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Thomas Tuchel is plotting a sensational Premier League return, as he eyes a move to Manchester United when he leaves Bayern Munich in the summer.

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• Tuchel to step down from Bayern role
• Previously led Chelsea to UCL glory
• Now wants PL return at United

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Bundesliga giants revealed in a shock announcement that their German boss would be stepping down at the end of the current campaign. Pressure had been ramping up on Tuchel amid a disastrous spell and there had been suggestions he could be let go mid-season. However, with the former Chelsea boss set to be free in the summer, journalist reports that he is keen on a return to the English top flight.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to journalist Falk, United is a club Tuchel has "always" been interested in, and he is willing to take on that "new challenge" after leaving Bayern. Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag has been far from convincing during his near 20 months in the role, largely flattering to deceive with the most expensive squad ever assembled.

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  TELL ME MORE

  United aren't the only team on Tuchel's radar. reports that the German is keeping an eye on the situation at Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp set to leave in the summer and Bayern keen on their number one target Xabi Alonso. Tuchel is also a potential candidate for the England international job if Gareth Southgate steps down after Euro 2024, although he has hinted he will stay on.

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  If the move goes through, Tuchel managing elsewhere in the Premier League will no doubt be a sore sight for Chelsea fans. The German is still revered at Stamford Bridge after leading them to their second-ever Champions League triumph and successfully navigating a difficult period following sanctions to then-owner Roman Abramovich.

Former Zimbabwe umpire Ian Robinson has died of lung cancer at the age of 69, in Harare on Sunday

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Apr-2016Former Zimbabwe umpire Ian Robinson has died of lung cancer at the age of 69, in Harare on Sunday. Robinson made his international debut as an umpire in the 1992 World Cup and his Test debut in Zimbabwe’s inaugural match, against India in Harare, in October 1992. He officiated in 28 Tests, 90 ODIs and three World Cups – 1992, 1996 and 1999.He began his umpiring career in 1975, and was appointed to Zimbabwe’s first-class panel in 1978. In 2004, he was sacked by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union without being given a reason. Apart from his umpiring duties, Robinson served as a ZCU board member for 14 years and an employee of the board for nine. He also served as the board’s international cricket manager.Robinson was appointed to the first international panel of umpires established by the ICC in 1994. In 2008, he announced his retirement from top-level umpiring to focus on his role as ICC Regional Umpires’ Performance Manager (RUPM) for the Africa region.

The England striker needs to continue his electric form if he is to have any hope of finally ending his wait for the first trophy of his career

England fans will remember the scene all too well. Harry Kane went about his penalty routine in the usual way, as he adjusted his socks, repositioned the ball on the edge of the spot and took seven steps back before first looking into the the eyes of France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, and then at the ball. There following his trademark staccato run-up, the slight crouch, the opened hips, and a clean strike.

But instead of nestling in the net, the ball soared off his foot, clipping the top of the crossbar before sailing into the stands behind the goal. The Three Lions went on to lose 2-1, and fell out of the 2022 World Cup at the quarter-final stage when many thought this might just be their time.

And so continued the curse of Kane. The England captain, for all of his brilliance, is yet to win a trophy in his career. He has come close – heartbreakingly so – on several occasions for club and country, but that elusive winners' medal has not yet been placed around his neck.

Having joined Bayern Munich last summer, many believed it was a foregone conclusion that Kane's curse would be broken in 2024. But it hasn't been that simple. The Bavarians sit second in the Bundesliga table, are out of the DFB-Pokal and face an uphill task to win Champions League if their recent performance-level doesn't improve.

Not much of that can be pinned on Kane, who is on pace to break the Bundesliga single-season record for goals scored while enjoying the most prolific campaign of his career. On Saturday, he will get another chance to add to his tally when Bayern travel to face unbeaten league-leaders Bayer Leverkusen in a fixture that will go a long way to deciding who wins the German title.

The top-of-the-table encounter offers Kane another opportunity to exorcise his big-game demons – and take a huge step towards finally having a team trophy to place alongside all the individual awards in his trophy cabinet.

