Love for American football reached Brazilian Amazon long before the NFL game in Sao Paulo

Pedro Canuto, Manaus FA's quarterback, looks for receivers during a football game against Galo FA at Ismael Benigno stadium in Manaus, Brazil, on Aug. 24, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 04 September 2024
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Love for American football reached Brazilian Amazon long before the NFL game in Sao Paulo

  • Canuto and Manaus FA’s devotion to football illustrate how much the sport has grown in the last two decades in Brazil
  • Local research group Ibope Repucom said in 2022 that Brazil has about 38 million American football fans, the second-largest international community for the sport after Mexico’s

MANAUS, Brazil: Pedro Canuto wears his pads and practices passing the football a few hundred yards from where boats filled with tourists are navigating the Amazon River into the rainforest.

A quarterback for Manaus FA, arguably the best American football team in the region, the 20-year-old could be playing soccer, the sport for which Brazil is passionate. But he chooses to play a game most of his countrymen know little about.

About 200 people, including dozens of screaming fans, wait in the stands of the Ismael Benigno Stadium for Canuto and his teammates to take the field. Among them are members of the quarterback’s proudly Bare Indigenous family. His mother sometimes spends days walking into the Amazon rainforest to teach in small villages in one of the world’s most remote locations. Still, she comes to most home games to support her son.

“If she is brave enough to do all that, how could I not do what I desire and give 100 percent to the sport and the city I love?” Canuto told The Associated Press at the team’s headquarters one day before its home match against Galo FA, the defending champions. ”My dream is for Manaus one day to retire my No. 1 shirt. Several teams tried to sign me after the latest season, but I don’t see myself playing anywhere else in Brazil. I want to make it here.”

Canuto and Manaus FA’s devotion to football illustrate how much the sport has grown in the last two decades in Brazil. Though it’s not enough to fill the 10,000-seat stadium in the Amazon, interest in the game is now so widespread the NFL will be playing its first-ever game in South America when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Green Bay Packers on Friday night at the NeoQuimica Arena in Sao Paulo — 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) away.

Local research group Ibope Repucom said in 2022 that Brazil has about 38 million American football fans, the second-largest international community for the sport after Mexico’s. Marketing analysts say that figure has grown at least 10 percent since. NFL games are shown on ESPN Brasil, which has broadcast them since 1992, and open channel RedeTV. The Brazilian football league Canuto plays in is mostly on social media channels.

Brazil’s main league is the BFA, with 72 teams from the Amazon to the country’s deep south, bordering Uruguay. The league is in its sixth season, which will include more than 200 games in 20 states between June and December. Teams can sign up to three players born in North America, Europe and Japan and use two of them during games.

About a decade ago, Brazilian teams rarely played in full pads, and many of them focused on flag football. Teams like Manaus once had several players who used motorcycle helmets with improvised refrigerator evaporator coils in the front as protection for their heads. None of the athletes followed strict diets to keep in shape or followed concussion protocols whenever they got hit. Being paid to play was almost a dream.

But times are slowly changing.

Accountant Renner Silva has taken every possible role at Manaus FA over the years: player, coach, director, fan and coordinator.

“We need more gear, a proper place to train and more support to travel nationwide to play during the regular season. But one of our biggest difficulties to draw more players and fans to the sport here is the heat,” Silva said as players practiced on a recent evening at Manaus’ Olympic sports facilities — the temperature was at 31 degrees Celsius (almost 88 Fahrenheit). “The stadium we play has no covering and the match starts at 3 p.m. People start getting there at 4 p.m. to watch. And players are already worn out by the second half, when it gets a little cooler.”

Manaus FA shares its public training grounds with joggers and track and field athletes. Kickers need to use their imagination since there can’t be goal posts so javelin and discus throwers can practice, too. The field is only 80 yards long, the same size used in the Brazilian league, but without the 10 yards for each end zone. Silva said there are other fields in the city where the team could prepare better, but local authorities don’t yet believe in the sport’s potential.

Still, the team managed to draw the attention of American quarterback and linebacker Malik Brown, who had never set foot in South America until a few months ago and now says he believes Brazilian football can develop more after the NFL game. The Chicago-born player had a semi-pro career in the United States for two seasons and was set to go to the CFL. But then the pandemic hit and the team he would play for never got back in touch.

Brown continued his career in Germany at the same time as he developed a family business at home. And then, “a call from God” came from Brazil.

“I went through a lot of hard times with coaches, the transfer portal, and that whole thing with America. It was kind of messed up. This is where I needed to be,” Brown said. “I don’t need to always be the face. Sometimes it is about lifting others up, raise their potential. My special ability is being able to plug anywhere where there’s offense, defense, special teams. The coaching room, just in the locker room, no matter where it is, I’m going to step up and give everything I have.”

He has two roles on the Manaus team. He alternates at quarterback with Canuto and also plays linebacker.

“I want to help Pedro develop, make this team something we can all be proud of,” Brown said.

Brown and Canuto took turns with Manaus’ offense during their recent game against Galo FA, a tactic implemented by Mexican coach Rodrigo Ríos. Neither managed to take the team into the end zone and the visitors won 23-0.

