Love for American football reached Brazilian Amazon long before the NFL game in Sao Paulo

Love for American football reached Brazilian Amazon long before the NFL game in Sao Paulo
Pedro Canuto, Manaus FA's quarterback, looks for receivers during a football game against Galo FA at Ismael Benigno stadium in Manaus, Brazil, on Aug. 24, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 04 September 2024
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Love for American football reached Brazilian Amazon long before the NFL game in Sao Paulo

Love for American football reached Brazilian Amazon long before the NFL game in Sao Paulo
  • Canuto and Manaus FA’s devotion to football illustrate how much the sport has grown in the last two decades in Brazil
  • Local research group Ibope Repucom said in 2022 that Brazil has about 38 million American football fans, the second-largest international community for the sport after Mexico’s

MANAUS, Brazil: Pedro Canuto wears his pads and practices passing the football a few hundred yards from where boats filled with tourists are navigating the Amazon River into the rainforest.

A quarterback for Manaus FA, arguably the best American football team in the region, the 20-year-old could be playing soccer, the sport for which Brazil is passionate. But he chooses to play a game most of his countrymen know little about.

About 200 people, including dozens of screaming fans, wait in the stands of the Ismael Benigno Stadium for Canuto and his teammates to take the field. Among them are members of the quarterback’s proudly Bare Indigenous family. His mother sometimes spends days walking into the Amazon rainforest to teach in small villages in one of the world’s most remote locations. Still, she comes to most home games to support her son.

“If she is brave enough to do all that, how could I not do what I desire and give 100 percent to the sport and the city I love?” Canuto told The Associated Press at the team’s headquarters one day before its home match against Galo FA, the defending champions. ”My dream is for Manaus one day to retire my No. 1 shirt. Several teams tried to sign me after the latest season, but I don’t see myself playing anywhere else in Brazil. I want to make it here.”

Canuto and Manaus FA’s devotion to football illustrate how much the sport has grown in the last two decades in Brazil. Though it’s not enough to fill the 10,000-seat stadium in the Amazon, interest in the game is now so widespread the NFL will be playing its first-ever game in South America when the Philadelphia Eagles face the Green Bay Packers on Friday night at the NeoQuimica Arena in Sao Paulo — 6,200 miles (10,000 kilometers) away.

Local research group Ibope Repucom said in 2022 that Brazil has about 38 million American football fans, the second-largest international community for the sport after Mexico’s. Marketing analysts say that figure has grown at least 10 percent since. NFL games are shown on ESPN Brasil, which has broadcast them since 1992, and open channel RedeTV. The Brazilian football league Canuto plays in is mostly on social media channels.

Brazil’s main league is the BFA, with 72 teams from the Amazon to the country’s deep south, bordering Uruguay. The league is in its sixth season, which will include more than 200 games in 20 states between June and December. Teams can sign up to three players born in North America, Europe and Japan and use two of them during games.

About a decade ago, Brazilian teams rarely played in full pads, and many of them focused on flag football. Teams like Manaus once had several players who used motorcycle helmets with improvised refrigerator evaporator coils in the front as protection for their heads. None of the athletes followed strict diets to keep in shape or followed concussion protocols whenever they got hit. Being paid to play was almost a dream.

But times are slowly changing.

Accountant Renner Silva has taken every possible role at Manaus FA over the years: player, coach, director, fan and coordinator.

“We need more gear, a proper place to train and more support to travel nationwide to play during the regular season. But one of our biggest difficulties to draw more players and fans to the sport here is the heat,” Silva said as players practiced on a recent evening at Manaus’ Olympic sports facilities — the temperature was at 31 degrees Celsius (almost 88 Fahrenheit). “The stadium we play has no covering and the match starts at 3 p.m. People start getting there at 4 p.m. to watch. And players are already worn out by the second half, when it gets a little cooler.”

Manaus FA shares its public training grounds with joggers and track and field athletes. Kickers need to use their imagination since there can’t be goal posts so javelin and discus throwers can practice, too. The field is only 80 yards long, the same size used in the Brazilian league, but without the 10 yards for each end zone. Silva said there are other fields in the city where the team could prepare better, but local authorities don’t yet believe in the sport’s potential.

Still, the team managed to draw the attention of American quarterback and linebacker Malik Brown, who had never set foot in South America until a few months ago and now says he believes Brazilian football can develop more after the NFL game. The Chicago-born player had a semi-pro career in the United States for two seasons and was set to go to the CFL. But then the pandemic hit and the team he would play for never got back in touch.

