MANAMA: August may be one of the droning months of the year in this part of the world, but football lovers here would probably be unmindful of the heat and humidity because of the full platter of live football action being served to them throughout the month from three corners of the globe.
According to an announcement from Arab Digital Distribution (ADD), the largest pay television management platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the action begins at 1:15 a.m. ( Bahrain time) on Aug. 5 (22.15GMT, August 4) on ART Prime Sport for its Firstnet Premium, Pehla Gold and Silver subscribers. LDU Quito of Ecuador, surprise winners of the 2008 Copa Libertadores, takes on Libertad of Paraguay in the first match of the Copa Sudamericana 2009. Copa Sudamericana is an equivalent to the now-defunct Copa Conmebol and is comparable to the UEFA Europa League in European club football competition, with the exception that some top teams can play both in this tournament and in the Copa Libertadores.
The action then moves to Italy, where the Supercoppa Italiana, a pre-season football competition held the week before the seasons begins every year. Serie A champions Internazionale will battle it out against Coppa Italia winners Lazio at 3 a.m. on Aug. 8 for this year’s Italian Super Cup at the Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium in Beijing, as a curtain raiser to the new season. The Italians playing football in Beijing comes as a surprise, as the football chiefs take the pre-season curtain raiser abroad in a bid to increase global interest in Serie A.
