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☆ Saudi soccer dominance could still take 'decades' despite reported $332 million Mbappé bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Aurelien Meunier - PSG/PSG via Getty ImagesSaudi Arabian soccer club Al-Hilal reportedly tabled a world record 300 million euro ($331.9 million) bid for Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappé, a further signal of the kingdom's efforts to shake up the sport's global order. Al-Ahli snapped up Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and former Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino, and have just agreed a £30 million ($38.54 million) deal to bring in forward Riyad Mahrez from reigning English Premier League and European champions Manchester City. A medium-term threat Soccer isn't the first sport to be rocked by a sudden wave of Saudi investment. This is more like a couple of decades before I think we could see some significant impact." Cristiano Ronaldo stands prior to the Saudi Pro League week 28 soccer match between Al-Nassr and Al-Shabab at Alawwal Park Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on May 23, 2023.

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☆ An elite soccer player criticized Elon Musk as 'some crazy dude' after Twitter took away his blue checkmark
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Twitter removed the blue checkmarks on Thursday for all users who didn't subscribe to Twitter Blue. That included several of the English Premier League's elite soccer players, who hit back at Elon Musk. Elite soccer players from England's Premier League took aim at Elon Musk after their blue checkmarks were taken away on Thursday. Twitter Blue led to several trolls impersonating high-profile accounts, while those who've paid for the blue checkmark have been mocked. Meanwhile, Gary Lineker — a former England soccer player who now hosts the BBC's "Match of the Day" — said he had subscribed to Twitter Blue.

CAIRO, April 21 (Reuters) - There are some aspirational prizes being doled out to winners of Ramadan tournaments in Egypt this week, with a team decked out in Liverpool's kit being awarded England's Premier League trophy for their success -- while another is set to receive UEFA Champions League silverware. The losers were presented with a replica of the African Champions League trophy for their efforts. "I bought the two cups from a friend who owns a sportswear store for two thousand Egyptian pounds ($65)," Ibrahim Abdel Salam, one of the organising committee, told Reuters. "There are two artificial turf courts, but we prefer the dirt court," Abdel Salam said. Meanwhile in El-Beheira governorate the European Champions League trophy appeared up for grabs.

☆ Napoli striker Osimhen ready to become 'an icon' with title win
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Alvise Armellini | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ROME, March 6 (Reuters) - If striker Victor Osimhen manages to lead Napoli to their first Italian Serie A title in more than 30 years, he believes he will become a club "icon". However, if Napoli win the scudetto, he said: "I think (I) have a very big chance of being named an icon." With 13 games to go, Napoli are odds-on for Serie A glory, having a huge, 15-point advantage over second-placed Inter Milan. Some street hawkers are already selling mementoes in Napoli colours and with a "three" on them in anticipation of a third title. "It's been 33 years since the last scudetto," Napoli Chairman Aurelio De Laurentiis said.

MILAN, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Italy's government on Tuesday dropped legislation aimed at giving top flight soccer league Serie A the option of extending domestic broadcast deals beyond their scheduled expiry next year, documents seen by Reuters showed. That is only a half of the amount England's Premier League collects under its existing TV deals in its home market, according to UEFA data. Home to storied soccer clubs such as Juventus (JUVE.MI), AC Milan and Inter Milan, Serie A plans to seek bids for the rights to screen its matches in Italy for subsequent seasons. It was not immediately clear whether the measure would be included in any other bill at a later stage. ($1 = 0.9291 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Giuseppe Fonte, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Keith WeirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Exclusive: JPMorgan looking to finance Italy's Serie A for up to 1 bln euros - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The sources said the 20 clubs which comprise Serie A were informed of the interest by the U.S. bank at a closed-door meeting of their top executives on Thursday. Serie A has been looking at options to extract more money from its media rights, which account for roughly half the revenues of its clubs. Like other European soccer leagues, Serie A lags behind England's Premier League in terms of income and is looking at ways to revive its global appeal. Back in 2021 JPMorgan had offered to support soccer clubs looking to launch a breakaway European Super League, a plan which collapsed due to a storm of protest from fans and politicians. The sources said the Serie A clubs will assess in the coming weeks how to proceed in relation to the interest expressed by both the funds and JPMorgan.

