Saudi football fans set for stadium return at SPL clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli

Al-Ahli, above, and Al-Hilal meet tomorrow night at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad stadium in Riyadh with spectators present for the first time in many months. (Twitter: @ALAHLI_FC)
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Updated 18 May 2021
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Saudi football fans set for stadium return at SPL clash between Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli

  • Supporters can attend last three rounds of the season at 40 percent capacity

JEDDAH: When Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli from Jeddah meet tomorrow night at the Prince Faisal bin Fahad stadium in Riyadh in the 28th round of Saudi Professional League (SPL), it will mark the first presence of a live audience at a football stadium since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Saudi Ministry of Sports announced on March 29 that it had given the green light for the return of a limited number of fans to SPL football matches, with strict health and security measures still in place. 

The last time spectators in the Kingdom were allowed inside a football stadium was March 7, 2020, just as the COVID-19 crisis was about to disrupt almost all sporting activities and competitions across the globe.

Now, returning fans will be given 40 percent of the ground’s capacity in assigned, socially distanced seats.

According to the ministry’s decision, fans are expected to be able to attend the last three rounds of the current SPL season, with Al-Hilal leading the table by four points from Al-Shabab and the remaining relegation spots still to be decided.

The ministry specified that the protocols allowing certain categories to attend will be in accordance with the individual’s Tawakkalna application status.

Those who have received either one or two vaccine doses or who have recovered from the virus will be allowed in, while fans under the age of 18 are required to only show their “non-infected” or “non-contacted” status on the Tawakalna app.

Tickets for the last three rounds of matches will be posted on the Saudi Tickets platform, and fans will be able to get their specifically numbered ticket online. Tickets will be provided by the hosting club.

Tickets for the game between Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli were reportedly sold out within minutes of going on sale.

Al-Hilal currently leads the standing in the SPL with 51 points gained from 27 games, followed by Al-Shabab with 48 points. Al-Taawoun and Al-Ittihad are fighting it out for third place with 47 points each.


Cristiano Ronaldo rules himself out of Club World Cup

Updated 9 sec ago
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Cristiano Ronaldo rules himself out of Club World Cup

  • Ronaldo came into Nations League in Germany amid swirling doubts about his future at club level
  • Says not interested in making a short-term decision which would allow him to play in the competition
MUNICH, Germany: Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed he would not play in the upcoming Club World Cup on Saturday, dismissing rumors he was set to transfer to one of the participating clubs.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Nations League final against Spain in Munich, the Portugal captain said suggestions he was set to take part in the newly expanded competition were wide of the mark.
“I will not be at the Club World Cup,” the Portugal veteran said, but added he had “been contacted” by several participating teams.
Ronaldo came into Nations League in Germany amid swirling doubts about his future at club level, with the veteran’s contract at Saudi side Al-Nassr set to expire at the end of June.
In May, the Portuguese posted on social media “the chapter is over” as reports emerged he could switch to another club, potentially Saudi side Al-Hilal, one of the teams who will be at the tournament in the United States in June.
Ronaldo said he was not interested in making a short-term decision which would allow him to play in the competition.
“Some teams reached out to me. Some made sense and others did not, but you can’t try and do everything, you can’t catch every ball.”
The forward said the decision on his future was “almost final.”

Djokovic hints at possible Roland Garros farewell after semifinal loss to Sinner

Updated 26 min 23 sec ago
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Djokovic hints at possible Roland Garros farewell after semifinal loss to Sinner

  • ‘This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don’t know’
  • Djokovic has appeared in the last 21 editions of the French Open, winning in 2016, 2021 and 2023

PARIS: Novak Djokovic suggested he may well have bidden adieu to Roland Garros after the 38-year-old was defeated in the semifinals by Jannik Sinner on Friday.

Following his 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) loss to world number one Sinner, Djokovic stopped briefly on his way off Court Philippe Chatrier and took a moment to “show his gratitude” to the Paris crowd.

“This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don’t know. That’s why I was a bit more emotional even in the end,” said three-time champion Djokovic.

“But if this was the farewell match of Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.

