RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League and Saudi Arabian Football Federation have agreed a new five-year production-partnership deal with global sports, events and representation company IMG.
Beginning next season IMG will take the role of broadcast producer for the Roshn Saudi League, King Cup and Saudi Super Cup, with the aim of providing best-in-class production quality, innovation and consistency across the events.
The organizations said on Wednesday said that broadcasts in coming seasons will feature more dynamic storytelling and captivating content highlighting the excitement of the matches and celebrating the culture and passion that drive the sport.
This will enable partners to provide deeper insights and elevate the levels of engagement and entertainment, they added, to enhance the viewing experience for fans around the world and foster a deeper connection with the league.
SPL CEO Omar Mugharbel said the agreement represents a significant step forward for the league as its transformation and growth continues on and off the pitch.
“Our collaboration with IMG reflects our commitment to bringing world-class production standards to Saudi football, with the league the central host producer,” he added.
“By leveraging the expertise of IMG and maintaining strong partnerships with local and regional distributors, the SPL is poised to deliver an unparalleled football-viewing experience to fans around the world through technology, innovation and talent.”
Barney Francis, IMG’s executive vice president of studios, said: “The Saudi Pro League is one of the most exciting and fastest-growing leagues in global football, with fans around the world now tuning in to watch thrilling action between some of the game’s biggest stars.
“In today’s battle for attention, it’s critical for rights holders to take control of their narrative and innovate. We are excited to help SPL take its content offering and storytelling to the next level for viewers and broadcasters, and to provide opportunities for local broadcast and production talent to be part of the journey.”
The organizations said IMG will help the SPL and SAFF implement advanced remote-production technologies so that producers can oversee matches taking place in several cities on the same day and ensure the highest production standards are maintained regardless of location.
IMG produces content for some of the world’s biggest football leagues and other sporting events, including the English Premier League, Major League Soccer for Apple TV, CBS coverage of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League, Ultimate Fighting Championship, and golf events including The Open, Ryder Cup and the DP World Tour.
IMG signs 5-year deal to become broadcast producer of Saudi football events
https://arab.news/28phf
IMG signs 5-year deal to become broadcast producer of Saudi football events
- The partnership with the Saudi Pro League and Saudi Arabian Football Federation will start next season and cover Roshn Saudi League, Saudi Super Cup and King Cup matches
- ‘The SPL is poised to deliver an unparalleled football-viewing experience to fans around the world through technology, innovation and talent,’ says SPL CEO Omar Mugharbel
Ousted Brazil FA president Rodrigues drops appeal ahead of election
- The former president said his decision aims to ‘restore peace to Brazilian football and serenity to the official’s family life’
- A new election had already been scheduled for next Sunday by the CBF’s interim president, Fernando Sarney, one of the CBF’s vice presidents who requested Rodrigues’ removal
RIO DE JANEIRO/BRASILIA: The ousted president of the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) Ednaldo Rodrigues officially withdrew his appeal on Monday to remain in office following his removal by a Rio de Janeiro court last week.
In a statement submitted to Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court by Rodrigues’ legal team, the former president said his decision aims to “restore peace to Brazilian football and serenity to the official’s family life.”
A new election had already been scheduled for next Sunday by the CBF’s interim president, Fernando Sarney, one of the CBF’s vice presidents who requested Rodrigues’ removal.
Rodrigues confirmed through his lawyer that he will neither run for any position nor support any candidate in the upcoming vote.
“In relation to the new elections called by the intervener, he declares that he is not running for any office or supporting any candidate,” says the document signed by Rodrigues’ lawyer Gamil Foppel.
According to the document, Ednaldo “wishes success and good luck to those who will take over Brazilian football.”
The document also lists a number of Ednaldo’s “achievements” at the head of the CBF, including the hiring of Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti, who is expected to announce his first Brazil squad next week for their next World Cup qualifiers.
The CBF declined to comment.
Only one candidate successfully registered for Sunday’s election — Samir Xaud, president-elect of the Roraima Football Federation, a state with limited influence in Brazilian top-tier football.
To register as a candidate, the interested party must have the support of at least eight state federations and five clubs.
The move follows a court ruling that nullified an agreement which had enabled Rodrigues to secure re-election until 2030.
The agreement was deemed invalid by the Rio de Janeiro court due to the alleged forgery of former CBF president Antonio Carlos Nunes’ signature and concerns over his mental capacity.
Liverpool rocked by Brighton’s late fightback
BRIGHTON: Brighton’s Jack Hinshelwood sealed a dramatic 3-2 victory against Liverpool on Monday to leave the Premier League champions without a win since clinching the title.
