Jeddah Season gearing up to host 4th round of F1 Powerboat World Championship
JEDDAH: The city of Jeddah is gearing up to host the fourth round of the Formula 1 Powerboat World Championship on Nov. 27-29.
Soccer Sport News
La Liga confirm ‘historic’ Barcelona match in Miami
BARCELONA: Barcelona will face Villarreal in Miami in a La Liga match on December 20, the Spanish top flight said Wednesday, making it the first European league fixture to be played abroad. Earlier this week, European football governing body UEFA said they opposed the idea of games being played overseas but would permit it on an exceptional basis, along with a Serie A match in Australia in February between AC Milan and Como. “With this match we take a historic step that projects La Liga and Spanish football into a new dimension,” said La Liga president Javier Tebas in a statement. “We understand and respect the concerns that this decision may generate, but it is important to put it into context — it is a single match out of the 380 that make up the season.” The game was due to be played at Villarreal’s home stadium but will now take place at the Hard Rock Stadium in the United States, in Florida. Villarreal will take measures to compensate season ticket holders after the game was moved. “Villarreal season ticket holders will be able to travel for free to the match, and those who choose not to travel to Miami will enjoy a 30 percent discount on their season ticket price as part of the measures designed to reward their support and loyalty,” said La Liga. In September a total of 18 fan groups from both teams involved expressed their “complete opposition” to the match taking place abroad. La Liga have attempted to play matches overseas dating back to 2017 but the Spanish football federation (RFEF) frequently resisted, despite hosting the Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia themselves. Barcelona’s rivals Real Madrid have also expressed their disapproval at the decision to take a La Liga game abroad. They said in August hosting
Salah scores twice as Egypt qualify for 2026 World Cup
CASABLANCA: Liverpool star Mohamed Salah scored twice to help Egypt beat Djibouti 3-0 in Casablanca on Wednesday and qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Cristiano Ronaldo becomes football’s first billionaire, says Bloomberg
RIYADH: Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo has become football’s first billionaire player, according to figures released Wednesday in the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Motor racing-FIA list raises prospect of Ben Sulayem being re-elected unopposed
LONDON: FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the head of Formula One’s governing body, could be re-elected unopposed in December after a list published on Wednesday left rivals seemingly unable to secure the necessary support to stand. The International Automobile Federation named 29 people who are eligible for its World Motor Sport Council (WMSC), from which list each presidential candidate must draw a team of seven potential vice presidents for sport in order to progress to a vote. Two must come from Europe and one each from South America, North America, Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East/North Africa. South America has only one person on the list, however: Brazilian Fabiana Ecclestone, who is a current vice president for sport representing the continent and one of the most senior women at the FIA as well as being the wife of former F1 supremo Bernie. The FIA said the absence of any other candidate from South America on the list could be due to no other member club putting anybody forward or to someone failing to secure the approval of the FIA nominations committee. The deadline for putting forward candidates for the WMSC list was September 29.
Tension lingers as India and Pakistan skip handshake in women’s World Cup
COLOMBO: India captain Harmanpreet Kaur and Pakistan counterpart Fatima Sana skipped the customary handshake before a women’s cricket World Cup match on Sunday amid ongoing tensions between the rivals that plagued the men’s Asia Cup last month. India-Pakistan relations have significantly deteriorated following military conflicts in May that nearly escalated into a full-fledged war between the nuclear-armed neighbors. India beat Pakistan three times in the men’s Asia Cup, including in the September 28 final in Dubai, but refused to shake hands with their counterparts before or after the matches. They also declined to receive the winners’ trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who is Pakistan’s interior minister. The frosty relations were evident in Colombo too where Kaur and Sana did not shake hands at the toss, nearly ignoring each other’s presence. Sana won the toss and elected to field against India, who have never lost to Pakistan in a women’s one day international. “We’re going to bowl first, looks like there could be some moisture on the wicket,” Sana said. “On this wicket, anything under 250 would be a good total to defend and hopefully we can restrict them.” India won a tri-series in Sri Lanka, also involving South Africa, in May and captain Kaur said that experience would stand them in good stead. “It was a good series for us,” Kaur said. “We played a lot of cricket here and, yeah, we have experience.
Lionel Messi helps Inter Miami get back in win column vs. Revolution
MIAMI: Jordi Alba and Tadeo Allende each had two goals to lead host Inter Miami to a 4-1 victory over the New England Revolution on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, Florida The victory snapped a two-match winless streak for Inter Miami (17-7-8, 59 points), which moved into third place in the Eastern Conference standings. With two matches to play, Miami trails FC Cincinnati by three points for second place.
Vinicius double helps Real Madrid beat Villarreal
MADRID: Vinicius Junior fired Real Madrid to the top of La Liga with a brace in a 3-1 win over Villarreal on Saturday, while Kylian Mbappe was also on target. Los Blancos moved two points clear of champions Barcelona, who visit Sevilla on Sunday, as they bounced back from last week’s derby drubbing. Having returned from their long midweek trip to Kazakhstan, where they beat Kairat in the Champions League, Madrid turned their focus back to domestic matters. Thrashed 5-2 by city rivals Atletico Madrid last weekend, Xabi Alonso’s side had plenty to prove against a strong Villarreal team, who are third. “I played very well and I want to continue like this, keeping this confidence and doing even more,” Vinicius told Real Madrid TV. “We have good feelings...