Ten Hag Hopes Rashford and Man Utd ‘Find Each Other’ in Contract Talks

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford shows dejection at full time during the English Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United, in London, Britain, 07 May 2023. (EPA)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford shows dejection at full time during the English Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United, in London, Britain, 07 May 2023. (EPA)
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Ten Hag Hopes Rashford and Man Utd ‘Find Each Other’ in Contract Talks

Manchester United's Marcus Rashford shows dejection at full time during the English Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United, in London, Britain, 07 May 2023. (EPA)
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford shows dejection at full time during the English Premier League match between West Ham United and Manchester United, in London, Britain, 07 May 2023. (EPA)

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag said he is confident that Marcus Rashford will agree a new contract with the Premier League club even as the English forward prepares to enter the final year of his deal with the Old Trafford outfit.

Rashford has enjoyed the best season of his career with 29 goals in all competitions for United, including 16 in the Premier League.

However, the 25-year-old United academy graduate has yet to put pen to paper on a new deal and although Ten Hag said he knew why talks have dragged on, the Dutchman refused to elaborate.

"Yes, I know (why), but I don't talk about the process. Let the process go. Once again, this is not important at the moment for me or Rashy," Ten Hag told reporters ahead of Saturday's league match at Bournemouth.

"For him, it is to get more goals this season. He is playing a wonderful season and the team is playing a wonderful season. We have to get into the Champions League and focus on that.

"Marcus wants to stay and we want him to stay, so I think we will find each other."

United are fourth in the table with 66 points and have a game in hand over Liverpool, who are a point behind in the top-four race for Champions League qualification.

Ten Hag's side are also in the FA Cup final where they will look to deny their rivals Manchester City a shot at the treble achieved only once before in England -- by the 1998-99 United team -- but he is not looking that far ahead yet.

"When we have three games and it's gone, yes, I will enjoy it. Before that, it is not important at all," he said.

"I think we have to keep doing what we have all season, improve every day and improve every game ... Focusing on the next game is the most important."



Reports: Inter Miami in the Mix for Lionel Messi 

Aerial view of a mural painting depicting Argentine football star Lionel Messi at the Villa del Parque train station in Buenos Aires taken on June 6, 2023. (AFP)
Aerial view of a mural painting depicting Argentine football star Lionel Messi at the Villa del Parque train station in Buenos Aires taken on June 6, 2023. (AFP)
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Reports: Inter Miami in the Mix for Lionel Messi 

Aerial view of a mural painting depicting Argentine football star Lionel Messi at the Villa del Parque train station in Buenos Aires taken on June 6, 2023. (AFP)
Aerial view of a mural painting depicting Argentine football star Lionel Messi at the Villa del Parque train station in Buenos Aires taken on June 6, 2023. (AFP)

Global superstar Lionel Messi may be headed to Major League Soccer this summer.

Messi, who has been linked to Inter Miami for some time, can choose his next team as a free transfer when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires at the end of June.

Messi has offers from Miami, his former club FC Barcelona and Saudi club Al-Hilal, but Miami is the likeliest landing spot because Barcelona can't guarantee a deal until it sells a player, according to reports from Argentinian and Spanish outlets.

The website SPORT reported last week that Miami offered Messi $54 million per year for four years. Spanish journalist Guillem Balague said Sunday that Miami's offer to Messi included complex sponsorship deals with brands like Apple and Adidas to help pay him top dollar.

Then, Apple TV+ announced Tuesday that it secured the rights to a four-part documentary about Messi's career. Apple TV+ is also in the first year of a TV rights deal with MLS.

In 2022 Messi's camp denied a report that Messi would come to Inter Miami and receive a 35 percent ownership stake in the club after his PSG contract expired.

Messi, who turns 36 in June, had 16 goals and 16 assists for PSG in Ligue 1 action in 2022-23. He's also less than one year removed from leading Argentina to a World Cup victory.


