Champions League final set to reach 450 million broadcast viewers worldwide

Champions League final set to reach 450 million broadcast viewers worldwide
The live, minute-by-minute average audience includes verified and estimated in-home TV viewers, fans streaming the game plus those watching in bars, restaurants and fan parks. (Reuters)
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Updated 10 June 2023
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Champions League final set to reach 450 million broadcast viewers worldwide

Champions League final set to reach 450 million broadcast viewers worldwide
  • The lower audience rating in 2023 reflects changing viewing habits and the absence of Real Madrid
  • Lower ratings for modern Champions League finals also reflects UEFA selling rights in fewer markets to free-to-air broadcasters

ISTANBUL: A global audience of 450 million viewers is expected to watch at least some part of the Champions League final between Manchester City and Inter Milan on Saturday, UEFA has estimated.
The live, minute-by-minute average audience — a longtime gold standard in the broadcasting industry — of about 150 million is expected for the game in Istanbul that is being shown in more than 200 territories worldwide, UEFA said. It includes verified and estimated in-home TV viewers, fans streaming the game plus those watching in bars, restaurants and fan parks.
That 150 million figure is lower than the Champions League record 184 million average audience set by the 2014 final when Real Madrid beat city rival Atlético Madrid 4-1 after extra time.
The lower audience rating in 2023 reflects changing viewing habits and the absence of Real Madrid, which has a long-established global fan base.
Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Liverpool one year ago had an average audience of 166 million, according to UEFA research, and the same two teams’ final in 2018 had a 161 million average.
When Liverpool played another English club, Tottenham, one year later in 2019 the average audience was just 91 million, according to UEFA.
Another all-English final delivered the lowest average audience in the past 15 years — just 84 million for Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Man City two years ago.
Lower ratings for modern Champions League finals also reflects UEFA selling rights in fewer markets to free-to-air broadcasters. Instead, UEFA and clubs have prioritized higher-revenue deals with pay-TV networks.
Still, the low figure for the 2021 final was almost doubled the next year when Real Madrid was again involved.
Broadcast deals have driven the commercial revenue of UEFA’s three club competitions to about $3.9 billion (3.6 billion euros) this season.
The 32 Champions League clubs that qualified for the group stage will share more than $2.15 billion (2 billion euros) in UEFA prize money this season.
Man City is likely to be Europe’s top earner with at least $129 million (120 million euros). Real Madrid topped the list last season with $144 million (133.7 million euros) in prize money from UEFA.


Neymar draws blank as Al-Hilal draws with Damac

Neymar draws blank as Al-Hilal draws with Damac
Updated 8 sec ago
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Neymar draws blank as Al-Hilal draws with Damac

Neymar draws blank as Al-Hilal draws with Damac
  • Early goal from Malcom put the visitors ahead as they looked to bounce back from a disappointing opening game 1-1 draw in the Asian Champions League with Navbahor
  • Nicolae Stanciu lined up a free-kick for Damac more than 30 meters from goal and the Romanian’s shot took an awkward bounce as Bounou went down to make the save and it ended up in the net

Neymar is still looking for his first goal in Saudi Arabia as Al-Hilal were held to a 1-1 draw with lowly Damac on Thursday. Despite the dropped points, the Riyadh giants return to the capital as league leaders with 17 points from the first seven games of the season. 

An early goal from Malcom put the visitors ahead as they looked to bounce back from a disappointing opening game 1-1 draw in the Asian Champions League on Monday with Navbahor of Uzbekistan. It didn’t quite work out that way as Damac produced a performance that belied their next-to-bottom league standing.

Hilal coach Jorge Jesus fielded a strong line-up containing the club’s big summer signings. Neymar was in attack alongside fellow Brazilian Malcom. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic also started, as did Kalidou Koulibaly in defense and Yassine Bounou between the sticks. Ruben Neves came off the bench at the start of the second half.

By that time the men in white were looking for a bit of a cushion as Damac, still looking for a first win of the season with just three points from the opening six games, had their moments.

Malcom fired the opener after just nine minutes but there was much to thank Neymar for. The former Barcelona star had dropped deep — as he did on numerous occasions — to pick up possession. He then threaded a pass through two defenders on the left for Salem Al-Dawsari to get to the byline — to pull back for the Brazilian to smash the ball high into the net from the edge of the six-yard box.

Al-Hilal wanted a second, and almost immediately from the restart, attacked down the same side but this time Al-Dawsari’s low ball, with Neymar waiting in the middle, was cut out.

Damac almost levelled after 14 minutes. Abdulaziz Al-Bishi blocked a poor clearance, and after pushing Bounou out of the way on the right side, could not curl the ball into the empty net from the tightest of angles. It was a let-off for the 18-time champions.

There was another warning on the half-hour. Assan Ceesay looked like he was going to give Damac the lead as he shot from inside the area but Bounou was quick off his line to make the save.

