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NFL expands overseas games and books Brazil contest in 2024

NFL expands overseas games and books Brazil contest in 2024
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, poses with a football with the mayor of Sao Paulo, Brazil, Ricardo Nunes, during a news conference at the NFL owners meeting in Irving, Texas, on Dec. 13, 2023. The NFL announced that a regular season game will be played in Sao Paulo. (AP)
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Updated 14 December 2023
AFP
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NFL expands overseas games and books Brazil contest in 2024

NFL expands overseas games and books Brazil contest in 2024
  • The league awarded its first regular-season game in South America to Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena, home of Brazilian soccer side Corinthians and a venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics
  • NFL officials have visited Madrid to discuss Spain as a possible site for an NFL game next year at the Santiago Bernabeu, the home of soccer giants Real Madrid
Updated 14 December 2023
AFP
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NEW YORK: NFL team owners voted on Wednesday to stage a 2024 regular-season game in Brazil and approved boosting the number of international contests from four to eight starting in 2025.

In a meeting at Dallas, the league awarded its first regular-season game in South America to Sao Paulo’s Corinthians Arena, home of Brazilian soccer side Corinthians and a venue for the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics.

“Bringing the NFL to new continents, countries and cities around the world is a critical element of our plan to continue to grow the game globally,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said.

“Brazil has established itself as a key market for the NFL and we’re excited to be playing in Brazil and Sao Paulo for the first time.”

The NFL will play five regular-season games next year internationally, including Brazil and three contests in London — two at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the third a Jacksonville Jaguars home game at Wembley Stadium.

The NFL will also play in Germany for a third consecutive season, returning in 2024 to Allianz Arena in Munich.

NFL officials have visited Madrid to discuss Spain as a possible site for an NFL game next year at the Santiago Bernabeu, the home of soccer giants Real Madrid, and having the option of playing more games globally could hasten the league’s push for international growth.

“Becoming a global sport is a major strategic priority for the league and 32 teams,” said Goodell.

The NFL said new markets and host cities and stadiums for the extra global games would be revealed later.

“As a league, we welcome the update to this resolution that will ultimately see us play more games internationally than ever before, helping us to expand our global footprint and connect our teams and athletes with new audiences,” said Joel Glazer, chairman of the NFL’s International Committee and owner of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The NFL began playing regular-season games at international venues in 2005 when the Arizona Cardinals played the San Francisco 49ers at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca.

Since then, 50 NFL regular-season games have been played at global venues including 36 in London, six in Toronto, five in Mexico City, two in Frankfurt and one in Munich.

Under the agreement approved by NFL club owners, no team will be required to play more than one regular-season game outside North America in a season unless it so desired.

Each team designated to play a regular-season game at an international venue will be allowed to select two season opponents that are not eligible to be chosen as their opponent for a global contest.

No international game can be scheduled after the 14th week of an NFL season, which sees each club play 17 contests over an 18-week span.

The NFL says Brazil has more than 38 million fans of American football with 8.3 million of them “avid” supporters, an international fan base for passionate backers exceeded only by Mexico.

Topics: NFL

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88,000 players compete in Saudi Amateur Football League’s 2023-24 season

88,000 players compete in Saudi Amateur Football League’s 2023-24 season
Updated 24 sec ago
Arab News
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88,000 players compete in Saudi Amateur Football League’s 2023-24 season

88,000 players compete in Saudi Amateur Football League’s 2023-24 season
  • 3,050 men’s teams and 19 women’s teams play in 10,376 matches in 620 competitions across 30 leagues nationwide
  • AFL chief Adel Al-Faqih says the association aims to play its part in the development of the sports sector in the Kingdom
Updated 24 sec ago
Arab News

