Ashley Cole and Jay-Z to open London sports bar

Things are looking up for 'love rat' footballer Ashley Cole. Not only is his ex-wife Cheryl Cole eager to come home (if you believe the tabloids), but it's been announced that he is partnering hip-hop mogul Jay-Z in the opening of a new sports bar in London.

"I have grown up listening to [Jay-Z's] music and now to be doing business with him is amazing," said the 30-year-old Chelsea and England defender.
 
The new bar, 40/40 London, will belong to a worldwide chain of sports bars and restaurants, all part of the American rapper's empire which spans clothes, music and real estate. The bars are named after a baseball feat that only four players have ever achieved: hitting 40 home runs and stealing 40 bases in one season.
 
Further details about the London venue will be announced in August, but if the New York's branch's six VIP rooms – including Jay's Room and Cognac Room – are anything to go by, it should be suitably flashy.
 
And it looks like Cole has been drinking from the same cup as prime minister David Cameron. In line with Big Society values, the bar aims to employ talented and unemployed young people, as well as putting some of its profits back into local music and sport community projects.
 
The only thing that could make the whole venture more PR friendly now is a few celebrity waitresses. With Cheryl's diary looking a little empty following her X-Factor dismissal, anything is possible. ·