JEDDAH, 27 August 2004 — The new season of the Saudi Soccer League begins today with the opening match between Al-Ittihad of Jeddah and Ohod of Madinah.
The match will be played at Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium here. Ittihad, who have won many titles, will start the quest once again to win the championship despite losing the final against Shabab 1-0 last year.
Two more matches will also take place today. Al-Hilal of Riyadh will play Al-Taie of Hail in Riyadh and Al-Ittifaq of Dammam to take Al-Wehda of Makkah in Dammam.
Everton Reject Rooney Bids
Everton have rejected bids from Premier League rivals Manchester United and Newcastle United for England striker Wayne Rooney, the club said yesterday in London. Agency adds
Newcastle made a second bid for the 18-year-old yesterday after offering about 20 million pounds ($35.94 million) to sign the 18-year-old earlier this week.
“Newcastle have submitted an increased offer for Wayne Rooney, one which has been turned down,” Everton spokesman Ian Ross told the BBC.
Manchester United confirmed to the stock exchange earlier yesterday that they had made an offer for Rooney. The transfer window closes next Tuesday. Everton manager David Moyes had previously said he had no intention of parting with Rooney.
However, his tone changed on Wednesday when he indicated the striker could be sold for a fee above the 24 million pounds Chelsea paid last month for Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba from Olympique Marseille.