Gladbach Name Seoane as New Head Coach

10 September 2022, Berlin: Gerardo Seoane, then Bayer Leverkusen's coach, is pictured before the start of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hertha BSC and Bayer Leverkusen at the Olympiastadion. (dpa)
10 September 2022, Berlin: Gerardo Seoane, then Bayer Leverkusen's coach, is pictured before the start of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hertha BSC and Bayer Leverkusen at the Olympiastadion. (dpa)
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Gladbach Name Seoane as New Head Coach

10 September 2022, Berlin: Gerardo Seoane, then Bayer Leverkusen's coach, is pictured before the start of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hertha BSC and Bayer Leverkusen at the Olympiastadion. (dpa)
10 September 2022, Berlin: Gerardo Seoane, then Bayer Leverkusen's coach, is pictured before the start of the German Bundesliga soccer match between Hertha BSC and Bayer Leverkusen at the Olympiastadion. (dpa)

Borussia Moenchengladbach have appointed former Bayer Leverkusen manager Gerardo Seoane as their new head coach, the Bundesliga club said.

Gladbach parted ways with manager Daniel Farke after one season, having finished the campaign 10th and seven points adrift of the European qualification places.

Seoane, 44, has signed a three-year contract with Gladbach.

Seoane, who coached Leverkusen from July 2021 to October 2022, was in charge of Young Boys in his native Switzerland, with whom he won three consecutive league titles and one domestic cup trophy.

"Seoane has been successful for several clubs over the past few years. He's a young coach, but one with lots of experience," Gladbach's managing director for sport Roland Virkus said.

"He plays the style of football we want to see here. We're pleased that he's our new head coach at Borussia Moenchengladbach."


Man City’s Stones Exudes Confidence Ahead of Champions League Final 

Football - Champions League - Final - Manchester City Media Day - Etihad Campus, Manchester, Britain - June 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones during training. (Reuters)
Football - Champions League - Final - Manchester City Media Day - Etihad Campus, Manchester, Britain - June 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones during training. (Reuters)
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Man City’s Stones Exudes Confidence Ahead of Champions League Final 

Football - Champions League - Final - Manchester City Media Day - Etihad Campus, Manchester, Britain - June 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones during training. (Reuters)
Football - Champions League - Final - Manchester City Media Day - Etihad Campus, Manchester, Britain - June 6, 2023 Manchester City's John Stones during training. (Reuters)

Manchester City are more composed and confident ahead of Saturday's Champions League final against Inter Milan after facing setbacks in the previous campaigns, defender John Stones said as the Premier League champions chase a historic treble.

The 29-year-old England international and his team mates can achieve sporting immortality in Istanbul, where City can be crowned European champions for the first time and match arch-rivals Manchester United's treble in 1999.

Stones, who experienced the disappointment of losing the 2021 Champions League final to Chelsea, said they need to ensure history does not repeat itself.

"Don't (let it) happen again, first and foremost. It was somewhere where we had never been before and a situation we had never been in," Stones told Sky Sports.

"Now, being through that difficult time, coming out on the losing side was super hard and hit home hard. That's one of the biggest feelings that sticks with you, and you don't want to feel that again.

"We have seemed a lot calmer and confident going into this game. Knowing that we should believe in ourselves and in what we have achieved already and how we're playing, there are so many factors that come into play."

Having secured the Premier League and FA Cup, City are favorites to triumph over Inter as they eye their first taste of European glory


Benzema Becomes Saudi League’s Latest Star After Signing with Al-Ittihad

Karim Benzema poses with members of the Saudi Arabian football team Al-Ittihad organization in this handout photo obtained by Reuters June 6, 2023. (Al-Ittihad/Handout via Reuters)
Karim Benzema poses with members of the Saudi Arabian football team Al-Ittihad organization in this handout photo obtained by Reuters June 6, 2023. (Al-Ittihad/Handout via Reuters)
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Benzema Becomes Saudi League’s Latest Star After Signing with Al-Ittihad

Karim Benzema poses with members of the Saudi Arabian football team Al-Ittihad organization in this handout photo obtained by Reuters June 6, 2023. (Al-Ittihad/Handout via Reuters)
Karim Benzema poses with members of the Saudi Arabian football team Al-Ittihad organization in this handout photo obtained by Reuters June 6, 2023. (Al-Ittihad/Handout via Reuters)

Karim Benzema has become the latest football star to move to Saudi Arabia after signing with the national champion Al-Ittihad on Tuesday.

Benzema, who left Real Madrid after 14 years and 648 games, is set to play against his former Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo, who joined Al-Nassr in January.

Al-Ittihad posted a video on Twitter of Benzema signing a contract until 2026.

“I am excited to see you in Jeddah,” the French striker said in the video.

The 35-year-old Benzema had been with Madrid since 2009 and won a club record 25 titles, including five Champions League trophies. His last season with Madrid saw him captain the team to victory in the Copa del Rey final but Madrid finished second to Barcelona in the Spanish league and lost in the semifinals of the Champions League.

He bid farewell to the fans after scoring in his final Madrid game on Sunday, a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao.

Al-Ittihad, from the port city of Jeddah, won its first Saudi league title since 2009 last month after overhauling Ronaldo's Al-Nassr from the capital city of Riyadh, which had led for much of the season.

The team is coached by Nuno Espirito Santo, who previously coached Wolverhampton and Tottenham in the English Premier League.


Unlikely Champions League Finalist Inter Milan Out to Upset Manchester City 

Inter Milan's players train during a media day ahead of the Champions League final, at the Suning training center, in Appiano Gentile, northern Italy, Monday, June 5, 2023. (AP)
Inter Milan's players train during a media day ahead of the Champions League final, at the Suning training center, in Appiano Gentile, northern Italy, Monday, June 5, 2023. (AP)
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Unlikely Champions League Finalist Inter Milan Out to Upset Manchester City 

Inter Milan's players train during a media day ahead of the Champions League final, at the Suning training center, in Appiano Gentile, northern Italy, Monday, June 5, 2023. (AP)
Inter Milan's players train during a media day ahead of the Champions League final, at the Suning training center, in Appiano Gentile, northern Italy, Monday, June 5, 2023. (AP)

With its massive spending power, Manchester City's run to the Champions League final has hardly come as a surprise.

The same cannot be said for Inter Milan, City's opponent on Saturday in Istanbul.

While Inter is one of European soccer's most storied teams, it enters the game as an outsider, having somewhat surprisingly reached the final. After all, Inter is the third best team in Italy, a league that has long-since lost its shine after being considered the ultimate destination for the world's best players in the 1990s.

Inter finished the season 18 points behind league champion Napoli, the team many expected to go far before losing to AC Milan in the quarterfinals.

Inter went on to beat its city rival in the semifinals to advance to the final of European club soccer's elite competition for the first time in 13 years.

To put that achievement into context, this was the first time it had even been in the quarterfinals since 2011, when it was the defending champion. But it is also a club that has tasted success in recent years after winning the Italian league in 2021, back-to-back Italian Cups in 2022 and 2023, and the Italian Super Cup this season.

“Manchester City have won two trophies (this season), but so have Inter. They will be facing an opponent who deserve to be in Istanbul as much as they do,” Inter coach Simone Inzaghi said.

The power in European soccer has shifted considerably since Inter last won the trophy in 2010.

Back then City was still waiting for its first major piece of silverware since 1976. But backed by Abu Dhabi's ruling family, it has since gone on to win 16 more trophies, including seven Premier League titles.

This year City is bidding to become only the second English team to win the three biggest trophies in one season — the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Only Inter can stop City from emulating Manchester United's treble from 1999.

Looking at the respective two teams on paper, some may consider it a mismatch.

While City has superstar signings like Erling Haaland, Jack Grealish and Kevin De Bruyne, Inter has a mishmash of players who have managed to reboot or prolong their careers at the club.

Edin Dzeko, for instance, is 37 years old and left City eight years ago, having been part of its first title-winning team under Abu Dhabi ownership in 2012. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is 34 and disappointed at both Manchester United and Arsenal. Matteo Darmian, 33, also failed to make a major impact at United.

Romelu Lukaku was generally considered to have flopped after big money transfers for United and Chelsea, but is one of Inter's players with genuine star appeal. Likewise Lautaro Martinez, who won the World Cup with Argentina in December when he scored the winning penalty in the final shootout against France.

But whereas Inter once had the pulling power to lure players like the Ronaldo, Christian Vieri and Luis Figo, it cannot compete with the spending power of City, which has assembled arguably the strongest squad in club soccer.

Inter has suffered as Italian soccer has been overshadowed by the Premier League, which has enormous popularity around the world and benefits from massive broadcast revenues.

Inter is owned by Retail giant Suning and reported a loss of $285 million for the 2020-21 financial year, which was the highest ever for a top-flight Italian club. That was largely blamed on the impact of COVID-19 and the fact it had to play inside empty stadiums.

