Tag Futebol

Joao Pedro has made his preference clear amid a high-profile tug-of-war between Chelsea and Newcastle. The £60 million-rated Brighton star is leaning toward a move to Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea intensifying negotiations after their initial £58 million bid was rebuffed by the Seagulls. The Brazilian forward is now the Blues’ top target after they seal the deal for Jamie Gittens.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Chelsea and Newcastle show interest in PedroBrighton star would prefer move to ChelseaChelsea pushing for second bid for the forwardFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Pedro is edging closer to a Chelsea transfer after making the Blues his preferred destination, as per The Daily Mail. Newcastle made two separate approaches earlier this summer, but both were turned down by Brighton. Chelsea’s latest bid of £58 million was also rejected, yet talks remain ongoing with optimism that a deal could be struck above the £60 million mark, while the Seagulls continue to hold out for £60 million ($82m).

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Chelsea are focused on securing Pedro’s signature as part of their aggressive summer overhaul as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano. The Blues have almost finalised a move for Borussia Dortmund winger Gittens and previously brought in Liam Delap. Newcastle remain interested but face losing out due to Chelsea’s momentum and Pedro’s clear preference. Brighton, meanwhile, are preparing for life without their star attacker.

DID YOU KNOW?

Pedro joined Brighton from Watford in 2023 and has since emerged as one of the Premier League’s most versatile young forwards. In 70 appearances for the Seagulls, he has scored 30 goals across all competitions, showcasing an ability to play as a striker, second forward, or wide attacker. Additionally, the Brazilian has scored 20 goals in all competitions in the 2024/25 season, including 10 in the Premier League — his best domestic return to date.

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PEDRO?

Chelsea will now aim to reach an agreement with Brighton by sweetening their offer and finalising personal terms with the player. With Newcastle’s interest fading and Pedro pushing for the move, a deal could be finalised swiftly. Brighton, for their part, are unlikely to budge on their £60m valuation as they look to maximise the fee for one of their top assets.

Manchester City have made opening contact to sign a £75 million ace with his club open to a sale, according to a recent report.

Man City’s summer transfer plans

The Blues spent very heavily during the January transfer window, but unfortunately for Pep Guardiola, it hasn’t done much to get City back on track. The 2024/25 campaign has been a season to forget for the club, and it is likely to mean that it could be a very busy summer in terms of incomings and outgoings.

Their best signing since Haaland: Man City eyeing up "flawless" £100m star

Man City are looking to overhaul their midfield

By
Joe Nuttall

Mar 19, 2025

Kevin de Bruyne looks to be coming to the end of his time at the Etihad, as it’s been reported for some time now that he is in talks with MLS side San Diego over a move at the end of the season when his contract expires.

As well as the Belgian, Man City have cleared the way for Mateo Kovacic to leave the club , whereas the Blues also are ready to let Jack Grealish leave in the summer.

In terms of arrivals, it’s been reported that the Blues are ready to make an offer to sign Desire Doue from Paris Saint-Germain. Guardiola wants top-level reinforcements and has his eyes on Doue, as he believes the Frenchman would fit into his team very well, but PSG are not interested in selling a player they believe will become one of their star players.

Man City initiate contact to sign £76m star for Pep

While Guardiola pushes the Premier League champions to sign Doue, he is not their only attacking option heading into the summer. According to TEAMtalk, Man City have made contact in a bid to sign Kenan Yildiz from Juventus.

The report claims that since the Turin side was knocked out of the Champions League, numerous top clubs have made it known they are keen on signing the winger, and City are believed to be one of those sides. As well as the Blues, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United are also very interested in signing Yildiz.

None of the interested teams are in advanced talks over signing the Turkey international, but all the Premier League teams mentioned have gathered information on the player after making initial contact.

The 19-year-old is considered an important player for Juventus but has found himself in and out of the starting XI in recent weeks, and it is now claimed that Juve would be open to a sale at €90 million (£75.3 million).

Yildiz’s potential arrival at the Etihad could see him come up against the likes of Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Savinho, Oscar Bobb and Grealish for a starting spot out wide. However, with Grealish possibly on the way out, Yildiz could be seen as a long-term replacement for the Englishman.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was told of a "defining trait" for all Real Madrid players as Florentino Perez welcomed the new signing from Liverpool.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Alexander-Arnold was unveiled on ThursdayPerez welcomed the full-back with open armsWill make his debut in the upcoming CWCFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

During the official unveiling, Real president Perez addressed the gathered audience and took a moment to share words of encouragement and insight with the new signing. The Blancos chief highlighted what truly sets Real Madrid apart from other clubs, noting that, beyond world-class ability, players who succeed at the Bernabeu are also Madridistas at heart.