Brown continued his career in Germany at the same time as he developed a family business at home. And then, “a call from God” came from Brazil.

“I went through a lot of hard times with coaches, the transfer portal, and that whole thing with America. It was kind of messed up. This is where I needed to be,” Brown said. “I don’t need to always be the face. Sometimes it is about lifting others up, raise their potential. My special ability is being able to plug anywhere where there’s offense, defense, special teams. The coaching room, just in the locker room, no matter where it is, I’m going to step up and give everything I have.”

He has two roles on the Manaus team. He alternates at quarterback with Canuto and also plays linebacker.

“I want to help Pedro develop, make this team something we can all be proud of,” Brown said.

Brown and Canuto took turns with Manaus’ offense during their recent game against Galo FA, a tactic implemented by Mexican coach Rodrigo Ríos. Neither managed to take the team into the end zone and the visitors won 23-0.

Canuto left the field disappointed, despite the cheers from fans. He believes the NFL game in Sao Paulo will be a watershed moment for the sport in Brazil and that one day he will have even more supporters. He hopes to play for another two decades, possibly after a stint in Germany or Mexico, and then open a quarterback academy in the Amazon. He’s in a physical education program at a local university, so he can continue to aim for the future.

His love for football remains unshakeable despite the modest future he can envision for himself.

“I have deeply implanted in my mind that I am carrying the weight of football in the Amazon, I am from here. That has only motivated me to play more, to dedicate myself,” he said. “We’ve only just begun.”


Benzema named Saudi Pro League’s Player of the Season after Al-Ittihad title triumph

Benzema named Saudi Pro League’s Player of the Season after Al-Ittihad title triumph
Updated 59 min 35 sec ago
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Benzema named Saudi Pro League’s Player of the Season after Al-Ittihad title triumph

Benzema named Saudi Pro League’s Player of the Season after Al-Ittihad title triumph
  • Salem Al-Dawsari named Best Saudi Player, Cristiano Ronaldo retains the Golden Boot as competition’s top scorer

JEDDAH: Al-Ittihad’s Karim Benzema was declared the winner of 2024-2025 Saudi Pro League’s Player of the Season award after the season’s conclusion on Monday.

According to the league's official X account on Wednesday, the French forward claimed the award after scoring 21 goals and providing nine assists during the Jeddah club’s title-winning campaign.

The award for Best Saudi Player went to Al-Hilal captain Salem Al-Dawsari who enjoyed the most productive season of his career, scoring 15 goals and making 15 assists as his team finished second in the league.

Al-Nassr captain Cristiano Ronaldo won the Golden Boot award for the second consecutive season after topping the league’s scorers list with 25 goals.

Al-Ittihad’s French coach Laurent Blanc took the Best Coach award after leading his team to the league title with two rounds remaining.

The Young Player of the Year award went to Musab Al-Juwair, the 21-year-old Al-Shabab team midfielder, who impressed throughout the season with 15 goal contributions (five goals, 10 assists) in 31 matches. Al-Ettifaq’s Marek Rodak collected the Goalkeeper of the Season award after an exceptional season.

The winners of the Saudi Pro League awards are selected through a vote in which coaches and team captains each make up 40 percent, sports media professionals 15 percent, and fans five percent.


Signs of hope for a cricket nation in transition

Signs of hope for a cricket nation in transition
Updated 29 May 2025
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Signs of hope for a cricket nation in transition

Signs of hope for a cricket nation in transition
  • In 2019 Zimbabwe Cricket was suspended from ICC tournaments because of government interference. Only recently has optimism for the future of cricket in the African country returned

On May 23, a one-off, four-day Test match began at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, between England and Zimbabwe. It was the first match in any format between the countries since 2007 and only the seventh Test match played between them. The last meeting was in 2003 when England hosted two Tests, winning both by an innings.

Overall, England has won four of the seven Tests, with three drawn. Two of these were in December 1996, the first time England toured Zimbabwe, which was granted full membership of the International Cricket Council in 1992.

Zimbabwe’s playing performances over the last three decades have fluctuated drastically. In the first 30 Test matches, only one was won, at home to Pakistan in early 1995. This prompted discussion that the granting of Test status had been premature. However, a talented group of players emerged to provide the basis for a Test team that became one of the hardest to beat in the late 1990s. It won a one-off Test against India in October 1998, following up on this by beating Pakistan 1-0 in a three-match Test series in November and December 1998. The one-day international team qualified for the 1999 World Cup, narrowly missing out to New Zealand on a semi-final place because of an inferior net run-rate.

