Los Angeles // Hollywood funnyman and football fan Will Ferrell was introduced Thursday as the latest addition to the ownership group of Major League Soccer expansion franchise Los Angeles Football Club.
“This is not a joke,” Ferrell said upon his introduction by US footballing legend and fellow co-owner Mia Hamm at a news conference at Los Angeles’ Union Station.
Ferrell joins an ownership group that numbers 25 and includes Hamm and her husband, former baseball player Nomar Garciaparra, basketball great Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Vietnamese American entrepreneur Henry Nguyen and entertainment mogul Peter Guber.
Ferrell’s most famous prior football connection was his role as a youth coach in the comedy film “Kicking & Screaming”.
Scroll down to see a video clip
But he said he played the game as a youngster in subrban Irvine, California, his wife, actress Viveca Paulin, played in college and his three sons still play.
“To say that soccer is a big part of our lives is an understatement,” said Ferrell, who also quipped that he’d never been part-owner of anything -- except “a 1984 Toyota Camry with my brother.”
Ferrell’s introduction coincided with the unveiling of the new club’s colors and crest, which features the large letters “LA” adorned with wings representing the City of Angels.
LAFC is expected to begin playing in 2018 at a planned $250 million, 22,000-seat stadium on the site of the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Exposition Park near downtown Los Angeles.
The team was announced in 2014 as a replacement for the disbanded Chivas USA soccer club, which played for 10 years sharing a ground in Carson, California, with the LA Galaxy.
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Quarter-finals
Saturday (all times UAE)
England v Australia, 11.15am
New Zealand v Ireland, 2.15pm
Sunday
Wales v France, 11.15am
Japan v South Africa, 2.15pm
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If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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On sale: now
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All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
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Torque: 230Nm
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
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AT%20A%20GLANCE
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Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
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A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
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51.1 million received a jab
6.4 million have not
Where are the unvaccinated?
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Scotland 9%
Wales 10%
Northern Ireland 14%
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