MADRID: Squabbling between Spanish football’s power brokers over a tie-up between its elite leagues and a private equity firm intensified on Wednesday, as the body representing lower-tier professional sides joined the two biggest in rejecting it.
La Liga, which covers the top two soccer divisions, announced last week it would get 2.7 billion euros ($3.2 billion) of funding from CVC Capital Partners, with 90 percent of that going to clubs and the firm in return getting 10 percent of La Liga’s revenue and a 10 percent stake in most of its business.
On Wednesday, as two sources said Goldman Sachs would contribute a 1 billion euro syndicated loan to CVC’s planned investment, Spanish Football Association RFEF said it was firmly opposed.
RFEF, which is responsible for professional and amateur clubs from the third division downwards, said it would widen inequalities and make the “reasonable development” of the professional game in Spain impossible.
That drew an angry response from La Liga president Javier Tebas, who suggested the Spanish FA had not properly considered the proposal. “Of course, they don’t fail to attack La Liga ... even if they haven’t studied the documents,” he said in a tweet.
La Liga, which had said the deal would strengthen its clubs and give them funds to spend on new infrastructure and modernization projects as well as increasing how much they could spend on players’ salaries. Later on Wednesday said it strongly rejected the RFEF’s criticisms.
It said it had provided the Spanish FA with all relevant documentation and hosted a meeting at which the RFEF did not raise any objections.
The RFEF also said it had also noted “various complaints and comments” from first and second division clubs.
On Tuesday, Real Madrid said they would launch civil and criminal lawsuits against Tebas and CVC Capital Partners’ chief Javier de Jaime Guijarro over the deal.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta said it would have allowed the Catalan giants to re-sign superstar Lionel Messi, who on Tuesday joined Paris St. Germain.
Despite that, the club were opposed to a deal that would be tantamount to “mortgaging the club’s rights over the next half-century,” he added.
Soccer-Row deepens over La Liga private equity deal
https://arab.news/8sxjd
Soccer-Row deepens over La Liga private equity deal
- Goldman Sachs would contribute a 1 billion euro syndicated loan to CVC's planned investment
- Spanish Football Association RFEF said it was firmly opposed
Baniyas emerge winners at Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship
- First round of contest had Sharjah Self-Defense finish second and Al-Ain third
ABU DHABI: The first round of the second Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship concluded on Sunday at Mubadala Arena with Baniyas Jiu-Jitsu Club taking first place, Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club in second, and Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club third.
The last day of the competition had competitors between the ages of 4 and 8, and under-12, take to the mats. Athletes in the adult and youth categories participated over the previous days.
Fahad Ali Al-Shamsi, secretary general of the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said he was delighted with the organization of the event, and the participation of a high number of clubs and academies.
“The Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship is an exemplary model for sports competitions, made possible by the vision and limitless support of the wise leadership,” he said.
“The championship successfully hosted 2,000 male and female athletes from various clubs and academies, along with their families and sports fans, making it a unique platform that merges competitive excellence with community engagement.”
Aayan Afzal Khan’s record in vain as Abu Dhabi Knight Riders beat Gulf Giants
- Michael Pepper’s half-century led the Knight Riders to a 37-run victory to leave his team 3rd in DP World ILT20 table
- Desert Vipers are top with MI Emirates 2nd after 4 matches for each of the 6 teams
DUBAI: The Abu Dhabi Knight Riders clinched their second victory of the DP World ILT20 Season 3 on Sunday evening, defeating the Gulf Giants by 37 runs at a packed Dubai International Stadium.
Despite Aayan Afzal Khan’s four-wicket haul for just 16 runs — a new record for the best figures by a UAE player in DP World ILT20 history — the Knight Riders posted 176/9, buoyed by Michael Pepper’s half-century. Ibrar Ahmad, Jason Holder and Ali Khan each bagged two wickets to keep the Giants at bay.
It was a tough outing for the Giants’ batters as they lost both openers in the powerplay. Adam Lyth was scalped by David Willey in the first over, while skipper James Vince, who looked in good form, miscued off Ibrar Ahmad for 14 runs in the fourth over.
At 40/2 by the end of the powerplay, the Giants were falling well behind. The innings unraveled further as Jordan Cox departed for 10 runs and Ibrahim Zadran was bowled by Sunil Narine after he had worked hard for 24 runs in 22 balls.
