Coach Obama?

A London businessman has bet 10 pounds ($18) that Barack Obama will replace Alan Curbishley as manager of the West Ham football team.

British bookmaker William Hill agreed to offer odds of 10,000-1 to the unidentified customer despite no one really believing the potential 100,000 pound prize will ever eventuate.

One possible reason the bet was laid lies in rumours that Obama has been a fan of the club since visiting Britain five years ago.

However, William Hill spokesman Graham Sharpe told AP that the bettor simply wanted to show his American friends and clients a betting slip with the US presidential candidate's name on it.

"We offered 10,000-1 as he is probably more concerned with winning a slightly higher profile job for himself at the moment," Sharpe said. "But if he loses out on that one and the position is still up for grabs, you never know."