Arne Slot’s side took the lead through Harvey Elliott’s early opener before Yasin Ayari equalized at the Amex Stadium.
Dominik Szoboszlai restored Liverpool’s advantage just before the interval, but Brighton staged a late fightback as Kaoru Mitoma levelled before Hinshelwood came off the bench to net with his first touch.
Liverpool have taken just one point from their three matches following the title-clinching rout of Tottenham on April 27.
The Reds have lost at Brighton and Chelsea and squandered a two-goal lead in a draw with Arsenal since their record-equalling 20th English crown was confirmed
They can now look forward to receiving the Premier League trophy in Sunday’s season finale against FA cup winners Crystal Palace at Anfield before an open-top bus parade through the city 24 hours later.
Slot had admitted that motivating the champions for the final two matches of the season was a tricky task and his fears were confirmed by this sloppy display.
Slot’s players had a celebratory trip to Dubai this week and only returned to training on Friday, while the Reds boss was seen partying in Ibiza for several days, as they soaked in a title victory secured in April.
“Did you see me on social media!” Slot said with a laugh in reply to a question about how focused he had been on the Brighton game.
After being given a guard of honor by Brighton’s players before kick-off, Liverpool initially showed signs of rebuking the doubters who claimed their minds were elswhere.
Ahead of his widely-expected move to Real Madrid when his contract expires in the close-season, Trent Alexander-Arnold was left on the bench for a second successive game.
Conor Bradley featured at right-back instead and showed why he is a contender to replace Alexander-Arnold with his role in Liverpool’s ninth minute opener.
When Mohamed Salah rolled a pass to Bradley, he shifted gears with a dynamic burst into the Brighton area before clipping a precise pass toward Elliott, who slotted home from close-range.
The goal meant Liverpool had scored in every away game of a league season for the first time in their history.
Bradley’s attacking runs had more than a touch of Alexander-Arnold about them, but his finishing wasn’t up to scratch when he took Federico Chiesa’s pass and fired wide from 10 yards.
Ayari grabbed Brighton’s eye-catching equalizer in the 32nd minute.
The Sweden midfielder eluded Bradley and drilled a fine low finish past Alisson Becker from the edge of the area after Brajan Gruda’s lofted pass prised open the Liverpool defense.
Liverpool regained the lead on the stroke of half-time when Szoboszlai caught out Brighton keeper Bart Verbruggen with a swerving strike from wide on the right flank that whistled into the top corner.
Szoboszlai’s bemused grin as he celebrated suggested the midfielder’s effort might have been a miscued cross rather than a shot.
Brighton went close twice at the start of the second half as Alisson clawed away Danny Welbeck’s free-kick and kept out Gruda’s 20-yard blast.
Salah was captaining Liverpool for the first time in the Premier League to mark his 300th appearance in the competition.
But the Egypt forward missed an open goal when he flicked Cody Gakpo’s cross wide from five yards.
It was a costly mistake from Salah as Brighton equalized in the 69th minute.
Welbeck’s shot was pushed out by Alisson and Japan winger Mitoma hammered in the rebound.
Hinshelwood completed Brighton’s thrilling comeback in the 85th minute, the substitute slotting home from Matt O’Riley’s cross.
More misery for Messi and Miami with Florida derby defeat
Fort Lauderdale, United States: Lionel Messi’s growing frustration and Inter Miami’s miserable run of form continued with a 3-0 loss at home to Orlando City in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
The Florida derby defeat leaves Miami with just one win from their last seven games in all competitions and they slip to sixth in the Eastern Conference with Orlando leapfrogging them.
Messi had just two shots on target in the entire game and even scuffed a free-kick from his favorite spot as his own form slumped with that of his team.
“Now we’ll truly see if we’re a team in difficult times, because when everything’s going well it’s very easy,” Messi told Apple TV following the defeat.
“When difficult times come, that’s when we have to be more united than ever, be a true team, and pull ourselves together,” he added.
Messi also questioned the refereeing but in truth the loss had little to do with officiating and much to do with shambolic defending, a disjointed midfield and punchless attack led by the rapidly fading Luis Suarez.
Orlando grabbed the lead in the 43rd minute with a goal of absurd simplicity — goalkeeper Pedro Gallese launched the ball down the middle of the field and Luis Muriel ran clear and slotted past Oscar Ustari.
The visitors were getting plenty of joy from going direct against a Miami back-line which was all at sea and Argentine Martin Ojeda should have done better when he found himself clear on goal but blasted over the bar.
Miami’s veteran keeper Ustari then made a fine double save to deny Alexander Freeman and an Ojeda follow up shot but then the 38-year-old found himself to blame for Orlando’s second goal.
The ball fell to Marco Pasalic on the edge of the box and his low shot went through the hands and legs of Ustari.
Miami coach Javier Mascherano then threw on attacking players in a bid to retrieve something from the game but it was largely in vain.
In the fourth minute of stoppage time Duncan McGuire broke down the left and his low cross was slotted home by Icelandic forward Dagur Thorhallsson to wrap-up an impressive performance from the visitors.
Miami have conceded 20 goals and scored 11 in their last seven games with their only victory coming against the New York Red Bulls on May 3.
Mascherano said his team had started as planned before the goal changed the tone of the game.
“I’d say for 25 or 30 minutes we had it completely under control playing in the opponent’s half, but this is how it is, clearly. I’m not going to deny what the result is,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we can’t afford the mistakes we make; that’s clear, but it’s pointless for me to come here and tell this story, because it keeps happening. So, clearly, we as a coaching staff are failing in many of these ways, and we have to try to find a way around them so we don’t continue failing and so the team starts getting results,” he added.
Miami’s MLS campaign was going well until their exit to the CONCACAF Champions Cup at the hands of the Vancouver Whitecaps and Mascherano admitted the team’s morale had been hit.
“Clearly, something has happened where the team has lost a lot of confidence. We have had a drop in level individually and collectively and it’s clear one way or another we have tried with different schemes, different names, and still today we are hurting. We will keep trying to find a way.”
Villarreal dampens Barcelona’s title celebrations. Mbappé scores again for Madrid
- Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022
MADRID: Villarreal dampened Barcelona’s title celebrations by handing the Catalan club its first defeat of 2025 in the Spanish league on Sunday.
Barcelona, which clinched its 28th league title midweek, presented the trophy to its fans in the team’s final home match of the season at Montjuic stadium. Players were announced one by one after the game, which Villarreal won 3-2, before lifting the trophy.
Barcelona’s Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey trophies also were displayed at Montjuic, with players dancing around the silverware during the celebrations.
“We can be proud of this team for winning these titles and for how it did it,” Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen said. “We had a great season in all levels.”
Before the match, Villarreal players did a guard of honor for the new league champions, with its players lining up to congratulate Barcelona as the team entered the field.
Real Madrid won 2-0 at nine-man Sevilla, with Kylian Mbappé extending his league-leading tally to 29 goals with one round to go. Jude Bellingham also scored. Madrid reached 81 points, four fewer than Barcelona.
Villarreal’s victory secured its return to the Champions League for the first time since reaching the semifinals in 2022.
It will join Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Athletic Bilbao in Europe’s top club competition next season. Spain will have five clubs in the Champions League next season.
Real Betis clinched one of the Europa League spots. Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano and Osasuna will be chasing the final Europa League place and the Conference League spot.
Leganes, owned by former Houston Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow, and Espanyol will try to avoid the last relegation spot in the final round when Leganes is at last-placed Valladolid and Espanyol faces relegated Las Palmas.
Barcelona, Madrid, Atletico and Athletic will play in next year’s lucrative Spanish Super Cup in Saudi Arabia.
All 10 games were played at the same time on Sunday.
Barcelona’s loss
Barcelona hadn’t lost in the league since a 2-1 defeat against Atletico on Dec. 21, with 15 wins and two draws since then. Villarreal’s win was its fifth straight victory in the league.
Ayoze Pérez put the visitors ahead after a breakaway four minutes into the match. The hosts equalized when Lamine Yamal scored with yet another beautiful goal in the teenager’s outstanding season, curling in a left-footed shot from outside the area.
Fermín López put Barcelona ahead in first-half stoppage time, but Santiago Comesaña scored for Villarreal in the 50th and Tajon Buchanan netted the winner in the 80th.
It was likely the last match Barcelona played at Montjuic stadium as the club plans to return to the Camp Nou Stadium next season even though renovation work at the venue is not expected to be fully completed until mid-2026.
Mbappé’s goals
Mbappé strengthened his chances of finishing as the league’s top scorer this season with a goal from a low shot from outside the area in the 75th.
Mbappé now has 29 league goals. Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski (25 goals) is his nearest rival.
Sevilla’s Loic Bade was sent off in the 12th for a foul on Mbappé to stop a breakaway. Then Isaac Romero was shown a red card for a hard foul on Aurélien Tchouaméni.
It was the second-to-last match for Madrid under Carlo Ancelotti before he becomes Brazil coach. Xabi Alonso is widely expected to be Madrid’s next coach.
Sevilla, sitting in 16th place, had only one win in its last 10 games.
Relegation fight
Leganes kept its survival hopes alive by winning 1-0 at Las Palmas with a sixth-minute goal by Dani Raba.
It is two points behind the first team outside the relegation zone, Espanyol, which remained in danger after a 2-0 loss at Osasuna for its fifth straight defeat.
Alaves escaped the drop by winning 1-0 at Valladolid, while Getafe did the same by beating Mallorca 2-1 to end a six-game losing run.
Second-to-last Las Palmas and bottom side Valladolid had already been relegated.
European places
Celta Vigo lost 2-1 at home to Rayo Vallecano but holds the final Europa League spot in seventh place. It is one point ahead of both eighth-placed Rayo — in the Conference League position — and ninth-placed Osasuna.
Rayo will host Mallorca in the final round, while Osasuna visits Alaves and Celta is at Getafe.
Spanish Super Cup
The top two teams in the league and the Copa del Rey finalists are awarded places in the Spanish Super Cup. Since this season’s final was between Barcelona and Madrid, two other spots were made available through the league.
Third-placed Atletico guaranteed its spot with a 4-1 win over Betis with Julián Álvarez scoring twice, including with a superb curling free kick in the first half. Fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao won 1-0 at Valencia with a goal by Álex Berenguer.
Alguacil honored
Real Sociedad honored coach Imanol Alguacil in its final home match, a 3-2 win against Girona.
Alguacil will step down this summer after a mostly successful six-and-a-half-year stint in charge of the Basque Country club.
Napoli close in on Serie A title despite Parma stalemate
PARMA, Italy: Napoli will have to wait one more week to seal the Serie A title after being held to a goalless draw at Parma while closest rivals Inter Milan drew 2-2 in a dramatic game with Lazio.
Antonio Conte’s team stayed one point ahead of Inter and were unfortunate not to win after twice striking the woodwork through Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Matteo Politano, while Scott McTominay also had a free-kick tipped onto the crossbar.
The away side thought they would be handed a chance to take the points from the penalty spot in the 96th minute when David Neres was fouled, only for the decision to be reversed for a foul committed by Giovanni Simeone earlier in the move.
A feisty match at the Stadio Ennio Tardini ended with Conte and his Parma counterpart Cristian Chivu both being sent off following a blazing row between the two dugouts in the final moments.
However a home win on the final day against Cagliari, who are safe thanks to a 3-0 win over second-from-bottom Venezia, will give Napoli a fourth league crown.
“We’re close but we have more step to take in front of our own fans. We’ve been top for a large part of the season even with a lot of difficulties,” said Conte to DAZN.
“It’s down to these boys who put their heart and soul into it. I really hope we can win this title because it would truly be a great achievement.”
Inter’s final fixture is at Como who are finishing their first Serie A season in over two decades in great form, although Cesc Fabregas’ team’s winning streak ended at six matches with a 1-1 draw at safe Verona.
Napoli were saved from being overtaken by Inter thanks to a Pedro brace for Lazio, including a 90th-minute penalty.
Denzel Dumfries thought he had headed home a potentially key goal with 10 minutes remaining at the San Siro, before a Yann Bisseck handball allowed Champions League chasers Lazio to snatch a point.
Inter once again showed their wasteful side by giving away a lead twice, with Bisseck opening the scoring on the stroke of half-time before Pedro netted in the 73rd minute, while Marko Arnautovic missed a golden chance to move the hosts top in the dying moments.
Coach Simone Inzaghi will also missed the final match of the season after being sent off for his livid reaction at the VAR check which led to Pedro levelling from the penalty spot.
No one from the Inter spoke to media after the match, in apparent protest over the decision to give Lazio their penalty.
Lazio drawing kept the Roman club in the hunt for the final Champions league spot, although Marco Baroni’s team are two points behind four-placed Juve who beat mid-table Udinese 2-0.
Sandwiched between Juve and Lazio are Roma, who beat 10-man AC Milan 3-1 on a night when fans honored Claudio Ranieri in his last home match as coach for his boyhood club.
Milan, who had to play most of the match a man down after Santiago Gimenez was sent off in the 21st minute, sit ninth and will not play European football next season.
Bologna’s bid for Champions League football is over after a 3-2 defeat at Fiorentina which left the Italian Cup winners five points behind Juve.
However Vincenzo Italiano’s team will play in the Europa League next season thanks to their historic cup victory on Wednesday over Milan, their first major trophy since 1974.
A point was not enough to guarantee Parma safety as Chivu’s team are two points above Empoli who are just inside the drop zone after beating relegated Monza 3-1.
Empoli are level on 31 points with Lecce, who moved one place above the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Torino.
