Business of Sport Saudi to host Joshua-Usyk heavyweight title rematch Saudi Arabia confirmed today that it will host the world heavyweight boxing clash between champion Oleksandr Usyk and Anthony Joshua on August 20 as the kingdom cements its status as a global sporting destination. In a statement, the Ministry of Sports announced that the Red Sea city of Jeddah will host the rematch between the […] June 20, 2022
Business of Sport LIV Golf crowns first champion and nabs another PGA star South African golfer Charl Schwartzel won $4.75 million as Saudi-backed LIV unveiled the signing of US favourite Patrick Reed June 13, 2022
Analysis Business of Sport LIV Golf tees off amid smears and controversy Rival PGA Tour bans players for chasing ‘boatloads of cash’ Heated politics have overshadowed play in what is fast becoming golf’s most controversial tournament in history – the Saudi Arabian-funded LIV Golf Series. Teeing off on June 9, the LIV Series’ inaugural UK event clashed directly with the start of the RBC Canadian Open, an […] June 9, 2022
World Cup 2022 Businesses vying to get on the teamsheet Regional and international businesses are jostling to win work in the final months before the World Cup June 9, 2022
World Cup 2022 Qatar is an open goal for property investors Rents are rising and real estate is flooding the market, but measures are being taken to curb oversupply after the World Cup final June 9, 2022
World Cup 2022 Fun and games for everyone – even non-football fans How will the Emir state ramp up its hospitality and tourism offer to entertain football fans when they're not watching matches? June 9, 2022
World Cup 2022 What happens after the final whistle blows? Legacy isn't just about making sure the World Cup stadiums don't become white elephants. For Qatar, it's about sustainability and reputation too June 9, 2022
Insight Business of Sport Qatar 2022: A smart investment or a $200bn folly? Doha is banking on long-term economic gains from the World Cup to offset the negative attention it has received since it won the hosting rights When Qatar won the right to stage the 2022 FIFA World Cup in 2010 it shocked much of the footballing world. By beating Australia, South Korea, Japan and the US, the […] June 9, 2022
Analysis Business of Sport Gulf riches has legacy sports events quaking in their boots Phil Mickelson’s self-imposed break from golf has ended with a $200 million golden handshake. The six-time major winner stepped down from the game in February after issuing a string of controversial comments about Saudi Arabia and the PGA Tour but has announced his return for the PIF-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series. In a statement on […] June 8, 2022
Business of Sport Mickelson returns to play in Saudi golf series – for $200m Phil Mickelson ends his self-imposed break from golf this week to tee it up at the LIV Golf Invitational Series. The six-times major champion has been added to the field for the Saudi-backed league following a four-month hiatus amid a backlash over comments he made about the breakaway tour. “I am ready to come back […] June 7, 2022
Business of Sport Can Lionel Messi’s left foot fire Saudi into the tourism big league? In the region's latest multimillion-dollar wager on football, Riyadh is hoping the player's global appeal will attract tourists June 4, 2022
Media & Advertising Serie A seeks Abu Dhabi deals on TV rights, Italian Super Cup Italy’s top football league Serie A is in talks over a broadcast deal with state-backed Abu Dhabi Media and on a separate agreement to host its Super Cup in the Emirate. Home to AC Milan, Juventus and other top clubs, Serie A is looking at ways to catch up with major European leagues such as […] June 3, 2022
Business of Sport PGA Tour renews threat of ‘disciplinary action’ The PGA Tour on Wednesday reiterated a warning to members who choose to compete on the LIV Golf Invitational Series and said those who do feature on the Saudi-funded breakaway circuit would be “subject to disciplinary action”. The field for the inaugural LIV Golf event — to be held June 9-11 at Centurion Club outside […] June 2, 2022
Business of Sport Canadian bank terminates sponsor deals over Saudi-backed rival golf tour Royal Bank of Canada said on Wednesday it decided to terminate sponsor agreements with Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell after the former major champions decided to play in the opening event of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series next week. World number 13 Johnson was both the highest-ranked and most surprising golfer named to the […] June 2, 2022
Business of Sport Formula One appoints Shaila-Ann Rao as new interim head Shaila-Ann Rao, who was previously a special advisor to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, took over as interim head of Formula One at the governing FIA on Wednesday in place of departed Peter Bayer. The Paris-based FIA, which voted in Emirati Mohammed Ben Sulayem as president last December to succeed departing Frenchman Jean Todt, thanked […] June 2, 2022
Business of Sport Dustin Johnson to headline this month’s Saudi-backed golf tour in London Garcia and Westwood also included in the 48-man field Mickelson could still make it as six spots still open PGA Tour’s Canadian Open ‘disappointed’ with Johnson’s decision Former world number one Dustin Johnson and past major champion Sergio Garcia were listed among competitors for the opening LIV Golf Invitational Series event in a field released […] June 1, 2022
Business of Sport FIFA: ‘We have not lied about Qatar emissions’ FIFA has rejected a report that claims Qatar 2022 will rely on “flimsy” offsets to meet its pledge to host the first carbon-neutral World Cup. The report, compiled by climate advocacy group Carbon Market Watch, alleges that Qatar, the world’s largest producer of natural gas, is omitting some greenhouse gas emissions from its calculations and […] May 31, 2022
Business of Sport Roman era ends as Abramovich completes sale of Chelsea FC Roman Abramovich has completed the sale of Chelsea FC to an investment group led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, the Premier League club said on Monday. The consortium, which won the bid to acquire the London side earlier this month, received approval from the Premier League and the British government last week. A final […] May 30, 2022
Business of Sport Bahrain’s Investcorp ends talks for AC Milan buyout Investcorp and US fund Elliott have ended talks over the buyout of Italian soccer champions AC Milan, a top executive of the Bahrain-domiciled asset manager said. Reuters last week reported that Investcorp had put on hold its plans to purchase the club, which is owned by Elliott, clearing the way for US investment firm RedBird […] May 27, 2022
Business of Sport Some still can’t accept Qatar hosting World Cup, says emir Qatar’s ruler, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, has told Davos the Middle East has suffered discrimination for decades, in a speech addressing critics of the emirate hosting the World Cup. Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, the emir said there were still those who were unable to “accept the idea that an […] May 24, 2022
Business of Sport The cost of being champions: Manchester City’s $2bn investment Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City won its fourth English Premier League title in five years yesterday, netting £44 million ($54.4 million) for finishing top. That figure pales into insignificance against the estimated $2 billion total investment made by Abu Dhabi royal Sheikh Mansour following his takeover of the club in 2008. But the business acumen that […] May 23, 2022
Business of Sport Could the Gulf become an Olympics contender? The Middle East is hosting top sporting events from the FIFA World Cup to Formula 1. Now it could have its sights on the ultimate prize May 20, 2022
