CHARLTON ATHLETIC have been offered two potential sites for a new stadium – as they face the prospect of being turfed out of The Valley.

The League One side has called the iconic stadium home for over 100 years.

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Belgian businessman Roland Duchatelet, the club’s controversial former owner, currently owns The Valley.

Charlton signed a 15-year stadium lease with Duchatelet when he still had control of the club.

He sold the Addicks to East Street Investments in 2020.

Last year the club changed hands again, with Global Football Partners now in charge in East London.

The current ownership group are looking to renegotiate the terms of the lease, which has 11 years remaining.

According to City AM, the club have held “positive talks” with Duchatelet, with an eventual view to buying the ground outright.

But should any deal not materialise, Charlton could be forced to move out of The Valley within the next decade.

The club has been offered two potential sites for a new stadium on the Thames by property developers.

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The City AM report claims a new stadium is “projected to cost at least £100m.”

A Charlton spokesperson said: “The Valley is the home of Charlton Athletic and the club have no plans to leave the stadium.

“We have a medium-term lease on the stadium and our only interest is securing the club’s long-term tenure at The Valley.”

Charlton currently sit 12th in League One with 19 points from their opening 13 games.

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Boss Nathan Jones is looking to get the Addicks back into the second tier for the first time since 2020.

Charlton enjoyed a seven-season spell in the Premier League between 2000 and 2008.

They subsequently have bounced between the Championship and League One, with ownership issues dominating the clubs past few years.

Ferrari driver James Calado has revealed that he was hospitalised with malnutrition early in this year’s World Endurance Championship campaign as a result of his efforts to lose weight.

The Briton has disclosed that he became “properly ill” after the Qatar season-opener as he strived to overcome the performance disadvantage that comes with carrying extra kilogrammes in the WEC’s Hypercar category, which does not include the driver in the minimum weight of the car.

“I was sick this year because I lost so much weight – I went to hospital after Qatar with malnutrition,” he explained. “I was on medication because I was running and not eating, trying so hard to lose weight.

“It’s too dangerous for me to go down to the weight I want.”

Calado explained that he is “70-something kilos” and that could result in a performance disadvantage of as much as half a second a lap on a regular circuit to a driver who weighs 20kg less.

“I would love to be able to qualify, but I’m too heavy,” he said. “I would love something to make it more equal like karting or in other championships.

#51 Ferrari Af Corse Ferrari 499P: Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi

Photo by: Shameem Fahath

“It’s not easy to manage because it’s endurance racing – three drivers per car, two in others – I know that, but let’s try and do something.”

Calado’s revelation comes at a time when there is a push to mitigate the advantage that running lighter drivers brings.

BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos revealed to Motorsport.com that he has raised the issue with the FIA and the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, which jointly run the WEC.

“There should be compensation for driver weight as there was in the past in LMP1 and we are pushing for that,” he said.

“We shouldn’t get to a situation where the manufacturers are looking for the lightest drivers; there should be a situation where every driver can be competitive.

“This is also a safety topic: drivers try to lose weight, but this is endurance racing so it can be dangerous.”

James Calado, Ferrari AF Corse

Photo by: Nikolaz Godet

ACO technical director Thierry Bouvet admitted that the idea is being discussed, but stressed that no decision has been made.

“When people have ideas, we and the FIA look at the pros and cons and see if they need to be adopted or not,” he said.

A rule introduced in LMP1 for the 2015 WEC season increased the minimum weight of a car in which the average weight of its two or three drivers was less than 80kg.

Three drivers with an average weight of 75kg had to carry 5kg of ballast in their car, for example.

The rule didn’t remove the advantage a lighter driver had over heavier co-drivers but equalised the cars across the grid.

The cars of Formula 1 drivers who weigh less than 80kg in their racewear have to carry ballast to bring it up to the 798kg minimum.

The Hypercar technical rules for 2025 have already been approved and published but could be changed with the unanimous support of the manufacturers.

England have been drawn in the same group as world champions Spain for the 2025 Women’s Nations League.

Sarina Wiegman’s Lionesses fell to a 1-0 defeat by Spain in the 2023 Women’s World Cup final, while Spain are also the reigning Nations League champions.

The two sides are joined by Belgium and Portugal in League A Group A3.

Scotland have been drawn alongside Euro 2022 finalists Germany in League A Group A1, along with the Netherlands and Austria.

Also in League A, Wales are in Group A4 with Italy, Denmark and Sweden.

Northern Ireland will face Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Romania in League B Group B1.

Group games will take place between February and June – before Euro 2025, where England will be the defending champions, starts in Switzerland on 2 July.

More to follow.

Daniel Cormier doesn’t love the idea of Max Holloway jumping right back into the deep end.

Holloway came up short in his bid to reclaim the featherweight title when he got knocked out by Ilia Topuria in the main event of UFC 308. It was the first knockout loss of Holloway’s career and afterwards the former featherweight champion declared he will be moving up to lightweight full time. Fans were immediately interested in Holloway moving back up to 155 pounds as were a few fighters, including a former Holloway opponent: Dustin Poirier.

Poirier himself is near the end of his career, and though he already has two wins over Holloway, “The Diamond” is interested in a trilogy bout with current “BMF” champion. But Daniel Cormier isn’t sure that’s the best idea.

“He’s asking for Dustin Poirier. That would be absolutely fantastic,” Cormier said on Good Guy/Bad Guy. “But is there a better way to introduce Max Holloway into the lightweight division? Do we put him in there with a Dustin for a third time? Or do we see what happens with Michael Chandler after he fights against Charles Oliveira? Or do we start to kind of look down the rankings a little bit and say, ‘Well, it would be fun to watch him fight a Rafael Fiziev. It would be fun to watch him fight a Benoit Saint Denis. It would be fun to watch him fight a Paddy Pimblett.’

“I know that might not be fun for Max, that might not be great for Max, but it would also give him an opportunity to work his way back into contention without being in there with these absolute killers. Because personally, I would like to see Max Holloway not stand across from Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Alexander Volkanovski, then Ilia Topuria. Something not as crazy of a challenge.”

Poirier is certainly a major challenge for Holloway. The two have met twice before, once at featherweight where Poirier submitted Holloway with a triangle armbar in Holloway’s fifth career fight. The pair rematched seven years later at UFC 236 for the interim lightweight title, with Poirier taking a unanimous decision in one of the best fights of the 2019. That fight remains one of only two lightweight fights in Holloway’s UFC career, the other being his sensational knockout of Justin Gaethje to claim the “BMF” title at UFC 300.

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Charles Oliveira vs. Dustin Poirier.

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I cannot believe I’m saying this but: I think I agree with Daniel Cormier?

Max should take a fair bit of time off anyway just to make sure he’s good, but I was at UFC 236 and Poirier plunked Max around. Obviously it was very competitive and both men are older and probably a little worse, but that’s a tough matchup for Max in the best of times. Maybe easing back into lightweight would be prudent.

That being said, I need a Max vs. Charles Oliveira rematch like I need air.

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