New Global Sports Conference brings ‘incredible assembly of leaders’ from gaming and sports, says Ralf Reichert

Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. (Supplied)
Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation. (Supplied)
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Updated 24 August 2024
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New Global Sports Conference brings ‘incredible assembly of leaders’ from gaming and sports, says Ralf Reichert

New Global Sports Conference brings ‘incredible assembly of leaders’ from gaming and sports, says Ralf Reichert
  • Esports World Cup Foundation CEO spoke to Arab News about the conference that concludes 8-week star-studded tournament

RIYADH: As the New Global Sports Conference takes place in Riyadh over the weekend, one man in particular will look back on the summer with immense pride.

Ralf Reichert, the CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, has just overseen a tournament of 22 competitions, across eight weeks, with prize money of $60 million on offer.

The theme of the second edition of the NGSC is “The Future of Fandom” and, appropriately for Reichert, the fan engagement at the Esports World Cup exceeded all expectations.

“I think every sport is as good as its fans are, if you really think about this,” Reichert told Arab News. “So, the fans are almost the result of the success of the sport. So, us bringing an incredible assembly of leaders from gaming, esports and sports together in one place, at a quality that has never happened anywhere in the world before, is a testament to the Esports World Cup and its draw, and its relevance already in the industry. But as well, it is an incredible opportunity to think about how these three industries can continue to foster and grow their collaboration.”

Reichert says it is important to appreciate the “additional” value that the Esports World Cup brings to the market.

“It’s not replacing anything, it’s not competing with anything,” he said. “It’s adding something to make esports and gaming, as a whole, bigger. And conferences are a unique opportunity to really collaborate and work together to try to design the future, to improve the future.”

As the Esports World Cup entered its final weekend, Reichert declared the organizers “incredibly happy” with how the event had gone.

“I think, first and foremost, the players and the clubs, the core of the sport, worked super well,” he said. “We have an amazing winner with Team Falcons — they truly deserve it. We have changed the lives of many of these players for the better, and gave them career opportunities they would have never had.

“The fans turned up for the tournament itself; we had full stadiums most of the time, we had an incredible experience on the festival. We had many, many viewership records broken, and, last but not least, the mainstream media and international coverage has been way beyond everything we ever expected.

“We knew that the Esports World Cup will make a difference for the sport and the public perception of video games and esports. But I think it’s much, much bigger and faster than we ever hoped for.”

The summer-long Esports World Cup saw a major upscale, in terms of length, prize money and number of competitions, over its predecessor, Gamers8.

“We designed it in a way that it can survive the eight weeks and we made sure that we treat every week like it’s the last week,” said Reichert. “We really tried to add clear stories, clear highlights from the sport and beyond the sport. That included many visits of international celebrities, specifically from the football world, which just shows how close these are together, how big the cultural impact of video games is these days, because all of these international sports stars are younger than 30, Millennials, Gen Z almost.”

Among those who visited Boulevard Riyadh City were Al-Hilal and Brazil star Neymar, Liverpool’s Portuguese forward Diogo Jota and former Netherlands midfielder Wesley Sneijder.

“We know for a fact that all of them are gamers,” Reichert said. “It shows how this is a cultural place for relevant athletes to meet from within the sport segment and then beyond it. It gives us great and very authentic content, which it seems like the world enjoyed and wanted to take part in.

“That’s what we tried to give to the people of Riyadh and to the world.”

With 22 tournaments taking place across the summer-long tournament, the Esports World Cup provided opportunities for male and female gamers in greater numbers than ever before.

“If we look at what we tried to create in terms of the environment, the number one priority was that the players come here, have a great time, have the environment to be at their best as an athlete, while at the same time, learn about the country and enjoy the hospitality,” said Reichert.

“They’re celebrities in their own regards. I have still to find any negative feedback from any of these athletes. It’s the opposite. I think, number one, we are clearly seen to be the tournament that takes best care of the players. And to a degree where we almost spoil them — and that’s a good thing, that’s our intent.

“Number two, a lot of them said that this was one of the best, if not the best tournament they ever attended in terms of coverage, and how it’s done and access as well, including the mainstream media coverage,” he added.

“And three, which is super important, we have the highest prize money that has ever been in esports, with $60 million. So, we could really change the lives of many of these players. There are players who have won more this summer than they have in their entire career before. We have many people who will go home and have a better life for their family. And that is a very, very good feeling.”