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  Bayern's troubling form

  Given Kane's career trajetory, it is somewhat ironic that Bayern have endured their shakiest start to a season in years – especially considering how often he has been finding the net. Although their Bundesliga and European form doesn't look overly bad, a closer look at their displays suggests that something is amiss.

  While they have only suffered two Bundesliga defeats all season, they have come since the start of December, as they fell 5-1 to Eintracht Frankfurt before being beaten at home by Werder Bremen, a side they had not lost to in any of their previous 32 meetings.

  Since that game, Thomas Tuchel's side has put together a run of three successive wins, though they have hardly been convincing in any of them, as they edged out Union Berlin and Augsburg by solitary goals before coming from behind to beat Borussia Monchengladbach last time out.

  The Bavarians also suffered brutal embarrassment in the DFB-Pokal second round earlier in the campaign, crashing out of the competition with a 2-1 loss to third-division Saarbrucken – one of the most significant upsets in cup history. Kane spent all 90 minutes of that fixture on the bench, and could only watch on as an otherwise full-strength line-up paced around a raucous stadium after conceding a stoppage-time winner, his chances of a first domestic cup win gone just like that.

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  Leverkusen's magnificence

  This time last season, it was Borussia Dortmund who looked almost certain to end Bayern's era of Bundesliga dominance. The Jude Bellingham-led side went on an unexpected charge during the second half of the campaign, going 10 games undefeated. It all fell apart, of course, as a damning home draw on the final day with lowly Mainz saw Edin Terzic's side throw the title away.

  A year later, though, and Bayern's latest title rivals seem more fearsome. Leverkusen have now gone 30 games undefeated in all competitions, with Xabi Alonso's side rolling through the season with aplomb. The former Bayern midfielder has constructed a dominant side that is excellent at both ends of the pitch. Leverkusen's defence has only let in 14 goals in the league, while they have netted 90 times in all competitions.

  Alonso has overseen a clinic in squad building, with the notorious pretenders having revamped their roster over the summer with a series of bargain-bin finds and hot prospects to piece together a well-balanced side. Granit Xhaka looks like a midfielder reborn, while Florian Wirtz is well on his way to realising his potential as a world class No.10, two years removed from a devastating ACL tear. Piece it all together, and they are top of the league by two points – and every bit deserving of their lead.

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  Kane's history of near misses

  This would all seem to be rather cruel on Kane. The Englishman is the subject of ridicule for his barren trophy cabinet, despite being one of the most talented and statistically-brilliant forwards the nation has ever produced. A look at his stats – 312 goals and 66 assists in 507 club games, an average of 0.86 goals or assists per 90 minutes, and three Premier League Golden Boots – suggests that he deserves a glistening array of silverware.

  The reality is different. Kane doesn't have a single trophy – major or minor – to his name. Instead, his career has been defined by a glut of near-misses, and a dusty shelf packed with silver medals. Kane has lost two Carabao Cup finals, a Champions League final, and a European Championship final with England.

  And in the biggest games, he has pulled off something of an unwelcome disappearing act. He failed to find the net in the 2018 World Cup semi-final, went missing in the 2019 Champions League final, and then suffered that penalty woe in Qatar just over 12 months ago.

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  Record-breaking exploits

  This season, though, it would be hard to ask Kane to do much more to break his own personal curse. He is not only having his most prolific season ever, but he's also piecing together one of the great Bundesliga campaigns. He has bagged 28 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions, with eight assists thrown in for good measure. He has scored hat-tricks against Bochum, Darmstadt and Dortmund.

  His tally of four goals in six in the Champions League is less impressive, but a wider look at the stats shows that he had a hand in half of the Bavarians' goals in the competition so far. The natural fears of durability around Kane's famously unsteady ankles haven't been given any life either. He has started all but one game for Tuchel's side, and has played every possible minute of football since late October. This is what dominance looks like.

  The records have racked up as a result. Kane is the quickest player to ever reach 20 Bundesliga goals, the top-scoring Englishman in a single Bundesliga season, and has already surpassed the goal total of 2022-23 Golden Boot winner, Christopher Nkunku. The single-season goalscoring record, Robert Lewandowski's 41 in 2020-21, is now well within reach.