AdvertisementWHAT FLORENTINO PEREZ SAID

Alexander-Arnold will team up with close friend Jude Bellingham at the Spanish capital, and taking that cue, Perez said: "At Real Madrid, you will find teammates who form a great family, some of them good friends of yours, like our dear Jude Bellingham. And I want you to know that the defining trait of Real Madrid is that, in addition to being great players, they are all true Madridistas. You will quickly understand what Real Madrid is. Every title is a boost to try again."

AFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Addressing the media for the first time in his new colours, Alexander-Arnold conveyed his joy and eagerness to begin this next stage of his career in fluent Spanish, which won over Madridistas across the globe.

“Thank you all for this opportunity,” he began. "Signing for Madrid doesn't happen every day. It's a dream come true. I'm really looking forward to showing my game to the Real Madrid fans. I'm aware of the responsibility that comes with playing here. I'm going to give it my all to show off my game and win lots of titles. Thank you very much, and hala Madrid!"

DID YOU KNOW?

With his exceptional passing range, set-piece threat and attacking instincts, Alexander-Arnold’s style of play is expected to align well with Real Madrid’s high-octane football. Fans are eager to see how he adapts to La Liga and whether he can replicate the influence he had in the Premier League under a new tactical framework set up by Xabi Alonso.

"Very, very exciting for me. A day that I have been waiting for a long time now. Very excited, very happy, very proud to be here," he said. "It's a dream to be here but there is still a lot of hard work to do and I'm excited to get started straight away. It's an exciting time for me."

ATLANTA — In August of 2019, Atlanta general manager Alex Anthopoulos got an email from his vice president of scouting, Dana Brown, suggesting the team sign a 28-year-old lefty out of independent ball. Also, the guy was recovering from the yips.

This idea made no sense. Even if the kid was any good, there were two weeks left in the minor league season. Why would they sign a dude who would be a free agent in two weeks?

Anthopoulos called Brown. “He pushed and he pushed and he pushed,” said Anthopoulos.

On Aug. 15, Atlanta signed Tyler Matzek to a two-year minor league deal. On Saturday, he got the six most important outs of the season.

“I think it’s paid off,” said Anthopoulos, champagne goggles pushed onto his forehead, NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONS T-shirt stinking of beer. His club had just finished off the Dodgers, 4–2, in Game 6 of the NLCS to capture Atlanta’s first pennant since 1999.  Left fielder Eddie Rosario, who hit .560 in the series, was still clutching the NLCS MVP trophy. But Anthopoulos wanted to talk about someone else.

“Not to take anything away from [Rosario], but Tyler Matzek—unbelievable,” he said. “Both of those guys could have been co-MVP.”

Reliever Luke Jackson had another idea. “He should get a giant backpack award,” he said. “I should be placed in there.”

Indeed, Matzek entered the game to clean up the mess Jackson had made. With a three-run lead, Jackson had allowed a double, a walk and another double. When manager Brian Snitker emerged from the dugout, Jackson felt only relief. “Thank you,” he told the skipper. “I can’t buy an out right now.” Besides, he knew who was on his way: “Tyler Nutsack,” Jackson said. “That’s what everyone calls him, because he’s got to drag those huge balls out to the mound every night.”

He does mean every night. On Wednesday, Matzek tied the record for consecutive games pitched to start a postseason, with eight. He got Thursday off because Los Angeles routed Atlanta in Game 5. But on Saturday, when it seemed the game would slip away, that for a second straight year the team would choke away a 3–1 NLCS lead over the Dodgers, Snitker raised his left arm and called for the most unlikely man on the roster.