Fan engagement, at Boulevard Riyadh City and online, has been one of the successes of the event, according to the 49-year-old German national.

“I think that a sport creates moments that, you know, almost no other sort of entertainment can do, because you’re celebrating a moment with other people live in an event,” Reichert said. “This is the ultimate experience for any sport event, and it’s new to the Kingdom at that scale.

“So, to build this culture, to build this as the epicenter of esports, where we’re going to fill stadiums, full stadiums in the future, this is a super important milestone. We got it done with only 1,000 people at once in the venue this year, but that is still significantly bigger than anything else that ever happened in the region. So, we see this as an intermediate step to continue to grow the culture of fandom.”

Reichert said that the NGSC conference will be “super important” for the how sports will be consumed by fans in the future.

“The best games, the best players, part of the best clubs. But then the fans really complete the experience and the product. We built it and they came, and that makes us a full success.”

Reichert reserved special praise for Saudi Arabia’s Team Falcons, who claimed the Esports World Cup Club Championship.

“I think Team Falcons, from day one, they were favorites in the competition and specifically in the first two weeks, where they won two games. They outperformed the competition.

“The Esports World Cup Club Championship is a new format where it’s really about winning as many games as possible. Think about them like disciplines. Falcons basically went all in on this. They took a much higher risk. They doubled down on this competition.”

Reichert said that Team Falcons fielded 18 rosters throughout the 22 tournaments that were on offer, while the second team, Twisted Minds, and the third team, Fnatic, offered 13 and 10, respectively.

“I think it (the Falcons victory) means the world for the region,” he added. “It’s probably the first time that a Saudi sports team wins the competition at that scale. So, it is incredible for the sports.”

Reichert said that he is “incredibly excited” at the list of speakers taking part in the NGSC as well as some of star guests and athletes who will be present.

“Magnus Carlsen is a GOAT of Chess, FalleN is a GOAT of Counter-Strike, which is one of our most important games. We’ll have people from the Olympics speaking about the Olympic Esports Games. We’ll have many people from the sports sector, the CEO of the Saudi Olympic Committee, and many, many of the most important people from the game publisher scene, the people who create these games.”

The announcement of the Esports Olympics, to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2025, holds particular significance for Reichert and the organizers of the Esports World Cup.

“It couldn’t come at a better time,” he said. “It’s the summer of sports, almost. The Esports World Cup is on its way to be successfully culminated, and the Olympics, as the oldest and largest traditional sports competition, announcing that it will have an esports edition, is fantastic for everyone involved. It will be one of the key drivers in bringing even more fandom to the sport.”


Retegui fires Atalanta to top of Serie A ahead of Inter Milan

Retegui fires Atalanta to top of Serie A ahead of Inter Milan
Updated 24 November 2024
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Retegui fires Atalanta to top of Serie A ahead of Inter Milan

Retegui fires Atalanta to top of Serie A ahead of Inter Milan
  • Retegui claimed his 12th league goal of the campaign after just four minutes for the visitors before Ederson and Ademola Lookman scored to send Atalanta above Inter
  • Juventus failed to impress in a goalless stalemate with AC Milan

VERONA, Italy: Serie A’s leading scorer Mateo Retegui netted as Atalanta beat Parma 3-1 on Saturday to go top of Serie A on goal difference, overtaking Inter Milan despite the reigning champions’ rout of Verona.

Retegui claimed his 12th league goal of the campaign after just four minutes for the visitors before Ederson and Ademola Lookman scored to send Atalanta above Inter, who hammered Verona 5-0 earlier.

Napoli drop to third before they host Roma on Sunday on Claudio Ranieri’s return to top-flight management.

Juventus, meanwhile, failed to impress in a goalless stalemate with AC Milan and are sixth, one place above their opponents.

Atalanta coach Gian Piero Gasperini said his team were developing a winning mentality.

“We have to focus on winning every game we can and the rest is not really in our minds,” he told Sky Sport Italia.

“That was the case in the Europa League too, we didn’t start out thinking we’d win it, but as time wore on and we found ourselves in that position, we weren’t going to hold back either.”

Argentina-born Italy striker Retegui, 25, opened the scoring early on with a deft header.