At the 10 over mark, the Giants were wobbling at 62/4. The onus was on Gerhard Erasmus and Shimron Hetmyer to steer another run chase, but it was not to be. Hetmyer had made 20 runs in 15 balls before he holed out to Narine off super sub Ali Khan. Holder then removed Erasmus after the Namibian had accumulated 24 runs in 23 balls to leave the score at 96/6 in 14.1 overs
The target proved too high as Holder claimed his second wicket through Mark Adair for 19 runs as the Giants finished proceedings at 139/8.
In the first innings, an exciting powerplay for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders treated the fans to runs and wickets, finishing the phase at 60/2. Kyle Mayers and Andries Gous took the initiative, racing to 19 and 17 runs respectively, in 12 balls each. The assault was halted when Tymal Mills castled Kyle Mayers in the fourth over and Gous was caught behind off Wahidullah Zadran in the fifth over.
Coming at number four, Pepper took flight early in the innings, creaming Adair for three consecutive boundaries. Pepper went on to log a 31-ball 50 including six fours and a six. Along with the support of Joe Clarke, the pair built a 50-run partnership in 33 balls.
It looked like the Knight Riders were on track for a huge total until Aayan Afzal Khan turned the tide, returning enviable figures of 4 for 16 — the best figures for a UAE player in the DP World ILT20. (The previous record holder was Zuhaib Zuhair with 4 for 22 for Gulf Giants against Sharjah Warriors in 2024).
Aayan opened his account when he cleaned up Clarke for 24 runs in the 11th over. He followed it up with the wickets of Alishan Sharafu, Andrew Russell and Narine, of whom only Russell made it to double figures with 12 runs. At the end of Aayan’s spell, the Knight Riders were at 131/6 in 15 overs.
In the death overs, Pepper was caught behind off Adair for 57 runs, while Laurie Evans, Holder and Willey made small contributions. Blessing Muzarabani snatched two wickets in Evans and Holder as the Knight Riders finished proceedings at 176/9.
Named Player of the Match, Pepper said: “When I went in, when the ball was hard, it came on nicely. Not too much bounce in the wicket. Through the innings, it got slower and slower and started turning a little bit more. There is a lot of instinct that goes in, waiting for your areas and then going from there. We have a long batting order; everyone can hit it out of the ground, but it still must be the batters that score runs.”
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders captain Narine said: “We were always thinking two steps ahead and there were more hands on deck. We could have gone closer to 200 after our start. Losing wickets in clusters denied us and that is something we can work on moving ahead. Our batting depth, it is a good problem. You have players batting down the order who might be playing higher otherwise. The guys are willing, and it is about them trying to make the best of whatever position they get.”
Brief Scores
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders bt Gulf Giants by 37 runs
- Abu Dhabi Knight Riders 176/9 in 20 overs (Michael Pepper 57, Joe Clarke 24, Kyle Mayers 19, Aayan Afzal Khan 4 for 16, Blessing Muzarabani 2 for 28)
- Gulf Giants 139/8 in 20 overs (Gerhard Erasmus 24, Shimron Hetmyer 20, Mark Adair 19, Ali Khan 2 for 23, Jason Holder 2 for 25, Ibrar Ahmad 2 for 27)
Australian broadcaster apologizes to Djokovic, Serbian fans
- 24-time Grand Slam champion declined to do the customary on-court interview after his fourth-round victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday
MELBOURNE: Australian broadcaster Tony Jones has apologized to Novak Djokovic and fans of the Serbian for comments he made on TV on Friday night that the 10-times Australian Open champion considered “insulting and offensive.”
Djokovic declined to do the customary on-court interview after his fourth-round victory over Jiri Lehecka on Sunday pending a public apology from Jones and Australian broadcast rights holders Channel Nine.
Jones had mocked Djokovic and the Serbian fans who had gathered outside Channel Nine’s broadcast booth at Melbourne Park on Friday, saying the 24-times Grand Slam champion was “over-rated” and a “has been.”
In an interview on the channel on Monday, Jones said he thought the comments had been “banter” and he had immediately made a private apology to the “Djokovic camp” once he realized they had not been taken in humor.
“I can stand by that apology to Novak,” he said. “I should also say the disrespect was extended, in many ways, to the Serbian fans.
