Fifth Saudi Esports Federation Awards in Riyadh celebrate excellence

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Updated 03 February 2025
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Fifth Saudi Esports Federation Awards in Riyadh celebrate excellence

Fifth Saudi Esports Federation Awards in Riyadh celebrate excellence
  • Faisal bin Homran, chief product officer at the Esports World Cup, reflected on the Kingdom’s endeavors in the gaming sector

RIYADH: The Saudi Esports Federation hosted the fifth SEF Awards, featuring 19 eSport categories, at the SEF Arena at Boulevard Riyadh City on Friday night.

It was “a celebration of excellence, achievement and vision,” Prince Faisal bin Bandar bin Sultan, the organization’s chairman, said at the gala event.

Faisal bin Homran, chief product officer at the Esports World Cup, reflected on the Kingdom’s endeavors in the gaming sector.

“Honestly, in the past few years, the progress of the industry is changing dramatically, especially with the Kingdom doing solid moves toward it, especially with changing the sector when it comes to projects like the Esports World Cup.”

“I think Saudi is now shaping the industry toward something sustainable for the industry overall and for any lover of eSports, specific games, audience, players (and) clubs.

Bin Homran told Arab News that he believed eSports would lead the field globally.

“Personally, (I think) it will be the number one sports in the world,” he said. “Overall, I think the future is amazing. There’s a lot of projects coming in. I’m really happy. I’m a passionate gamer myself and I’m living the dream.”

Saudi player Raef Alturkistani won the award for “best fighting game player,” taking the prize for the second consecutive year, and retaining the world title for a third year for his performance at the Tekken World Tour Finals.

“I am grateful for this,” he said. “I want to do my best next time so I can win it (best fighting game player) for the third time, hopefully … This year was the hardest year for me because I had so many competitors with me, in the same game and different games. But I achieved it ... going third in the world.”

Team Falcons of Saudi Arabia, also known as the first Esports World Cup club champions, took home the title for “best club.”

Musaad Al-Dossary, CEO of Falcons, said that the future of eSports in the Kingdom was promising.

“It’s rewarding, what we have achieved, the nights that we have been working, and sometimes it’s a hectic night, so nights like this (are for) rewards of what we have accomplished … We have been honored to have, the Esports World Cup here, thankfully we have won it and obviously looking to do more. I’m sure that everyone here in Saudi wants to do more and more.”

Rawan Al-Butairi, chief partnerships and corporate affairs at the Saudi Esports Federation, highlighted the success of the Kingdom’s national gaming strategy.

“Saudi Arabia has a national gaming strategy, eSports strategy, and other potential and impact ... It is Bollywood and Hollywood combined. So it is absolutely large in size and grasping such opportunity to amplify the impact through the players, through the content creators and through the community by creating an event like this will help us grow it substantially in the Kingdom to inspire the world.”

Adel Almeqeren, executive director of marketing and branding at the Saudi Esports Federation, said that this year it would establish a women’s eLeague.

“A lot of players, have both male and female play in the Saudi eLeague, but the challenge is that sometimes they can’t compete with each other. So by us doing that and segregating, in a good way, the women’s league, it gives them more light and it gives them more awareness to the public.”

Award categories included best rising player; best rising talent; best female player, presented by Hilton; best club, presented by Richy; best content creator, presented by SAIB; and best roster, presented by Golden Scent.

The winners of the 19 categories in this year’s SEF Awards are:

1. Best female talent: Ghala Al-Qahtani

2. Best host: Wajeh Fahad

3. Best rising player: Abdulaziz Altamimi

4. Best rising club: Al-Qadsiah

5. Best eSports media coverage: Sama News

6. Best female player: Mohdi Alkanhal

7. Best roster: Team Falcons — Rocket League

8. Best coach: Abdulrahman bin Fayez

9. Best rising talent: Saleh Alrakaf

10. Best FPS games player: Ibrahim Alali

11. Best fighting game player: Raef Alturkistani

12. Best battle royale player: Khalid Alomar

13. Best MOBA game player: Orifan Alsulaimany

14. Best sports player: Mohammed Alotaibi

15. Best club: Team Falcons

16. Best caster: Abdulaziz Almehmadi

17. Best analyst: Fahad Ghzwani

18. Best content creator: Saleh Alzahrani

19. Best streamer: Mufrih Assiri


Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid

Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid
Updated 02 July 2025
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Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid

Gauff ousted on day of Wimbledon shocks as Djokovic launches history bid
  • Other high-profile casualties on day two of the grass-court Grand Slam were women’s third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen
  • Men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner brushed aside fellow Italian Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 with a minimum of fuss

LONDON: Coco Gauff crashed out of Wimbledon on a day of first-round shocks on Tuesday but defending women’s champion Barbora Krejcikova and history-chasing Novak Djokovic are up and running.

