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Saudi Envoy:No Alcohol At 2024 World Cup

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Saudi Arabia will not allow the sale and consumption of alcohol at the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

In a chat with Leading Britain’s Conversation (LBC) radio, Khalid bin Bandar Al Saud, Saudi’s ambassador to the UK, said there would be no tolerance for alcohol during the tournament — including in hotels, restaurants and stadiums.

He said alcohol is largely prohibited in Saudi, and “we’re happy to accommodate people within the boundaries of our culture”.

“At the moment, we don’t allow alcohol,” the ambassador said.

“Plenty of fun can be had without alcohol – it’s not 100% necessary and if you want to drink after you leave, you’re welcome to, but at the moment we don’t have alcohol.”

“No, there is no alcohol at all. Rather like our weather, it’s a dry country.

Saudi has strict laws against alcohol consumption, punishable by hundreds of lashes, deportation, fines, or imprisonment.

In 2024, the country unveiled plans to open its first liquor store that would be “strictly restricted” to non-Muslims.

Saudi will not be the first FIFA World Cup host to control alcohol consumption during the competition. At the 2022 World Cup, Qatar prohibited fan’s alcohol usage at stadiums and limited its reverie to “FIFA fan festival, other fan destinations and licensed venues.”

Saudi Arabia was confirmed to host the 2034 World Cup in December 2024. The country submitted the sole bid for the competition.

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Newcastle end 70-year trophy drought, beat Liverpool in Carabao Cup final

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Newcastle United on Sunday defeated Liverpool 2-1, securing their first major trophy since 1955.

The Magpies in a historic Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium defeated the Reds to clinch the first silverware of the 2024/25 football season, ELANZANEWS reports.

The EFL match began with both teams displaying cautious play.

Newcastle broke the deadlock just before halftime when defender Dan Burn headed in a goal from a corner in first-half stoppage time.

In the second half, Newcastle continued their dominance.

Alexander Isak doubled their lead in the 52nd minute, capitalizing on a defensive lapse by Liverpool.

 

Liverpool struggled to respond effectively, with manager Arne Slot making several substitutions, including introducing Curtis Jones and Darwin Núñez, but they failed to penetrate Newcastle’s resolute defense.

However, Federico Chiesa pulled one back in th injury time (90+4) with all hopes high but to no avail to the Premier League table toppers.

The final whistle confirmed Newcastle’s 2-1 victory, ending their 70-year wait for a major trophy, The Guardian reports.

 

The win is also Eddie How’s first cup win as a manager.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe praised his team’s performance, saying, “This is a dream come true for the club and the fans. The players showed incredible heart and determination to achieve this historic win.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot, visibly disappointed, admitted, “We weren’t good enough in the critical moments. Newcastle deserved the win; they were the better team on the day.”

Burn, van Dijk comments
Dan Burn, who opened the scoring for Newcastle, expressed his emotions post-match, saying, “To score in a final and help the club end this long wait is beyond words.

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“This is for the fans who have stood by us all these years.”

On the other hand, Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, despite the disappointment, demonstrated great sportsmanship, congratulating Newcastle players and acknowledging their impressive performance.

Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville, known for his emotional commentary, was visibly moved during the match, stating, “I’m almost crying seeing what this means to Newcastle fans. This is what football is all about—moments like these.”

Former Newcastle striker and club legend Alan Shearer joined in the celebrations at Wembley, expressing his joy.

“This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. It’s been a long journey, but this victory shows the strength and passion of this club,” he said during a post-match interview.

Fans around the world echoed similar sentiments, flooding social media with tributes to the players and the manager, celebrating the end of a 70-year wait for silverware.

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Ratcliffe would walk away from Man Utd if abuse reaches Glazer level

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Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe said he will walk away from the club should the abuse he has received reach the same level endured by the Glazer family.

Ratcliffe bought a minority stake in United a year ago but has drawn the ire of fans as fortunes have continued to fade on the field, while he has raised ticket prices and made swingeing cuts to the club’s staffing.

The British billionaire has not yet received the same level of backlash as the Glazer family, who have owned the club since a controversial leveraged takeover in 2005.

Protests against the Americans are commonplace at Old Trafford and Ratcliffe said he had barely seen the Glazers since buying a 29 percent stake in United for a reported £1.3 billion ($1.7 billion).