A look at Australia’s batsmen and bowlers at each Ashes venue in England over the years

S Rajesh29-Jun-2009Lord’s hasn’t always hosted the first Test of an Ashes series, but the Australians have been understandably miffed about the decision to have Cardiff host the first match this time. Lord’s has traditionally been Australia’s strongest venue in England, and the only ground where they won a Test in that historic series in 2005. Ricky Ponting went as far as to say that England had deliberately switched venues this time to ensure the series doesn’t start at Australia’s stronghold.That’s a debatable point – Lord’s didn’t host the first Test in 2001 either, when the series started at Edgbaston – but what isn’t debatable is Australia’s overwhelming dominance at the venue. In 33 Tests against England there, they’ve won 14 and lost only five, giving them a win-loss ratio of 2.80, easily their best among all venues in England. The last time Australia lost there was way back in 1934. Since then, in 18 Tests, they’ve drawn and won nine times each.Trent Bridge is next best, but unfortunately for Australia, that’s not on the fixtures list for the five-Test series. Edgbaston and The Oval are the two venues where Australia have lost more than they have won, and they’ll be playing at both grounds, in the third and fifth Tests. The Oval has been a particularly poor venue for them – they’ve won six and lost 15 in 34 matches. In the last nine Tests, Australia have only won once and lost three times, though two of those defeats, in 1993 and 1997 were in dead-rubber games, after the series had been won.

Batting and bowling stars at each venueDon Bradman is obviously a name that is among the top of the list in terms of batsmen who’ve done well at a specific English venue, but he doesn’t lead the table (for batsmen who’ve played at least three matches at a venue). The leader of the pack is Steve Waugh, whose three innings at Headingley read 177 not out, 157 not out and 4, for an aggregate, and an average, of 338. His stats were obviously helped by a couple of not-outs, but Don Bradman had only one of those in six innings at Headingley, and yet finished with an average of 192.60. Between them, they topped fifty six times at the venue and they made it count each time, going on to a three-figure score.Bradman and Waugh share the next two spots too, for performances at The Oval and Lord’s, before allowing David Boon to take fifth spot. Waugh makes another appearance lower down the table, in eighth place, thanks to an average of 99.25 at Old Trafford, where he scored two centuries and two fifties in five innings. Allan Border is the other batsman with more than one appearance in the top ten: he is in seventh and tenth place due to his performances at Lord’s and Old Trafford.The top ten in the table below covers only four venues, though. The best at Trent Bridge was Stan McCabe, who averaged 79.50 in six innings, including a cracking knock of 232 out of a team total of 411 in 1938. He is closely followed by Mark Taylor, who averaged 79.20 from five innings. The best at Edgbaston is Mark Waugh, with an average of 63.50 in five innings.

The bowlers’ list is headed by the irreplaceable Glenn McGrath, who, in just three Tests at Lord’s, took 26 wickets at an incredible average of 11.50, with a five-for in each match. Those stats include figures of 8 for 38 in his first innings at the ground, a performance which sparked an Australian revival in the 1997 series after they had lost the first Test at Edgbaston. Fred Spofforth was equally impressive in his three Tests at The Oval, with 20 wickets at an average of 12.50.In fact, The Oval dominates the top ten list, which is slightly surprising considering Australia’s poor record at the venue. Ray Lindwall, Dennis Lillee, Hugh Trumble and McGrath all enjoyed bowling at this ground. Shane Warne, though, preferred Trent Bridge and Lord’s – averaging less than 20 at each of those two venues – and Old Trafford, where his average barely exceeded 20.Warne is the only bowler in the top ten list three times, while McGrath makes an appearance twice. Edgbaston and Headingley aren’t represented in the top ten list, but Warne top the Edgbaston chart as well, with 25 wickets in four Tests at an average of 21.76. Clarrie Grimmett, the legbreak bowler from the 1920s and 1930s, leads the way at Headingley, with 20 wickets in three matches at 22.20 each.

