People spilled out onto the streets to celebrate the victory Party season has come early to New Orleans which is celebrating a historic victory in the US Super Bowl less than a week before Mardi Gras. People hugged and kissed in the city’s famous French Quarter as they marked the Saints’ win over the Indianapolis Colts, against all the odds. Pundits had said the home team would never win the National Football League championship until “hell froze over”. A placard saying “Hell is Frozen” could be seen in one fan’s hands. Fireworks were set off as revellers whooped and danced to spontaneous brass bands. It was an emotional victory for the Saints, who had the backing of many Americans outside Louisiana. New Orleans has been struggling to rebuild itself after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 which killed almost 2,000 people. The Saints’ stadium was used as a refuge for thousands of people left homeless by the storm. Dramatic finish Victory in the the biggest annual event in American football, held in Miami, was not sealed until minutes before full time with a 74-yard (-metre) sprint for a touch-down score. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees celebrates after victory over the Colts in Miami, 7 February Players at the stadium in Miami celebrated in a blizzard of confetti caravan insurance The Saints had come from behind at half-time to beat the Colts, 31-17, clinching their first-ever Super Bowl. The annual game is the most watched sports event in the US, with 30-second TV adverts during the match costing more than $2m (£1.3m). Marita Jager, manageress of Johnny White’s bar in Bourbon Street, which famously stayed open during Katrina, said the team’s victory was well-deserved. “We knew we could do it and we want to make sure everybody realises this is not a Cinderella story, this is no fly-by-night,” she told BBC World Service. “We were the champions of our division and we played the champions of their division and we won and we are capable of this and we deserve this win. It means a lot to the team, it means a lot to the city and it’s just an amazing feeling.” So big was the event on Sunday night that even the strippers on Bourbon Street stopped dancing and joined thousands of revellers cheering on the Saints in front of TV screens in bars, an AFP correspondent in the city said. “We have no music, no stages,” said Sam Stonebraker, 34, a host at Rick’s Cabaret. “It’s the first time I’ve seen a club shut down and I’ve been doing this for five years. The game is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime event in this city.” New Orleans has been running carnival events since last month but the main celebrations will come on Mardi Gras itself, next Tuesday – the last day before the Christian season of Lent. In addition to the St Louis Rams, landrover parts Mr Kroenke owns other US sports teamsUS billionaire Stan Kroenke has said he intends to take full ownership of the St Louis Rams American football team. The move surprised observers as it was thought that Mr Kroenke was focusing on a possible bid for Arsenal football club, where he already holds 29.98%. Mr Kroenke, who owns 40% of the Rams, will have to spend about $750m (£486m)to buy the rest of the NFL team. However, Henk Potts, analyst at Barclays Stockbrokers, said the Rams’ deal did not preclude an Arsenal bid. The owners of the remaining 60% stake in the Rams, Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez, had struck a deal to sell their controlling interest to businessman Shahid Khan. But Mr Kroenke had first refusal on that stake, and had until a deadline on Monday to decide whether to exercise his option. He said in a statement: “We look forward to working with the Rosenbloom family and the NFL to complete this transaction. We will respect the league and its processes in our efforts to complete this transaction.” However, he is now likely to fall foul of the NFL’s cross-ownership rules, which state that owners cannot have a majority interest in an NFL team in one city if they control another major league sports team elsewhere in the US. Mr Kroenke already owns the NBA’s Denver Nuggets basketball team, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche hockey team and Major League Soccer’s Colorado Rapids. His move will raise further questions about the future ownership of Arsenal, the English Premier League club. On Monday it emerged that another Arsenal shareholder, Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith, who holds 15.9% of the club, was seeking to sell her stake. Stan Kroenke Mr Kroenke already owns a number of US sports clubs The move was expected to prompt a bidding war between Mr Kroenke and his main rival, Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov, who has 26.29% of the club’s shares. If a shareholder’s stake in a company reaches 30%, he or she has to offer to buy the entire stockholding. Henk Potts said: “Obviously, the Rams deal involves a significant amount of money and could be a significant distraction for Mr Kroenke in the short term. “But what it does show is that Mr Kroenke is a serious investor in sport, and I’m sure he landrover parts has enough money to do an Arsenal deal if he wants.” Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he was not concerned about a potential takeover of the club. “It doesn’t affect the way we work and the philosophy we have here at the club,” he told a press conference ahead of Wednesday’s game against Tottenham. “It could be an unknown party but in our job you adapt and as long as I am free to work the way I want, I don’t want to interfere with that. There is no special worry.”
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