MADRID: Enrique Cerezo is best known in Spain as the longtime president of Atletico Madrid football club, the less glamorous cross-town rivals of Real Madrid.
But he is also a powerful film producer who owns the rights to some 7,000 movies, including around 70 percent of all flicks ever made in Spain, which feed his streaming platform FlixOle — the first to specialize in Spanish cinema.
Success in the two fields is measured differently, said Cerezo, who has led Atletico Madrid to six European titles and four Spanish ones since he took over as president of the Spanish first division side in 2003.
“You release a film on a Friday and on Monday you know whether it’s going to work or not, whereas in football you test yourself every week,” the silver-haired 75-year-old told AFP at the headquarters of his film business near Madrid.
His first experiences with film came during his high school years in Segovia, a town some 80 kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Madrid, where he would help screen movies at the school’s cinema on weekends.
“Between studying and having the possibility of being able to manage this whole projection system, I preferred to be there,” Cerezo said.
When he finished high school, Cerezo began working on film shoots with the camera and lighting teams.
He took part in around 100 shoots in Spain, including with top directors such as Richard Lester — who directed the Beatles films “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!” — and George Cukor — who won the best director Oscar for the 1964 movie “My Fair Lady.”
“The job of a producer has to start from the bottom, from being an assistant to an assistant to an assistant,” Cerezo said.
In the early 1980s, just as the market for video rentals was taking off, he founded a video distribution company, Video Movies International, which began buying film rights with the aim of restoring them and making them available on video.
It was a lot of work and cost a lot of money because the visual quality of films in “the early years of video was dreadful,” Cerezo said.
“The producers or the heirs of the producers didn’t want to do it, nor were they going to do it, so we had to do it ourselves,” he added.
At the end of the 1980s, Cerezo started producing films and buying practically all the major Spanish production companies, which allowed him to considerably increase his film library.
Among the films in his collection are light, unpretentious comedies made during the 1939-1975 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco which were scorned by critics but which Cerezo defends.
“Cinema, from my point of view, is for the general public, for people to have a good time, a nice time,” he said.
Cerezo joked that you have a better time in both cinema and football “when you win.”
His films are restored in a laboratory belonging to FlixOle and his distribution company Mercury Films, where they are digitised at a rate of one a week, if there are no major problems.
The lab recently completed the restoration of “Furrows,” a 1951 Spanish film classic about a poor family that migrates from rural Spain to Madrid in the hopes of finding a better life, which was very deteriorated.
The restored 4K resolution version of the film was presented on Monday at the San Sebastian film festival, the highest-profile movie event in the Spanish-speaking world.
Atletico Madrid president splits time between football and film
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Atletico Madrid president splits time between football and film
- Success in the two fields is measured differently, said Cerezo, who has led Atletico Madrid to six European titles and four Spanish
Alcaraz says ‘a lot of players’ agree after schedule ‘kill us’ comments
- The 21-year-old Spaniard is in action this week at the China Open, his 15th tournament of the year
BEIJING: Carlos Alcaraz on Wednesday doubled down on his criticism of the demands of the tennis calendar, saying “a lot of players” agree with him and “we have to do something about it.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion last week said at the Laver Cup that the schedule is “going to kill us,” adding his voice to the growing number of players speaking out.
The 21-year-old Spaniard is in action this week at the China Open, his 15th tournament of the year.
“I’ve seen and I’ve heard a lot of players complain about the schedule, about the calendar as well,” he said.
Not among them is world number one Jannik Sinner, who made light of the issue when he spoke to reporters in Beijing on Tuesday.
“The schedule is quite long obviously these years. But we players, we can still choose what to play and what not to play,” said the Italian, who this month won the US Open for his second major crown.
Addressing those comments, Alcaraz conceded that “it’s about different feelings in every person,” but added: “So I’m talking about myself, that the schedule, it’s been so tight since the first week of January till the last week of November.
“We have to talk about it ourselves and we have to do something about it.”
Alcaraz, the second seed, faces France’s Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in his opening match in the Chinese capital.
Top seed and defending champion Sinner plays Chile’s Nicolas Jarry.
Novak Djokovic is not in Beijing while world number two Alexander Zverev pulled out.
NFL legend Brett Favre reveals Parkinson’s disease diagnosis
- The 54-year-old former Green Bay Packers quarterback disclosed the diagnosis during testimony before a US Congressional panel in Washington which is probing alleged misuse of taxpayer money
- Worldwide, about 10 million people are afflicted with the disease, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation
WASHINGTON: NFL legend Brett Favre revealed Tuesday he has recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease following a 20-season career in which he estimates he may have sustained “thousands” of concussions.
The 54-year-old former Green Bay Packers quarterback disclosed the diagnosis during testimony before a US Congressional panel in Washington which is probing alleged misuse of taxpayer money.
“Sadly I lost my investment in a company that I believed was developing a breakthrough concussion drug I thought would help others,” Favre told lawmakers.
“As I’m sure you’ll understand, while it’s too late for me — I’ve recently been diagnosed with Parkinson’s — this is also a cause dear to my heart.”
