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Saudi Sports Company seals deal for exclusive AFC match media rights

The agreement is in line with the Saudi leadership’s vision to ensure the broadcast of premium sports content in one of the most passionate fanbases in the MENA region, the AFC said in a statement. (AFC)
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Updated 05 April 2021
Arab News
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Saudi Sports Company seals deal for exclusive AFC match media rights

  • The deal gives the Saudi Sports Company exclusive rights in Saudi Arabia to broadcast the AFC’s major National Team and Club competitions
  • Deal includes AFC Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 as well as the AFC Champions League
Updated 05 April 2021
Arab News

KUALA LUMPUR: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has signed an exclusive deal with the Saudi Sports Company for the media rights of the AFC Competitions covering the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the commercial cycle 2021-2024 – it was announced on Monday.

The deal gives the Saudi Sports Company exclusive rights in Saudi Arabia to broadcast the AFC’s major National Team and Club competitions, including the AFC Asian Qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 as well as the AFC Champions League.

The agreement is in line with the Saudi leadership’s vision to ensure the broadcast of premium sports content in one of the most passionate fanbases in the MENA region, the AFC said in a statement.

“This is an extremely significant moment for the AFC as Saudi Arabia have long been one of the strongest football nations not only in the Gulf and Middle East but also in Asia,” Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary said.

“Now, this agreement will provide the millions of passionate and committed football fans in Saudi Arabia with the most comprehensive access to, and best coverage of, Asia’s best and most valued football competitions.”

“We are grateful to the Saudi Sports Company for their confidence and investment in Asian football and we look forward to working with them in further developing and growing the interest in our world-class competitions.”

Saudi Sports Company will initially showcase all competitions through their GSA over-the-top (OTT) live platform service before broadcasting via satellite on television channels in the last quarter of 2021, with more details to be announced in due course.

Under the agreement, the Saudi Sports Company is committed towards leveraging on the latest available technology to bring top-class action to fans within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attain the goals of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

Topics: 2021 AFC Champions League AFC Saudi Sports Company Saudi Arabia football

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Jake Paul beats 58-year-old Mike Tyson as hits failed to match the hype

Updated 16 November 2024
AP
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Jake Paul beats 58-year-old Mike Tyson as hits failed to match the hype

  • Downdetector reported that the outage primarily impacted users in major metropolitan areas, including New York, Seattle and Los Angeles
Updated 16 November 2024
AP

ARLINGTON, Texas: Jake Paul won a unanimous decision over Mike Tyson as the hits didn’t match the hype in a fight between a young YouTuber-turned-boxer and the 58-year-old former heavyweight champion Friday night.

All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, with Paul even stopping to pay homage with a bow to Tyson before the final bell sounded at the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys.

The fight wasn’t close on the judge’s cards, with one giving Paul an 80-72 edge and the other two calling it 79-73.

Tyson came after Paul immediately after the opening bell and landed a couple of quick punches but didn’t try much else the rest of the way.

Even fewer rounds and shorter rounds couldn’t do much to generate action for a 58-year-old in his first sanctioned pro fight in almost 20 years, facing a boxing neophyte with hopes of fighting for championships somewhere in the future.

Paul was more aggressive after the quickly burst from Tyson in the opening seconds, but the punching wasn’t very efficient. There were quite a few wild swings and misses.

Tyson mostly sat back and waited for Paul to come to him, with a few exceptions. It was quite the contract the co-main event, another slugfest in which Katie Taylor kept her undisputed super lightweight championship with a decision over Amanda Serrano.

It was the first sanctioned fight since 2005 for Tyson. Paul started fighting a little more than four years ago.

The fight was originally scheduled for July 20 but had to be postponed when Tyson was treated for a stomach ulcer after falling ill on a flight.

Topics: boxing Jake Paul Mike Tyson

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Kosovo players walk off in Romania game after ‘Serbia’ chants

Updated 16 November 2024
AFP
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Kosovo players walk off in Romania game after ‘Serbia’ chants

Updated 16 November 2024
AFP

Bucharest: A Nations League game between Romania and Kosovo in Bucharest was suspended on Friday in injury time after fans in the crowd shouted “Serbia!.”
The Kosovo players left the pitch after the chants, leading to the game to be paused with the score 0-0.
Animosity between Kosovo and Serbia has persisted since the war between Serbian forces and ethnic Albanian insurgents in the late 1990s.
Kosovo and Serbia do not play each other in UEFA and FIFA tournaments.
Football’s world governing body opened disciplinary proceedings against Serbia during the 2022 World Cup after the team hung a flag in their changing room depicting Kosovo as part of Serbia.
Kosovo joined FIFA and European confederation UEFA in 2016.
When Romania played in Pristina, they beat Kosovo 3-0.