The wicketkeeper is set to be confirmed as Australia’s new captain in the coming days

AAP08-Dec-2023Alyssa Healy has declared herself a near-certain starter for Australia’s Test against India in Mumbai.The star wicketkeeper-batter missed all-but one match of the WBBL after badly hurting her finger while trying to break up a fight between her two dogs.Healy has returned to training and is preparing to face India at the famous Wankhede Stadium in the red-ball Test, starting on December 21.Related

• 'Matter of adapting on the run' – Australia ready to embrace the Indian spin challenge

• Healy gung-ho about leading Australia in 'hugely exciting' phase for women's cricket

• Healy looks to 'reset and refresh' Australia for new era of success

• Healy and Brown named for India tour, Cheatle recalled, but no captain yet

• Jonassen studies Jadeja ahead of India Test challenge

“I assume I’ll be out there [for the Test], they’re going to have to do a lot to stop me walking out there and catching the first delivery,” she said at the Kayo Summer of Cricket launch on Friday. “Everything’s going really, really well.”I started back in the nets the last week-and-a-half so I’m all on track to fly to India on Wednesday for a big series over there.”Healy will be confirmed as Australia’s new captain as early as this weekend after the Cricket Australia board met on Friday.The 33-year-old will step into the role full-time after long-time teammate Meg Lanning’s shock international retirement. Healy has filled in for Lanning as captain for extended spells over the last two years, including this year’s Ashes.”Obviously we leave on Wednesday so having some sort of clarity and assurance for the team before we fly out would be great,” she said. “If it was me, it’d be unbelievably exciting.  I feel like I’ve been warming the seat for 18 months for Meg to come back and obviously with Meg’s news it was a bit of a shock.”To go over to India and captain a multi-format series would be really exciting for whoever does get the job. If it’s me, then you beauty!”The match in Mumbai will be the first Test in India for the Australian women since 1984. The tour of India will also feature three ODIs and T20s, and run over the Christmas and New Year period.

Among fast bowlers, Prasidh Krishna and Vijaykumar Vyshak attract top bids

Shashank Kishore22-Jul-2023Batters were the flavour of the day at the Maharaja Trophy auction in Bengaluru on Saturday, with Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal, Manish Pandey all attracting big bids. However, the biggest bid was reserved for middle-order batter Abhinav Manohar, who was signed for INR 15 lakh by Shivamogga Lions, one of the two new franchises along with Mangalore Dragons in the six-team tournament that is to run from August 13 to 29.Agarwal was signed for INR 14 lakh by Bengaluru Blasters, while Padikkal (INR 13.2 lakh) and Pandey (INR 10.6 lakh) attracted the next highest bids, by defending champions Gulbarga Mystics and Hubli Tigers, respectively.In all, over 700 cricketers from across the state were slotted and auctioned across four groups. Category A included India and IPL players, while Category B comprised those who have played in the BCCI tournaments at the senior level. State players from across the BCCI’s age-group tournaments formed Category C. All other players from the state were bracketed in Category D.Among the fast bowlers, Vijaykumar Vyshak, who earned a maiden IPL deal with Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this year, was signed for INR 8.8 lakh by Mystics, while Prasidh Krishna, who is set to return to competitive cricket after more than a year, went for INR 7.4 lakh to Mysuru Warriors.Abhinav Manohar was picked up by Shivamogga Lions for INR 15 lakhs•BCCISpin-bowling allrounders Shreyas Gopal and K Gowtham went to Lions and Dragons for INR 7.4 lakh and INR 6.6 lakh, respectively. Meanwhile, Karun Nair, currently playing minor county cricket in England, returned to Warriors for INR 6.8 lakh amid the reports of him looking to pursue opportunities outside the state in domestic cricket. Nair hasn’t played any form of cricket for Karnataka for over a year.Among younger players, Nikin Jose, currently playing in the emerging team’s Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, was snapped up for INR 7 lakh by Dragons. Jose had a prolific debut season across formats, and is now considered an all-format regular.This year, the tournament returns to a franchise model following a season in which the KSCA had complete control of all cricketing aspects – right from player drafts to payments to the appointments of coaches and staff. At the time, apart from “restoring credibility” after the tournament had been struck by a series of spot-fixing controversies, the KSCA said the shift had been made keeping in mind the country’s tax laws.At that time, the KSCA’s cricket committee, headed by then president and former India allrounder Roger Binny, had formed a core group of six selectors – picked from across the six zones of the state – to take part in the draft process, and payments were uniform as per the grades to which players belonged.Each team will play the other five twice. The top four will then compete in Qualifiers and Eliminator, just like the IPL playoffs system. All matches will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.Maharaja Trophy squadsGulbarga Mystics: Devdutt Padikkal, KP Appana, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Srinivas Sharath, LR Chethan, Aqib Jawad, R Smaran, KV Aneesh, Macneil Noronha, Sharan Goud, Abhilash Shetty, Hardik Raj, Shimon Luiz, Avinash D, Yashovardhan Parantap, Aadarsh Prajwal, Abul Hasan Khalid, Shaun JosephHubli Tigers: KC Cariappa, Pravin Dubey, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Shrijith KL, Mohammed Taha, Vidhwath Kaverappa, MB Darshan, Shivam MB, Naga Bharath, Santokh Singh, Mohith BA, Manvanth Kumar L, Mitrakant Singh Yadav, Malliksab G, Nathan D’mello, Rakshekar Harikant, Clement RajuShivamogga Lions: Abhinav Manohar, Shreyas Gopal, Nihal Ullal, Koushik V, Sharath HS, Kranthi Kumar, Rohan Kadam, Shreyas Puranik, Pranav Bhatia, Vinay Sagar, Aditya Somanna, Adhoksh Hegde, Pavan Shridi, Rohan Naveen, Shivaraj, Rohit Kumar K, Nischith Rao, Deepak DevadigaMysuru Warriors: Karun Nair, Suchith J, Prasidh Krishna, Shoaib Manager, Samarth R, Karthik CA, Manoj Bhandage, Venkatesh M, Tushar Singh, Kushal Wadhwani, Shashi Kumar K, Rakshith S, Shreesha S Achar, Monish Reddy, Aditya Mani, Gautam Mishra, Rahul Singh Rawat, Bharath DhuriBengaluru Blasters: Mithun A, Mayank Agarwal, Pradeep T, Mohammed Sarfaraz Ashraf, Pavan Deshpande, Shubhang Hegde, Nishchal D, Vidyadhar Patil, Jeshwanth Acharya, Jasper EJ, Kumar LR, Mohsin Khan, Aashish Mahesh, Rishi Bopanna, Suraj Ahuja, Aaron Christie, Abhishek Ahlawat, Aman KhanMangalore Dragons: Ronit More, Krishnappa Gowtham, Krishnamurthy Siddharth, Nikin Jose, BR Sharath, Prateek Jain, Aniruddha Joshi, Rohan Patil, Gaurav Dhiman, BU Shivakumar, Thippa Reddy, Aaditya Nair, Aditya Goyal, Doddamani Anand, Kruthik Krishna, Gneshwar Naveen, Dheeraj Gowda, Aneeshwar Gautam

