Vinicius Jr considering $ 1.1bn contract to join Saudi Pro League: Reports

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Written by Super User

Category: Sport

Published: 14 August 2024

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MADRID - Real Madrid’s Brazilian superstar Vinicius Jr linked with a $1.1 billion contract to join the Saudi Pro League.

Citing unnamed sources, Reuters said the Public Investment Fund (PIF) has approached the 24-year-old forward to sound out interest in a move to the Kingdom.

The report claims that the Real Madrid man, hotly tipped to win the Ballon D’or and be crowned the world’s best player in 2024, will be offered a salary of around €200m ($220m) a year until 2029.

Vinicius Jr to Saudi Arabia?

It is also claimed Vinicius Jr would be offered a 10-year contract to promote the 2034 World Cup, set to be staged in Saudi Arabia.

No club in Saudi Arabia has been named as a potential destination for the highly rated attacker, but PIF owns a 75 per cent share of Al Ahli, Al Ittihad, Al Hilal and Al Nassr, making them likely destinations.

In addition to an astronomical salary paid to Vinicius Jr, any potential transfer would almost certainly require a record fee to be paid to Real Madrid.

The Spanish La Liga champions want to keep the prize asset to play alongside new recruit Kylian Mbappe and breakout star of the 2023-2024 season, Jude Bellingham.

Vinicius Jr has a release clause of €1 billion ($1.1bn) and if Real Madrid refuse to sell potential buyers would need to meet that sum to guarantee his services.

Saudis plan futuristic World Cup stadium 350m above ground level

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Written by Super User

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Published: 01 August 2024

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RIYADH - Saudi Arabia is planning a World Cup football stadium 350 metres (1,150ft) above ground level in its still-unbuilt futuristic city The Line.

The proposed venue, Neom, will be one of 15 stadiums built for the country’s 2034 World Cup bid, in what is expected to be the most expensive sports construction project ever attempted.

Eleven of the stadiums will be new, eight in the capital Riyadh and four in the second city Jeddah, according to plans unveiled by the Gulf kingdom’s sporting body.

Neom, which is intended to host the quarter-final fixtures, will be “the most unique stadium in the world” and will promise an “experience like no other”, its designers say.

The opening and final matches however, are planned to take place at the King Salman Stadium, which will seat 92,000 and have VIP areas as well as “VVIP” areas.

Another stadium, close to Riyadh and named after crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman, will hang over the edge of a 200-metre (660ft) cliff.

A total of 132 training venues spread across 15 cities were proposed as base camps for the 48-team tournament and more than half would be built from scratch.

Only bidder for 2034 World Cup

Saudi Arabia has emerged as the only bidder for 2034, which has drawn sharp criticism from human rights groups over the country’s long history of political oppression and anti-LGBT laws.

There are also fears migrant labourers will be exploited, following the widespread abuses documented during the construction of Qatar’s £170-billion World Cup venues.

Saudi Arabia has paid huge sums to attract sporting events in recent times, moving from a backwater in international sports to be one of its major players. In 2034, the kingdom will also host the Asian Games, a two-week tournament with more events than the summer Olympics.

The Neom stadium will be part of Saudi Arabia’s projected 106-mile-long “linear city”, a zero-carbon, urban centre to house nine million people in the desert sands of the country’s deep northwest.

The multi-decade project, launched in 2017 by Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, has been plagued by seemingly constant delays and criticism of its suspect political aims and the poor human rights records of its masterminds.

Euro 2024: Guide to the 10 stadiums across Germany and their games

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Written by Super User

Category: Sport

Published: 10 June 2024

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DUESSELDORF, Germany — The European Championship in Germany is all about tried and tested stadiums with a rich soccer history.

Unlike at some recent World Cups, there’s been no rush to finish stadiums on time. All but one of Germany’s 10 venues hosted games at the 2006 World Cup and none have undergone major changes.

All capacities are given in the all-seated configuration used for Euro 2024, meaning the figure is typically lower than for club games where many fans can stand.