The reigning Europa League champions doubled their lead after 39 minutes as Brazil midfielder Ederson scored his second goal of the season.

But five minutes into the second half, the hosts cut the deficit as Matteo Cancellieri fired home.

Retegui was replaced by attacking midfielder Charles De Ketelaere as Gasperini rested the attacker before Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Swiss side Young Boys.

Parma’s hopes of denying Atalanta a seventh straight league win were dashed with a quarter of an hour to play as Nigerian international Lookman finally scored, netting for a seventh time this campaign to ensure his side take top spot in the table.

Earlier, Marcus Thuram scored twice in Inter’s easy win over Verona as Joaquin Correa, Stefan de Vrij and Yann Bisseck were also on the scoresheet.

Correa’s opener in the 17th minute, a delightful dink after smart interplay with Thuram, didn’t just spark a rout, it was also the Argentine’s first Serie A goal in more than two years.

Out-of-favor Correa had only played 38 minutes this season before this weekend but was excellent in place of captain and star striker Lautaro Martinez who was sent home early on Saturday with the flu.

“I know him well, he’s been training brilliantly since July, he’s got a lot of competition,” Simone Inzaghi told DAZN.

“I’m pleased for him but I’m also pleased for the boys because they played really well,” he added.

Verona have lost nine of their 13 league matches this season and sit 14th, just three points above the relegation zone.

Inter now host Leipzig on Tuesday as they push for direct qualification for the last 16 of the Champions League, having thumped Verona with a clutch of starters either injured or rested.

As well as Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu, Federico Dimarco and Benjamin Pavard missed Saturday’s match after a busy period on international duty.

Juventus trail Inter and Atalanta by three points after offering little to shout about against AC Milan at the San Siro.

Ravaged by injuries, including to starting center forward Dusan Vlahovic, coach Thiago Motta was forced into an experimental line-up featuring midfielder Teun Koopmeiners up front.

“I’m pleased with our performance, especially defensively against a team which created very little,” Motta told DAZN.

“All in all we played well, I think a point right now keeps us going. I’m happy to see that we’re well-organized and are capable of playing like a big team should.”


10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo

10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo
Updated 24 November 2024
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10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo

10-man Barcelona concede two late goals in draw at Celta Vigo
  • Celta poured forward at Balaidos Stadium and Hugo Alvarez rifled in the 86th-minute equalizer with Barcelona unable to mark the extra man
  • Antoine Griezmann converted a late penalty to equalize and Alexander Sorloth struck an 86th-minute winner to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at home over Alaves

BARCELONA: Celta Vigo gave 10-man Barcelona a shock by scoring two late goals and snatching a 2-2 draw at home in the Spanish league on Saturday.

Barcelona were minutes away from a win to pad their league lead after Raphinha and Lewandowski had put Barcelona ahead.

But the game dramatically swung after Barcelona defensive midfielder Marc Casado was sent off with a second booking in the 81st. Moments later Jules Kounde’s poor control of a ball in his area allowed Alfon Gonzalez to pick his pocket and give the hosts hope in the 84th minute.

Celta poured forward at Balaidos Stadium and Hugo Alvarez rifled in the 86th-minute equalizer with Barcelona unable to mark the extra man.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, however, said that he saw it coming since his team had never been able to establish their passing game and was making mistakes even when up 2-0.

“It was not only the 10 last minutes, it was the whole match. We played today a really bad game,” Flick said. “The passing game for us was bad. We made a lot of mistakes and at the end we had no confidence with the ball.”

This was Barcelona’s second straight stumble since Lamine Yamal was sidelined with a right-ankle injury. Barcelona lost 1-0 at Real Sociedad without Yamal before the international break.

Barcelona is seven points ahead of third-place Real Madrid, which has played two fewer games.

Koundé accepted the blame for what he called his “gross mistake” that helped give Celta hope.

“We didn’t do what we needed to all game, and at the end they made us pay,” Koundé said. “It starts with me. I can’t lose my focus like that. It was a gross mistake that can’t happen. I accept that it was my fault.”

The late rally by Celta came after Raphinha had led Barcelona as he filled in for Yamal on the right side of the front three.

Raphinha opened the scoring in the 15th when he ran onto a long pass by Kounde that bounced over left back Óscar Mingueza, cut back to his left foot and fired home.