In May 2021, it also secured a financing deal with American investment fund Oaktree Capital that reportedly entailed a cash injection of $336 million.

Win or lose, Inter's run to the final should be lucrative.

Last year's winner Real Madrid received $146.4 million in prize money, while runner-up Liverpool earned $131.4 million from UEFA’s Champions League prize fund of $2.2 billion.

But Inter's fans will be dreaming of a fourth European Cup.

Inter was the last Italian team to win the trophy, when Jose Mourinho guided it to a treble of trophies along with the league title and the Italian Cup.

Inzaghi is the coach now, even though his position looked under threat as recently as April.

After an unlikely route to the final, he is aiming to pull off the biggest shock of all against a City team that looks unstoppable.


I Don’t Support the War, I Don’t Support Lukashenko, Says Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning her quarter final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning her quarter final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP)
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I Don’t Support the War, I Don’t Support Lukashenko, Says Sabalenka

Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning her quarter final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP)
Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus reacts after winning her quarter final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (AP)

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka, the world tennis number two, said on Tuesday she did not want her country to be in any conflict and did not support the war in Ukraine.

"I don't want my country to be in any conflict, I don't support the war," Sabalenka told a press conference after her quarter-final victory against Ukraine's Elina Svitolina at the French Open.

"I don't support war, meaning I don't support (Belarus President) Alexander Lukashenko right now."

Sabalenka did not attend her two previous press conferences last week, citing mental health reasons and saying she did not feel safe after being grilled about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow calls a "special military operation", and Belarus being used as a staging ground for Russian troops.

"I really felt bad not coming here. I couldn't sleep. Like all those bad feelings was in my head, I couldn't fall asleep. I felt really bad not coming here," Sabalenka explained, although she did not regret skipping her media duties.

"I don't regret the decisions. I felt really disrespected, and I felt really bad. I mean, Grand Slam, it's enough pressure to handle, and I just tried to focus on myself, on my game," she said.

"I really hope that you guys will understand me, my feelings. You know that I really respect all of you... You can ask whatever you want. You will get all the information.

"But in the last press conference, I felt like my press conference became a political TV show, and I'm not expert in politics. I'm just a tennis player."


Son Jun-ho Selected for South Korean Soccer Team Despite Being Detained in China 

In this file photo taken on November 22, 2022 South Korea's midfielder Son Jun-ho gives a press conference before a training session at Al Egla Training Site 5 in Doha during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (AFP)
In this file photo taken on November 22, 2022 South Korea's midfielder Son Jun-ho gives a press conference before a training session at Al Egla Training Site 5 in Doha during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (AFP)
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Son Jun-ho Selected for South Korean Soccer Team Despite Being Detained in China 

In this file photo taken on November 22, 2022 South Korea's midfielder Son Jun-ho gives a press conference before a training session at Al Egla Training Site 5 in Doha during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (AFP)
In this file photo taken on November 22, 2022 South Korea's midfielder Son Jun-ho gives a press conference before a training session at Al Egla Training Site 5 in Doha during the Qatar 2022 World Cup football tournament. (AFP)

The selection of Son Jun-ho despite his detention in China took the focus off Premier League star Son Heung-min for once when South Korea’s soccer roster was unveiled.

Son Jun-ho, who plays for Shandong Taishan and won the 2021 Chinese championship with the Jinan-based club, has been held by Chinese authorities for almost four weeks since he was detained at Shanghai Airport last month.

Yet he was picked by South Korea’s head coach Jurgen Klinsmann this week for two international friendlies against Peru and El Salvador on June 16 and 20.

Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Son, who represented South Korea at the World Cup last year in Qatar, was being investigated on suspicion of taking bribes.

Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post last month reported that the bribery allegations concerned suspected match-fixing involving coach Hao Wei.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said despite visits by officials to China, it has collected little information about the nature of the allegations against the 31-year-old midfielder.

Despite, or because of, the lack of clarity, Klinsmann called him up for international duty.

“We don’t know his state of mind, we don’t know what physical state he is in, but I think it’s important to show Jun-ho support (so) he feels we’re right there behind him,” Klinsmann said in Seoul on Monday. “Obviously, we’re all shocked with the situation. We really hope and pray that he gets released. But it’s not in our hands. He’s on the list in case something happens.”