Here is a guide to the 10 stadiums and all of the games taking place at each:

OLYMPIASTADION

City: Berlin

Capacity for Euro 2024: 71,000

Games: Spain vs. Croatia (June 15), Poland vs. Austria (June 21), Netherlands vs. Austria (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (June 29), one quarterfinal game (July 6), the final (July 14).

Built for the 1936 Olympics under Nazi rule, the Olympiastadion was renovated to host the 2006 World Cup final and also held the Champions League final in 2015.

At club level, it’s the home of the German Cup final each season and also hosts home games for second-division Hertha Berlin.

The Olympiastadion had a cameo appearance in this season’s Champions League when Union Berlin trekked westward from its home in East Berlin to host games. The idea was for more fans to be able to watch, though not all of them were happy about playing at the home of their cross-town rival.

MUNICH FOOTBALL ARENA

City: Munich

Capacity for Euro 2024: 66,000

Games: Germany vs. Scotland (June 14), Romania vs. Ukraine (June 17), Slovenia vs. Serbia (June 20), Denmark vs. Serbia (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (July 2), one semifinal game (July 9).

Better known as the Allianz Arena for Bayern Munich games — stadium sponsorships are banished for the tournament — this stadium will host the opening game of Euro 2024 as Germany takes on Scotland on June 14.

It was home to the German league champion 11 years running until Bayer Leverkusen finally ended Bayern Munich’s reign this season. The stadium opened in 2005 and was originally shared by Bayern and its local rival 1860 Munich, but 1860 sold its share due to financial problems, moved out and now plays in the third division. The stadium’s location on the outskirts of Munich can mean long queues for trains back into town.

The arena branched out when it hosted Germany’s first regular-season NFL game in 2022 when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-16. It’s due to host a Carolina Panthers game later this year.

BVB STADION DORTMUND

City: Dortmund

Capacity for Euro 2024: 62,000

Games: Italy vs. Albania (June 15), Turkey vs. Georgia (June 18), Turkey vs. Portugal (June 21), France vs. Poland (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (June 29), one semifinal game (July 10).

The fans of Borussia Dortmund — BVB for short — know it as the Westfalenstadion, the cavernous beating heart of their club for over 50 years, but it’s also called Signal Iduna Park due to a long-running sponsorship deal, which doesn’t apply during the European Championship.

Dortmund, which lost this year’s Champions League final to Real Madrid, is famed for its loud “Yellow Wall” of fans in a standing section, but the stadium is going all-seater for Euro 2024, as part of changes that bring down its capacity by nearly 20,000 from the 81,365 who can pack in for club games. Having one of Europe’s biggest and loudest stadiums is a point of pride in Dortmund, an industrial city in western Germany’s Ruhr region.

STUTTGART ARENA

City: Stuttgart

Capacity for Euro 2024: 51,000

Games: Slovenia vs. Denmark (June 16), Germany vs. Hungary (June 19), Scotland vs. Hungary (June 23), Ukraine vs. Belgium (June 26), one game in the quarterfinals (July 5).

The venue’s historic name is the Neckarstadion after the river that flows through Stuttgart. Under that name, it hosted the 1988 European Cup final as Dutch club PSV Eindhoven beat Benfica of Portugal on penalties.

Since then, it’s had a string of different names due to sponsorship details, most recently as the MHPArena for this season as host club Stuttgart finished second in the Bundesliga to qualify for the Champions League.

VOLKSPARKSTADION

City: Hamburg

Capacity for Euro 2024: 49,000

Games: Poland vs. Netherlands (June 16), Croatia vs. Albania (June 19), Georgia vs. Czech Republic (June 22), Czech Republic vs. Turkey (June 26), one quarterfinal game (July 5).

The stadium sits in a large park and dates back nearly a century to 1925, though it was fully rebuilt in the 1950s and then again from 1998 through 2000.