Favre was referring to Prevacus, a company making a concussion drug which received $2 million in taxpayer money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) fund.
The company’s founder, Jacob VanLandingham, pleaded guilty to wire fraud earlier this year after admitting he had used welfare money given to Prevacus to pay off gambling debts.
Favre, who played 321 straight games during his career — an NFL record for a quarterback — retired from the sport in 2010.
In a 2018 interview, Favre said although he was only formally diagnosed with a handful of concussions during his career, he believes the actual number was far greater.
“That I know of, three, four, maybe,” Favre said in the interview when asked how many times he had been concussed. “There’s a term that is often used in football, and maybe in other sports, that I got ‘dinged.’
“When you have ringing of the ears, seeing stars, that’s a concussion. If that is a concussion, I’ve had hundreds, probably thousands throughout my career, which is frightening.”
Parkinson’s is a degenerative disease that erodes motor functions. Typical symptoms include shaking, rigidity and difficulty walking. In advanced stages, depression, anxiety and dementia are also common.
Worldwide, about 10 million people are afflicted with the disease, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
Favre said in 2018 he was uncertain whether he suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), the condition at the center of the NFL’s $1.2 billion 2013 concussion settlement, which cannot be diagnosed in living people.
However, he revealed he has suffered symptoms, such as short-term memory loss and occasional speech difficulties.
“Simple words that normally would come out easy in a conversation, I’ll stammer,” Favre said at the time.
“Yeah, I forgot my keys and they were in my hand. Where are my glasses, and they’re on your head. You know, I wonder if that’s what it is. Or do I have early stages of CTE? I don’t know.”
St. Lucia’s first Olympic medalist returns home to cheers and calypso
- On Tuesday, officials announced that Sept. 27 would be Julien Alfred Day
- On Tuesday afternoon, fire-breathing dancers greeted Alfred as she prepared to climb into a blue sports car to start the motorcade
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico: As the first St. Lucian to win an Olympic medal, sprinter Julien Alfred already has poems, paintings and even a calypso song dedicated to her.
On Tuesday, officials announced that Sept. 27 would be Julien Alfred Day, as the 23-year-old known as “JuJu” returned home to the eastern Caribbean island where she once ran barefoot as a child.
“I’m truly lost for words,” she told Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and other government officials who gathered to celebrate her before organizing a motorcade for thousands of impatient fans waiting outside, some of whom came from as far away as London.
The gold medal that Alfred won in the 100-meter sprint at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the silver medal she earned in the 200-meter sprint hung around her neck.
She thanked her mother, the government, her coach and others, including “my village.”
“So many people have guided me along the way and helped me to get to this point,” she said as her voice broke. “It didn’t come easy. It was truly a rocky road. Many days I just wanted to give up.”
Alfred quit running when she was around 12 years old after her father died. Her coach convinced her to run again and then she moved to Jamaica as a teenager to train. At the University of Texas she became a multiple NCAA champion.
On Tuesday afternoon, fire-breathing dancers greeted Alfred as she prepared to climb into a blue sports car to start the motorcade. Fans high-fived her and requested selfies, with one young girl handing her a tennis shoe for an autograph as she smiled shyly.
“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s go!” yelled security as they tried to get Alfred into the car.
With a large St. Lucia flag draped on her back, Alfred waved and blew kisses to people lined up to greet her.
“Come on out, St. Lucia, let’s wave and join this celebratory moment!” said one woman who was narrating a live video of the motorcade as calypso music blared.
Gathered along the road were elderly people, young fathers holding babies and a group of schoolgirls in brown uniforms who chanted “JuJu! JuJu!” as they giggled and gathered around her for a hug as the motorcade slowed down.
Another woman shouted, “Love from Jamaica, my gyal!”
The hourslong motorcade wound its way through lush green mountains as the sky turned a soft pink. A group of motorcycle riders on the side of the road revved their engines for Alfred, while a fire station activated its siren as she rode past. Assistants provided Alfred with water and eye drops as she continued to greet people, rarely dropping her arms as fans crowded the motorcade, including one man waving a large palm frond.
When she reached her hometown of Ciceron, Alfred got out of the car and hugged the crowd waiting for her in the rain.
Prior to winning two Olympic medals, Alfred won a gold medal in the 60 meters at the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, also a first for St. Lucia.
At the Olympics, she ran the 100-meter race in 10.72 seconds, beating favorite Sha’Carri Richardson and dedicating the win to her father.
“He believed I could be an Olympian. That I can be here,” Alfred said at the time.
Earlier this month, Alfred also won the women’s 100 meters during the Diamond League final 2024 athletics meet in Brussels.
The celebration for Alfred on the island of 238 square miles (617 square kilometers) is expected to continue for at least two more days, with a rally scheduled for Wednesday and a visit to a primary school on Thursday.
T.C. Brown, a local songwriter and producer, told the St. Lucia Times last week that he was inspired to write “Merci JuJu” in her honor.
He was quoted as saying that at the time of the win, everyone was saying, ‘Thank you, Julien Alfred. But, he said, referring to a local dialect, “Kweyol has a much sweeter way of expressing the message.”