It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but then David Moyes and any fan of an Everton persuasion won’t care a jot.

The Toffees extended their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five matches with a 2-1 at Selhurst Park, springing above the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United and into 13th place, level with Oliver Glasner’s beaten Crystal Palace.

Sean Dyche’s Everton always produced resilient and determined displays, but something was missing. Now, Everton are playing with more freedom and belief, still rooted in their principles but flourishing under a manager who knows the club and knows it well.

He knew that Charly Alcaraz would be a shrewd signing, and the Argentinian has repaid the faith with the winning goal in south London.

Charly Alcaraz stakes his claim

Alcaraz signed on loan with an obligatory £13m buy option inserted at the end of the January transfer window and he’s started to impress with his cultured feet and combative mindset, claiming his first Everton goal on his first start against the Eagles.

It was a dreamy starting debut for the young buck, 22, who had a big task in replacing the suspended Abdoulaye Doucoure but passed with flying colours.

Not only was he instinctive in firing beyond Dean Henderson to seal the three points, but Alcaraz created three key passes throughout the evening, dynamic and eager.

Everton didn’t play all that well but they have unearthed that winning sense and are thriving under Moyes’ wing. The Scotsman is providing the players with a new lease of life.

Alcaraz was always going to work hard to impress at his new club, but a longer-serving Toffee’s showing shouldn’t go without credit, for he’s starting to look like a real asset.

Everton's real winner at Selhurst Park

The man in question is Jack Harrison, whose 2024/25 campaign has been a frustrating one, all told.

Harrison’s interminable wait for a goal or an assist – he’s yet to get off the mark across 25 games this term – goes on, but he’s beginning to look far more connected in his play.

The 28-year-old was praised by The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland for his “real shift” against Palace, while The Liverpool Echo handed him a 7/10 match rating that perhaps could have been even higher, for he showed plenty of ‘running and endeavour’ in the large and vacant boots of Iliman Ndiaye.

Minutes played

65′

90′

Goals

0

0

Assists

0

0

Touches

55

42

Shots (on target)

2 (0)

0 (0)

Accurate passes

20/24 (83%)

12/17 (71%)

Key passes

1

1

Dribbles (completed)

6 (1)

5 (4)

Total duels (won)

16 (8)

13 (6)

It’s curious that Harrison has still failed to bag a goal or an assist but his overall level has been something to admire over the past week, forging a path back into the good books for himself.