Klinsmann, the former US head coach who was appointed to the South Korean job in February, selected the player in his first two games in charge against Colombia and Uruguay in March.

But with doubt over his ability to report for national team duty, Klinsmann added that there was scope for flexibility with the squad.

“Our roster you see today might not be the roster you see next week,” he said. “It’s an open situation.”

According to reports in China, Son is the first foreign player to be caught up in the latest attempts by Beijing authorities to clean up the highest levels of Chinese soccer.

Son played seven seasons with South Korea’s Pohang Steelers and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors before joining Shandong Taishan in 2021 on a four-year contract.


French Open 2023: Alcaraz and Djokovic Could Set up a Semifinal Matchup; Sabalenka Plays Svitolina

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their men's singles match on day eight of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 4, 2023. (AFP)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their men's singles match on day eight of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 4, 2023. (AFP)
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French Open 2023: Alcaraz and Djokovic Could Set up a Semifinal Matchup; Sabalenka Plays Svitolina

Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their men's singles match on day eight of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 4, 2023. (AFP)
Spain's Carlos Alcaraz celebrates his victory over Italy's Lorenzo Musetti during their men's singles match on day eight of the Roland-Garros Open tennis tournament at the Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris on June 4, 2023. (AFP)

The tennis world has been waiting for a showdown between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. It will happen at the French Open if both can win their quarterfinals.

First Djokovic, the 22-time Grand Slam champion who is seeded No. 3, plays No. 11 Karen Khachanov in Court Philippe Chatrier on Tuesday. Then, at night, No. 1 Alcaraz, who won last year's US Open, takes on No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas, a two-time runner-up at major tournaments.

The winners of those two matches will face each other in the semifinals.

Alcaraz, 20, and Djokovic, 36, have had one previous match on tour. Alcaraz won at the clay-court Madrid Masters last year.

In Tuesday's women's quarterfinals, Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka will play Elina Svitolina, and 2021 French Open finalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova goes up against Karolina Muchova.

Sabalenka is from Belarus, and Svitolina — playing in her first major since becoming a mother — is from Ukraine. Belarus aided Russia in its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the war continues. Like other players from Ukraine, including Sabalenka's first-round opponent last week, Svitolina has not been shaking hands with players from Belarus or Russia after matches.

Coco Gauff set up a quarterfinal against Iga Swiatek — a rematch of the 2022 French Open final, won by Swiatek. Another quarterfinal Wednesday will be Ons Jabeur vs. Beatriz Haddad Maia.

The men's bracket will have these quarterfinals: No. 4 Casper Ruud against No. 6 Holger Rune, and No. 22 Alexander Zverev vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry.


Soccer Players Demand Change for Rampant Online Racist Abuse, Turn to AI for Protection 

Former soccer player Mark Bright speaks to Associated Press during an interview in London, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (AP)
Former soccer player Mark Bright speaks to Associated Press during an interview in London, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (AP)
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Soccer Players Demand Change for Rampant Online Racist Abuse, Turn to AI for Protection 

Former soccer player Mark Bright speaks to Associated Press during an interview in London, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (AP)
Former soccer player Mark Bright speaks to Associated Press during an interview in London, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. (AP)

Missing penalties in a major international soccer final was bad enough for three Black players on England’s national team. Being subjected to a torrent of racial abuse on social media in the aftermath made it worse.

Monkey emojis. Being told to go home. The N-word.

The even sadder part? Everyone saw it coming.

“It’s stupid,” said Nedum Onuoha, a retired Black player who was in the top divisions of English and US soccer for 16 years. “But are we surprised?”

It’s the latest form of racism: technology-fueled, visual, permanently intrusive and 24/7 — a haunting reminder of the 1980s-style monkey chants and banana-throwing in a social media era.

And it is spiraling out of control on platforms where anonymity is the golden ticket for racists.

“Every time it happens, it knocks you back and floors you,” Onuoha told The Associated Press. “Just when you think everything is OK, it’s a reminder that it’s not. It’s a reminder of how some people actually see you.”

Racism is the predominant form of abuse on social media reported to Kick It Out, an anti-discrimination campaigner in soccer, according to statistics compiled over the past three seasons in English soccer.