“I can put up with it for a while,” Ratcliffe told the Sunday Times.

“I don’t mind being unpopular because I get that nobody likes seeing Manchester United down where they are, and nobody likes the decisions we’re having to make at the moment.

“If I draw a bit of the ire, I can put up with that. But I’m no different to the average person. It’s not nice, particularly for friends and family.

“So, eventually, if it reached the extent that the Glazer family have been abused, then I’d have to say, look, enough’s enough guys, let somebody else do this.”

Hopes that Ratcliffe’s arrival could herald a new era of success for United have so far been unfulfilled.

The decision to hand former manager Erik ten Hag a new contract at the end of the last season before sacking the Dutchman in October and the swift departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth have proved expensive mistakes.

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Ruben Amorim has struggled to make any tangible improvements since replacing Ten Hag, with United languishing in the lower reaches of the Premier League table.

Ratcliffe also riled United players this week with comments that some of them are “overpaid” and “not good enough”.

The club unveiled plans for a new 100,000-capacity stadium earlier this week at a reported cost of £2 billion.

An ambitious project hopes to complete the stadium build within five years, but Ratcliffe said he would not hang around if the abuse coming his way got worse over a prolonged period.

“They can’t really come to a match, the Glazers. They’ve retreated into the shadows a bit now, so I’m getting all the stick,” he added.

“We bought in and I haven’t seen them since. It’s, ‘thank you, Jim, you’re doing a really good job’.

“At the moment, I don’t have security, I don’t have to walk around like that. But it would defeat the object, wouldn’t it? You couldn’t tolerate it at that level, it just wouldn’t be fun.”

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Badmus, Sonny shine at MTN champs finals

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Gafar Badmus and Miracle Sonny delivered outstanding performances on Friday to win the junior 400m finals at the MTN Champs Athletics Classics in Benin City.

Badmus set a personal best of 46.50s to dominate the junior men’s 400m. Eniola Shiro finished second in 47.18s, while David Akhalu secured third place in 47.40s.

In the junior women’s 400m, Sonny powered to victory in 53.91s, ahead of Victoria Olaniyi, 54.97s, and Success Okoro, who claimed third in 55.39s.

The senior men’s 400m final saw Team MTN’s Benjamin Magaji take gold in 48.04s. Bright Benson, 48.56s, and Emmanuel Baraburu, 48.63s, completed the podium.

Miracle Uwem won the senior women’s 400m in 55.05s, finishing ahead of Rita Munachiso, 55.34s, and Rhoda Adisa, 55.58s, in a closely contested race.

In the senior men’s 200m heats, two-time Olympian Emmanuel Ojeli clocked a Nigerian outdoor-leading time of 20.96s. Sophia Efetobore led the women’s category with 23.92s.

The senior men’s 100m final was a tight contest, with Chidera Ezeakor winning in 10.60s, just ahead of Jeremiah Nathaniel, 10.63s, and Daje Lucky, 10.66s.

Efetobore dominated the senior women’s 100m, crossing the line in 11.52s. Faith Osamuyi finished second in 11.62s, while Odumosu Kate secured third in 11.71s.

John Caleb claimed the junior men’s 100m title in 10.63s, with Abdulrahman Jimoh, 10.84s, and Wilfred Jimoh, 10.86s, finishing second and third, respectively.

Cynthia Chioma narrowly won the junior women’s 100m in 11.84s, edging out Success Oyibu, 11.86s, while Mmesoma Thankgod Ezeobi finished third.

In the cadet Under-14 category, Elom Kosi took the boys’ 100m title in 13.05s, while Ebimoboere Christopher won the girls’ race in 12.95s.

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In field events, Ibukun Daramola claimed gold in the senior men’s long jump with a 7.66m leap. Francess Ajagbawa won the junior women’s high jump with 1.65m.

The senior women’s discus final ended dramatically, as Emmanuella Kane edged Ruqqayah Kemi Mustapha by 0.01m, throwing a personal best of 40.31m to take gold.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that multiple records were broken, with fierce competition thrilling fans. The MTN Champs Classics continues, building anticipation for Saturday’s finale.

Over 2,000 athletes are competing in Season 3 of the track and field fiesta, held at the University of Benin Sports Complex and Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium. (NAN)

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