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King Abdullah Sports City, Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Ready for Gulf Cup 27

The Local Organizing Committee for the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup "Khaleeji 27" has completed preparations at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium to host the tournament's matches in Jeddah. (SPA)
The Local Organizing Committee for the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup "Khaleeji 27" has completed preparations at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium to host the tournament's matches in Jeddah. (SPA)
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King Abdullah Sports City, Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Ready for Gulf Cup 27

The Local Organizing Committee for the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup "Khaleeji 27" has completed preparations at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium to host the tournament's matches in Jeddah. (SPA)
The Local Organizing Committee for the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup "Khaleeji 27" has completed preparations at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium to host the tournament's matches in Jeddah. (SPA)

The Local Organizing Committee for the 27th Arabian Gulf Cup "Khaleeji 27" has completed preparations at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium and Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Sports City Stadium to host the tournament's matches in Jeddah, the Saudi Press Agency said on Wednesday.

The preparations included equipping the stadium pitches, facilities, and supporting services, completing arrangements for the entry and exit of spectators, and preparing designated areas for national teams, delegations, and media representatives, in accordance with the tournament's approved operational plans.

The preparations also included reviewing operational, crowd-management, security and safety, and medical service plans, as well as organizing spectator movement inside and around the two stadiums to facilitate entry and exit and ensure services are available throughout the match days.

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Sports

Audio Recording Disabled on Practice Courts at WTA Finals after Pegula Comments Livestreamed

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Jessica Pegula of the United States fields questions from the media during the FAGE WTA Finals Indian Wells at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 06, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Jessica Pegula of the United States fields questions from the media during the FAGE WTA Finals Indian Wells at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 06, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
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Audio Recording Disabled on Practice Courts at WTA Finals after Pegula Comments Livestreamed

INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Jessica Pegula of the United States fields questions from the media during the FAGE WTA Finals Indian Wells at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 06, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP
INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 06: Jessica Pegula of the United States fields questions from the media during the FAGE WTA Finals Indian Wells at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on November 06, 2026 in Indian Wells, California. Matthew Stockman/Getty Images/AFP

Audio recording has been disabled on practice courts at the WTA Finals, the governing body's chair said on Friday, after private comments by Jessica Pegula about Mirra Andreeva were broadcast during a livestream this week.

During a practice session at Indian Wells, California, that was streamed on the WTA's YouTube channel, microphones captured a conversation between world number five Pegula and her coach Mark Knowles.

The American described French Open champion Andreeva as "a diva" among other remarks that were later circulated on social media, with the WTA taking the blame for failing to inform players about active microphones, Reuters reported.

WTA chair Valerie Camillo acknowledged there was a lack of signage and notice given to players and said audio will no ⁠longer be recorded ⁠on practice courts during the tournament, which begins on Sunday.

"The livestream with the audio that was trying to catch ambient sound was active for a period of time, and it's been corrected," WTA chair Valerie Camillo told reporters at Indian Wells. "It's been taken down. There is no more audio recording happening on the practice courts."

Pegula was not asked about the incident ⁠during her media availability on Friday but told ESPN that it was an "unfortunate situation" that can hopefully be used to keep pushing for player privacy, which has been an ongoing concern for the WTA this year.

Twice Grand Slam winner Coco Gauff called for more privacy in January after cameras caught her smashing her racket following her Australian Open quarter-final defeat to Elina Svitolina. Several players, including Pegula and six-times Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek, echoed her calls.

"The question is, are we tennis players or are we animals in the zoo, where they are observed even when they ⁠poop?" Swiatek ⁠said in January. "Okay, that was exaggerating obviously, but it would be nice to have some privacy. It would be nice also to have your own process and not always be observed."

Following the incident with Gauff, a WTA tournament in Texas unveiled a "rage room" in February for players to take out their frustrations away from the cameras.

Gauff welcomed the idea of rage rooms but added in April that signage was one of the main solutions.

"As a member organization, one of the primary responsibilities of the WTA is to protect our players whenever possible," Camillo said on Friday.

"The players deserve better and we will continue to work to raise the bar for the WTA."

The season-ending WTA Finals run through November 15.

Sports

China in Contact with Real Madrid, LaLiga Over Mbappe’s Mao Comments

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP)
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China in Contact with Real Madrid, LaLiga Over Mbappe’s Mao Comments

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP)
Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Spanish LaLiga match between Racing de Santander and Real Madrid in Santander, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026. (AP)

China is in contact ‌with Real Madrid and LaLiga over the fallout from Kylian Mbappe's remarks about Mao Zedong, China's ambassador to Spain Yao Jing said on Friday.