A report last year from FIFA, the governing body of world soccer, showed that more than 50% of players competing in two international tournaments in 2021 — the African Cup of Nations and the European Championship — received some form of discriminatory abuse in more than 400,000 posts on social media. More than a third were racist.

The problem is, there’s barely any accountability and it’s so easy. Pull out your phone, find the handle of the player you want to abuse, and fire off a racist message.

Former Premier League striker Mark Bright, who is Black and regularly suffered racial abuse inside stadiums in the 1980s, was exchanging messages with friends when those three Black players for England — Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho — missed penalties in a shootout loss to Italy in the 2020 European Championship final.

“We all messaged each other and said, ‘Oh God, here we go,’” Bright said. “This is where, once again, you say, ‘What can be done about it?’”

Largely speaking, the abuse hasn’t stopped Black players from using social media. It's an essential marketing tool, leading to the paradox of soccer players using the same platforms on which they are abused.

Kylian Mbappe, who has 104 million followers on Instagram and more than 12 million on Twitter, was subjected to racial abuse along with fellow Black teammate Kingsley Coman after their French national team lost in the 2022 World Cup final to Argentina.

Real Madrid winger Vinícius Júnior, who has repeatedly been the target of racial insults, is followed by 38 million people on Instagram and nearly 7 million on Twitter.

Saka, who has more than 1 million Twitter followers, remains on social media despite the abuse after England’s Euro 2020 loss and more just weeks ago, when a message posted on Twitter showed the Arsenal winger with his face made to look like a monkey, alongside the words: “This clown has cost us the league.” Minutes before the message, Saka had missed a penalty in an important Premier League game.

With social media continuing to fuel abuse, players and teams are coming up with ways to raise awareness and reduce exposure to offensive users.

GoBubble configures AI software to act as a filter to stop discriminatory comments from being seen by a social media user. Customers include the Premier League down to the fourth division in English soccer, and teams around Europe and Australia.

“Yes, tech has caused the issue,” GoBubble founder Henry Platten told the AP, “but tech can actually solve the issue.”

During last year’s World Cup, FIFA and players’ union FIFPRO had a dedicated in-tournament service that prevented hate speech from being seen online by players and their followers. It will be offered for the upcoming Women’s World Cup.

Soccer authorities in England led a four-day social media boycott in 2021 across Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to protest racist abuse. It was adopted by other sports in England, and by FIFA and UEFA, the governing body of European soccer.

Still, the abuse continues. Platforms have been accused of being too slow to block racist posts, remove offenders’ accounts, and improve their verification process to ensure users are barred from registering with a new account if banned.

“No one should have to experience racist abuse, and we don’t want it on our apps,” Meta, which owns Instagram and Facebook, said in a statement to the AP. “We take action whenever we find it and we’ve launched several ways to help protect people from having to see it in the first place.”

That includes “Hidden Words,” which filters offensive comments and direct messages and is on by default for creator accounts, and “Limits,” which hides comments and DMs from people who don’t follow you or only followed you recently, the statement said.

Twitter responded with an automated reply of a poop emoji when the AP reached out for comment.

Some teams and athletes are choosing alternative platforms to promote not just themselves but more ethical behavior online.

These include Striver, backed by Roberto Carlos and Gilberto Silva — both World Cup winners with Brazil in 2002. And PixStory, with nearly 1 million users, which ranks them according to the integrity of their posts and aims to create “clean social.”

England’s Arsenal club, Italy’s Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain’s women’s team are collaborating with PixStory, whose founder, Appu Esthose Suresh, says teams and athletes are in a “Catch-22 situation.”

“They want to live in this space because it’s a way to reach out and interact with their fans, but there’s not enough safety,” Suresh told the AP.

Last month, the European Union clinched an agreement in principle on the Digital Services Act, to force big tech companies to better protect European users from harmful online content or face billions of dollars in fines. In Britain, the government has proposed the Online Safety Bill, with potential fines of 10% of the platforms’ annual global turnover.

Onuoha welcomed these developments but he’s still keeping his social media accounts on a private setting.

“There will be lots of good people who won’t be able to connect with me but it’s a consequence of not having enough trust and faith in enough good people being allowed to enter the account,” he said.


