NEWCASTLE: From bags packed at Newcastle Airport on transfer deadline day to a new deal and a brighter future as a mainstay of Newcastle United’s new-look defense.
The last 15 months have been quite a journey for Fabian Schar.
Under Steve Bruce the Switzerland international looked set for the Newcastle exit door, with games hard to come by and a number of Italian giants, including A.C. Milan, keen to secure his services in January 2021.
However, with the landscape dramatically changing at St. James’ Park at the back end of last year, so too did the prospects of a Schar revival. And so the defender stepped out of the departure lounge, and into the driving seat with Eddie Howe, as the recent Magpies’ stand-in skipper has been handed a fresh two-year deal on Tyneside.
Expressing his joy at the news, Schar told the club website: “I’m absolutely delighted. It’s what I always wanted — to stay here to play for this unbelievable club.
“Since my first day in Newcastle, I felt so comfortable. It’s like a second home and now to stay here for some more years — I’m delighted.”
More years is exactly what it looked like Schar would not be given under the guidance of Bruce.
Not trusted by the former Manchester United legend, Schar was left on the fringes of Newcastle squads and only called upon when injury crises struck among Bruce’s favored defenders.
Schar’s seeming Newcastle stay of execution was only extended when then owner, Mike Ashley, activated a one-year extension to his old deal, with the understanding he was edging closer to a club sale, and had no intention of sanctioning a Bruce summer clear out and signing spree.
Fast forward just a few months and with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia takeover of United, Howe was dropped in to save the Magpies from a Bruce-induced coma.
And save them he has, as well as Schar’s United career.
Schar said: “For the last few months, I knew my contract was ending and I advised my agent that I wanted to stay, if Newcastle wanted me to stay as well.
“Since the new manager walked in, Eddie, I have felt so much difference in this club right now. It is everything I am looking for,” he said. “I want to see where this club can go in the next few years.
“That’s why I haven’t spoken to other clubs. Newcastle was always my first choice.”
When asked exactly what has changed under Howe from the time of Bruce, the 30-year-old former Deportivo center-back said with a smile: “Well, I mean ... almost everything.
“They walked in (and changed) the style of football we play now. And there is a positivity about the team, even in the difficult situations.
“From the first day we saw changes, even if the results did not change in the first two or three games.
“I think all of the players feel more positive. You see what we do in training and now on the pitch. What we have done so far since they’ve come in is great. I don’t think anyone expected us to be in the position we are now, climbing up the table,” said Schar.
“I am just really looking forward to everything that’s coming.
“I got a new opportunity with the manager and I have taken it. I have been able to show everyone who I am as a player. I think this is a reward for all that I am doing.
“The confidence he gave me since day one. He came in and spoke to me. I knew him from before as we had contact even before I was at Newcastle, so I know he probably quite liked the style of player I am. His style suits me.
“That’s what I needed on that day. I was struggling and not playing my best as I was not playing. He gave me exactly what I needed. He told me to just play my game. My strength is on the ball.”
The 66-capped international has been a key part of Howe’s team this season, playing the full 90 minutes in 22 of the head coach’s first 24 league and cup matches in charge.
In total, Schar, a signing made by ex-boss Rafa Benitez during his five years with United, has made 98 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions, scoring nine goals.
Speaking about the player, Howe said: “I’ve been delighted with Fabian’s form. He is the ultimate professional and a hugely important player in our dressing room.
“I’m delighted he has committed himself to the club. He is very driven for future success and I’m pleased he will be a part of our future.”
Fabian Schar ‘absolutely delighted’ to stay at Newcastle United
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Fabian Schar ‘absolutely delighted’ to stay at Newcastle United
- Fifteen months ago, Swiss international looked to be on his way out at St. James’ Park
- Change of fortune after Saudi-led takeover, Eddie Howe appointment, has seen Schar secure 2-year contract
Rafael Nadal delights fans after landing in Jeddah for Next Gen ATP Finals
- The Spanish tennis legend toured the old city of Al-Balad and greeted a massive crowd at King Abdullah Sports City
JEDDAH: Tennis superstar Rafael Nadal began his three-day visit on Friday to Jeddah, where he took a tour of Al-Balad and met players and fans at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF.
The Spanish legend started his time in Jeddah by visiting Al-Balad and taking a tour of Jeddah Historic District before making his way to King Abdullah Sports City, where the Next Gen ATP Finals are being played.
Nadal led a meet-and-greet and attended a prize-giving ceremony at an U-14 ATF tournament, which was held at a stadium next to the main competition.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion met future stars of tennis competing in the Next Gen ATP Finals — Alex Michelsen, Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca — before thrilling the massive crowd in the fan zone, where he signed autographs and posed for selfies.
Nadal, who is working with the Saudi Tennis Federation to support its ambition of inspiring one million people to engage — from playing to administration — with tennis by 2030, continues his tour of Jeddah on Saturday by meeting Saudi Davis Cup players ahead of the semifinals of the Next Gen ATP Finals.
Semifinal lineup set for Next Gen ATP finals in Jeddah
- Learner Tien stuns top seed Arthur Fils to face Alex Michelsen at King Abdullah Sports City
- Van Assche defeats Basavareddy to set up clash with undefeated Joao Fonseca in Saturday’s other match
JEDDAH: The semifinal lineup for the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF was confirmed on Friday following a dramatic conclusion to the group stage in Jeddah.
Sixth seed Learner Tien produced a sensational performance against top seed Arthur Fils to open the evening session with a 4-2, 4-2, 3-4 (4-7), 4-3 (7-5) victory that created an electric atmosphere inside the King Abdullah Sports City stadium.
With only the winner advancing from the Blue Group to the semifinals, the tension was present from the first point, and it ensured a match full of drama and excitement. Despite being separated by 102 places in the PIF ATP Rankings, it was the lower-ranked Tien who seized control, securing early breaks in the first two sets to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
However, Fils refused to go down without a fight. The World No.20 from France, buoyed by the majority of the enthusiastic support, soon displayed his world-class ability to fight back and win the third set. A knife-edge fourth set eventually went to another tiebreak before Tien emerged victorious to continue a remarkably successful week in his first professional tournament outside the US.
The 19-year-old was supported by fellow American Alex Michelsen during his match against Fils, but the two friends will become opponents on Saturday when they play each other for a place in the final.
Tien said: “It was great from the moment we walked out. The crowd was great, the atmosphere was really good, and it carried throughout the match, so it was really fun playing out there.”
In the first of the two winner-takes-all group stage matches on Friday, sixth seed Luca Van Assche claimed the runner-up spot in the Red Group by defeating seventh seed Nishesh Basavareddy 3-4 (2-7), 4-3 (9-7), 4-2, 4-2 following an entertaining and competitive contest.
The 20-year-old Frenchman reached the last four on his debut in Jeddah last year and has now matched that result, having secured two wins out of three in the group stage.
Van Assche will next face Joao Fonseca on Saturday for a place in the final after the 18-year-old Brazilian topped the Blue Group with a marathon 3-4 (4-7), 4-3 (10-8), 4-3 (7-5), 3-4 (4-7), 4-3 (7-5) victory over the already-eliminated third seed Jakub Mensik in the last match of the day.
On playing Fonseca in the semifinals, Van Assche said: “He’s an unbelievable talent. I practiced with him four or five days ago, so he’s a tough opponent for sure. I know that I can beat him, so it will be a very good match — a tough one. But you practice to play these matches, so it’ll be cool.”
Day three got underway with second seed Alex Michelsen confirming his place as the winner of the Red Group after fourth seed Juncheng Shang retired from their match. The 20-year-old American was leading 4-1, 1-1 before China’s Shang called time early, having struggled with illness over the last two days.
Michelsen has enjoyed a successful return to Jeddah. He went winless on his debut appearance in 2023, but has been a leading star this year, winning all three of his group stage matches to ease into the semifinals.
Green Falcons arrive in Kuwait for 26th Arabian Gulf Cup
RIYADH: The Saudi national football team arrived in Kuwait on Friday ahead of the 26th Arabian Gulf Cup to take place from Dec. 21 until Jan. 3 next year.
Upon arrival at Kuwait International Airport, the team was welcomed by Deputy Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Yahya Al-Qahtani and several other officials, state news agency SPA reported.
The Green Falcons are scheduled to conduct an evening training session on Saturday at the Yarmouk Club Stadium, with the first 15 minutes opened for members of the media.
Cavaliers cruise past Bucks, Embiid shines in Sixers win
- The Cavaliers, winners of seven of their last eight, improved to 15-1 at home and got good news with the season debut of Max Strus
- The Oklahoma City Thunder, who fell to the Bucks in the Cup final on Tuesday, notched their second victory since then, beating the Heat 104-97
LOS ANGELES: The Cleveland Cavaliers delivered a reality check to newly crowned NBA Cup champions Milwaukee on Friday, dominating the Bucks 124-101 to push their league-best record to 24-4.
Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and Darius Garland added 16 for the Cavs, who led by as many as 36 points as the Bucks struggled in the absence of injured guard Damian Lillard.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to victory in the NBA Cup final against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, scored 33 points with 14 rebounds and three steals.
Khris Middleton, back from illness, scored 14 points off the bench for Milwaukee, but starting guards Andre Jackson Jr and AJ Green were a combined 0-for-9 from the field, neither contributing a point.
The Cavaliers, winners of seven of their last eight, improved to 15-1 at home and got good news with the season debut of Max Strus — who had been sidelined with hip and ankle injuries.
Strus scored nine points in 19:07 minutes off the bench for Cleveland and drilled three of their 20 three-pointers.
“We did it on both ends of the floor,” Mitchell said. “We set the tone, offensively, defensively. Knowing they had a long trip back (we were) trying to get going early, push the pace, and we did it for 48 minutes.”
Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who had called it “weird” to pick up regular-season action after playing the semifinals and final of the in-season tournament in Las Vegas, said the game was not a good gauge of where the Bucks are.
“We were flat, tired, whatever you want to call it,” Rivers said. “There’s no read on tonight’s game... give them all the credit.”
In Philadelphia, the 76ers’ star center Joel Embiid wore a protective mask as he returned after missing one game because of a sinus fracture to score 34 points in a 108-98 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
Embiid, who had been expected to sit out at least through Saturday after taking an inadvertent blow to the face last week, added five rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Tyrese Maxey scored 23 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 for Philadelphia, who notched their fourth win in five games as they try to climb into the race for a play-in berth.
Embiid has been largely absent from the Sixers’ stuttering season. The 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player was appearing in just his seventh game of the campaign after his troublesome left knee delayed his season debut.
The Oklahoma City Thunder, who fell to the Bucks in the Cup final on Tuesday, notched their second victory since then, beating the Heat 104-97 in Oklahoma.
Jalen Williams scored 33 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 25 for the Thunder, who were coming off a victory over the Orlando Magic on Thursday.
Tyler Herro scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Heat, but Miami clearly missed the contribution of star forward Jimmy Butler, who departed in the first quarter and was ruled out for the rest of the game because of illness.
Miami’s Bam Adebayo departed briefly in the third quarter after taking an accidental elbow over his left eye. He returned after receiving seven stitches and finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.
Netflix signs US broadcast deal with FIFA for the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031
- The deal announced Friday is the most significant FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament
- Netflix dipped into live sports last month with more than 60 million households watching a heavily hyped boxing match between retired heavyweight legend Mike Tyson and social media personality Jake Paul
GENEVA: Netflix has secured the US broadcasting rights to the Women’s World Cup in 2027 and 2031 as the streaming giant continues its push into live sports.
The deal announced Friday is the most significant FIFA has signed with a streaming service for a major tournament. The value was not given, though international competitions in women’s soccer have struggled to draw high-value offers.