“We have built up a nice rapport with the Serbian fans ... and there was banter, and I thought what I was doing was an extension of that banter. Quite clearly that has not been interpreted that way.
“I feel as though I’ve let down the Serbian fans.”
Jones said the one comment he particularly regretted was “kick him out,” which he accepted could only be construed as a reference to Djokovic’s deportation from Australia in a row over his COVID vaccination status in early 2022.
“That has angered Novak which I completely understand now,” Jones said.
“It has been an unfortunate situation, it has been one of personal angst for Novak, it’s quite clearly personal angst for me as well.”
Tennis Australia said Djokovic, who takes on world number three Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals on Tuesday, wanted to move on from the issue.
“Novak acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested, and is now moving on and focusing on his next match,” it added in a statement.
Nuggets beat Magic 113-100 as Jokic records triple-double
- The Denver Nuggets rolled to a 113-100 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night
ORLANDO, Florida: Nikola Jokic had 20 points, 14 rebounds, 10 assists and three blocks without playing the fourth quarter and the Denver Nuggets rolled to a 113-100 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday night.
Christian Braun added 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Nuggets, who won their six straight road game. Jamal Murray scored 19 points and Michael Porter Jr. had 15 points and six rebounds.
Wendell Carter Jr. led Orlando with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Anthony Black came off the bench with 14 points and five assists.
HEAT 128, SPURS 107
MIAMI: Rookie Kel’el Ware scored 25 points to match his season high, Duncan Robinson added 21 on 5-of-7 3-shooting and Miami beat San Antonio.
Jimmy Butler had eight points and seven assists in his second game since returning from a seven-game suspension for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Terry Rozier had 20 points, Tyler Herro scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half and Nikol Jovic added 14 to help the Heat snap a three-game losing streak.
Miami closed the first half with an 11-0 run to take a five-point lead at 46-41, then opened the second with a 25-8 run. Jovic’s 3-pointer with 5:45 remaining in the third period ended the spurt and put the Heat ahead 71-52.
Devin Vassell scored 23 points and Victor Wembanyama added 21 for the Spurs. They have lost three straight.
THUNDER 127, NETS 101
OKLAHOMA CITY: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 27 points and 10 assists in three quarters, and Oklahoma City beat Brooklyn.
Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s leading scorer, sat out Friday’s loss at Dallas with a sprained right wrist. He looked fine against the Nets — he made 8 of 14 field goals and all 10 of his free throw attempts. He also had four steals.
Isaiah Joe scored 24 points and made eight 3-pointers for the Thunder.
The Thunder have the best record in the Western Conference, and the victory clinched Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault’s spot as an All-Star head coach. He will coach one of the four All-Star teams and an assistant coach from his staff will be the head coach for another team.
Cam Johnson and Tyrese Johnson each scored 15 points for the Nets, who have lost eight of nine.
BUCKS 123, 76ERS 109
MILWAUKEE: Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 15 rebounds to help Milwaukee beat short-handed Philadelphia.
Damian Lillard added 25 points for Milwaukee, which completed a 4-0 homestand. Khris Middleton had 13 points and eight assists in 25 minutes off the bench. Brook Lopez added 12 points, and Taurean Prince had 11.
Tyrese Maxey led the 76ers with with 37 points and seven assists. Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 19 points, Ricky Council IV had 13 and Eric Gordon 10. Playing for the second consecutive night, Philadelphia has lost six straightand nine of 11.
The 76ers (15-26) were once again missing several key players — Joel Embiid, Paul George, Kyle Lowry and Guerschon Yabusele among them — due to injuries, but hung with the Bucks until fading late. Milwaukee moved to a season-high seven games above .500 at 24-17.
CLIPPERS 116, LAKERS 102
INGLEWOOD, California: Norman Powell scored 22 points, James Harden added 21 points and 12 assists and the Los Angeles Clippers defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Lakers’ first visit to the new Intuit Dome.
Kawhi Leonard had 19 points and Ivica Zubac had 21 points and 19 rebounds for the Clippers in the first meeting of the season between the former hallway rivals at Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.
James had 25 points and 11 assists and Rui Hachimura added 19 points. Anthony Davis had 16 points and 10 rebounds in his return after missing a game with plantar fasciitis. The Lakers two-game winning streak ended.
