DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ France's Coman, Tchouameni racially abused after World Cup final defeat
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - France forward Kingsley Coman and midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni have been subjected to online racist abuse after missing their penalties in Sunday's World Cup final against Argentina, the BBC reported on Monday. Argentina keeper Emiliano Martinez saved Coman's effort from the spot and Tchouameni fired wide as Argentina captured their first world title since 1986, and third overall. Coman's club Bayern Munich have posted a message of support for the 26-year-old, condemning the racist comments made towards him. loadingThe incident follows the racist abuse aimed at England players Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after the Euro 2020 final defeat against Italy last year. All three players missed their penalties in the shootout and were targeted on social media following the game.

☆ Photos: Football great Lionel Messi
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Lionel Messi is carried around the Lusail Stadium in Qatar after Argentina defeated France in the World Cup final in December 2022. By Will Lanzoni, Laura Oliverio and Kyle Almond, CNNLionel Messi says he's coming to the United States to join the Major League Soccer club Inter Miami. He is Argentina's all-time leading goalscorer, and he led his country to a World Cup victory in December. At club level, he is the all-time leading scorer for FC Barcelona and the Spanish soccer league La Liga. Messi has won the Ballon d'Or trophy, given annually to the sport's top player, a record seven times.

Persons: Lionel Messi, Will Lanzoni, Laura Oliverio, Kyle Almond, CNN Lionel Messi, he's, Messi, Germain Organizations: Argentina, France, CNN, Major League Soccer, Inter Miami, Spanish, Mundo Deportivo, FC Barcelona, La Liga, Paris Saint, Barcelona Locations: Qatar, United States, Miami, Argentine

☆ Chelsea reportedly loses $25 million crypto sponsorship deal as FTX's collapse hammers other platforms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( George Glover | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Crypto lender Amber will end its $25 million sponsorship of Chelsea soccer club, Bloomberg reported Friday. In March, Amber agreed to pay 20 million pounds ($25 million) for its flagship crypto exchange WhaleFin to become Chelsea's official sleeve sponsor. As the prices of digital asset prices surged last year, digital asset companies sealed sponsorship deals with top sports franchises. In addition to the job cuts and cutting the Chelsea deal, Amber will pivot to focus on institutional investors and wealthy individuals, per Bloomberg. Read more: FTX's rescue by Binance is a red flag for sports heavyweights that signed sponsorship deals with the crypto exchange

☆ How Cho Gue-sung became the breakout thirst trap of the World Cup
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Soo Youn | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Cho, 24, was a local celebrity as a player for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors FC before the World Cup, when he had 20,000 Instagram followers. Cho first generated buzz in his World Cup debut during Korea’s match against Uruguay, which ended in a scoreless tie. South Korea's Cho Gue-sung, center, during the FIFA World Cup match against Ghana in Al Rayyan, Qatar, on Nov. 28. One can point to 2002’s World Cup heartthrob, Ahn Jung Hwan, whose beauty was only celebrated locally in South Korea. “He’s hot, he knows it, and he scored two goals for Korea in the World Cup.

☆ Moroccans celebrate historic World Cup win against Spain
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Its World Cup success has reverberated across the Arab world and among Moroccan and some other immigrant communities in Europe. “Today is a day of joy for Moroccans and all the Arab world,” Lotfi said. “Morocco is representing all the Arab world, all the African continent, that is beyond description, it is the most glorious part,” he said. In Qatar, Moroccan fans clashed briefly with police outside the stadium before the game started. Ten days ago riots broke out in Belgium and the Netherlands as Morocco fans celebrated beating Belgium in the group stage in Qatar.

☆ Gonçalo Ramos: Meet the striker who replaced Cristiano Ronaldo and made World Cup history at Qatar 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Not only was it his first start at Qatar 2022, the tournament’s first hat-trick, but Ramos’ three goals in this last-16 tie puts Ronaldo record in one-off World Cup games somewhat in the shade. Ronaldo has never scored in a World Cup knockout match, despite competing in five tournaments. Michael Steele/Getty ImagesBenfica CampusRamos is a product of the famous Benfica academy. Never gives up!” Ramos’ Benfica teammate Grimaldo told Marca. His trio of goals ensured Ramos became the first player to score a hat-trick in his first World Cup start since Miroslav Klose against Saudi Arabia in 2002.

Yet for former Ghana star Derek Boateng, they hold a personal truth. “Football saved my life, because without football I don’t know where I would be or what I would be doing,” he told CNN. Just four years earlier, Ghana had competed at its first ever World Cup, in Germany, with Boateng again featuring. “Playing the World Cup is everything to me, as a football player. Pius Utomi Ekpei / AFP via Getty ImagesThat mantra lay at the heart of Boateng’s playing career, and it is a message he repeats to aspiring student-athletes at the academy.

☆ Rhian Wilkinson: Portland Thorns FC head coach resigns at players' request following a 'friendship' with a player
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Wayne Sterling | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Rhian Wilkinson has resigned as the head coach of the Portland Thorns FC of the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) at the request of the players following her “friendship” with a player, she said Friday. “During my time as the Thorns coach, a player and I formed a friendship that turned into more complex emotions,” Wilkinson wrote on Twitter. “The Portland Thorns and Coach Wilkinson followed all League processes and policies and fully cooperated with this investigation,” NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman said in a statement posted on Portland’s website. “The investigative process and player and staff willingness to use human resources and league reporting is critically important,” Wilkinson tweeted. Wilkinson led the club to a 10-3-9 record and Portland’s league-best third championship in her only season as head coach.

☆ Masks at World Cup: Why are South Korea star Son Heung-min and others wearing them?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Ben Morse | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

You’d be forgiven for mistaking Son for a masked vigilante as he’s been wearing a superhero-like mask at the 2022 World Cup. Son is wearing the mask – which covers his eyes and nose – as a protective measure. After playing in Korea’s opening game of the World Cup against Uruguay – the first in the mask – Son said he felt “comfortable.”“I’m just happy that with the mask, I can play,” Son told reporters, per Reuters. But Son is not the only player to be playing at the World Cup wearing a protective mask. Gvardiol looks at the ball during Croatia's game against Canada at the 2022 World Cup.

☆ 13 behind-the-scenes executives leading Apple's $5 billion advertising division
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Right now its roughly $5 billion-in-revenue ads business largely consists of search ads sold within the App Store. It's been a big year for Apple's ad division. We asked more than a dozen advertising industry insiders and former Apple advertising staffers to identify the most important executives building Apple's advertising business. Teresi's ascent coincides with the explosive growth of Apple's ad business in recent years. A digital advertising veteran — having held senior roles at Yahoo, Quantcast, and Adobe — Teresi joined Apple in 2012 as vice president for its iAd division.

☆ Stéphanie Frappart to make history as the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Issy Ronald | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

But Stéphanie Frappart’s traditional anonymity has been broken for a different reason – she will make history on Thursday as the first woman to referee a men’s World Cup match. FIFA announced their appointment back in May, when Frappart found out that she was going to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “It’s a surprise, you cannot believe it and after two or three minutes, you realize that you are going to the World Cup. Mukasanga and Yamashita have also been the fourth official at two and four games of this World Cup respectively. I don’t know how life is there but I didn’t make the decision to go there or to organize the World Cup,” Frappart says.

☆ Juventus drama calls for an Exor exit strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Lisa Jucca | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Chairman Andrea Agnelli and the other directors resigned en masse on Monday amid intense legal and regulatory scrutiny of the Italian soccer club’s accounts. Prosecutors in the club’s Turin home region, and Italian market regulator Consob, queried how Juventus accounted for its players’ pay. Soccer clubs are in high demand, with Chelsea’s sale earlier this year attracting a feeding frenzy among would-be owners. CONTEXT NEWSJuventus FC Chairman Andrea Agnelli resigned on Nov. 28 along with the Italian soccer club’s entire board, citing pending legal and accounting matters. Prosecutors and Italian market regulator Consob have been scrutinising the club for possible false accounting and market manipulation.