☆ Exclusive: JPMorgan looking to finance Italy's Serie A for up to 1 bln euros -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The sources said the 20 clubs that comprise Serie A were informed of the interest by the U.S. bank at a closed-door meeting of their top executives on Thursday. Serie A has been looking at options to extract more money from its media rights, which account for roughly half the revenues of its clubs. Like other European soccer leagues, Serie A lags England's Premier League in terms of income and is looking at ways to revive its global appeal. The sources said Serie A clubs learnt on Thursday that Apollo Global Management (APO.N) had also come forward, without providing further details. Prior to that meeting, clubs are due to discuss in mid-February the sale process of the media rights, which is expected to start later this year.

☆ Juventus handed 15-point deduction for transfer deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

With 20 games left to play in this season, Juve were third in Serie A, 10 points adrift of leaders Napoli. The points deduction would push them down into mid-table, outside the spots for European competition. The ruling is tougher than a nine-point deduction a soccer prosecutor had requested earlier on Friday during a hearing looking at the way Juventus, Italy's most successful club, and a number of other teams dealt with player exchange deals. The soccer court also ruled that former Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli be banned from holding office in Italian soccer for 24 months. It also decided on a 30-month ban for Juve's former sports director, Fabio Paratici, now managing director of football at England's Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur.

☆ Italy's Juventus docked 15 points for transfer deals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Giulio Piovaccari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

With 20 games left to play this season, Juve were third in Serie A with 37 points, 10 behind leaders Napoli. In a late night statement, the court also imposed bans from holding office in Italian soccer on 11 past and present Juventus directors. Juventus said it would appeal to the country's Sport Guarantee Board once the reasons for the ruling were published. CASE REOPENEDThe ruling reversed a previous decision in April to clear Juventus, 10 other clubs and their executives of wrongdoing. Public prosecutors in Turin have requested Andrea Agnelli, 11 other people and the club itself to stand trial over allegations of false accounting.

☆ Alves makes Brazil World Cup squad, Firmino left out
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Nov 7 (Reuters) - Brazil have included 39-year-old defender Daniel Alves but left out Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino in their 26-man World Cup squad which was named by coach Tite on Monday. After leaving Barcelona at the end of last season, Alves went to Mexico to try to keep his dream of playing in his fourth World Cup with five-times champions Brazil. Alves has been working on his recovery with the Barcelona academy medical and technical staff over the last few weeks. According to Tite, Alves' long history with Brazil and leadership qualities in the changing room were valuable but not the main reason he got a spot in the squad. The squad and Tite will gather on Nov. 14 at Juventus' training facilities in Turin, where Brazil will hold a five-day training camp before flying to Doha on Nov. 19.

☆ Serie A seeking to triple overseas media revenue
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Under a scenario drafted by Serie A Chief Executive Luigi De Siervo, the league sees international broadcasting revenue potentially growing to some 1.1 billion euros in the 2024-2027 cycle, to reach about 1.9 billion euros in the 2027-2030 period. Projections for the league's domestic rights point to a potential target of 3.2 billion euros over the 2024-2027 period from some 2.9 billion euros Serie A pocketed thanks to existing TV deals expiring in 2024. Serie A's domestic TV revenues could increase slightly to hit 3.4 billion euros in the 2027-2030 period. The estimates for Serie A's media business are included in a document presented to the 20 clubs as the league prepares to kick-off its upcoming round of broadcasting tenders next year. Such a move could allow the entrance of private equity firms interested in investing in the development of the league's media business, a route which Spain's La Liga and France's Ligue 1 have already taken.

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