Barack Obama reportedly became a fan of West Ham United during a visit to England about five years ago. (Allen Fredrickson/Reuters)An English punter (that is a bettor, not the kicker of a oblong pigskin) is such a fan of the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama that he is backing him to become the next manager of West Ham United after Alan Curbishley’s resignation on Wednesday. He had held the job for less than two years.
A customer of William Hill, the online and bricks and mortar betting agency, put down $20 on a bet with odds of 10,000 to 1, with a potential to win $200,000 if Obama takes a place on the West Ham bench.
“The client, a London-based businessman who is a frequent visitor to the States, asked for a price about Obama to be the new Hammers boss and explained that he wants the betting slip to show to his American friends and clients,” Graham Sharpe, a spokesman for William Hill, said. “We did a little research and discovered that Obama has indeed been reported as saying that he follows West Ham. We offered 10,000 to 1 as he is probably more concerned with winning a slightly higher profile job for himself at the moment — but if he loses out on that one and the position is still up for grabs, you never know. …”
The London club, which is in fifth place in the English Premier League three games into the new season, recently sold two players — Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney to Sunderland, reportedly against the wishes of Curbishley.
Obama reportedly became a fan of the claret and blue during a visit to England about five years ago. The Hammers’ jersey sponsor, XL, an Internet travel agency, has offered to finance an Obama trip to London to see a game at Upton Park.
… And in the other race, the handicappers at William Hill have made Obama a 4 to 9 favorite to defeat 13 to 8 rival John McCain to become the next president of the United States. But it would be nice to have something fun to fall back on!
“We haven’t had any bets on Alan Curbishley becoming president or prime minister — yet — although we do hold many bets for Tiger Woods ultimately to become president at odds of up to 1000 to 1,” Sharpe said in an e-mail message.
Obama has some high-powered company as a West Ham fan, a list that includes: John Cleese, Keira Knightley, Lennox Lewis, Ray Winstone and Elijah Wood (OK, he appeared in a film, “Green Street Hooligans,” that featured the club’s firms).
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