AHEAD OF THE GAME: Boris Johnson's gaffe adds to FA anger

Crystal Palace could have new majority ownership for the first time since Steve Parish's group bought the club in 2010 as a by-product of the Chelsea takeover battle.

Palace's most recent investor, American technology magnate John Textor, is monitoring the Chelsea sale closely with a view to purchasing the stakes of fellow Palace shareholders Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who would be required to divest of their shares at Selhurst Park immediately should the consortium they are funding succeed in buying Chelsea. 

Textor had previously considered an outright bid for Palace before paying £87.5million for 18 per cent of the club last year. Purchasing Harris and Blitzer's shares would take him to 54 per cent and overall control.

The 56-year-old chairman of American streaming service Fubo TV has maintained a low profile but exercised considerable influence behind the scenes since buying into Palace last summer, with his expertise in new technologies and virtual reality seen as crucial to the club's future growth. 

BT Sport boss Simon Green is leaving at the end of the month after nearly 10 years in the job. The head of sport, who has masterminded the growth of the channel's Premier League and Champions League coverage as well as leading their expansion into cricket and rugby, broke the shock news in an email to staff without offering an explanation. 

BT staff are concerned that the surprise departure of Green could signal the start of some major cost-cutting following confirmation last month of the merger with media giant Discovery, who also own the Eurosport network. 

BORIS GAFFE ADDS TO FA ANGER

The FA's relationship with the Government has become strained during a difficult week that climaxed with Boris Johnson's gaffe on