“Not the happiest because of the loss, but, you know, I tried to show my gratitude to the crowd, because they were terrific.”

Djokovic has on occasion had a fraught relationship with the Parisian public, but hailed the backing he received against Sinner.

“I don’t think I have ever received this much support in this stadium in my career in big matches against the best players in the world. So very, very honored to experience that,” he added.

However, the Serb allayed fears he would be calling time on his career just yet.

He stills stands on the brink of history after his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title was foiled.

One more major victory would take him beyond Margaret Court and into outright-first on the list of players with the most Grand Slams.

“At the moment I will try to stick with the plan what I had, which is play the Grand Slams,” he said.

“Those tournaments are the priorities of my schedule, my calendar. Wimbledon and US Open, yes, they are in plans. That’s all I can say right now.

“I’m going to, unless something, I don’t know, happens, whatever. But I feel like I want to play Wimbledon, I want to play US Open. Those two, for sure. For the rest, I’m not so sure.”

Despite the latest setback, Djokovic insisted he still has the record in his sights and hoped it will be seventh time lucky when Wimbledon starts on June 30.

“Obviously Wimbledon is next, which is my childhood favorite tournament. I’m going to do everything possible to get myself ready,” he said.

“I guess my best chances (of winning) maybe are Wimbledon, you know, to win another Slam, or faster hard court, maybe Australia or something like that.”

Djokovic has won the title at Wimbledon seven times and is the most dominant men’s player in the history of the Australian Open with 10 victories in Melbourne.

When asked how long he had been considering his future at Roland Garros, Djokovic cryptically replied: “Not long. You know, I don’t know.

“I don’t know really what tomorrow brings in a way at this point in my career. You know, I going to keep on keeping on.”

Djokovic has appeared in the last 21 editions of the French Open – lifting the Coupe des Mousquetaires in 2016, 2021 and 2023.

Last summer, he secured the only big title to have eluded him through the majority of his career when he won Olympic gold on center court at Roland Garros.

“We hope that it’s not the case, because I feel like tennis needs him in a way,” said Sinner when told of Djokovic’s comments.

“He said ‘maybe’, so you never know.”


Federal judge approves $2.8 billion settlement, paving way for US colleges to pay athletes millions

Updated 07 June 2025
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Federal judge approves $2.8 billion settlement, paving way for US colleges to pay athletes millions

  • The sweeping terms of the so-called House settlement include approval for each school to share up to $20.5 million with athletes over the next year and $2.7 billion that will be paid over the next decade
  • The agreement brings a seismic shift to hundreds of schools that were forced to reckon with the reality that their players are the ones producing the billions in TV and other revenue, mostly through football and basketball, that keep this machine humming

NEW YORK: A federal judge signed off on arguably the biggest change in the history of college sports Friday, clearing the way for schools to begin paying their athletes millions of dollars as soon as next month as the multibillion-dollar industry shreds the last vestiges of the amateur model that defined it for more than a century.

Nearly five years after Arizona State swimmer Grant House sued the NCAA and its five biggest conferences to lift restrictions on revenue sharing, US Judge Claudia Wilken approved the final proposal that had been hung up on roster limits, just one of many changes ahead amid concerns that thousands of walk-on athletes will lose their chance to play college sports.

The sweeping terms of the so-called House settlement include approval for each school to share up to $20.5 million with athletes over the next year and $2.7 billion that will be paid over the next decade to thousands of former players who were barred from that revenue for years.

The agreement brings a seismic shift to hundreds of schools that were forced to reckon with the reality that their players are the ones producing the billions in TV and other revenue, mostly through football and basketball, that keep this machine humming.

The scope of the changes — some have already begun — is difficult to overstate. The professionalization of college athletics will be seen in the high-stakes and expensive recruitment of stars on their way to the NFL and NBA, and they will be felt by athletes whose schools have decided to pare their programs. The agreement will resonate in nearly every one of the NCAA’s 1,100 member schools boasting nearly 500,000 athletes.