US second seed Gauff arrived at the All England Club with high hopes after winning the French Open last month but was beaten 7-6 (7/3), 6-1 by Ukranian world No. 42 Dayana Yastremska.

Other high-profile casualties on day two of the grass-court Grand Slam were women’s third seed Jessica Pegula and fifth seed Zheng Qinwen.

Instead of building on her success on the Paris clay, 21-year-old Gauff suffered her earliest Grand Slam exit since another first-round loss at Wimbledon in 2023.

The two-time Grand Slam champion said she would learn from her experience, suggesting she would like more grass-court tennis in the buildup to Wimbledon in future.

“I feel like mentally I was a little bit overwhelmed with everything that came afterwards (following the French Open triumph), so I didn’t feel like I had enough time to celebrate and also get back into it,” said Gauff.

“But it’s the first time in this experience of, like, coming off a win and having to play Wimbledon. I definitely learned a lot of what I would and would not do again.”

Earlier, US Open runner-up Pegula suffered a shock defeat against Italy’s Elisabetta Cocciaretto, losing 6-2, 6-3 and was followed out of the tournament by Olympic champion Zheng, who went down 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 against unheralded Katerina Siniakova.

Men’s third seed Alexander Zverev also bowed out, beaten in five sets by French world No. 72 Arthur Rinderknech, giving a bleak assessment of his state of mind after the match.

The German, who reached the Australian Open final earlier this year, suffered his earliest Grand Slam exit since 2019 after a marathon match that started on Monday evening.

Afterwards he made surprisingly frank comments, saying he was considering therapy to talk through his mental health issues.

“It’s funny, I feel very alone out there at times,” he said. “I struggle mentally. I’ve been saying that since after the Australian Open.”

Seven-time champion Djokovic was kept waiting until the evening to make his return to Center Court as he targets a record 25th Grand Slam, which would take him clear of his tie with long-retired Margaret Court.

The veteran Serb struggled with feelings of discomfort and dropped a set but recovered to beat French world number 41 Alexandre Muller 6-1, 6-7 (7/9), 6-2, 6-2 in the final match on Center Court.

Afterwards he admitted he had found it tough.

“I went from feeling my absolute best for a set and a half to my absolute worst for about 45 minutes,” he said.

“Whether it was a stomach bug, I don’t know what it is.

“I struggled with that but the energy came back after some doctors’ miracle pills and I managed to finish the match on a good note.”

Earlier, Krejcikova, who came to Wimbledon with just six matches under her belt this year, overcame a sluggish start to beat Philippines star Alexandra Eala 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

Krejcikova has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the final last year.

The 29-year-old was out of action this season until May after suffering a back injury and pulled out of last week’s Eastbourne Open before the quarter-finals with a thigh problem.

“I was in a lot of pain in my back and I didn’t really know how my career was going to go,” she said. “I’m super happy and super excited that I can be here and that I can play on such a great court.”

Men’s world No. 1 Jannik Sinner brushed aside fellow Italian Luca Nardi 6-4, 6-3, 6-0 with a minimum of fuss.

Five-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek swatted aside Russia’s Polina Kudermetova 7-5, 6-1.

Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova lost in straight sets in an emotional farewell appearance against US 10th seed Emma Navarro.

There were also wins for men’s fourth seed Jack Draper and fifth seed Taylor Fritz.


Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters

Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters
Updated 02 July 2025
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Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters

Gonzalo heads Real Madrid past Juventus and into Club World Cup quarters
  • The Spanish giants will face the winner of Tuesday’s other game between Borussia Dortmund and Mexico’s Monterrey in the last eight

