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RIYADH: Falcon HQ, one of the main attractions at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes is offering gamers the chance to play against their favorite Team Falcons influencers.
Powered by stc play, which will be partnering with the organizers, the Saudi Esports Federation, for the rest of the year, Falcons HQ will be hosting matchups between gamers and the likes of star influencer BanderitaX, among others.
Located at Boulevard Riyadh City, where the world’s biggest gaming and esports festival is being held for eight weeks from July 6, visitors to the Falcons HQ will also be provided with exclusive gaming tips, engagements, the chance to play the most popular games from a wide variety of globally renowned titles, and lots more.
Gamers8: The Land of Heroes – which has a prize pool of $45 million, triple that of the inaugural Gamers8 last year – features elite gaming titles alongside live concerts from the biggest global, regional and local artists.
The festival concludes with the Next World Forum, a gaming and esports conference at the Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh in Kingdom Center on Aug. 30 and 31, that brings together sector leaders and experts from around the world.
NEWCASTLE: Saudi Arabian sporting events company Sela has been named as the main sponsor of a preseason soccer tournament to be held at Newcastle United’s home ground.
The Sela Cup, held in conjunction with VisitMalta, will take place at St. James’ Park a week before the start of the Premier League season.
The competition will feature Newcastle United — who return to preseason training on Sunday — UEFA Conference League beaten finalists Fiorentina, Spain’s Villarreal and French Ligue 1 outfit Nice. It is expected to become a permanent fixture in the Magpies’ summer schedule for the duration of Sela’s multiyear sponsorship deal.
Eddie Howe’s side will take on Fiorentina, who lost to West Ham United in the Conference League final in May, on Saturday, Aug. 5, before hosting Villarreal the following day. Nice will play Villarreal in an early kickoff on Saturday and Fiorentina on Sunday.
The @Sela Cup, presented by @VisitMalta – coming soon to St. James’ Park!
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“The tournament has been made possible by Newcastle United’s new front-of-shirt partners, Sela, and event sponsors VisitMalta, which promotes travel to the hugely popular Mediterranean island and supports its bustling tourism industry,” the club said.
Newcastle United Women, who became the first professional club in the history of England’s third tier, will also feature in the weekend of football on Tyneside, taking on West Bromwich Albion Women at teatime on Aug. 5.
The tournament format will see teams awarded three points for a win, one point for a draw and an additional point per goal scored. On Sunday, following the final match, the winners will be handed the Sela Cup, presented by VisitMalta.
Newcastle United CEO Darren Eales said: “There is huge excitement going into the 2023/24 season, so to be able to give our supporters two days of football involving both our men’s and women’s teams is something that everybody is looking forward to.
“To be able to attract elite clubs from three of Europe’s top leagues shows our ambition to grow as a club and the growing attraction of Newcastle United.
“I would like to sincerely thank our partners, Sela and VisitMalta, for making this possible. Having them on board to offer their expertise in delivering top class events and activations will ensure the tournament is a great weekend for everyone coming to St. James’ Park.”
Ibrahim Mohtaseb, senior vice president at Sela, said: “Since we announced our partnership with Newcastle United, we have seen fantastic support and interest in Sela, both in the UK and in the Middle East.
“To be able to further strengthen our connection with Newcastle’s passionate fan base is truly exciting and we are sure that the Sela Cup will be popular with supporters at a very exciting time ahead of the new season.
“Sela prides itself on creating world class experiences, so for us to bring our resources and expertise to Newcastle is something that we are all very proud to play a key role in and we hope that everybody enjoys what promises to be a great weekend of football.”
Malta’s Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said: “In an era where travel has become an essential part of our lives, sports tourism acts as a catalyst for growth, uniting individuals from diverse backgrounds through the universal language of sports.
“The Sela Cup, presented by VisitMalta, will be a sterling opportunity to strengthen the Maltese island’s prospects in the tourism world.”
RIYADH: Gambian-Swedish fighter Badou Jack could go up against Polish champion Lukasz Rozanski in Saudi Arabia later this year, according to reports on Friday.
Ring Magazine reported the bout could go ahead in the Kingdom, but it has yet to be confirmed.