Pakistan announce squad for first England Test, retain Shan Masood as captain
- Masood was retained as captain despite media reports suggesting he had faced an axe after Pakistan’s 2-0 loss to Bangladesh
- Pakistan had never lost to Bangladesh before the twin defeats took Masood’s record to five losses since replacing Babar Azam
ISLAMABAD: Shan Masood will lead Pakistan in the upcoming Test series against England, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Tuesday, despite the national side losing five Tests under his captaincy.
The Pakistan cricket selectors announced a 15-player squad on Tuesday for the first Test against England, set to take place in Multan from 7-11 October.
Masood was retained as captain despite some media reports suggesting the 34-year-old had faced an axe after Pakistan’s shocking 2-0 loss to Bangladesh last month.
“Following the squad announcement and based on the recommendation of head coach Jason Gillespie, the selected players have been withdrawn from the Champions One-Day Cup playoffs to allow them some rest ahead of the series,” the PCB said in a statement.
“The squad will assemble in Multan on Monday, 30 September, with the training camp commencing on 1 October.”
Pakistan had never lost to Bangladesh before the twin defeats took Masood’s record to five losses since replacing Babar Azam as skipper in November last year. He lost his first series 3-0 in Australia.
The first of three Tests against England starts in Multan from October 7, the second will be played in the same city from October 15 and the third in Rawalpindi from October 24.
“With a busy domestic and international cricket schedule, it makes sense to give our players some much-needed rest ahead of the Test series against England,” Gillespie was quoted as saying by the PCB.
“We are very much looking forward to the series against England here in Pakistan and cannot wait for it to begin. We are excited about playing in front of our wonderful supporters.”
Pakistan squad:
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Mir Hamza, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Mbappe extends scoring streak as Real Madrid beat Alaves 3-2 in Spanish league
- Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo also scored for Madrid, who extended their unbeaten run in the league to 39 matches
- Sevilla midfielder Saul Niguez was carried off the field on a stretcher with an apparent leg injury early in the second half of Sevilla’s 2-1 home win over Valladolid
MADRID: Kylian Mbappe extended his scoring streak with his sixth goal in five matches as Real Madrid defeated Alaves 3-2 to move closer to leader Barcelona in the Spanish league on Tuesday.
Mbappe’s seventh goal since joining Madrid was a beauty, with the France forward starting a give-and-go with Jude Bellingham with a heal flick and then picking up the pass inside the area and using a nifty move to clear a defender before finding the net in the 40th minute at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium.
Mbappe asked to be substituted in the 80th because of a muscle ailment, according to Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, who said it was not serious.
Lucas Vazquez and Rodrygo also scored for Madrid, who extended their unbeaten run in the league to 39 matches — with 29 wins and 10 draws going back to last season. Alaves made a late charge by scoring with Carlos Benavídez in the 85th and Kike García in the 86th but couldn’t find the equalizer despite chances in the final minutes.
“We played a great match for 80 minutes, but we suffered more than we should have in the end,” Vázquez said.
The victory moved Madrid within one point of league leader Barcelona, who will go for their seventh victory in a row to start the season when they host winless Getafe on Wednesday.
Mbappe now has seven goals in nine matches with Madrid in all competitions. He has five goals in the Spanish league, one behind leading scorer Robert Lewandowski of Barcelona.
The France star who signed as a free agent after leaving Paris Saint-Germain, also had a goal disallowed for offside in the 22nd. Arda Guler came in for Mbappe in the 80th.
Vazquez had put Madrid ahead one minute into the match with a shot from inside the area after a nice run by Vinicius Junior through the left side of the area. Rodrygo added to the lead after a long run in the 48th.
Ancelotti, in his 300th match with the club, used most of his regular starters and did not immediately rotate his squad despite a congested schedule.
Vazquez started as a right back in place of regular starter Dani Carvajal, who was rested with fitness issues.
Teenage Brazil forward Endrick replaced Rodrygo in the 69th, his earliest appearance off the bench, and a couple of minutes later struck the post from inside the area.
Madrid complained about yellow cards to Vinicius, Federico Valverde and substitute Luka Modric for protesting in a match in which Madrid felt their players were often subjected to tough tackles.
“There is a different standard now and we have to adapt,” Ancelotti said. “We have to stop protesting.”
Alaves, whose players were not shown any cards, complained that a red card should have been given to Endrick after the Brazilian appeared to kick an opponent away from the play.
Madrid’s next match is the city derby against Atletico Madrid at Atletico’s Metropolitano stadium.
Sevilla midfielder Saul Niguez was carried off the field on a stretcher with an apparent leg injury early in the second half of Sevilla’s 2-1 home win over Valladolid.
Chidera Ejuke scored the winner in the 85th minute for Sevilla’s second victory in its past three league matches.
Valladolid’s only win this season came in its league opener against Espanyol.
Valencia followed up their first win of the season — 2-0 at Girona — with a 0-0 draw against Osasuna.
Osasuna had won two of its last three matches.