Lewandowski doubled the lead in the 61st after Raphinha intercepted a pass by Minqueza and set up his strike partner. The Poland striker scrambled the ball past two defenders before slotting beyond Vicente Guaita.

Lewandowski took his league-leading tally to 15 goals in 14 rounds, while Raphinha has added eight league goals.

Raphinha came close to a second goal that would have made it 3-0 when he hit the post in the 77th, just moments before the wild final stretch when it all crumbled for the visitors.

“We have to learn from this. This can’t happen just because we had a player sent off. But onto the next game,” said Gavi Paez, who started his first match since returning from a serious leg injury last season.

Atletico move into second place

Antoine Griezmann converted a late penalty to equalize and Alexander Sorloth struck an 86th-minute winner to give Atletico Madrid a 2-1 win at home over Alaves.

The comeback victory lifted Atletico into second place — five points behind Barcelona.

Coach Diego Simeone showed his sensitive side after the match when he choked up when speaking about this love for the team he has coached for nearly 13 years.

Valencia honor flood victims

Valencia played their first home game since last month’s devastating floods that killed over 200 people in eastern Spain.

The club honored the victims before kickoff when several fans were seen to cry during the ceremony.

Hugo Duro led the 4-2 win over Real Betis by scoring a double.

Elsewhere, Girona routed Espanyol 4-1 in a Catalan regional derby with Bojan Miovski’s first two goals since joining the club.

Mallorca forward Johan Mojica scored off a set piece from a free kick inside Las Palmas’ area to complete a 3-2 win for the visitors in injury time.


Al-Khaleej stun Al-Hilal with comeback win

Al-Khaleej stun Al-Hilal with comeback win
Updated 23 November 2024
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Al-Khaleej stun Al-Hilal with comeback win

Al-Khaleej stun Al-Hilal with comeback win
  • Defeat was first for reigning champions in the league in 46 games since May 2023

RIYADH: Al-Hilal lost 3-2 at Al-Khaleej on Saturday, a result made even more stunning as the all-conquering champions had been winning 2-0.

It is a defeat, a first in the league in 46 games since May 2023, that not only blows the title race wide open but shows that the champions are not invincible.

Al-Ittihad will go two points clear at the top of the Saudi Pro League if they beat Al-Fateh on Sunday. It also means that Al-Nassr stay five points behind and are not out of the running.

The Blues had the better of the play from the beginning and few were surprised when Marcos Leonardo put the leaders ahead after just 12 minutes.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic won the ball on the edge of the area as Khaleej tried to play out from the back and there was Leonardo to stroke a low shot home.

Eight minutes before the break, Aleksandar Mitrovic struck with his 12th goal in the SPL this season. Salem Al-Dawsari, such a big miss for Saudi Arabia in recent World Cup qualifiers, curled over a corner and there was the Serbian striker to head home.

It seemed to be all over but then the hosts were handed a lifeline on the stroke of half time. Kalidou Koulibaly made a clumsy challenge in the area and while Yassine Bounou saved the penalty from Konstantinos Fortounis, Abdullah Al-Salem reacted the quickest to shoot the rebound home.

Al-Salem stunned Al-Hilal soon after the restart with a stunning goal. The hosts made uncharacteristic defensive mistakes and Khalid Narey fed the ball  to the 31 year-old who chipped Bounou delightfully from the right side of the area.

With five minutes remaining, Fabio Martins side footed home from another Narey assist to provoke wild celebrations as Al-Khaleej move into sixth. Al-Hilal stay top but maybe not for much longer.

 


Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run
Updated 23 November 2024
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Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run

Spurs thrash Man City 4-0 to end 52-match unbeaten home run
  • James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout
  • City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool

MANCHESTER: Manchester City crashed to a stunning fifth consecutive defeat as Tottenham won 4-0 at the Etihad to end the English champions’ 52-game unbeaten home run on Saturday.
James Maddison struck twice in seven first-half minutes before Pedro Porro rubbed salt in the wounds of his former club and Brennan Johnson completed the rout.
City’s first defeat on home soil from open play since the eve of the 2022 World Cup leaves them still five points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool, who play their game in hand at bottom-of-the-table Southampton on Sunday.
A great day for Tottenham eases the pressure on Ange Postecoglou as they climb into the top six.
City boss Pep Guardiola has committed himself to turning around the poorest run of his managerial career after extending his contract till 2027 this week.
But hopes his new deal could revitalize a City side, that have won an unprecedented four consecutive Premier League titles, proved short-lived.
Rodri paraded his Ballon d’Or trophy to the home fans before kick-off as his name was lit up across the Etihad pitch by firelight in an ostentatious show of support for the Spanish midfielder.
The 28-year-old is not expected to play again this season after suffering knee ligament damage in September and his absence has been at the heart of City’s demise.
Guardiola’s men did start strongly as Guglielmo Vicario denied Erling Haaland and the Norwegian had another shot deflected wide.
But the momentum of the match completely swung on Tottenham’s first serious attack after 13 minutes.
Dejan Kulusevski’s teasing cross picked out Maddison who applied a cool first-time finish.
Maddison had found himself frozen out of Postecoglou’s starting line-up in recent weeks and was keen to prove a point to his manager.
Son Heung-min’s inventive pass freed the England international inside the box and he dinked the ball over the advancing Ederson to double Spurs’ lead.
Inconsistency has been the scourge of Tottenham’s season so far.
A 2-1 home defeat to Ipswich before the international break saw Postecoglou’s men slip to 10th in the table.
But they have now twice won comprehensively in Manchester after a 3-0 win over United at Old Trafford.
Dominic Solanke was denied by a fine Ederson save with the chance to make it 3-0 before half-time.
Spurs, though, were not to be denied seven minutes into the second period.
The excellent Kulusevski crossed for Solanke and he patiently laid the ball back for Porro to blast home from close range.
Haaland clipped the bar from an almost impossible angle as City labored to find a response.
Instead, they were hit with one final sucker punch as Timo Werner eased past Kyle Walker and crossed for Johnson to tap home at the far post.
The one glimmer of hope for City may be the return of Kevin De Bruyne after a two-month injury absence as a late substitute.
However, Guardiola has to find solutions fast if his side’s title defense is to be maintained into the new year.
A daunting trip to face Liverpool at Anfield is next up in the Premier League, where City have not won in front of a crowd since 2003.


Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes
Updated 23 November 2024
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Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes

Odegaard inspires Arsenal to reignite title hopes
  • Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea
  • Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal

LONDON: Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal team “flows in a different way” when Martin Odegaard is playing after the Gunners crushed Nottingham Forest 3-0 on Saturday to end their winless run.
Stunning strikes from Bukayo Saka and Thomas Partey and a first Premier League goal for teenager Ethan Nwaneri gave Arsenal a first victory in five league games, reigniting their title challenge.
Arsenal, Premier League runners-up for the past two seasons, started the campaign strongly but their form dipped and they kicked off on Saturday nine points behind leaders Liverpool.
Victory at the Emirates lifts them to 22 points, level with third-placed Chelsea.
Arsenal took the lead in the 15th minute when Saka exchanged passes with Odegaard on the edge of the area before lashing a left-footed shot into the roof of the net.
Captain Odegaard was making his first appearance at the Emirates since late August and showed what a huge miss he was for Arsenal during his two-month injury absence.
Time and again the Norwegian found space in the penalty area with his quick feet and he teed up Gabriel Jesus, who curled narrowly wide, before linking up with Saka again.
Partey doubled Arsenal’s lead early in the second half after collecting Saka’s pass 20 yards out and taking a touch, before curling his shot away from the dive of Matz Sels and inside the far post.
Seventeen-year-old Nwaneri tucked away Raheem Sterling’s cutback to wrap up an emphatic win in the 86th minute.
“I think we started really well,” Arteta told the BBC. “The sense I was getting in the last 48 hours after the international break, the boys coming together and were all at it.”
Speaking about Odegaard, who returned to action at Inter Milan earlier this month, he said: “It’s not a coincidence. The team flows in a different way when he is playing.”
And he also had warm words for Nwaneri.
“He is the second-youngest (Premier League goalscorer) in our history,” Arteta said. “That’s a story in itself.
“He’s brave. You see the reaction of fans and they were singing ‘He’s one of our own’. I think we have to put brick by brick and make sure the cement doesn’t get dry. Hopefully we can build a beautiful thing with him.”