday’s press conference before a 1-1 draw at home to Wolves on Saturday night.

Solanke missed the majority of pre-season with an ankle issue, but it appeared to be fixed by the start of August after he featured in matches against Paris St Germain, Burnley and Manchester City.

However, with the 28-year-old not able to play for Tottenham during the last five weeks, Frank was asked whether the club could have opted for surgery sooner.

He said: “No, I think you can look at it two ways. That is the easy answer but it is not that easy because if we knew we could have done the surgery a month ago, we probably would have done it.

“For me I am always ‘it is what it is’. We deal with it now and no doubt the way we dealt with it was because we thought that was the right thing. In general no one wants surgery.”

Surgery for Solanke leaves Frank light on attacking options in Bodo, with Paris St Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani unable to train on Monday.

Frank provided a positive update on the France international, but he will be unavailable for this rematch with Bodo four months on from a Europa League semi-final victory at Aspmyra Stadion.

Mathys Tel featured in the 2-0 win in the Arctic Circle, but is not registered for Tottenham’s Champions League squad, which is also the case for summer recruit Kota Takai and Yves Bissouma.

Takai and Bissouma took part in training on Monday along with Ben Davies – after a minor knee issue – but Frank revealed captain Cristian Romero has been left in England as a “precaution” after a bruising encounter with Wolves.

Frank added: “Kolo Muani, I think now we’re finally on top of his dead leg, so that is also progress there and good. Cuti was just a precaution.”

Danish coach Frank heaped praise on Norwegian minnows Bodo after their historic run to the Europa League semi-final was followed by qualification for the Champions League for the first time.

Asked about Spurs’ 2-0 win under his predecessor Ange Postecoglou, Frank admitted: “How many months is that? Four months ago? With all due respect, I was not the coach.

“This is a new game. This is a new situation.”

Charles visited the home of Tottenham Hotspur to highlight the Premier League club’s work supporting local businesses and good causes and its collaboration with America’s National Football League (NFL) which stages games at the arena.

During the visit the head of state could not resist throwing an American football under the watchful eye of the longest-serving British NFL player Efe Obada.

Gina Moffatt, 48, an ex-offender who turned her life around with help form the King’s Trust, formerly the Prince’s Trust, now runs a successful restaurant in Tottenham employing 15 full time staff.

She told the King: “I’m so excited that you’re even back in Tottenham, this year’s looking all good, Tottenham Hotspur’s doing great stuff.

“We’ve got Beyonce coming but you’re bigger than Beyonce.”

The US superstar is due to perform at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June, return performances for the singer who staged concerts at the venue a few years ago.

Charles and his wife visited the area in 2011 after the Tottenham riots, a visit that was billed as the time as the then prince of Wales coming to listen to residents.

During the visit he met students from the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham, a state-funded high achieving sixth form located on the stadium campus and co-sponsored by Tottenham Hotspur, and chatted to other people supported by his trust.

On the pitch he received a rapturous reception from dozens of school children and was handed an American football by Obada.

After Charles’ effort, Obada said: “I love the King’s energy and the fact he came here and got stuck in.

“His technique wasn’t immaculate, I wanted him to get a little closer to the target so he could get it in but he was having a great time and got a good reception.”