Then Neymar should have scored. With eight minutes of the first half remaining, Malcom drew a number of defenders on the right side and then slipped the perfect pass into his fellow Brazilian, unmarked near the penalty spot. Neymar shot toward the bottom corner but was denied by the heel of Sultan Faqihi.

Just before the break, Damac came even closer as Farouk Chafai headed against the Hilal crossbar. The hosts continued to push for the equalizer after the break and got back on level terms midway through the second half. It was a deserved goal though slightly soft from the point of view of the visitors.

There didn’t seem to be a huge amount of danger when Nicolae Stanciu lined up a free-kick more than 30 meters from goal, but the Romanian’s shot took an awkward bounce as Bounou went down to make the save and it ended up in the net.

Soon after, Milinkovic-Savic produced a pass of beauty to dissect the Damac defense and while Neymar made his run behind the backline, he could not quite guide the ball between the posts.

Both teams continued to push forward for the winner but neither managed it. It was a second successive disappointing 1-1 draw for Al-Hilal.

Elsewhere, Gina Wijnaldum announced his arrival in Saudi Arabia with a brace as Ettifaq picked up a dramatic 4-3 win at home to Al-Tai. 

The former Liverpool star scored the fastest goal of the season so far, after 79 seconds, to give the Dammam men the lead. A hat-trick from Bernand Mensah ensured that Al-Tai were in the game as Moussa Dembele and then a second from Wijnaldum ensured it was 3-3 as the game entered injury time.

With 94 minutes on the clock Dembele struck again to send the team third, just a point behind leaders Al-Hilal.

Al-Taawoun are second after a 2-1 win at home to Al-Raed.


Oman hosts 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth Football in December

Oman hosts 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth Football in December
Updated 23 min 44 sec ago
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Oman hosts 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth Football in December

Oman hosts 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth Football in December
  • The championship will be held for footballers born in 2008
  • The tournament’s draw will take place on November 23, 2023

MUSCAT: The Omani Football Federation will be hosting the 10th West Asian Union Championship for Youth in Muscat between December 10 and 20, 2023.
Seven Arab countries including Jordan, UAE, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Yemen, in addition to the host, Oman, will participate in the championship that is being held for footballers born in 2008, said a media statement on Thursday.
The tournament’s draw is scheduled to take place on November 23, 2023, at the West Asian Union Headquarters in Jordan’s capital, Amman, and will be broadcast on its official YouTube page.
The Jordanian national team won the 9th championship which was held in Aqaba City, in Jordan, during the summer of 2022 after winning the final match 1-0 against Lebanon.
Along with the two finalists, Yemen, Kuwait, Oman, Palestine, Syria and Iraq participated in the tournament’s ninth edition.


Saudi U-23 football team defeats Mongolia to top group at 2023 Asian Games

Saudi U-23 football team defeats Mongolia to top group at 2023 Asian Games
Updated 21 September 2023
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Saudi U-23 football team defeats Mongolia to top group at 2023 Asian Games

Saudi U-23 football team defeats Mongolia to top group at 2023 Asian Games
  • Saudi female rower Haya Al-Mami qualifies for the semifinals of the women’s single sculls competition
  • Over 6,000 journalists and 1,500 photographers have applied to cover the 19th Asian Games

HANGZHOU, China: The Saudi U-23 football team took the lead in the second group on Thursday after winning their second match against Mongolia at the 2023 Asian Games.
The Green Falcons thrashed Mongolia 3-0 with Haitham Asiri, Mohamed Marran and Naif Masoud scoring on the 18th, 49th and 74th minutes, respectively.
The Saudis now lead the group with three points following a goalless draw with Iran in their opening game.
Saudi female rower Haya Al-Mami has qualified for the semifinals of the women’s single sculls competition (W1x) after finishing third in the second round.
The semifinal will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday at the Fuyang Lake Water Sports Center, and will include competitors from South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Uzbekistan and China.
In the men’s lightweight double sculls (LM2x) competition, Saudi duo Turki Al-Aarf and Sultan Al-Shali advanced to group B after finishing fifth in the second round.
Their teammate Rakan Ali Reda advanced to group C in the men’s single sculls (M1x) competition after finishing sixth in the second round.
On Friday, the Saudi table tennis team start their participation when they face the host country China at 6 pm.
The draw for the table tennis competition on Thursday placed the Saudi team in the group with China and Vietnam.
The competitions involve 20 teams in the men’s category and 18 in the women’s category.
The Saudi e-sports team held its first training session at the e-sports hall in the Jiang Hotel in Hangzhou, with 22 players taking part.
Over 6,000 journalists and 1,500 photographers have applied to cover the Asian Games. The organizing committee has set up a comprehensive media center in the Expo Ground area in downtown Hangzhou.
The center features nine large screens for broadcasting live games and can accommodate over 500 media representatives at one time. It functions for 16 hours daily, and provides news, photos, and videos in languages including Arabic, English, Korean, Japanese, Russian and Chinese.
Organizers have dedicated an area for conducting live interviews with guests.