Saudi Ministry of Sport Unveils the Clubs Privatization Project

The conference also witnessed the presence of a number of leaders and senior officials of a number of development agencies - SPA
The conference also witnessed the presence of a number of leaders and senior officials of a number of development agencies - SPA
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Saudi Ministry of Sport Unveils the Clubs Privatization Project

The conference also witnessed the presence of a number of leaders and senior officials of a number of development agencies - SPA
The conference also witnessed the presence of a number of leaders and senior officials of a number of development agencies - SPA

The Saudi Ministry of Sports held an expanded conference on Monday to announce the details of the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project, which was launched by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister.

Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal bin Abdulaziz, attended the press conference, which was held at King Abdullah sports city in Jeddah.

The conference also witnessed the presence of a number of leaders and senior officials of a number of development agencies, including the CEO of the National Center for Privatization (NCP), Muhannad Basudan; Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) Deputy Governor and Head of the General Administration of Investments in the Middle East and North Africa, Yazeed Al-Hamid; Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Corporate Services at Saudi Aramco, Nabeel A. Al-Jama; the CEO of Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA), Jerry Inzerillo; the CEO of the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), Amr AlMadani; and the Managing Director of Sport at NEOM, Jan Paterson.

At the beginning of the conference, Prince Abdulaziz expressed his gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, for the sustained support and attention provided to all sectors, and the sports sector in particular.

Such support and attention have resulted in great qualitative leaps, said Prince Abdulaziz, indicating that the Crown Prince’s support for the sports sector enabled the launch of a number of key initiatives that paved the way for this historic project.

The Sports Minister revealed converting four clubs into companies, and transferring the ownership of these companies to development agencies after those agencies and companies have explored investment opportunities in the sports sector.

He indicated that the ownership of Al-Qadisiyah Club was transferred to Saudi Aramco, Diraiyah Club’s ownership was transferred to the DGDA, AlUla Club’s to the RCU, and the one of Suqoor Club to NEOM.

Moreover, the Minister announced the investment of the PIF in four Saudi clubs, by converting them into companies owned by the Fund, and a non-profit organization for each club, which are Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal clubs.

Prince Abdulaziz also revealed the establishment of an investment fund for each of the eight club companies whose ownerships have been transferred, and depositing the value of the club in the investment fund, in exchange for transferring its ownership, with the aim of achieving sustainable returns for the benefit of the club company.

He pointed out that the ownership of Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal club companies will be distributed according to specific percentages, as the PIF will have 75% of the ownership of each company, while the remaining part 25% will be owned by each non-profit organization, provided that these organizations include the current members of the General Assembly as well as the new members.

The Minister of Sports indicated that the election of the Board of Directors of the non-profit organization will be by the members of the General Assembly of the organization, and after the formation of the board, two members will be nominated for membership in the Board of Directors of the club company; One of them shall be the Chairman of the Board.

Accordingly, the Minister added, the Board of Directors of the club company will be composed of two members nominated by the members of the Board of Directors of the non-profit organization and five members nominated by the PIF.

He also announced the launch of a number of sports clubs for privatization, in coordination with the NCP, as clubs of various divisions will be selected to be offered to the private sector in the first phase, during the last quarter of 2023, based on criteria that will be announced during the offering period.

Minister of Sports stressed that the draft Clubs Support Strategy Project, including programs and initiatives, will continue to be worked on to serve all sports clubs, according to the mechanism in place, in order to ensure their continued governance and organization financially and administratively.

He concluded his speech by emphasizing the pivotal and important role of the private sector in supporting the sports sector and benefiting from the important and qualitative investment opportunities that the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project will create.

The CEO of the NCP Basudan said the privatization system takes a new step in announcing the privatization of clubs, to enable sports clubs to seize the distinguished growth opportunities inside or outside the stadium and inject new investments in the sports sector.

The step, Basudan adds, also enhances the financial sustainability of clubs by establishing financially independent commercial entities that contribute to the development of their revenues and reinvestment in order to build a local sports economy that contributes to raising the quality of life, developing stadiums and providing exciting competition.

The PIF’s Deputy Governor and Head of the General Administration of Investments in the Middle East and North Africa expressed his excitement that the Fund is part of the qualitative shift in Saudi sports.

Al-Hamid considered the sports sector to be one of the 13 strategic sectors of the PIF, adding that such a historic step of the Sports Clubs Investment and Privatization Project comes in line with the Kingdom's efforts to empower and develop the sports sector in order to achieve the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.