Los Angeles // NFL team owners approved the return of the Los Angeles Rams from St Louis on Tuesday, relocating the club to end a 21-year NFL drought for the Southern California metropolis.
The NFL announced that owners voted 30-2 to support Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s move for the 2016 season and proposal for a 70,000-seat stadium in suburban Inglewood, a $1.86 billion complex that could crack $2 billion before its 2019 completion.
“This is the hardest undertaking I’ve ever faced,” Kroenke said. “It is a difficult process and it is bittersweet. We understand the emotions of our fans. It’s not easy to do these things. It’s purposefully made hard.”
Three teams were looking to relocate to Los Angeles as early as next season, but while the Rams will move for the 2016 campaign, another team could join them later.
The San Diego Chargers have up to one year to decide if they want to join them in the new stadium. If not, the Oakland Raiders then will get a year to decide about making the same move.
Read more: NFL aspirations in La-La Land: Chargers, Rams and Raiders seek move to Los Angeles
While LA fans were overjoyed, St Louis NFL supporters were heartbroken, stung again after luring the Rams from LA in 1994 after having lost the Cardinals to Arizona in 1988.
“The NFL ignored the facts, the loyalty of St. Louis fans who supported the team through far more downs than ups and a strong market and viable plan for a new stadium,” St. Louis mayor Francis Slay said.
But NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has long warned cities that modern venues mean more than loyal ticketbuyer support when it comes to providing proper support for NFL teams.
“Relocation is a painful process,” Goodell said. “It was a difficult decision for the ownership but we also recognized this was our opportunity.”
All three hopefuls had previously been based in LA, the Rams and Raiders leaving in 1994 to begin the city’s NFL drought.
“Welcome home,” tweeted former Los Angeles Rams star rusher Eric Dickerson mere minutes after the news was made public.
The Chargers and Oakland Raiders had a rival plan for a stadium in suburban Carson that was backed by an owners committee earlier but failed to obtain the 24 votes needed from owners.
After a preliminary vote favored the Rams option by a 20-12 margin, the Raiders backed out of the relocation process and will remain in Oakland.
The move back to Los Angeles for the Rams came exactly 70 years to the day after NFL owners approved the team’s move from Cleveland to Los Angeles. The Rams are expected to return to the Los Angeles Coliseum as a temporary home until the new stadium is complete.
Goodell said the Chargers could possibly play in Los Angeles as soon as next season, as could the Raiders if the Chargers pass on their chance quickly enough within the 12-month time frame they have to decide.
The Chargers, should they decide to relocate to the new stadium, would have to negotiate lease terms with Kroenke that could include being a tenant at the stadium or a partner in the project that derailed their own plan.
“This has really been excruciating,” Chargers chairman Dean Spanos said. “I’m going to look at all our options. We do have options. It’s very difficult to say now I’m going to do this or do that.”
Spanos said the NFL has granted $100 million in assistance in the event a new stadium solution can be placed before San Diego voters.
“I will be working over the next several weeks to explore the options that we have now created for ourselves to determine the best path forward,” Spanos said.
Raiders owner Mark Davis, whose team has no lease anywhere for next season, said the outcome did not ensure the Raiders would stay in Oakland, where the stadium is the last to be shared by NFL and baseball teams.
“We’ll see where the Raider Nation ends up,” Davis said. “For our fans, don’t feel bad. We’ll get it right.”
Since the NFL last relocated a franchise, when the former Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997, the NBA has seen three clubs change home cities and baseball and the National Hockey League have each had one club relocation.
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Last-16
France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')
Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
