Soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo sent shock waves across the sporting world last month by announcing he would be leaving European soccer after his stint at the renowned Manchester United club for the little-known Al-Nassr team in Saudi Arabia.
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Ronaldo’s Saudi Arabia era begins, fans set for first look at star
The player is to be formally presented to fans at the club’s home ground, Mrsool Park, which has a capacity of 25,000, at 7 p.m. local time (11 a.m. Eastern) on Tuesday, the club said. Tickets cost around $4, with proceeds going to a charity, it added. Spectators may see Ronaldo don the club’s yellow and blue uniform and pose for photographs; new players also sometimes exhibit their soccer tricks and skills during such events.
Posting on his Instagram account late Monday, the Portuguese star shared a short video of himself on a private jet telling his fans: “Hi, guys, see you soon!”
Images later showed him and his family arriving at a Riyadh airport and being greeted with flowers from fans.
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In November, the Saudi national team notched a historic upset victory in group play over eventual World Cup winner Argentina in neighboring Qatar. Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund owns the English Premier League team Newcastle United, as foreign nations continue to pour money into European clubs. Human rights advocates have criticized what they deem “sportswashing” by the oil-rich state, and the United Nations has long urged the country to improve its human rights record.
“History in the making,” Al-Nassr club said in a tweet announcing Ronaldo’s signing last week. “Welcome Cristiano to your new home.”
The Portuguese forward said in a statement that he was “excited to experience a new football league in a different country.” He added: “I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia.”
Now 37 and nearing the end of his career, Ronaldo will play for the Saudi club until 2025, Al-Nassr said. It did not disclose financial details, but media reports said his contract would pay about $75 million a year, making him one of the highest-paid soccer players in history.
The world’s top soccer players often spend their twilight years in the game outside Europe, usually opting for the United States or China. The Saudi club is coached by Rudi Garcia of France, and Ronaldo will join other notable players from Brazil, Colombia and Cameroon on the team.
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During his storied career, Ronaldo has won the Ballon d’Or award five times as the men’s soccer player of the year, and, in Qatar, he cemented his legacy by becoming the first man to score in five World Cup tournaments.
He has played in Europe’s top leagues, for Spain’s Real Madrid and Italy’s Juventus, as well as two stints at Manchester United. However, the mercurial player left the northern England club acrimoniously in November, becoming a free agent, shortly after blasting its American owners and its manager in an interview with the British journalist Piers Morgan.
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Sports
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
The Super Eagles of Nigeria have secured their qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, following Libya’s 1-0 victory over Rwanda in Kigali.
This result leaves Rwanda with five points from five matches, rendering them unable to surpass Nigeria in the standings, even if they win their upcoming match against the Super Eagles in Uyo.
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Currently, Nigeria leads Group D with 10 points, followed by Benin with six points, Rwanda with five, and Libya at the bottom with four points.
Benin remains in contention for the second qualification spot and will face Nigeria in a crucial match tonight.
Libya is set to host Benin in the final Group D game on Monday.
BREAKING: Super Eagles qualify for AFCON 2025
Sports
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Nearly 40 years after making his professional debut, and 19 years after being battered into retirement, a 58-year-old Mike Tyson will climb back into the ring on Friday for a Netflix-backed bout that has drawn widespread condemnation across the boxing world.
Tyson, who terrorised the heavyweight division during an imperious reign in the late 1980s, is lacing up the gloves once more to take on Youtuber Jake Paul, 27, in an officially sanctioned fight at AT&T Stadium, the home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
The fight, which will be comprised of eight two-minute rounds, was initially due to take place in July but was postponed in May after Tyson required medical treatment on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles after vomiting blood due to a bleeding ulcer.
That gory mid-air emergency has provided another piece of ammunition for the numerous critics who have condemned Friday’s contest as a macabre circus act that poses an unacceptable level of risk for Tyson, who last graced a professional ring in 2005, when he was beaten via a technical knockout after quitting on his stool against Irish journeyman Kevin McBride.
– ‘It shouldn’t be happening’ –
“Twenty years ago, Mike Tyson retired from boxing, and was shot to pieces, right? I mean, completely shot,” the prominent British fight promoter Eddie Hearn said this week.
“If anyone thinks that Mike Tyson should be in a ring at this age, you either have absolutely no emotional feelings toward the man, or you’re an idiot. It shouldn’t be happening.”
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Hearn’s rival promoter Frank Warren echoed those sentiments.
“Mike Tyson is 58 years of age and he shouldn’t be fighting,” Warren said after the bout was announced. “It’s as simple as that.
“Anyone with an ounce of brains knows that it is ridiculous. You can be on a motorway stuck in a traffic jam and you get to the end of it and all it is is people who have stopped to look at a crash — and that’s what this is.”
Tyson, who US reports say is being paid around $20 million for Friday’s contest, has brushed off the concerns for his wellbeing, insisting when critics from the boxing world are motivated by jealousy.
“I’m beautiful, that’s all I can say,” he said earlier this year. “The people who said that wish they were up here. No-one else can do this.”
Mike Tyson back in ring to face Youtuber Paul
Sports
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
South African Football Association (SAFA) President Danny Jordaan was arrested on Wednesday amid allegations that he misused the organization’s funds for personal purposes, as reported by local media.
Jordaan, renowned for his pivotal role in securing South Africa as the host for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, sought to block his arrest on Tuesday by filing an urgent application.
However, the Johannesburg High Court is scheduled to hear his case only on Thursday, leaving him vulnerable to arrest.
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The arrest stems from a raid by police on the SAFA offices in March, after which police spokesperson Katlego Mogale said the allegations are that “between 2014 and 2018, the president of SAFA used the organisation’s resources for his personal gain, including hiring a private security company for his personal protection and a public relations company, without authorisation from the SAFA board.”
Jordaan, 73, and his reported co-accused, SAFA chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling, are due to appear in court later on Wednesday.
Neither Jordaan nor SAFA responded to a request for comment from Reuters, but in his affidavit to court seeking to block his arrest, he denies any wrongdoing.
Alleged fraud: South Africa FA President, Danny Jordaan, arrested
(Reuters)
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