“Bringing this iconic tournament to Netflix isn’t just about streaming matches,” its chief content officer Bela Bajaria said in a statement. “It’s also about celebrating the players, the culture and the passion driving the global rise of women’s sport.”
Netflix dipped into live sports last month with more than 60 million households watching a heavily hyped boxing match between retired heavyweight legend Mike Tyson and social media personality Jake Paul. Some viewers reported streaming problems, however.
Netflix also will broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day: the Kansas City Chiefs at the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens at the Houston Texans. That’s part of a three-year deal announced in May.
World Cups are typically broadcast on free-to-air public networks to reach the biggest audiences, and the last women’s edition in 2023 earned FIFA less than 10 percent of the men’s 2022 World Cup.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino had publicly criticized public broadcasters, especially in Europe, for undervaluing offers to broadcast the 2023 tournament that was played in Australia and New Zealand. That tournament was broadcast by Fox in the US
“This agreement sends a strong message about the real value of the FIFA Women’s World Cup and the global women’s game,” Infantino said.
The World Cup rights mark another major step in Netflix’s push into live programming. It’s recipe that Netflix has cooked up to help sell more advertising, a top priority for the company since it introduced a low-priced version of its streaming service that includes commercials two years ago. The ad-supported version is now the fastest growing part of Netflix’s service, although most of its 283 million worldwide subscribers still pay for higher-priced options without commercial.
But Netflix is still trying to sell more ads to boost its revenue, which is expected to be about $30 billion. Netflix executives have predicted it might take two or three years before its ad sales become a major part of its revenue.
Netflix expects to spend about $17 billion on programming this year — a budget that the Los Gatos, California, company once funneled almost entirely into scripted TV series and movies. But Netflix is now allocating a significant chunk of that money to sports and live events, a shift that has made it a formidable competitor to traditional media bidding for the same rights.
FIFA will likely use the Netflix deal to drive talks with European broadcasters that likely will be hardball negotiations.
Soccer finance expert Kieran Maguire, a co-host of The Price of Football podcast, suggested the deal was “a bit of a gamble” for FIFA and “saber-rattling” by Infantino.
“(Netflix) get experience of football broadcasting, FIFA can say, ‘we are now partnering with a blue chip organization, so watch out you nasty Europeans,’” Maguire, an academic at the University of Liverpool, said in a telephone interview.
FIFA and Infantino also want to raise the price of broadcast deals to help fund increased prize money and close the gender pay gap on the men’s World Cup.
At the men’s 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the 32 team federations shared $440 million in prize money. For the women’s 2023 tournament, FIFA had a $152 million total fund for prize money, contributions to teams’ preparation costs and payments to players’ clubs.
In FIFA’s financial accounts for 2023, the soccer body reported total broadcasting revenue of $244 million. In the year of the men’s 2022 World Cup it was almost $2.9 billion.
The next Women’s World Cup will be a 32-team, 64-game tournament in 2027, played in Brazil from June 24-July 25. The US originally bid jointly with Mexico.
The 2031 host has not been decided, though the US likely will bid for a tournament which FIFA is expected to try to expand to 48 teams. That would match the size of the 104-game format of the men’s World Cup that debuts in 2026 in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Spain won the 2023 Women’s World Cup after the US won the two previous titles — in France in 2019 and Canada in 2015.
More than 25 million viewers in the US watched the 2015 World Cup final, a 5-2 win over Japan, played in Vancouver, Canada, in a time zone similarly favorable to Brazil.
FIFA tried to sign Apple+ to an exclusive global deal to broadcast the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup which is being played in 11 US cities next June and July.
Broadcast networks showed little interest in the FIFA club event that will now be broadcast for free on streaming service DAZN, which is building closer business ties to Saudi Arabia.
Ahead of the next Women’s World Cup, Netflix will “produce exclusive documentary series in the lead-up to both tournaments, spotlighting the world’s top players, their journeys and the global growth of women’s football,” FIFA said.