These golden years were ended by political turmoil. The 2003 World Cup was jointly hosted by Zimbabwe, Kenya and South Africa. Concerns over security of players caused England to forfeit a match scheduld to be played in Harare. A desperate shortage of food, a deteriorating economic situation and violent clashes between rival factions led two Zimbabwean players, Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, to stage a protest. In a long statement they said that they could not “ignore the fact that millions of our compatriots are starving, unemployed and oppressed … that thousands of Zimbabweans are routinely denied their right to freedom of expression.” They wore black armbands, “mourning the death of democracy.”

Unsurprisingly, the government was embarrassed, both players were dismissed from the team and felt compelled to leave Zimbabwe. Team harmony, already affected by government involvement in selection, was further disrupted, with a succession of players deciding to end their international careers prematurely. In 2004, the team captain, Heath Streak, was sacked by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union, prompting 14 other players to walk out.

Despite attempts at rapprochement, results failed to improve in an environment of mistrust. Another bout of player resignations led the cricket board to voluntarily suspend the team from Test cricket in late 2005. After a six-year exile, Test cricket returned to Zimbabwe in August 2011 when Bangladesh was beaten in a one-off match in Harare. In subsequent years, off-the-field issues continued to dominate, whilest performances on the field were patchy and disappointing. 

In July 2019, the ICC voluntarily suspended Zimbabwe Cricket from ICC tournaments because it had failed to ensure that it was free from government interference. This meant that ICC funding was frozen and that neither men’s nor women’s teams could compete in T20 World Cup preliminaries and qualifiers, despite a lifting of the suspension three months later.

It is only recently that greater optimism for the future of cricket in Zimbabwe has emerged. Control over finances seems to have been established, ICC funding of $13.5 million being used to support a five -team domestic structure, national sides and the expensive business of hosting Test matches. Since 1992, the men’s Test team has played 124 Test matches, winning only 14, drawing 30 and losing 80. It would be easy for ZC to downplay Test cricket at a time when its relevance is being questioned.

The stance of ZC’s chair, Tavengwa Mukhulani, is diametrically opposite. He wants to see all Full Member teams play each other on a home and away basis, believing that the way for Zimbabwean cricketers to improve is by playing the stronger teams. Consequently, Mukuhlani is not in favor of a two-tier Test system. It is also an issue for him that Zimbabwe is not part of the World Test Championship, for reasons which are not clear to him. Zimbabwe’s commitment to Test cricket is clear. In 2025, it will play 11 Tests, joint highest with Australia.

The issues for Zimbabwe at Test level were illustrated at Trent Bridge. England was invited to bat first and raced to score almost 500 runs on Day 1, against bowling that betrayed a lack of knowledge of how to perform on an English pitch. In reply to England’s 565 for six, declared, Zimbabwe’s batters attacked, none more so than Brian Bennett, 21. He wrote himself into the history books by scoring the fastest Test century for Zimbabwe. Although England ultimately won by an innings and 45 runs, it was clear that Zimbabwe has talent to nurture. 

Some of this nurturing will fall to experienced team members. One of them, Sikandar Rasa, has played for Zimbabwe since 2013. Prior to the Test at Nottingham, he was playing in the Pakistan Super League for Lahore Qalandars. Once the Test, in which he bowled 25 overs and batted for 20 overs, had finished a day early, he flew back to Lahore via Birmingham, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, arriving minutes before play started. Lahore was set 202 to win. When Rasa went out to bat, 57 runs were needed from 3.2 overs. He immediately hit a four and six and, in the final over, repeated the feat to secure victory with one delivery remaining.

Zimbabwean cricket has suffered tough times over the past 20 years. Superhuman feats such as Rasa’s and the individual performances witnessed at Nottingham, where the team enjoyed colourful and musical support, provide hope for a brighter future. In Zimbabwe's first World Cup match at Trent Bridge in June 1983, when Australia was dramatically beaten by 13 runs, a bright future was suggested. Then, the team consisted almost entirely of white players, Ali Shah being the exception. Fifteen years later, nine of the team were white. At Trent Bridge last week, seven of the team were black, including the 6 foot, eight inches tall fast bowler, Blessing Muzarabani, who had claimed 26 Test wickets in 2025 prior to Nottingham.