Winning six duels in total, the versatile wideman completed four dribbles and won two more duels, looking complete and tenacious in his work. Moreover, he was even more eye-catching from a defensive standpoint during the thrilling draw with Liverpool, coming off the bench in the first half to replace the forced-off Ndiaye.

So then, the wait for that elusive direct goal involvement rages on. Still, Harrison has proved over the past few games that he is capable of providing effective support across the field.

This might just have been his best performance yet under Moyes, with a season-high four dribbles completed illustrating his effectiveness on the left flank, and an exciting turning point ahead of the business months, perhaps.

With Ndiaye and Dwight McNeil among the sidelined, it was important that the Blues put in a potent collective display, and Moyes is sure to be pleased with his players, Harrison and Alcaraz in particular.

Everton struck gold selling £14m flop who's now worth less than Doucoure

He’s part of a long list of disappointing additions under the Farhad Moshiri umbrella.

ByAngus Sinclair Feb 14, 2025

Dan Ashworth has returned to the FA as chief football officer after leaving Manchester United in December.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Dan Ashworth returns to the FAWill oversee St George's Park regenerationLeft Manchester United in DecemberFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Ashworth becomes the first person to take on the role and will lead the FA's high-performance strategy, as well as overseeing the new-look home of the England national teams.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Ashworth was previously with the FA between 2013-19, operating as the director of elite development and then the technical director. Having held roles at Brighton, Newcastle United and Manchester United since his departure, he now returns to the governing body.

WHAT THE FA SAID

FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said: "Dan is a hugely influential and respected figure in the game, who has a long-standing commitment to England Football. We are very happy to welcome him back in this new role."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR ASHWORTH?

Part of Ashworth's role will include supporting men's technical director John McDermott and the successor to women's technical director Kay Cossington. That includes preparation for this summer's women's Euros and next summer's men's World Cup.

With the country co-hosting the T20 World Cup, Pankaj Khimji believes the national team will be stronger contenders in their second appearance in the tournament

Interview by Shashank Kishore03-Oct-2021A decade ago Oman didn’t have a single grass cricket field. Today, there are two, next to each other, in Al Amerat, a short drive from the capital, Muscat. These two venues will put Oman on the cricket map when it hosts six matches in the first round of the 2021 T20 World Cup. With the national team participating and looking to qualify for the Super 12s, it’s widely seen as a landmark moment for cricket in the country, as Pankaj Khimji, chairman of Oman Cricket, says.Give us a sense of how big it is for Oman to be hosting a World Cup.
How often does an Associate nation get to host a World Cup?I’m told by Star Sports [the host broadcasters] that this might turn out to be the third-largest televised sporting event of all time, potentially reaching an audience of 3 to 3.5 billion people. Even if Oman gets a billion people watching the first six games, and showcases itself just to the Indian subcontinent, it’s massive. It has never happened before, so we’re over the moon. We have the full blessings and support of every authority in the country, right from the highest body to the local municipal council, saying let’s put Oman on the map.Related

• The World Cup showed that Associates have not kept up in T20 – because they're playing too few games