Hamburger SV plays at the stadium and has been in the second division this season. Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk moved in earlier this season for three home Champions League games since it was unable to play at home because of the Russian invasion. That was the first time the Volksparkstadion had hosted European games since 2010 and a useful practice run for Euro 2024.

DUESSELDORF ARENA

City: Duesseldorf

Capacity for Euro 2024: 47,000

Games: Austria vs. France (June 17), Slovakia vs. Ukraine (June 21), Albania vs. Spain (June 24), one game in the round of 16 (July 1), one quarterfinal game (July 6).

The only Euro 2024 venue which wasn’t also used when Germany hosted the 2006 World Cup, this gray, boxy venue last year hosted the Invictus Games, a sports event for wounded, injured and ill service personnel and veterans which was founded by Britain’s Prince Harry.

The stadium was an unsuccessful candidate for the NFL’s expansion into Germany and was briefly converted into a vaccination center for the local area during the COVID-19 pandemic. The last club game at the stadium this season brought heartbreak for local fans as Fortuna Duesseldorf threw away a 3-0 lead and missed out on promotion to the Bundesliga.

COLOGNE STADIUM

City: Cologne

Capacity for Euro 2024: 43,000

Games: Hungary vs. Switzerland (June 15), Scotland vs. Switzerland (June 19), Belgium vs. Romania (June 22), England vs. Slovenia (June 25), one game in the round of 16 (June 30).

Historically, it’s been known as Muengersdorfer Stadion after the district of Cologne where it’s located. The local crowds are known for their passionate support of Cologne in league games, though this season ended with relegation from the Bundesliga. The stadium stepped in at short notice in 2020 to host the Europa League final during the COVID-19 pandemic as Spain’s Sevilla beat Italian club Inter Milan 3-2 without a crowd.

FRANKFURT ARENA

City: Frankfurt

Capacity for Euro 2024: 47,000

Games: Belgium vs. Slovakia (June 17), Denmark vs. England (June 20), Switzerland vs. Germany (June 23), Slovakia vs. Romania (June 26), one game in the round of 16 (July 1).

Home to Eintracht Frankfurt, which won the Europa League in 2022, the club’s fans still know this arena by its traditional name, the Waldstadion, though it’s currently the Deutsche Bank Park because of a sponsorship deal.

There has been a stadium on the site since 1925 and it hosted the opening game of the 1974 World Cup as Brazil drew 0-0 with Yugoslavia. The stadium held two NFL games last year, including a win for the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, as the league expands its presence in Germany.

LEIPZIG STADIUM

City: Leipzig

Capacity for Euro 2024: 40,000

Games: Portugal vs. Czech Republic (June 18), Netherlands vs. France (June 21), Croatia vs. Italy (June 24), one game in the round of 16 (July 2).

The only Euro 2024 stadium which is in the former East Germany, this venue was built for the 2006 World Cup on the site of the Zentralstadion. It had been East Germany’s largest with a capacity estimated at 100,000 or more. Set up by drinks giant Red Bull, the newly formed Leipzig club took over the stadium in 2010 and renamed it the Red Bull Arena for club games.

ARENA AUFSCHALKE

City: Gelsenkirchen

Capacity for Euro 2024: 50,000

Games: Serbia vs. England (June 16), Spain vs. Italy (June 20), Georgia vs. Portugal (June 26), one game in the round of 16 (June 30).

There hasn’t been much to celebrate at this stadium in recent years. It’s home to Schalke, which was a Champions League team in the 2018-19 season but dropped out of the German top league altogether in 2021, only to return and then be relegated again last year. Schalke spent this season fighting possible relegation to the third division — and chronic financial woes — but eventually survived in the second tier.

The stadium was state-of-the-art when it was completed in 2001 with a retractable roof and a field which can be moved out of the stadium for concerts. It hosted the 2004 Champions League final as Jose Mourinho’s Porto beat Monaco 3-0. After Euro 2024, the stadium will be one of three German venues on Taylor Swift’s Eras tour.