Robert Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe between 1980 and 2017, is attributed with saying that “Cricket civilises people and creates good gentlemen. I want everyone to play cricket in Zimbabwe. I want ours to be a nation of gentlemen.” Noticeably, there was no mention of women.

Zimbabwe’s women’s team made its international debut in 2006 at the ICC Africa Regional Qualifier for the Women’s Cricket World Cup. The team has yet to reach the final stages of a World Cup although it did win a gold medal at the Africa Games in 2023. Currently, the team consists entirely of black players.

In the past two decades, a transformation has taken place that has turned the men’s national cricket team into one that more closely represents Zimbabwe’s demographics, in which white Zimbawean’s make up less than 1 percent of the 17 million population. The women’s team is totally reflective of that fact. Zimbabwean cricket needs an era of stability and support to allow its new generation of cricketers to mature.    


Ben Sulayem backed to seek new FIA term

Ben Sulayem backed to seek new FIA term
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem pictured during a recent meeting with FIA Americas member clubs
Updated 29 May 2025
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Ben Sulayem backed to seek new FIA term

Ben Sulayem backed to seek new FIA term
  • Member clubs in the Americas send letter of support commending president for achieving ‘extraordinary’ turnaround

DUBAI: Mohammed Ben Sulayem is being backed to seek a second term of office as president of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile after achieving an “extraordinary” turnaround in its fortunes.

A letter of support from 36 FIA Region III and IV clubs encompassing the Americas, and the vice presidents for sport in North and South America, strongly urges Ben Sulayem to continue his work to secure the future of the global governing body for motor sport and the federation for mobility organisations worldwide.

Representing clubs from South America, Central America, and Canada, and signed under the name “Hermanos” (brothers), the letter thanks the FIA president “for your service, commitment, vision, and, above all, the delivery of your Manifesto promised to us, the members.”

It goes on to say: “We are all acutely aware of the catastrophic financial situation you inherited. Without the decisive and bold actions you took from day one, the very future of the FIA would have been at risk.

“The turnaround achieved in less than four years is nothing short of extraordinary, especially when coupled with the implementation of professional management systems that you deployed in parallel.

The letter adds: “As club Presidents, we have personally felt and experienced the daily focus you and your leadership team have placed on supporting and engaging with us — the members — treating each of us with equal respect. This inclusive approach is deeply appreciated.

“We also recognize and commend the significant efforts made by you and your team to reposition the FIA as a global leader in both mobility and motorsport. The strength and reputation of the FIA brand have clearly grown as a result of your leadership.” 

The Americas club presidents conclude their message to Ben Sulayem by saying: “We understand that four years is a short time to complete the ambitious reforms you have initiated. Therefore, we strongly encourage you to seek re-election at the upcoming AGA, (FIA Annual General Assembly) so that you may continue the important work you have started, with our full support.”

Among those who signed the letter of support was Ricardo Morales Rubio, FIA Region IV (South America and Central America) president, and Fabiana Ecclestone, FIA vice president for sport — South America.

The FIA recently announced a significant turnaround in its financial health under the leadership of Ben Sulayem. At the end of the fiscal year 2024, the federation reported that it had achieved a robust operating result of €4.7 million ($5.3 million), and an operating income of €182 million. This takes it from a considerable financial loss of €24 million in 2021, before Ben Sulayem was elected.

Since Ben Sulayem’s election as president in 2021, the organisation has undergone a strategic transformation process, designed to improve internal systems and processes. The FIA has strengthened its teams, optimised its working practices and shifted to a more efficient and financially sustainable model.


Cricket legend Virat Kohli to invest in World Bowling League

Cricket legend Virat Kohli to invest in World Bowling League
Virat Kohli with World Bowling League founder Adi K Mishra. (World Bowling League)
Updated 29 May 2025
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Cricket legend Virat Kohli to invest in World Bowling League

Cricket legend Virat Kohli to invest in World Bowling League
  • With events to be held around the globe, the league is looking to transform traditional bowling into a mainstream spectator sport

DUBAI: The World Bowling League has added Indian cricketing icon Virat Kohli as a new strategic investor after recently announcing MLB superstar and three-time World Series Champion Mookie Betts’ Team OMG as the first franchise.

With modernized gameplay, mixed-gender teams, and events expected to be held around the globe, the league — founded by Dubai-based Adi K. Mishra — is looking to transform traditional bowling into a mainstream spectator sport.

Kohli, a global sports icon, steps into the league with a personal connection to the lanes. “I started bowling when I was 11 years old, spinning the ball by 12,” he said.