"There are no negotiations, but there is communication, based on mutual understanding," Yao told Spanish news agency EFE before attending a forum at the University of Salamanca.

"This unfortunate incident hurt the feelings of many people in China, who now have to come to terms with the current situation," he added.

The dispute began after ‌a video circulated ‌online in which the Real Madrid ‌and ⁠France forward discussed ⁠a meme showing his face superimposed on an image of Mao.

Mbappe described the figure as "some guy, I think he's a Chinese dictator" but did not name Mao, modern China's founding leader who governed the country from 1949 until his death in 1976.

LaLiga, Real Madrid and the French footballer ⁠all subsequently apologized.

China's state broadcaster CCTV suspended ‌its coverage of LaLiga and ‌several Chinese brands dropped Mbappe from their marketing campaigns.

Streaming platform Migu ‌omitted Real Madrid's match against Racing Santander last weekend ‌while showing other Spanish league games.

China Media Group said last week that it would listen to what Mbappe had to say after his apology, and "more importantly" watch what he does.

LaLiga president ‌Javier Tebas met Yao last week as Spanish football sought to limit the commercial ⁠fallout and ⁠said on Monday that the league was continuing its dialogue with Chinese authorities.

LaLiga was "working to resolve it", Tebas said at the World In Progress forum, adding that it continued to have an "extraordinary relationship" with CCTV and Migu.

LaLiga and Migu have an agreement allowing the broadcast of Spain's top division matches until the end of the 2029-30 season.

The LaLiga president said the league's broadcasting contracts with CCTV and Migu totaled around €10 million ($11.20 million) per year, having fallen from €100 million annually at their peak.

Real Madrid did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Sports

Jude Bellingham’s Brother Jobe Gets First England Call-up

Football - UEFA Champions League - Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - November 4, 2026 Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham in action with Real Betis' Nelson Deossa. (Reuters)
Football - UEFA Champions League - Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - November 4, 2026 Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham in action with Real Betis' Nelson Deossa. (Reuters)
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Jude Bellingham’s Brother Jobe Gets First England Call-up

Football - UEFA Champions League - Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - November 4, 2026 Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham in action with Real Betis' Nelson Deossa. (Reuters)
Football - UEFA Champions League - Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis - Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany - November 4, 2026 Borussia Dortmund's Jobe Bellingham in action with Real Betis' Nelson Deossa. (Reuters)

Jobe Bellingham was named alongside older brother Jude in Thomas Tuchel's England squad for the first time on Friday as Chelsea's Cole Palmer missed out.

Fulham teenager Josh King has also been handed his first call-up ahead of Nations League games against Croatia and Spain.

Tuchel said in September that Palmer "misses too many opportunities" to impress at international level after he pulled out of England's previous squad due to injury.

The Chelsea star, who was not included for the World Cup, has been left out as Tuchel takes the opportunity to look at younger options with a place in the quarter-finals of the Nations League almost guaranteed.

Jobe Bellingham, 21, has been rewarded for a strong start to his second season at Borussia Dortmund, where Jude also played for three seasons before moving to Real Madrid.

King has impressed despite Fulham's struggles in the Premier League, while Liverpool's 18-year-old winger Rio Ngumoha is also included.

"Lee Carsley (the England under-21 coach) is talking highly about Jobe since weeks and months that he deserves, if there is a spot and if there is a possibility to join and to make an impression in the first team," Tuchel said in a video posted by England on their social media channels.

"He has had good matches now and he's on a good run of form with Dortmund so he deserves to be with us."

England are second in group A3 after four games, with three wins and a defeat, against Spain at Wembley.

The Three Lions host Croatia, whom they beat 7-0 last month, on Thursday before travelling to take on Spain with just one point needed to qualify for the knockout rounds in March.

Newly crowned Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane is set to surpass Peter Shilton as England's most-capped men's player after drawing level with the former goalkeeper on 125 appearances against the Czech Republic.

England squad

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Jason Steele (Brighton), James Trafford (Leeds)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Real Madrid/ESP), Jarrad Branthwaite (Everton), Marc Guehi (Manchester City), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa, Ben White (both Arsenal), Djed Spence (Inter Milan/ITA), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen/GER)

Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Manchester City), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid/ESP), Jobe Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund/GER), James Garner (Everton), Josh King (Fulham), Myles Lewis-Skelly, Declan Rice, Eberechi Eze (all Arsenal)

Forwards: Harry Kane (Bayern Munich/GER), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Anthony Gordon (Barcelona/ESP), Rio Ngumoha (Liverpool), Morgan Rogers (Chelsea), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest)