DUBAI // About 128 million of the 350 million people in the Mena region are fans of Spain's Primera Liga, Fernando Sanz said, explaining why the league went to Dubai to open its first office outside of Spain.
"Real Madrid and Barcelona are the biggest clubs in the world," said Sanz. the general director of the Middle East office. "We are here for all the clubs in the league, in general, and all the countries are equally important for us, not just the UAE."
It sometimes seems everyone in the region is a fan of one of Spain’s big two clubs, but some have suggested their dominance has made the league boring.
The extended run of Atletico Madrid near the top of the table has provided a welcome change. “This is great news for us that Atletico Madrid has come up and is giving competition to Barca and Real,” Sanz said. “Even the mid-table clubs, like Villareal, Valencia, Sevilla, are difficult teams.
“We have seen, a couple of years ago, Athletic Bilbao beat Man United in the Champions League, and our clubs perform well in the Europa League as well, so the teams are really strong.”
Spain’s is the only league in the world where TV revenues are not distributed evenly among all clubs. Barcelona and Real Madrid take 60 per cent of the revenue and also work on private TV deals.
Sanz defended the arrangement.
“See, Barca and Real are the two biggest clubs of our league and the world – the league works because of them,” he said. “I don’t mean the league can run only by them. We need all 20 clubs. But they take our league and country around the world, so this is something different for us.
“Real Madrid and Barcelona are lucky clubs because they generate annual revenues of up to €500 million (Dh251.1bn). So they can buy the best players like Bale, like Neymar because they can afford it.
“There is no problem with that.”
The league has several teams in financial distress
It has been reported top-flight clubs owe the government €670 million in taxes. However, Sanz said an economic control system has cut the total owed to the government to €300m to €350m.
“Things have improved a lot in the league,” he said. “This is very good news for us.”
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Scores
Day 2
New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227
New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
'Outclassed in Kuwait'
Taleb Alrefai,
HBKU Press
RESULTS
Welterweight
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)
(Unanimous points decision)
Catchweight 75kg
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)
(Second round knockout)
Flyweight (female)
Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
(RSC in third round)
Featherweight
Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki
(Disqualification)
Lightweight
Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)
(Unanimous points)
Featherweight
Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)
(TKO first round)
Catchweight 69kg
Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)
(First round submission by foot-lock)
Catchweight 71kg
Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
(TKO round 1).
Featherweight title (5 rounds)
Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
(TKO round 1).
Lightweight title (5 rounds)
Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)
(RSC round 2).
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The UAE squad for the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
The jiu-jitsu men’s team: Faisal Al Ketbi, Zayed Al Kaabi, Yahia Al Hammadi, Taleb Al Kirbi, Obaid Al Nuaimi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Mansoori, Saeed Al Mazroui, Ibrahim Al Hosani, Mohammed Al Qubaisi, Salem Al Suwaidi, Khalfan Belhol, Saood Al Hammadi.
Women’s team: Mouza Al Shamsi, Wadeema Al Yafei, Reem Al Hashmi, Mahra Al Hanaei, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Hessa Thani, Salwa Al Ali.
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