☆ 11 production companies cashing in on Hollywood's sports content boom, from Religion of Sports to SpringHill
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Colin Salao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Netflix's Formula 1 series, "Drive to Survive" is the model other streamers and leagues hope to emulate. Insider identified 11 top companies making scripted and documentary sports content to feed the boom. Investment firms Shamrock, RedBird Capital, and Providence Equity have all made sports content plays, with Shamrock spearheading an investment in Religion of Sports in June. Speaking to buyers, sellers, and other industry stakeholders, Insider identified 11 production companies making the most sought-after sports content. These shingles are poised to capitalize — with many attracting investment and acquisition interest — as Amazon and other streamers keep buying.

☆ Lewandowski gives signed jersey to Saudi Arabian fan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( William Schomberg | Fernando Kallas | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 27 (Reuters) - Poland's Robert Lewandowski gave a signed jersey on Sunday to a Saudi Arabia fan who was filmed dancing and donning a Lewandowski shirt after the Poland captain's goal in his side's 2-0 win over the Saudis on Saturday. loadingThe unnamed fan was filmed switching his Saudi Arabia shirt to a Polish one with Lewandowski's name on the back just after the goal. The fan started dancing and cheering right afterwards. The fan repeated the gesture when he met Lewandowski, dancing happily in front of the FC Barcelona player before getting a hug and a signed jersey. loadingLewandowski scored his first ever World Cup goal in the Group C victory that rejuvenated Poland's campaign .

☆ Football or soccer? It’s complicated …
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Allison Rosen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Football, or soccer, has been around for centuries with its roots dating back over 2,000 years ago, but it was not until 1863 that England’s Football Association (the FA) cemented the sport’s full name of Association Football when they established the game’s first rules. Courtesy of U.S. Soccer and National Soccer Hall of FameBy the time association football and its round ball made its way across the Atlantic, American Football was already the popular game claiming the name of football. Unlike association football, American football is a game played mostly with one’s hands and uses an oval ball. Fast forward to 1974 and the United States Soccer Football Association (USSFA) – the sport’s governing body in the US – distanced itself from the word football by changing its name to the United States Soccer Federation, commonly referred to as the USSF (US Soccer). In places where football can be ambiguous, soccer is usefully precise.”In 1994, soccer fever reached a highpoint as the US hosted the World Cup.

☆ Saudi Arabia wants its investors to own Manchester United and Liverpool
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Rob Harris | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United in action during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool FC on Aug. 22, 2022 in Manchester, England. Ash Donelon | Manchester United | Getty ImagesSaudi Arabia says it wants its investors to take over Manchester United and Liverpool – and hopes Cristiano Ronaldo comes to play in its domestic league. More from Sky Sports:Glazers open to selling Manchester United; Club valued around £5 billionWill Manchester United and Liverpool sales turn into bidding war? Manchester United sale Q&A: Who are the contenders? Cristiano Ronaldo of Manchester United walks on the pitch during a Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool FC on Aug. 22, 2022 in Manchester, England.

☆ The Saudi Arabian government would 'definitely support' private bids for UK soccer clubs Manchester United or Liverpool, sports minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Saudi Arabia's sports minister told BBC it will support private bids for Manchester United and Liverpool FCs. A consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund already owns Newcastle United FC. A consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund purchased Newcastle United FC in October 2021 for $409 million. Manchester United and Liverpool are among the world's most valuable sports teams. Forbes estimates Manchester United is worth around $4.6 billion, while Liverpool is worth about $4.45 billion.

☆ A jet built by China and Pakistan may soon be the most widely operated combat aircraft in the world
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

China and Pakistan jointly developed the JF-17 combat jet, which first entered service in 2007. At the same time, China was showcasing the JF-17 at the annual China International Aviation and Aerospace Exhibition in Zuhai, China. The events were the latest attempts by China and Pakistan to market their jointly developed fourth-generation fighter jet to international customers. JF-17 ThunderA Pakistan Air Force JF-17 takes off at a base in northern Pakistan in June 2013. The single-seat, single-engine jet is known in Pakistan as the JF-17 Thunder and as the FC-1 Xiaolong in China.