Carlo Ancelotti has hinted that Real Madrid may not need to sign Kylian Mbappe, amid frenzied links with the Paris Saint-Germain superstar.

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• Ancelotti plays down links with PSG ace
• Real linked with blockbuster free transfer
• Mbappe already a world icon

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After seeing his side beat second-placed Girona 4-0 on Saturday, Ancelotti was quizzed on the prospect of Mbappe moving to the Bernabeu at the end of the season in a blockbuster free transfer. Real have consistently been linked with the World Cup winner and reports have previously suggested that Mbappe has already decided to make the move to Spain.

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  WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  Ancelotti said in a press conference: "You keep asking about a player who plays for another team."

  He added: "We already have the best players in the world here. In order: Vini Jr first, Bellingham second, Rodrygo third. Then Kroos, Valverde, Camavinga…"

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mbappe has been in genuinely glorious form this season and has scored 30 goals and provided seven assists in 29 games in all competitions. Such numbers would not look out of place at the Bernabeu.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The saga is not going away any time soon. Mbappe will almost certainly continue to dominate the back-page headlines both in Spain and in France; it remains to be seen when it will come to a head.

Virender Sehwag put on a brave face as he tried to explain another batting collapse from the World XI on the second day at Sydney

Andrew McGlashan at the SCG15-Oct-2005

Virender Sehwag put on a brave face as he tried to explain another batting collapse from the World XI on the second day at Sydney. He was less culpable than most of his team-mates, after flaying a powerful 76, but refused to blame his peers for the collapse from 134 for 3 to 190 all out. “The Australians are bowling very well. We are ready for every challenge – but sometimes the batting clicks and sometimes it doesn’t,” he told reporters after play.With the Super Series desperately needing a contest to match the hype, the World XI suffered a top-order slump against Glenn McGrath before being spun out by Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill. Sehwag conceded that the early loss of wickets proved crucial: “Today we got starts but still we lost some early wickets like Brian [Lara] and Rahul [Dravid]. So if they could get runs then we can come back in the second innings.”Other than Sehwag’s innings, it was a barren day as far as positives go for the World XI. There is a feeling that they have shown the Australian attack too much respect but Sehwag said that quality bowling needs to be treated watchfully. “They are bowling in the right areas and you have to show them some respect, especially against the new ball. If we want to bat really well we have to spend more time at the wicket, so we are looking forward to tomorrow and being able to get back into the game.”Sehwag denied that the World XI were embarrassed by their poor batting performance, and instead were focusing hard on how they could turn the match around. “We are just backing ourselves. We are talking in the dressing room that we have to play well tomorrow if we want to win this game and we will come out hard. It is cricket: you never know.”

AC Milan could sell their star player Rafael Leao in the summer if they receive offers in excess of €100m.

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• Milan ready to sell Leao
• Would demand transfer fee in excess of €100m
• Linked with a move to PSG and Newcastle

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Leao, who has attracted interest from several top European sides including Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United, could be sold in the summer if AC Milan receives offers over €100m, according to . The Portuguese winger reportedly has a release clause of €175m in his existing contract which means that the Serie A giants won't entertain any double-digit offers.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  After Kylian Mbappe communicated his decision to leave PSG as a free agent at the end of the ongoing campaign, the Ligue 1 champions are considering raiding the Italian league. Other than the Milan attacker, they have also shown interest in Inter's Lautaro Martinez and Napoli talisman Victor Osimhen.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Leao did not have the best of starts in the ongoing 2023/24 season having scored only seven goals in 29 appearances for the club across all competitions. Nonetheless, he has age on his side and could prove to be a perfect candidate to fill Mbappe's boots at PSG.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RAFAEL LEAO?

  The 24-year-old will be next seen in action for the Rossoneri on Sunday as they take on Monza in the Serie A. They currently find themselves third in the league, 11 points behind rivals and league leaders Inter.