MIAMI GARDENS, United States: Gonzalo Garcia’s 54th-minute header was enough to give Real Madrid a 1-0 win over Juventus at Hard Rock Stadium on Tuesday and book their place in the quarter-finals of the Club World Cup.
The Spanish giants will face the winner of Tuesday’s other game between Borussia Dortmund and Mexico’s Monterrey in the last eight.
It was an impressive display from Xabi Alonso’s Madrid side and adding to a positive day, Kylian Mbappe made his return from illness, coming on as a 68th-minute substitute for his first appearance of the tournament.
The first half was a finely-balanced contest with Igor Tudor’s Juventus starting brightly before Real ended it on top.
There was an early chance for Juve’s Randal Kolo Muani after clever work from Kenan Yildiz to put him through on goal, but the French forward opted for an attempted chip of Thibaut Courtois and his shot floated over the bar.
The impressive Yildiz then burst through the middle and unleashed a fierce effort which deflected off Aurelien Tchouameni and flew wide.
The Turin team, beaten 5-2 by Manchester City in their final group game, were moving the ball around with confidence but Real grew into the contest and they went close when Jude Bellingham forced a save out of Michele Di Gregorio from close range.
Federico Valverde then tested the Juve goalkeeper from long range and Trent Alexander-Arnold whipped a low ball across the face of the goal as Madrid finished the half strongly.
The interval did nothing to alter the momentum of the game with Real creating several chances — Bellingham laid off to Valverde, whose sweetly-struck shot was just wide and then Bellingham himself brought another good save out of Di Gregorio with a shot from the edge of the box.
Dean Huijsen’s rocketing drive was parried out by the busy goalkeeper as Real laid seige to the Juventus goal and it was no surprise when the breakthrough finally arrived.
Alexander-Arnold floated in a cross from the right which Gonzalo met with a perfectly-timed header for his third goal in four games in the tournament.
Juve responded with Portuguese winger Francisco Conceicao bringing Courtois into action from a low shot the Belgian shot-stopper did well to get down to.
But Real wanted to finish the contest off and Valverde tested Di Gregorio’s reactions with an overhead kick before Alonso decided to introduce Mbappe to the delight of the 62,149 crowd.
Juve’s belief remained however and Nicolas Gonzalez flashed a 25-yard drive just wide.
At the other end, Real’s Turkish midfielder Arda Guler saw his crisp shot kept out by the feet of Di Gregorio, but the one goal was enough.


Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off
Updated 01 July 2025
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Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off

Saudi Arabia’s great football experiment is paying off
  • The Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about growth of its domestic game

MANCHESTER, England: The great Saudi Arabian football experiment is on full show at the Club World Cup.

The Kingdom, which is spending billions of dollars to become a major player in the world’s most popular sport, scored a big win on the field Monday when Al-Hilal beat Premier League giants Manchester City 4-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

It was a seismic result in football terms; possibly the biggest upset of the tournament and precisely the type of statement Saudi Arabia has wanted to make since embarking on a project that will ultimately see it stage the World Cup in 2034.

“We wanted to show that Al-Hilal has the talent, the power to be here,” said defender Kalidou Koulibaly, who was among a slew of star players paid fortunes to leave Europe’s top clubs for the Saudi Pro League in recent years.

Superstar signings and ones that got away

The biggest of them all was Cristiano Ronaldo, who completed one of the most stunning moves in football history when joining Al-Nassr for a reported salary of up to $200 million a year in 2022. That deal prompted a spectacular recruitment drive by Saudi teams — backed by the Kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund — and in came superstars like Neymar and Karim Benzema, while audacious attempts were made to sign Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe.

Confirmation that Saudi Arabia had won the right to host the World Cup came in December. On the field, the Club World Cup was the first chance for the country to make a global statement about the growth of its domestic game, which is largely unheralded outside of Asia.

It is likely why Al-Hilal — Saudi Arabia’s most successful team — were so eager to make another marquee signing before the tournament began and tried, but failed, to lure Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes.

They pulled off a coup by hiring coach Simone Inzaghi. The Italian arrived after leading Inter Milan to a second Champions League final in three seasons and he is already making a mark with his new team after drawing 1-1 against Real Madrid in the group stage and then beating City.

“We had to do something extraordinary because we knew how good Manchester City are, we knew we had to climb Mount Everest without oxygen, and we were great,” Inzaghi said.

Saudi  football has faced doubts

The broader picture is what Al-Hilal’s run says about the standard of football in Saudi Arabia, which has been dismissed by some as a cash grab for players, who can earn far more than if they’d remained in Europe.

“Let’s see now if they will criticize us after these games,” said midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who joined Al-Hilal from Italian team Lazio. “It’s not like how they are speaking about the league.”

Despite recruiting so many players from Europe’s top clubs — including Champions League winners N’Golo Kante, Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino — it is difficult to judge the quality of the Saudi league.

To put Al-Hilal’s run into context: While they may have won a record 19 league titles and four Asian championships, they are not the Saudi Arabia’s reigning national champion, having been beaten to the title by Benzema’s Al-Ittihad last season.

Another Saudi team, Al-Ahli, who count former Liverpool forward Firmino and ex-Manchester City winger Mahrez among their players, won the Asian Champions League this year.

Ronaldo, meanwhile, is yet to win the title in three attempts with Al-Nassr — pointing to the depth of strength in the league.

Al-Hilal’s performances have also come despite releasing Brazil great Neymar in January and with leading scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic having played no part so far because of injury.

Can Al Hilal win the Club World Cup?

The question now is how far Al-Hilal can go.

Next up is Brazil’s Fluminense in the quarterfinals in Orlando on Friday.