Leonard tied his season high playing 24 minutes but none in the fourth as he continued under a minutes restriction in his fifth game of the season. He scored eight in a row to surpass 14,000 career points in the third, when the Clippers built their biggest lead of 26 points.
TRAIL BLAZERS 113, BULLS 102
PORTLAND, Oregon: Scoot Henderson had 25 points and Portland snapped five-game losing streak with a victory over Chicago.
Zach LaVine had 27 points for the Bulls. They have lost five straight.
Portland stretched its lead to 97-82 on Shaedon Sharpe’s 3-pointer with 7:36 left. Patrick Williams’ dunk got the Bulls within single digits at 110-102 with 1:26 left. Deni Avdija answered with a layup for Portland to end the threat.
Sharpe came off the bench for the Blazers after coach Chauncey Billups told him his defense needed to improve to return to a starting role. Sharpe finished with 23 points.
The Bulls led by as 15 points in the first half. Henderson made back-to-back 3-pointers that got the Blazers to 43-42.
Portland tied it at 45 on Jerami Grant’s 3 and it was even at 53 going into the break.
KINGS 123, WIZARDS 100
SACRAMENTO, California: Domantas Sabonis had 29 points and 18 rebounds, and Sacramento beat Washington.
DeMar DeRozan added 24 points, Malik Monk had 23 and Keon Ellis scored 18 on 6-for-8 shooting on 3-pointers. De’Aaron Fox had 12 points and a season-high 13 assists to help Sacramento win for the ninth time in 10 games.
Jonas Valanciunas had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Wizards, who have lost 10 straight.
After allowing Washington to score the first six points, Sacramento never trailed again and built a double-digit lead in the second quarter. The Kings were up by 24 points in the second half.
Sacramento went up by 14 at halftime. Sabonis had 18 points and 11 rebounds at the break, including a stretch of eight straight points on back-to-back 3s and a steal that led to a dunk, helping the Kings take a lead after the game was tied 15-15 in the first quarter.
Elina Svitolina rallies to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third time
- The 30-year-old Ukrainian is into the last eight at a Grand Slam for the 12th time
MELBOURNE: Elina Svitolina was 4-1 down before she went on a roll and took 11 of the next 12 games in a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Veronika Kudermetova on Monday to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third time.
The 30-year-old Ukrainian is into the last eight at a Grand Slam for the 12th time. It’s her first time back in the quarterfinals in Australia since 2019.
“Feels like a lifetime ago,” Svitolina said. Since her last run this far at Melbourne Park, she married French player Gael Monfils in 2021 and the pair had a daughter, Skai, in 2022. “Many things happened and I’m really pleased with the performance throughout the tournament. Really enjoying this win today.”
After dropping two early service games, Svitolina said she her only goal “was just trying to fight.”
“It’s the only thing I can do when things are not going your way, put your head down and get back to work,” she said. “Really happy I could come (back) into the match and then win in straight sets.”
Svitolina, the No. 28 seed, wore a red dress, red shoes and a red cap for the match. People in the crowd waved the yellow and blue Ukraine flag.
Kudermetova took a medical timeout for on-court treatment on her abdomen after falling behind 5-4 the first set.
She left the court for treatment after losing the first set in 50 minutes. Svitolina held to open the second set and then had a breakpoint but Kudermetova saved and held for 1-1, following up a forehand winner down the line with a loud roar.
That was the end of her celebrating.
It wasn’t just power and pace from Svitolina that was the difference between the pair. After bringing Kudermetova to the net with a drop shot and then lobbing over her to start the next game, Svitolina punched the air.
There was no handshake at the net with Kudermeotva, a 27-year-old from Russia, but no animosity, either.
Svitolina will be playing in the quarterfinals against either 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina or No. 19 Madison Keys.
Svitolina’s husband, Monfils, was playing later Monday against No. 21 seed Ben Shelton on Margaret Court Arena. The 38-year-old Frenchman reached the fourth round with an upset over fourth-seeded Taylor Fritz, the US Open runner-up last year.
Svitolina, who beat fourth-seeded Jasmine Paolini in the third round, said she hoped to be courtside for Monfils’ match.
“Playing the way that he plays right now, it’s special,” she said.
Other quarterfinalists will be decided when defending champion Jannik Sinner and No. 13 seed Holger Rune meet in an afternoon match and five-time major winner Iga Swiatek takes on Eva Lys, the lucky loser from qualifying, in a night match.