☆ Manchester United buyer will need love and money
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Neil Unmack | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Anyone who wants to buy Manchester United (MANU.N) will need deep pockets and a big heart. The famous soccer club’s controlling shareholders, the Glazer family, said on Tuesday they’re considering selling after 17 years. The Glazers kicked off the trend of American sport investors buying British clubs when they took control of Manchester United in 2005. Soccer clubs’ revenue has boomed due to increasing demand from broadcasters and richer sponsorship deals. Manchester United benefited not just from being one of global football’s strongest brands, but also by roping in local sponsors like Japanese noodle makers.

Iran’s national men’s soccer team refused to sing the country’s national anthem at the World Cup in Qatar on Monday, in an apparent act of defiance against their government, which has become the target of growing and incendiary protests. The Iranian team has enthusiastically sung the anthem in previous tournaments, including the World Cup in 2018 and the Asian Cup in 2020. Head coach Yahya Golmohammadi of Persepolis FC League during a match between Persepolis FC and Mes Rafsanjan in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 28. The news came as the continuing protest movement and the security forces’ attempts to quash dissent led to further unrest over the weekend and into Monday. “We expect the security forces to protect people’s lives and property,” he said in a statement.

☆ Iran soccer team silent during national anthem at its first World Cup game
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Patrick Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Iran's national men's soccer team refused to sing the country's national anthem at the World Cup in Qatar on Monday, in an apparent act of defiance against their government, which has become the target of growing and incendiary protests. The Iranian team has enthusiastically sung the anthem in previous tournaments, including the World Cup in 2018 and the Asian Cup in 2020. Nour News, an outlet owned by the Iran's National Security Council, posted infrared footage which it said was from a Ministry of Intelligence drone observing what it called "armed terrorists." "We expect the security forces to protect people's lives and property," he said in a statement. He said he wrote to the Supreme National Security Council asking security forces stationed in the city to "treat the people with dignity and kindness so that the city calms down."

☆ America’s First World Cup Test: Stopping This Welshman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Andrew Beaton | Joshua Robinson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DOHA, Qatar—Right after Los Angeles FC won the most dramatic MLS Cup in the history of the league this month, coach Steve Cherundolo had a sobering realization about the player who had just saved his team. Gareth Bale had scored the 128th-minute goal, deep into stoppage time of extra time, to tie the game, send the match into a penalty shootout and tee up LAFC’s victory. It was exactly the kind of moment that Bale, the former Real Madrid star, was signed to deliver. And it didn’t take long for Cherundolo to remember that Bale’s next game wouldn’t be in an LAFC shirt. Bale would be wearing a Wales uniform, and lining up against the U.S.

☆ ‘I believe movement is life,’ says Didier Drogba, the winner of inaugural CNN ‘Off the Pitch’ prize at Dubai Globe Soccer Awards
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Eoin Mcsweeney | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNNTo recognize the foundation’s achievements, Drogba has been awarded the inaugural CNN “Off the Pitch” prize, in partnership with Dubai Globe Soccer Awards. Now in its 13th edition, this year’s ceremony on November 17, comes just three days before the beginning of the 2022 Qatar World Cup. “It means a lot to me and to the people working at the foundation,” Drogba told CNN’s Becky Anderson. So, the more you move, the more you are active, the more you are healthy,” Drogba told CNN. So that’s the impact, a message like this one from a football player can achieve [that],” Drogba told CNN.

☆ 'Top Gun' studio Skydance just inked a TV and film partnership with the NFL. Here are 10 more top production companies capitalizing on the sports content boom.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Colin Salao | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The NFL has partnered with Skydance Sports to create a "global multi-sport production studio." Netflix's Formula 1 series, "Drive to Survive" is the model other streamers and leagues hope to emulate. Insider identified 11 top companies making scripted and documentary sports content to feed the boom. NFL is muscling into the booming sports production world, investing in a new joint venture with David Ellison's Skydance Sports. Speaking to buyers, sellers, and other industry stakeholders, Insider identified 11 production companies making the most sought-after sports content.

That’s what you work so hard for … That’s why you play,” Rooney reminisces. The club went into administration after debts spiraled and it failed to play players their wages. “He was great to play for, he’s the reason I signed for Manchester United to play for him. Then Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson congratulates Wayne Rooney after his final Premier League title win in 2013. While Rooney was in Dubai, goals from Fred and Bruno Fernandes gave the Manchester club a dominant victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Search resuls for: "FC"

25 mentions found