Jack, who won the WBC cruiserweight belt in the Diriyah Arena in February, will likely challenge Rozanski for his WBC bridgerweight title before Nov. 25 in Saudi Arabia.
The bridgerweight division was first recognized by the WBC in 2020 as an “in-betweener” division between cruiserweight and heavyweight.
Should the fight go ahead, it will be Rozanski’s first defense since emerging victorious in April this year.
If Jack were to beat Rozanski, it would be his fourth WBC belt.
He has previously won the WBC super-middleweight, silver light-heavyweight and cruiserweight belts.
Jack is well established in the Middle East, being based in Dubai and having fought twice in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He is also promoted by Saudi Arabia’s Skill Challenge Entertainment.
FARO, Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo got a new club coach on Thursday when Al-Nassr announced they hired his fellow Portuguese Luis Castro.
The Saudi club confirmed the appointment from a preseason training camp in Portugal. The length of the coach’s contract was not disclosed.
Castro is the latest coaching hire this week in the Saudi Pro League, following Jorge Jesus at Al-Hilal and Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq.
The 61-year-old Portuguese is best known for his two seasons in Ukraine with Shakhtar Donetsk including home and away wins over Real Madrid in the group stage of the 2020-21 Champions League. He spent last season in Brazil with Botafogo.
Castro will lead Al-Nassr into a qualifying playoff for the Asian Champions League next month after the team finished runner-up last season in the Saudi Pro League. The champions Al-Ittihad were coached by another Portuguese, Nuno Espirito Santo.
Al-Nassr were coached last season by Frenchman Rudi Garcia then Dinko Jelicic of Croatia as an interim hire.
Al-Nassr are among four top Saudi clubs effectively nationalized last month by being taken into majority ownership by the sovereign wealth Public Investment Fund.
RIYADH: The Saudi Real Estate Refinance Co. has signed a deal to sponsor Al-Ittihad football club for the next three years.
The pact includes commercial and marketing rights that would benefit both sides, according to statements from the parties. The SRC is wholly owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Majeed Fahad Alabduljabbar, deputy CEO of the SRC, said: “The sponsorship is part of SRC’s support for the development of the Kingdom’s thriving sports sector and the key objectives of Vision 2030’s Quality of Life Program to promote sporting activity.
“Sports and entertainment have become increasingly prominent to the Saudi economy and play a crucial role in the country’s future development, making it an attractive destination across various industries. We take great pride in being part of the Kingdom’s sports sector development.”
Abdulwahab Abed, CEO of Al-Ittihad, said: “This partnership with SRC would foster the club’s expansion and provide support for its domestic and international endeavors moving forward.”
The SRC was established in 2017 and obtained a license from the Saudi central bank to operate in real estate refinancing through the secondary market.
RIYADH: Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, the biggest esports and gaming festival in the world, has launched its summer schedule with 16 of the world’s best TEKKEN 7 sides battling it out in the new competition for prize money of $1 million.
Organized by the Saudi Esports Federation live from Boulevard Riyadh City, the TEKKEN 7 Nations Cup marks the franchise’s debut at Gamers8.
Each team will choose a roster of more than 50 characters as they fight to progress through the competition and claim their share of the prize pool.
Running from July 6 to 9, the tournament will provide story-driven cinematic battles and duels for those in attendance and the watching global audience. Alongside the Fortnite tournament, TEKKEN 7 is opening Gamers8: The Land of Heroes with a top prize of $500,000 awaiting the victors.
TEKKEN 7 ranks among the most popular instalments in gaming franchise history and is one of the top 10 best-selling fighting games ever.
Faisal bin Homran, the federation’s director of esports, said: “We are incredibly excited to have a TEKKEN 7 tournament as part of Gamers8: The Land of Heroes and this upcoming event is certain to capture the interest and imagination of gamers near and far.
“Welcoming a franchise with such prestige and enduring appeal as TEKKEN really highlights how our festival has evolved in such a short period of time.
“By bringing all the greatest TEKKEN 7 players on the planet to Riyadh to compete against each other in this special tournament, I’m thrilled that our vision has been realized,” he added.