JEDDAH: A total of 88,025 men and women played in 620 competitions during the 2023-24 season of the Saudi Amateur Football League.
League officials revealed on Wednesday that 87,729 players from 3,050 men’s teams and 296 players representing 19 women’s teams participated in 10,376 matches across 30 leagues throughout the Kingdom.
Adel Al-Faqih, chairperson of the AFL, said the association aims to play its part in the development of the sports sector in Saudi Arabia, with strong support from the country’s leaders, including “the supervision and follow-up” of Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, minister of sports and president of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee.
The AFL’s specific goals include increasing the proportion of people in the Kingdom who participate in sport, thereby helping to build a vibrant, athletic community that encourages the adoption of positive, healthy lifestyles, Al-Faqih said.
“The association encourages the participation of various age groups in different sports activities, in line with the initiatives of the Quality of Life Program and the goals of Saudi Vision 2030,” he added.
Established in 2014, the AFL organizes tournaments throughout the country to help grow and develop the sport, in line with the goals of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

Topics: Amateur Football League Adel Al-Faqih

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England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan

England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan
Updated 16 October 2024
(AFP)
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England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan

England 239-6 in second Test after Sajid strikes for Pakistan
  • Spinner takes three wickets in space of 10 deliveries during final session
  • England lead series 1-0 after winning first Test by an innings and 47 runs
Updated 16 October 2024
(AFP)

MULTAN: Pakistan spinner Sajid Khan took three wickets in the space of 10 deliveries including centurion Ben Duckett to leave England on 239-6 in the second Test in Multan on Wednesday.
An absorbing second day’s play on a turning pitch ultimately belonged to the hosts, who lead by 127 runs after their first-innings 366.
England had been cruising nicely at 211-2 when Sajid removed Joe Root (34), Duckett (114) and Harry Brook (nine) in the final session.
From the other end, fellow spinner Noman Ali dismissed England skipper Ben Stokes for one as a suddenly rattled England lost four wickets in the space of 14 runs.
At the close, Jamie Smith and Brydon Carse were at the crease with 12 and two respectively.
With the Multan pitch — which was also used for the first Test — offering sharp spin, the home team will be looking for a lead in the first innings for a series-levelling win.
England lead the three-match series 1-0 following their innings and 47 run win in the first Test.
In all, 11 wickets fell on the day with Sajid taking 4-86 and Noman 2-75.
Sajid bowled first Test triple century-maker Brook with a sharp turning delivery while Root — who smashed 262 in the last match — was bowled off an inside edge while sweeping.
Duckett scored aggressively before edging a drive off Sajid to the slip where Salman Agha took a sharp catch.
Before England’s slide it was Duckett who dominated, cracking 16 boundaries in his knock during which he also crossed 2,000 runs in his 28th Test.
Duckett added 73 for the opening stand with Zak Crawley (27), 52 for the second with Ollie Pope (29) and another solid 86 for the next with Root.
He swept spinner Agha for a boundary to reach his fourth Test century off just 120 deliveries, having completed his half-century off just 47 balls.
The hosts used Sajid in the second over as they chased an early England wicket but opener Crawley held out twice.
At 49-0 he survived a run-out when Sajid removed the stumps before grabbing the ball with the England opener out of his crease having being sent back by Duckett.
On 24 Crawley overturned a leg-before decision by New Zealand umpire Chris Gaffaney off Sajid before his luck ran out three runs later.
Crawley was finally caught behind off left-arm spinner Noman as the home team successfully reviewed a not-out decision by Sri Lankan umpire Kumar Dharmasena.
Earlier, Pakistan’s tail had frustrated England by adding 107 runs after resuming at 259-5, with Jamal and Noman adding an invaluable 49 runs for the ninth wicket.
But from 358-8 at lunch Jamal was dismissed off the very first ball after the interval, bowled by Brydon Carse, who finished with 3-50.
Spinner Jack Leach ended Noman’s 32-run knock by having him caught in the deep by Carse to finish with 4-114.

Topics: Pakistan cricket England Pakistan series Multan Test

Serena Williams says she had a benign cyst removed from her neck and ‘all is OK’

Serena Williams says she had a benign cyst removed from her neck and ‘all is OK’
Updated 16 October 2024
AP
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Serena Williams says she had a benign cyst removed from her neck and ‘all is OK’

Serena Williams says she had a benign cyst removed from her neck and ‘all is OK’
  • After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure
  • She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: “I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I’m healthy”
Updated 16 October 2024
AP

NEW YORK: Serena Williams says she had a benign branchial cyst “the size of a small grapefruit” removed from her neck and “all is OK.”
The retired tennis star, who turned 43 last month, posted Wednesday on social media that she found a lump on her neck in May, had an MRI exam, and was told she didn’t need to get it removed if she didn’t want to. So she didn’t then, “but it kept growing,” Williams said.
After more tests, including a biopsy that was negative for cancer, Williams said, her doctors said she should have a procedure.