Canuto left the field disappointed, despite the cheers from fans. He believes the NFL game in Sao Paulo will be a watershed moment for the sport in Brazil and that one day he will have even more supporters. He hopes to play for another two decades, possibly after a stint in Germany or Mexico, and then open a quarterback academy in the Amazon. He’s in a physical education program at a local university, so he can continue to aim for the future.

His love for football remains unshakeable despite the modest future he can envision for himself.

“I have deeply implanted in my mind that I am carrying the weight of football in the Amazon, I am from here. That has only motivated me to play more, to dedicate myself,” he said. “We’ve only just begun.”


Early goal holds up as Benfica beats Bayern Munich to advance to knockouts

Updated 4 sec ago
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Early goal holds up as Benfica beats Bayern Munich to advance to knockouts

  • Anatoliy Trubin made four saves to keep Benfica’s second consecutive clean sheet

Andreas Schjelderup scored early and Benfica held on amid oppressive conditions for a 1-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Tuesday afternoon in Charlotte.
Anatoliy Trubin made four saves to keep Benfica’s second consecutive clean sheet and preserve its first-ever competitive victory over Bayern as the Portuguese club finished atop Group C and extended their FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
Benfica (2-0-1, 7 points) will face either Chelsea or Esperance de Tunis, who play later Tuesday to decide the second spot in Group D, in a Saturday round- of-16 clash also in Charlotte.
A heavily rotated Bayern (2-1-0, 6 points) had already clinched their spot in the knockout phase and will face Group D winner Flamengo on Sunday in Miami Gardens, Florida
Benfica went in front 13 minutes into a sluggish first half that was played amid temperatures hovering around 97 degrees and beneath bright sunshine.
Ángel Di María played a ball wide down the right for Fredrik Aursnes, who then dragged a low cross back to the penalty area. That’s where Schjelderup met it in stride and fired a low first-time finish past Manuel Neuer.
Trubin was exceptional after halftime as Benfica weathered increasing Bayern pressure.
In the 51st minute, Leroy Sané ran onto Joshua Kimmich’s ball over the top but was denied by Trubin, who also made a more comfortable save of Thomas Müller’s follow-up effort seconds later.
Kimmich thought he’d scored from the edge of the penalty area in the 61st minute, but the goal was ruled offside because Harry Kane was standing in an offside position and in the goalkeeper’s view.
In the 74th minute, he denied Aleksandar Pavlovic with an outstretched leg from about 10 yards after Bayern’s initial cross from the right rattled off a few bodies inside the area.
Then in the 87th, he thwarted Sané on the break for a second time after Sané ran onto Harry Kane’s excellent through ball.


Lyon handed Ligue 2 relegation by financial regulator

Updated 24 June 2025
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Lyon handed Ligue 2 relegation by financial regulator

  • During a hearing earlier in the day, Lyon were unable to convince DNCG to lift the restrictions
  • Lyon can appeal the decision

LYON: Seven-time Ligue 1 champions Lyon have been relegated to the second-tier by French football’s financial watchdog, the French professional league (LFP) announced on Tuesday.

During a hearing earlier in the day, Lyon were unable to convince the regulator (DNCG) to lift the restrictions it had put on the club in November.

Lyon can appeal the decision.

Before the meeting, Lyon’s president John Textor said he was confident of avoiding the drop to Ligue 2 for next season, where the club has not played since 1989.

“We have made a variety of investments in recent weeks,” he said. “Everything is good financially.”

American Textor sold his 43 percent stake in Premier League outfit Crystal Palace earlier in the week. Lyon have reduced their salary bill and sold Rayan Cherki to Manchester City and Maxence Caqueret to Como.

Lyon qualified for next season’s Europa League after finishing sixth in the French top-flight.

If their relegation is confirmed, they would be replaced in Ligue 1 by Reims.

Lyon won seven consecutive French titles between 2002 and 2008. Only five clubs have won Ligue 1 more often. Paris Saint-Germain hold the record with 13 titles.


Arab Golf Federation launches elite scholarship program with training camp in Riyadh

Updated 24 June 2025
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Arab Golf Federation launches elite scholarship program with training camp in Riyadh

  • 4-day camp marks first phase of broader initiative

RIYADH: A group of promising young Arab golfers has gathered in Riyadh this week for the launch of a new regional initiative aimed at preparing future champions for the international stage.

The Arab Golf Federation has begun its Elite Sports Scholarship Camp, a flagship program designed to identify and nurture top golfing talent from across the Arab world.

Held at Riyadh Golf Club, the four-day training camp marks the first phase of a broader scholarship initiative that will see selected players offered full-time development opportunities at the renowned IMG Academy in the US.

The camp, which includes 16 male and female golfers under the age of 18, has brought together rising stars from across the region, based on their performances in regional and international events.

The program is structured into two intensive phases. The first is focused on technical, physical and psychological assessments, and the second on simulated competitive rounds designed to test performance under pressure.

At the end of the camp, the top-performing players will be awarded full scholarships, beginning in August.

