The National’s Transfer Talk page
Asia's richest man Wang Jianlin, the owner of conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group, is backing plans to launch a football tournament that will rival the European Champions League, the Financial Times reported.
The group was seeking support in England, Spain, Italy, France and Germany by promising more places in an enlarged tournament and higher revenues from broadcasting rights, Marco Bogarelli, the strategic director of Wanda Sports Holding, the Chinese group’s sports arm, told the newspaper.
Bogarelli said talks had begun with Spain's La Liga and Italy's Serie A and that Wanda was planning to start discussions with England's Premier League, Germany's Bundesliga and France's Ligue 1 after the European championship which ends on Sunday.
Wanda said it was unable to comment on the report.
The group owns a 20 percent stake in Atletico Madrid, beaten finalists in the Champions League last season.
Currently, clubs from England, Germany and Spain are granted four spots in the Champions League, the continent’s most prestigious club tournament, while teams from France, Italy and Portugal are allotted three places each.
Wanda’s proposal would guarantee at least six places for each of the big five leagues.
Continental European clubs are reported to be keen on changes to the Champions League to secure a more reliable flow of revenue and to try and keep up with teams from the English Premier League, which has the most lucrative TV deals.
A football investment boom in China has helped propel interest in the game in the most populous country in the world. Chinese firms have invested in overseas clubs, player agencies and media rights firms, and global football stars have moved to China in multi-million dollar deals.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
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Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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Name: Mamo
Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua
Based: Dubai, UAE
Number of employees: 28
Sector: Financial services
Investment: $9.5m
Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors.
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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2070km to run
38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
40kg of vegetables
45 pairs of running shoes
1 yoga matt
1 oxygen chamber
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Teams
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shanwari, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Corey Anderson, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, Colin de Grandhomme, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Seth Rance, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.
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Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20LEAGUE%202
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now