“It is evident how popular the sport is while being underappreciated as a business proposition. Adi K. Mishra’s vision to redefine bowling is unique, and after our success with Team Blue Rising in the E1 series, I’m thrilled to join the WBL as an investor and partner.”

Kohli’s popularity and influence as the third-most followed athlete on Instagram — behind only Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi — amplifies the league’s mission to inspire a new generation of fans.

Mishra, founder and CEO of League Sports Co., echoed Kohli’s enthusiasm.

“Elite-level bowling is a world of intricate challenges — from lanes with unique topographies and thousands of 3D-printed oil patterns to balls that react differently with every roll.

“When I discovered Virat is also a bowler, it was exciting to align on this new-age vision for the sport. Virat’s relentless drive for sports mirrors our own.

“Every week, we uncover more about bowling’s global depth and fascinating history — it’s a sleeping giant we’re ready to awaken.”

With Team OMG owned by Betts already setting the tone, the WBL will soon announce more franchises.


Manchester United stretch loyalty of ‘numbed’ Chinese fans to the limit

Manchester United stretch loyalty of ‘numbed’ Chinese fans to the limit
Updated 29 May 2025
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Manchester United stretch loyalty of ‘numbed’ Chinese fans to the limit

Manchester United stretch loyalty of ‘numbed’ Chinese fans to the limit
  • Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China
  • But like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test

HONG KONG: Yan Gang speaks for many Manchester United fans when he says: “We’ve been numbed by performances over the past few seasons.”

Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China, Yan among them, but like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test.

As an illustration of United’s fall from grace in China and beyond, tickets for Friday’s friendly at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium against the city’s representative team were still available on Thursday afternoon.

Tickets also appeared on resale websites with their prices slashed 50 percent.

United were beaten 1-0 in Malaysia by a Southeast Asian XI on Wednesday and booed off, a fresh low in a dismal season for Ruben Amorim’s bedraggled men.

“Every season ends with the same old story with no sign of recovery,” said Yan, a supporter for 23 years and organizer of a United fans’ association in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong in mainland China.

Amorim’s side left for Asia on Sunday, hours after concluding their worst season since 1974, to play friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.

The Old Trafford club made no attempt to hide the motivation for flying across the world straight after a draining and demoralizing campaign that saw them come 15th in the Premier League and fail to lift a trophy.

“Tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch,” chief executive Omar Berrada said.

This week’s Asia visit will generate about $10 million (£7.8m) for United, the BBC reported.

China has the world’s second-biggest economy and second-biggest population, making it a vital market.

United’s finances are under scrutiny with co-owner Jim Ratcliffe implementing steep cuts since buying a minority stake just over a year ago.

The club recently announced a further 200 redundancies were planned after 250 jobs were cut last year.

Ratcliffe claimed in March that the Red Devils would have “run out of money at Christmas” otherwise.

From Kuala Lumpur, where it was 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) at kickoff on Wednesday, it is a four-hour flight to a similarly sticky Hong Kong.

July friendlies in the city between Tottenham and Arsenal, and Liverpool and AC Milan, sold out within hours of going on general sale.

No such luck for United for their exhibition match with the Hong Kong team, and with a day until kickoff they face the ignominy of playing in front of empty seats.

The 39-year-old fan Yan said that the United supporters club in Shenzhen has about 2,000 members.

That number has hardly grown in the past few years, he said.

Older fans make up the vast majority of members.

“I can’t think of any words we can use to attract new fans because the team has a bad record and no standout stars to recruit younger fans,” said Yan.

He Zhiyi, a United fan for more than a decade, is flying to Hong Kong from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.

She had hoped to see the squad parade the Europa League trophy, but Amorim’s side lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the final.

With it went United’s hopes of sneaking into the Champions League, which would have brought badly needed revenue, prestige and pulling power.

“The team is all over the place – players, coaches and management are not moving in one direction,” said the 32-year-old He, a football content creator and author.

“It feels like the team is killing the enthusiasm of the fans, as if the romance can’t be sustained anymore.”

Zhang Chongqian, also from Chengdu, said United’s “spirit and traditions” have been lost.

“In recent years, our fans (in China) gradually stopped watching Manchester United or even football,” the 38-year-old lifelong supporter said.

Zhang will not join those fans abandoning his side, even after the poorest season in the club’s recent history.

“Manchester United have been experiencing a period of sinking,” he said.

“But there are still so many fans who will never give up on them.”