South Korea thump Thailand 4-0 to reach Asian Games last 16

South Korea thump Thailand 4-0 to reach Asian Games last 16
Updated 21 September 2023
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South Korea thump Thailand 4-0 to reach Asian Games last 16

South Korea thump Thailand 4-0 to reach Asian Games last 16
  • Hosts China and North Korea also registered second successive wins
  • South Korea raced into a 4-0 lead by half-time at the Jinhua Sports Center stadium

HANGZHOU, China: Defending Asian Games men’s football champions South Korea became the first team into the last 16 after a 4-0 cruise past Thailand on Thursday.
Hosts China and North Korea also registered second successive wins and both need only a point from their final group games on Sunday to guarantee a place in the knockout phase.
South Korea raced into a 4-0 lead by half-time at the Jinhua Sports Center stadium via a goal apiece for Hong Hyun-seok, An Jae-jun, Um Wong-san and Lee Jae-ik.
It sparked thoughts that the gold medal winners from Jakarta in 2018 might repeat their 9-0 opening game rout of Kuwait on Tuesday, but the Thais were more resolute in the second half.
China had a sizeable crowd at the Huanglong Sports Center Stadium rocking by half-time as they also went 4-0 up before the break against Myanmar.
Two goals from Long Tan and one apiece from Dai Wenjun and Wang Zhenao put them into cruise control and though they peppered the Myanmar goal in the second half they, like the South Koreans, could not add to their score.
Earlier on Thursday, India kept their last-16 hopes alive by edging Bangladesh 1-0 with a goal from 39-year-old striker Sunil Chhetri.
“I feel relief that we gave ourselves a chance to stay in the tournament,” said the veteran.
India lost their opening game 5-1 to China on Tuesday but can still go through from Group A if they beat Myanmar on Sunday.
“It wasn’t easy, playing back-to-back in two days, and in three days we have a game again. There are no excuses though as the other teams are doing the same,” Chhetri added.
“This gives us a chance of going at Myanmar and trying to qualify.”
North Korea, who are playing their first tournament since the Covid pandemic, were pushed hard by Kyrgyzstan but a 20th-minute goal from forward Kim Kuk Jin was enough to give them a 1-0 victory at the Zhejiang Normal University Stadium.
They beat Taiwan 2-0 in their opening match on Tuesday.
North Korea are competing at their first multisport event since the Asian Games in Jakarta in 2018.
The Asian Games officially open on Saturday but some events have begun their preliminary phase, including football.
Asian Games men’s football squads are made up of under-23 players, with three older players allowed, but the age limit has been extended to under-24 for this edition because the games were delayed by a year.


German court orders new assault trial for footballer Boateng

German court orders new assault trial for footballer Boateng
Updated 21 September 2023
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German court orders new assault trial for footballer Boateng

German court orders new assault trial for footballer Boateng
  • The superior regional court in Munich decided in favor of Boateng’s appeal, that of his alleged victim as well as state prosecutors’, citing procedural errors
  • “The responsible tribunal will begin again with the taking of evidence,” the court said

MUNICH, Germany: A German court on Thursday threw out the assault conviction of footballer Jerome Boateng for attacking his ex-girlfriend in 2018 and ordered a new trial.
In a legal odyssey now on its third ruling, the superior regional court in Munich decided in favor of Boateng’s appeal, that of his alleged victim as well as state prosecutors’, citing procedural errors.
“The responsible tribunal will begin again with the taking of evidence,” the court said in a statement.
If it sides with the plaintiff, the new court could level a more severe sentence than the 1.2-million-euro ($1.3-million) fine Boateng was ordered to pay in November 2022.
Boateng was found guilty in 2021 of assaulting and insulting his former partner, the mother of his twin daughters, during a Caribbean holiday five years ago.
The footballer had always denied the allegations and sought an acquittal on appeal.
The district court in Munich confirmed he was guilty last November but reduced the original fine — calculated according to the accused’s net income — to 1.2 million euros from 1.8 million euros.
During the initial trial, Boateng’s former partner told the court that Germany’s 2014 World Cup winner had punched her, causing her to lose her breath for a moment during a heated argument.
The incident happened in the weeks after the World Cup in Russia, when Boateng was in the Germany squad which was knocked out in the group stage.
Boateng’s former partner described how he “pressed against my eye with his thumb, bit me in the head and pulled me to the floor by my hair.”
She said the now 35-year-old repeatedly insulted her and hit her on the back with “one strong punch and several light punches.”
In the latest appeals, the Munich court agreed with Boateng’s legal team that one of its challenges for bias had been unfairly decided with the involvement of a judge it had already rejected.
However it also ruled in favor of the plaintiff and prosecutors who argued that the sentence the lower court had imposed for Boateng throwing a cooler bag at his then partner had been too light.
Boateng played for German giants Bayern Munich for a decade before signing with France’s Lyon in 2021. He is currently without a club.