• Well-prepped Oman primed to usher in new era against first-timers PNG

• T20 World Cup to have fans at 70% capacity across venues

• Maqsood to lead Oman at T20 World Cup, uncapped Dhamba, Ayan make the cut

• Men's T20 World Cup 2021 – what the squads look like

What is the mood among the cricket fraternity in Oman about the team’s participation?
Two things. One, Oman is going to be seen by a global audience. Few people remember we made history by beating Ireland at the T20 World Cup last time [in 2016 in India]. Now we’re probably one of the only Asian Associates to qualify for the second round of a T20 World Cup. It’s no fluke.Two, we’ve defined our purpose. We are here among the top 20 in the world in white-ball cricket. No one can tell us we made it to one World Cup and vanished. We’re hoping to qualify for the Super 12s. The team is focused on that. If we do that, we will automatically qualify for next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia too. So the motivation is high. Suddenly a whole new band of football-loving people are saying we’ve done an amazing thing by bringing a World Cup to Oman.How have you managed to prepare the team in these Covid times, where match time has been elusive?
We’re all amateur cricketers in Oman. We play weekend cricket. Our domestic season comprises weekend tournaments from September to April. All our boys have come back from hibernation five, six weeks ago. In this time, the trainers have got them back into shape, getting them to lose the kilos they’ve put on. That said, the team is in super shape.We played a very good T20 series against Mumbai, beating them 2-1. After the series, at a dinner, Amol Muzumdar [the Mumbai coach] told me, “You guys managed to ignite the kind of fire [within the Mumbai team] even I couldn’t.” The T20 series loss spurred Mumbai to beat us convincingly in the one-dayers, but then we couldn’t have got better practice than playing a quality side like Mumbai. When you train against a tougher opponent, you learn. Weaker opponents just help you to loosen up. A side with an average age of 22-23 against ours, whose average is 33-34. It was literally like a young team against a veteran’s team. The preparation has been excellent.The Mumbai team that toured Oman for three T20Is and three ODIs in September•Oman CricketTell us about your director of cricket, Duleep Mendis, and his influence over the team.
He’s been with us for ten years now. I don’t think he thought he’d hang around for this long. At Oman Cricket, we count our blessings to have him shaping our team. Since qualifying for the 2016 T20 World Cup, we’ve moved somewhere from being ranked 40th to about 14th or 15th in white-ball cricket. What more can we ask for? He has built it step by step.The World Cricket League (WCL) is a measure of our qualifying pathway to the 2023 ODI World Cup, and after a third of the matches, we’re on top of the standings. The only thing I tell my colleagues is, let’s not interfere with the cricket, let’s leave that to Duleep. We’re just administrators. So as long as you draw the line and let him get on with the cricket, it’ll be terrific. Cricket isn’t a judgmental sport like football, where you sack the manager if you lose five in a row. Losses are part and parcel of the progression. Fortunately, we’ve won more than we’ve lost [in the last five years].Is there a feeder system in place for talent?
We have a wonderful school system here, and currently four players have come through to the national team from the Under-13s to 16s, 19s, to the main side. The Indian and Pakistani school system is very strong here, and we’re trying to strengthen it further. We have a mix of home-grown players and expats. A lot more players who haven’t had the opportunity to flourish back in their country may now consider Oman as a place to pursue their interest.We rolled out our grassroots development programme in January 2020 [before Covid hit]. We adopted ten government schools, where our coaches teach boys and girls aged as young as eight-nine the basics of the game and then see if they can take it to the next level. We get them over to our main ground and allow them to train at the indoor centre, try to inculcate the fun factor. They don’t get to watch much cricket at times, so we try to ensure they play as much as possible. We have a strong residential block around our main venue in Al Amerat, and we’ve thrown it open to the residents to come over and have their evening walks, use our lawns to exercise. We’re doing what we can to see if in another ten to 15 years we can have 50% of Omanis constituting the national team.Oman’s players, most of whom have day jobs, have only recently returned to training ahead of their series against Mumbai and the World Cup•Oman CricketHow long before you think cricket goes fully professional in Oman?
We’d rather be realistic and keep it as a semi-professional structure. All our players have nine-to-five jobs. They still find it difficult to get leave for camps and big tournaments. Some players are on a semi-hybrid contract, where they’re employed by an organisation but paid for by Oman Cricket [when they’re absent from work]. We’d honestly much rather be rookies pulling the carpet out from under some of the higher-ranked teams rather than regularly beating the smaller teams. You can’t hope to go fully professional when you have a team largely comprising expats. That doesn’t sound right.A tournament of this magnitude calls for massive infrastructure upgrades. How have you gone about it?
Our ground [at Al Amerat] was like a glorified English countryside venue. We had a clubhouse on one side, which is one-third the size of the CCI [Cricket Club of India, in Mumbai] club house. The rest of it was full of neem and gulmohar trees, and benches of the kind you see in parks across London, where two or three people sit on each bench and enjoy a game of weekend cricket. But as World Cup hosts, we had to change that, so we first chalked out how many people we want to allow. With Covid protocols coming in, we said 3000 could be manageable. So from 200-300 we’d host on park benches, we’re now ready to host 3000.We’ve put up 30 air-conditioned corporate boxes and a media centre at a vantage location above the sightscreen. One commentary box isn’t enough because we now have commentary in multiple languages, so we had to develop a huge area for that. I can’t say we have the Lord’s media box, but we’ve got a nice little set-up. Then we were told 1000 lux [for floodlights] is a thing of the past. If you want to televise an event on 4K HD imagery, you need a minimum of 3500 lux. Then we were told you don’t use metal halide lamps anymore, we need LED lamps that you can switch on and off with a flick of a finger. So we got that done up.One by one, everything is now in place. It’s just six games, but it’s the World Cup. So these are exciting times.