Topics: Kosovo Romania Serbia

Ronaldo shines as Portugal rout Poland to reach Nations League last-eight

Updated 16 November 2024
AFP
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Ronaldo shines as Portugal rout Poland to reach Nations League last-eight

Updated 16 November 2024
AFP

PORTO, Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice as Portugal staged a second-half supershow to crush Poland 5-1 and reach the Nations League quarter-finals on Friday.
Portugal join France, Germany, Italy and Spain in the last-eight while Poland’s hopes of going through from Group A1 were ended.
Having struggled to plant a shot on target in the first half, Portugal stepped on the accelerator after the break.
Rafael Leao broke the deadlock in Porto just before the hour mark after starting and finishing the move.
The AC Milan striker raced away and passed to Nuno Mendes whose cross from the left was headed powerfully past Marcin Bulka in the Portugal goal.
Thirteen minutes later, skipper Ronaldo got his name on the scoresheet, converting a penalty after Jakub Kiwior was penalized for a handball in the area.
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes made it 3-0 in the 80th minute, scoring after a clever run by Vitinha.
Pedro Neto added the fourth three minutes later after Ronaldo’s fine pass which left the Polish defense stranded.
As Polish spirits sank, Ronaldo added his second and Portugal’s fifth in the 87th minute with a spectacular overhead kick before Dominik Marczuk tucked away a consolation goal for the visitors.
Poland had enjoyed the better chances before falling behind but their potency in front of goal was blunted by the absence of record goal-scorer Robert Lewandowski who was sidelined with a back injury.
Moments before Leao’s goal, Portuguese keeper Diogo Costa pulled off a fine save to deny Marczuk having also been alert to deny Nicola Zalewski in the first half.
Portugal’s best chance in the first 45 minutes had fallen to Ronaldo who fired a close-range effort over the bar from close range.

Topics: Portugal UEFA Nations League

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Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58

Updated 16 November 2024
AP
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Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura says he will play next season at age 58

  • Miura will turn 58 in February
  • He intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka
Updated 16 November 2024
AP

TOKYO: Japanese football player Kazuyoshi Miura is several generations older than his teammates. His contemporaries retired decades ago. Lionel Messi is 37, and Cristiano Ronaldo is 39 — mere youngsters compared to Miura.
Miura will turn 58 in February, and the Japanese news agency Kyodo reported this week that he intends to play next season for his fourth-tier Japanese club, Suzuka. It will be his 40th season playing in professional football.
Miura is widely listed as the oldest active professional football player.
Miura scored 55 goals in 89 appearances and was a star with Japan’s national team in the 1990s.
He has played professionally in Brazil, Italy, Croatia, Australia and Portugal. He made his debut in 1986 with Brazilian club Santos, a side made famous by Brazilian star Pele.

Topics: Japan Kazuyoshi Miura

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Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying

Updated 16 November 2024
AP
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Japan beat Indonesia 4-0 to extend group lead in Asian World Cup qualifying

  • Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round.
  • Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have 6 points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with 3
Updated 16 November 2024
AP

JAKARTA: Japan defeated Indonesia 4-0 on Friday to move seven points clear at the top of Group C in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
Two goals in each half mean the Samurai Blue stays on course for an eighth successive World Cup appearance.
After a bright start from the home team, the 78,000 fans at a sold-out Gelora Bung Karno Stadium were silenced after 35 minutes as Daichi Kamada broke down the left and sent a cross which defender Justin Hubner put into his own net from close range.
Takumi Minamino then scored from inside the area off Kaoru Mitoma’s pass to extend the lead five minutes before the break.
Hidemasa Motira took advantage of an errant pass from Indonesia’s goalkeeper to make it 3-0 early in the second half and Yukinari Sugawara rounded out the scoring in the 69th minute.
Japan tops the group on 13 points with five games remaining in the round. Australia, Saudi Arabia and China all have six points, followed by Bahrain with five and Indonesia with three.
The top two from each of the three groups will be guaranteed a place at the World Cup, with the third- and fourth-place teams progressing to the next stage.
 

Topics: 2026 World Cup

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