“Approving the agreement reached by the NCAA, the defendant conferences and student-athletes in the settlement opens a pathway to begin stabilizing college sports,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said.

The road to a settlement

Wilken’s ruling comes 11 years after she dealt the first significant blow to the NCAA ideal of amateurism when she ruled in favor of former UCLA basketball player Ed O’Bannon and others who were seeking a way to earn money from the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL) — a term that is now as common in college sports as “March Madness” or “Roll Tide.” It was just four years ago that the NCAA cleared the way for NIL money to start flowing, but the changes coming are even bigger.

Wilken granted preliminary approval to the settlement last October. That sent colleges scurrying to determine not only how they were going to afford the payments, but how to regulate an industry that also allows players to cut deals with third parties so long as they are deemed compliant by a newly formed enforcement group that will be run by auditors at Deloitte.

The agreement takes a big chunk of oversight away from the NCAA and puts it in the hands of the four biggest conferences. The ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC hold most of the power and decision-making heft, especially when it comes to the College Football Playoff, which is the most significant financial driver in the industry and is not under the NCAA umbrella like the March Madness tournaments are.

Roster limits held things up

The deal looked ready to go since last fall, but Wilken put a halt to it after listening to a number of players who had lost their spots because of newly imposed roster limits being placed on teams.

The limits were part of a trade-off that allowed the schools to offer scholarships to everyone on the roster, instead of only a fraction, as has been the case for decades. Schools started cutting walk-ons in anticipation of the deal being approved.

Wilken asked for a solution and, after weeks, the parties decided to let anyone cut from a roster — now termed a “Designated Student-Athlete” — return to their old school or play for a new one without counting against the new limit.

Wilken ultimately agreed, going point-by-point through the objectors’ arguments to explain why they didn’t hold up.

“The modifications provide Designated Student-Athletes with what they had prior to the roster limits provisions being implemented, which was the opportunity to be on a roster at the discretion of a Division I school,” Wilken wrote.

Her decision, however, took nearly a month to write, leaving the schools and conferences in limbo — unsure if the plans they’d been making for months, really years, would go into play.

“It remains to be seen how this will impact the future of inter-collegiate athletics — but as we continue to evolve, Carolina remains committed to providing outstanding experiences and broad-based programming to student-athletes,” North Carolina athletic director Bubba Cunningham said.

Winners and losers

The list of winners and losers is long and, in some cases, hard to tease out.

A rough guide of winners would include football and basketball stars at the biggest schools, which will devote much of their bankroll to signing and retaining them. For instance, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood’s NIL deal is reportedly worth between $10.5 million and $12 million.

Losers, despite Wilken’s ruling, figure to be at least some of the walk-ons and partial scholarship athletes whose spots are gone.

Also in limbo are Olympic sports many of those athletes play and that serve as the main pipeline for a US team that has won the most medals at every Olympics since the downfall of the Soviet Union.

All this is a price worth paying, according to the attorneys who crafted the settlement and argue they delivered exactly what they were asked for: an attempt to put more money in the pockets of the players whose sweat and toil keep people watching from the start of football season through March Madness and the College World Series in June.

What the settlement does not solve is the threat of further litigation.

Though this deal brings some uniformity to the rules, states still have separate laws regarding how NIL can be doled out, which could lead to legal challenges. NCAA President Charlie Baker has been consistent in pushing for federal legislation that would put college sports under one rulebook and, if he has his way, provide some form of antitrust protection to prevent the new model from being disrupted again.


Bryson DeChambeau chips his way into tie for lead at LIV Golf Virginia

Updated 07 June 2025
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Bryson DeChambeau chips his way into tie for lead at LIV Golf Virginia

  • DeChambeau is tuning up to defend his title at the US Open next week at Oakmont Country Club
  • RangeGoats lead the team competition at 9 under par, two shots better than 4Aces and DeChambeau’s team, Crushers GC

GAINESVILLE, Virginia: Bryson DeChambeau chipped in for an eagle and a birdie on his way to a 5-under par 66, and he shares the first-round lead with Germany’s Martin Kaymer at LIV Golf Virginia on Friday in Gainesville, Virginia.