The package includes elite golf training, academic education, and access to sports science facilities, including strength and conditioning and mental performance coaching.

The initiative forms a key part of the federation’s long-term strategy to elevate Arab golf and create a pipeline of talent capable of competing at the highest levels by 2035.

Yasir bin Othman Al-Rumayyan, president of the Arab Golf Federation, said: “While we continue to lay a strong and sustainable foundation locally, we are also committed to partnering with the best international institutions to provide world-class training and professional development for our promising young players.

“This initiative reflects our dedication to investing in youth talent based on global best practices, empowering them to compete on the international stage.

“In the coming years, as we achieve our ambitious goals, we will be able to rely entirely on our local capabilities and deliver a comprehensive Arab system for developing future champions.”

Noah Alireza, secretary-general of the federation, described the camp as a pivotal moment for the sport in the region.

“This camp represents a turning point in our journey to establish a clear competitive pathway for Arab golfers,” he said.

“By combining world-class training, international exposure, and meticulous evaluation, we are laying a strong foundation for young Arab talents to rise to the top levels of the sport.

“The Elite Sports Scholarship Camp is a genuine launchpad toward realizing the Arab Golf Federation’s vision of producing a new generation of Arab champions capable of competing globally.

“Through comprehensive assessment programs and strategic partnerships with leading institutions, the federation is laying the groundwork for a promising future for golf in the Arab world, built on planning, professionalism, and investment in youth potential.”


Saudi Sport Ministry signs deals for new hotels at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah

Updated 24 June 2025
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Saudi Sport Ministry signs deals for new hotels at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah

  • The project will include 2 world-class hotels offering integrated services designed to meet the needs of international sporting delegations and other visitors
  • Development will also feature a fan zone, fitness and sports clubs, swimming pools, restaurants, shops, areas for athletes, and conference and event spaces

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Sport on Tuesday signed agreements with local and international companies to develop, build, manage and operate two new hotels at King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.

The ministry said the hotels will be world-class establishments built to the highest engineering standards, and offer integrated services designed to meet the needs of international sporting delegations and other visitors.

The ministry’s acting director general of investment, Badr Al-Juraissi, attended signing ceremonies for the agreements with Kushan Real Estate Development Company, represented by its CEO, Marwan Al-Qaidi; Zuhair Fayez Partnership, which will provide design and engineering consultancy services and was represented by its chairperson, Zuhair Fayez; and IHG Hotels and Resorts, which will provide hotel services and was represented by Haitham Mattar, its regional managing director.

The hotels, expected to provide a total of 585 rooms, will be built on a 16,000-square-meter site at the sports city, the ministry said, and will help support the Kingdom’s ongoing efforts to attract major sporting events.

The development will also include a fan zone, fitness and sports clubs, swimming pools, international restaurants, retail stores, dedicated areas for athletes, and conference and event spaces.

The ministry said the initiative forms part of its ongoing efforts to achieve its strategic goals, including engagement with the private sector in the development of the nation’s sports industry. It will also support environmental improvements through infrastructure development, and in doing so directly contribute to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030, officials said.


Abdulaziz bin Moammar promises ‘to fight with the spirit of every young Saudi’ at PFL MENA Showdown

Updated 24 June 2025
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Abdulaziz bin Moammar promises ‘to fight with the spirit of every young Saudi’ at PFL MENA Showdown

  • Fighting in Riyadh is a pivotal moment in Bin Moammar’s career
  • Saudi fighter says his connection to combat sports began long before joining PFL

RIAYDH: Saudi fighter Abdulaziz bin Moammar continues his preparations for his second bout in the Professional Fighters League – Middle East and North Africa, scheduled for July 4 in Riyadh.

The event is part of a major promotion organized by the PFL, featuring a strong lineup of top regional fighters — a large crowd is expected.

Bin Moammar said returning to fight in Riyadh is a pivotal moment in his career: “Fighting in Riyadh isn’t just another match — it’s a responsibility. This is my city, where I grew up. My real fans are here. Fighting in front of them gives me a different kind of energy. There’s no room for complacency or backing down.”

He said that his connection to combat sports began long before joining the PFL, but his debut with the organization significantly expanded his visibility and fan base.

“I had a decent following before joining, but after my first fight in Jeddah, I felt a real surge in engagement. People started to recognize me more, follow me, and anticipate my next fights,” the Saudi fighter said.

The fight in Jeddah was an important first step for Bon Moammar who said: “It gave me confidence, and winning lit a fire inside me to keep going. But now in Riyadh, the challenge is bigger, and expectations are higher.”

Discussing his current training, the fighter revealed that he is in the middle of an intense local training camp in Riyadh, dedicating nearly all his time to preparation.

“Full focus on training has kept me away from my family, but I believe every moment of sacrifice now will pay off later. The camp is physically and mentally exhausting, but I’m determined to bring the best version of myself into the cage,” he said.

He further promised his fans “to fight with the spirit of every young Saudi who dreams of excelling in this sport.”

Bin Moammar knows the road is long and that professionalism is not easy but said: “I’m ready to walk it to the end. Your support is my greatest weapon.”