She showed video of herself in a hospital bed and wrote: “So this is me removing it. I am feeling so grateful, and fortunate everything worked out, and most of all I’m healthy.”
In a separate social media post, she said she is “still recovering, but getting better. Health always comes first.”
Williams announced her retirement — famously eschewing that term and saying instead she was “evolving” away from professional tennis — shortly before playing in the 2022 US Open, her last tournament.
She won 23 Grand Slam titles in singles, the most by a woman in the sport’s professional era, and another 14 in doubles with her older sister Venus. Serena Williams spent more than 300 weeks at No. 1 in the WTA rankings and collected four Olympic gold medals.

Topics: Serena Williams cyst benign

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Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook

Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook
Updated 16 October 2024
AFP
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Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook

Root could break 16,000-run barrier, says England great Cook
  • Root overtook Alastair Cook’s 12,472 runs record tally in first Test against Pakistan 
  • His innings was instrumental in ensuring England beat Pakistan by innings and 47 runs
Updated 16 October 2024
AFP

LONDON: Alastair Cook says “generational talent” Joe Root could become the first batter to reach 16,000 Test runs as the retired England captain was named in the ICC’s Hall of Fame.

Root, 33, overtook Cook’s record England tally of 12,472 runs in the first Test of the ongoing series in Pakistan, in which the Yorkshireman scored a mammoth 262.

He is now fifth on the all-time list of runscorers behind Sachin Tendulkar, who leads the way with 15,921, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis and Rahul Dravid, all of whom have retired.

“I think Joe Root could set a mark, certainly on the English side, which will be very hard to beat,” said Cook, who retired from Test cricket in 2018 with a century in his final innings.

“But you just never know. I hope he can get very close, if not be the first person to score 16,000 Test runs. It would be a great achievement but it’s a fair way off yet.”

Cook, 39, said even in a fast-changing landscape, with Test cricket competing for calendar space alongside the white-ball game, it was difficult to say records would stand forever.

“Everyone looked to that Tendulkar record of 200 Test matches and I think quite a few people said, ‘Well, that’s never going to be done’.

“And you’ve got a fast bowler who has played 188 Test matches and taken more than 700 wickets (retired England quick James Anderson).

“So I know the game is changing, the landscape is changing. But something always crops up, someone always does.”

Cook said it was difficult to separate the so-called “Big Four” of Root, India’s Virat Kohli, Steve Smith of Australia and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson.

“They’re all wonderful, wonderful players, all very different actually in terms of their methods and ways of playing,” he said.

“But one thing which kind of unites them is that hunger and desire to keep improving and keep churning out the runs.

“They are generational players who will always be spoken about, and the fact that you can add Joe Root, whether you put him first, second, third, fourth, all personal opinion, it doesn’t really matter.

“But they are great, great players and make the game, the kind of one which we all started playing, look a lot easier than it is.”

Cook on Wednesday became the 113th payer to be inducted into the International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame, joining alongside retired India spinner Neetu David, a star of the women’s game, and South African multi-format great AB de Villiers.

“It was a surprise,” said the former England skipper. “When you read the list of people that you’re joining, it’s a great list to have joined. So I feel very privileged.”

Cook paid a warm tribute to former England captain Graham Gooch, a predecessor at his county side, Essex.

“A lot of people know about my relationship with Graham Gooch, Essex and England opener and kind of mentor, friend, coach, you name it,” he said.

“He’s kind of done everything for me. So it’s just we never played on the same team. I thank God, probably. Thank goodness, because he was obviously a far better player than me.”

Topics: Harry Brook Pakistan-England Test series

Moody welcomes ‘high-quality’ all-rounder Sam Curran to Desert Vipers

Moody welcomes ‘high-quality’ all-rounder Sam Curran to Desert Vipers
Updated 16 October 2024
Arab News
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Moody welcomes ‘high-quality’ all-rounder Sam Curran to Desert Vipers

Moody welcomes ‘high-quality’ all-rounder Sam Curran to Desert Vipers
  • The player of the tournament in England’s 2022 ICC T20 World Cup success returns to the Desert Vipers’ squad for the upcoming third season of the DP World ILT20
Updated 16 October 2024
Arab News

DUBAI: All-rounder Sam Curran, the player of the tournament in England’s ICC T20 World Cup success in Australia in 2022, will return to the Desert Vipers’ squad for the upcoming season three of the DP World ILT20.

Curran joined the Vipers for two matches at the end of last season. The signing signals the desire of the team to repeat the form showed in the first edition of the DP World ILT20 when they finished second.

The Desert Vipers’ Director of Cricket Tom Moody said Curran’s presence for a longer period would benefit the entire tournament.

“We are obviously the recipients of a high-quality player, and it is great that he feels the Desert Vipers is a home for him where he can apply his trade and hopefully help us achieve what we are looking to achieve as a franchise,” said Moody.

“One of the positive things for the Desert Vipers and the tournament itself is that Sam has decided to come to this league against the other options that are out there.

“I think that says a lot about how the competition is held in players’ eyes and the growth of the tournament moving forward.”

Curran, 26, is the third-highest wicket-taker for England in Twenty20 Internationals over the past two years.

He made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan in 2018 and has already amassed 1,574 runs and 134 wickets for his country across formats.

Curran has also made a name for himself plying his trade in shortform tournaments across the world including India and South Africa.

His most recent outing in the Indian Premier League saw him taking over captaincy duties for the Punjab Kings after skipper Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out due to injury.

Curran ended that tournament as the franchise’s fourth-highest scorer, his 270 runs including two half-centuries and coming at a strike-rate of 123 runs per 100 balls. He also ended the contest as the third-highest wicket-taker with 16 in 13 matches.

Moody said that while no decision had yet been taken on who would assume the captaincy following the departure of Colin Munro, he expects Curran to play a key part in the Desert Vipers’ think tank for the upcoming season.

“With regards to his captaincy experience and what he has done in the IPL with the Punjab Kings and what he has done elsewhere, he will play an important leadership role within the group,” said Moody.

“He has got a huge amount of experience in this format of the game and can offer a lot. The thing that he just brings naturally is that he is an instinctive leader. So we will all lean on that experience, and he is willing to be an important voice as the tournament unfolds.”

The signing of an all-rounder may raise some eyebrows.

This is given the continuation of the impact-substitute rule for a second season in the DP World ILT20, with the expectation that sides will pack their lineups with specialist batters and bowlers at the expense of players who offer both skills.

The rule allows teams to replace a player at any point during a match, with the trend toward a bowler replacing a batter or vice versa once the incumbent’s primary role in the side has been carried out.

Moody said he knows Curran’s strengths well having worked with the lefthander at the Oval Invincibles, the team that has won back-to-back titles in England’s short-format tournament, The Hundred.

And the man who was also an ICC Cricket World Cup winner with Australia in 1999, said he was certain Curran would play an influential role in the upcoming campaign.

“I have had a lot to do with Sam over the past few years with the Oval Invincibles, so having that personal connection goes a long way in knowing exactly what he can deliver both on and off the field,” said Moody.

“And while people probably ask why an all-rounder when there is the impact-sub rule, well, Sam Curran is one of those unique all-rounders that plays a complete all-round game.

“And what I mean by that is that he can take the new ball, he can bowl effectively in the middle overs and he is well-versed when it comes to bowling at the death which is such a critical component when it comes to any team.”

The schedule for season three of the DP World ILT20 is expected to be announced soon.

And ahead of that announcement all teams, not just the Desert Vipers, are finalizing their final UAE player selections through the ongoing DP World ILT20 Development tournament in Dubai.

Topics: ICC T20 World Cup sam curran Desert Vipers DP World ILT20

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