DeChambeau shot up the leaderboard after a brief weather delay, eagling the par-5 14th and birdieing each of the next two holes at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.

Martin Kaymer of team Cleeks Golf Club hits a tee shot on the third hole during the first round of the LIV Golf Virginia golf tournament at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. (Geoff Burke / Imagn Images)

His chip at No. 14 was a soft placement next to a slope, and his ball rolled from right to left right into the cup. At the par-4 16th, he missed the green and chopped his third shot out of some thick rough, only to watch his ball head straight to the pin and disappear again.

“Man, what’s nice is coming out into some soft conditions,” DeChambeau said. “That little chip shot became a hell of a lot easier for me. So I just chipped it out to the right exactly what I saw. I don’t know if you saw, but I was studying it before I left. I was like this looks perfect, came out, still looks perfect, hit it exactly where I wanted it to land, and it went right in the frickin’ hole.”

DeChambeau is tuning up to defend his title at the US Open next week at Oakmont Country Club. He is one of several LIV members who either were invited by the USGA or qualified for the third major of the year the old-fashioned way.

Marc Leishman of Australia tied for third at the qualifying site in nearby Rockville, Maryland, on Monday, grabbing one of four spots available there. Leishman turned around and shot a 67 on Friday.

Leishman is tied for third with Phil Mickelson, who may play in his final US Open next week; Jon Rahm of Spain, who will search for his third career major win; Joaquin Niemann of Chile, who received the USGA’s first special invite based on LIV performance; Anirban Lahiri of India; and Graeme McDowell of Northern Ireland.

RangeGoats GC teammates Bubba Watson and Peter Uihlein are tied at 3 under with Patrick Reed and Belgium’s Thomas Pieters, both of 4Aces. RangeGoats lead the team competition at 9 under par, two shots better than 4Aces and DeChambeau’s team, Crushers GC.
 


Buttler and Dawson shine as England beat West Indies in T20 opener

Updated 07 June 2025
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Buttler and Dawson shine as England beat West Indies in T20 opener

  • West Indies finished on 167-9, with Romario Shepherd caught on the final ball of the match

DURHAM, England: Former captain Jos Buttler scored a superb 96 off 59 balls, and Liam Dawson took four wickets on his international return, as England beat West Indies by 21 runs in the T20 series opener at Durham’s Riverside ground on Friday.
After making a 3-0 winning start to Harry Brook’s captaincy in the one-dayers, England kept the momentum in the shorter format with an innings of 188-6 after winning the toss and batting first.
West Indies finished on 167-9, with Romario Shepherd caught on the final ball of the match.
Buttler, in at number three with England 16-1 after Ben Duckett was caught by West Indies captain Shai Hope off Shepherd, brought up his half century from 25 balls in the eighth over.
He had earlier smashed three sixes and scooped a four from the first four balls of a devastating sixth over with Alzarri Joseph bowling.
The 34-year-old, who stepped down as white-ball captain last February following England’s group-stage exit from the Champions Trophy, continued to look like a man relieved of a heavy burden as he hit six fours and four sixes.
Needing just four for the century, he was out lbw to Joseph in the penultimate over.
The tally was Buttler’s highest T20 international score on home soil.
West Indies were 33-2 off 5.2 overs after losing Johnson Charles for 18, stumped by Buttler off Dawson, and Hope caught by Duckett, who repaid his own dismissal in like-for-like fashion, for three off debutant Matthew Potts.
England restricted the visitors to 44-2 at the end of the powerplay, compared to 78-1 at the same stage of the home innings.
Evin Lewis hit West Indies top score of 39 off 23 balls, before being caught by Brydon Carse with Jacob Bethell bowling.
Dawson, back in the side at 35 and playing his first England match since 2022, claimed his second and third wickets when Duckett caught Sherfane Rutherford (2) and Roston Chase (24) in quick succession.
The left-arm spinner wrapped up with a fourth wicket, for 20 runs from his four overs, by bowling Rovman Powell as West Indies slipped to 115-6 on a tough night in the north-east.