City’s exit — along with Inter Milan’s defeat to Fluminense — has opened up that side of the draw, which also features Palmeiras and Chelsea.

On paper it looks like the favorable side of the draw, with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain on the other side. But the success of Brazilian teams has been another theme of the tournament and Al-Hilal will have to beat at least one more if they are to advance to the final.

Inzaghi, however, is used to overachieving. His two Champions League finals with Inter Milan came despite having an aging team and relying on savvy deals in the transfer market to pick up free agents and veteran players.

Inter’s victory against Barcelona in the semifinals of this year’s competition was one of the all-time classic contests — winning 7-6 on aggregate.

Al-Hilal’s impressive run has come after Inzaghi spent just one week training with the team before the tournament.

Even if they are eliminated in the next round, a quarterfinals appearance would represent an outstanding campaign for a team that was not expected to compete for the title.

Saudi Arabia’s investment in sport is undoubtedly paying off and Al-Hilal’s run is succeeding in raising the profile of its soccer league.


Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start

Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start
Updated 01 July 2025
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Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start

Barbora Krejcikova gets title defense off to stuttering start
  • Krejcikova looked as if she had had a physical and mental reboot for the second set where she showed much more energy

LONDON: Defending champion Barbora Krejcikova survived a stiff examination from promising 20-year-old Filipino Alexandra Eala before finding her groove to triumph 3-6 6-2 6-1 on her return to Wimbledon’s Center Court on Tuesday. Czech Krejcikova, a shock winner as 31st seed last year and seeded 17th this time, came into the tournament short on form after a succession of injuries and initially had no answer to the confident, free-swinging Eala, who is the first woman from the Philippines to play at Wimbledon.
Eala turned 20 in May and was making her first Wimbledon appearance but she immediately looked at home in the daunting surroundings of the sport’s most iconic court.
Krejcikova forced the first break in the third game, however, Eala hit straight back, swinging her lefty forehand freely and throwing in a beautifully disguised drop shot.
She then upped the ante, holding confidently and breaking again as her two-fisted backhand came to the fore and, from 2-1 down with a break against, Eala reeled off four games in a row.
Krejcikova struggled to find any consistency and was not helped by five first-set double faults and very cautious shot choices.
The champion just about held serve after six deuces but Eala was not to be denied and served out to take the first set.
Krejcikova looked as if she had had a physical and mental reboot for the second set where she showed much more energy and found her serving range.

LIGHTWEIGHT SERVE
With Eala also starting to lose her radar and with her lightweight serve being punished, the champion swept to a 5-0 lead and took the set 6-2.
Krejcikova grabbed an early break in the third with pounding returns and though Eala had an immediate breakback opportunity, she could not take it and quickly trailed 3-0.
It was relatively straightforward from then, as a tired-looking Eala’s error-count rose and Krejcikova raced home in ever-more confident style.
Krejcikova was quick to credit her opponent.
“I mean, what the hell she played in the first set?,” she said. “She was smashing the ball and cleaning the lines, so wow, wow. She’s going to be really good in a couple of years.”
Krejcikova said she was “super happy” to even be back to defend her title after a back injury ruled her out of the Australian Open and a thigh problem curtailed her grasscourt build up.
“Definitely six months ago I was in a lot of pain with my back and I didn’t really know how my career was going to go,” she said.
“So I’m super-excited that I can be here and that I can play and that I can play on such a great court.”
She said she also took time before the match to inspect the trophy, with her name engraved from last year.
“I was definitely enjoying the moment,” she said. “Having that opportunity, that I can see my name there and that I can see the trophy and that I can just enter such a beautiful court, such a beautiful venue — it’s super, super special.”


Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette

Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette
Updated 01 July 2025
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Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette

Saudi club Neom sign former France striker Lacazette
  • Lacazette joins fellow ex-Lyon player Said Benrahma at Neom, who were promoted from the Saudi second tier last season
  • Neom also announced the signing of Ivorian midfielder Amadou Kone from Reims

PARIS: Former France forward Alexandre Lacazette has signed for Saudi club Neom after the end of his contract at Lyon, the Pro League side announced on Tuesday.

The 34-year-old joins fellow ex-Lyon player Said Benrahma at Neom, who were promoted from the Saudi second tier last season.

“From the cradle of heritage in Lyon to the frontier of the future at NEOM S.C,” Neom said in a social media post. “Sharpshooter @LacazetteAlex has arrived.”

Lacazette joined Lyon for a second spell with the team in 2022 from Arsenal and left the club as the second-highest goalscorer in their history with 201 goals.

Neom also announced the signing of Ivorian midfielder Amadou Kone from Reims on Monday.