The former Australia captain fills the void left by Rahul Dravid’s departure

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jan-2018Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting will return to the IPL this season, this time as head coach of Delhi Daredevils. Hemant Dua, the chief executive of Daredevils, made the announcement on Twitter.Ponting takes over from Paddy Upton and former India captain Rahul Dravid, who had stepped down after the previous season owing to BCCI’s conflict-of-interest regulations. While Upton’s contract wasn’t renewed, Dravid chose to coach India A and India Under-19 teams over the IPL franchise.Delhi were in contention for a playoff berth last season, only to taper off towards the end of the group stage. They eventually finished the season sixth, with six wins in 14 matches. The franchise is yet to win a title in 10 attempts.Ponting had coached Mumbai Indians to their second IPL title in 2015, but the franchise chose to not renew his two-year contract when it expired in 2016. He had joined the franchise as a player in 2013, but stepped away midway through the tournament due to poor form.Ponting also worked with Mumbai Indians in an advisory capacity in 2014. Prior to that, he was briefly part of Kolkata Knight Riders for the inaugural edition in 2008.

Jurgen Klopp at Bayern Munich “could work”, says Manuel Neuer, with the German coach preparing to sever ties with Liverpool in 2024.

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• German coach preparing to leave Anfield
• Plans to take a break from management
• May be tempted back to his homeland

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After close to nine years at Anfield, Klopp has revealed that he will be walking away from a prominent Premier League post at the end of the current campaign. With the stress of elite management taking its toll, the 56-year-old has suggested that he will have a year off.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Thomas Tuchel is only tied to a contract at Bayern through to 2025, meaning that Klopp could come into contention to take the reins at the Allianz Arena. He has previously worked with Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and has ruled out filling another role in England.

• WHAT NEUER SAID

  Bayern goalkeeper Neuer has said at a fan event when asked about the prospect of Klopp taking charge in Bavaria: “I think it depends on him. I don’t think FC Bayern has anything against that. He’s a renowned, very good, experienced, tactically astute coach who has gained big respect from all footballers and athletes and I believe that he’s definitely a potential candidate who could work for Bayern at some point. Whether he wants to do that is of course his business. Maybe he wants to take a break first. Maybe he no longer wants the day-to-day business – I can imagine him possibly being the national team coach one day. Of course, that mainly depends on him.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Any move to Munich would see Klopp link up with Harry Kane – a former Premier League rival from the striker’s days at Tottenham. He has previously admitted to being a big fan of the England captain, saying: “Harry Kane, what a striker. He is just a fantastic player but I hope we don't see why I like him. I respect how he came up, going out on loan, his career is fantastic. I remember one picture where him and Jamie Vardy are sat together on the bench for Leicester. I wouldn't want to be the coach at that moment. Harry did it the hard way. It's not like he came up at 18 years old as a talent. He had to do it the hard way and he had to improve day-by-day.”

The Inter manager has been delighted by the reaction of supporters in the Kingdom and hopes to rekindle that winning feeling there.

• The Supercoppa Italiana final between Inter and Napoli is set to kick-off at 10:00 pm (local time) on Monday at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh
• Inter skipper Lautaro Martinez is loving the club’s form right now
• This is the fourth time the Supercoppa Italiana is being held in Saudi Arabia

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Inter Milan are all set to lock horns with Serie A rivals Napoli in the final of the EA Sports FC Supercup, set to be held in Riyadh on Monday at Al Awwal Park.

  Inter, who qualified for the tournament thanks to their Coppa Italiana win last season, defeated Lazio 3-0 in their semifinal. Napoli, who were the Serie A champions last season, got the best of Fiorentina in the first semifinal by the same scoreline.

  Inter boss Simone Inzaghi was quick to highlight the love and support fans in the country have given his side.

  The Italian giants will be looking to defend the title they won last year in Riyadh when they vanquished city rivals AC Milan. Inzaghi has fond memories of the Saudi Arabian capital city and will hope to make them sweeter on Monday.

  However, they will face a stiff challenge from Napoli, who are no pushovers. Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri and captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo are determined to bring the trophy back to Naples.

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  WHAT DID THEY SAY?

  Inzaghi was full of praise as he described the love and affection Saudi Arabian fans have shown his team.

  “Tomorrow there will be a beautiful final in Riyadh with a beautiful sold-out stadium. I have seen a lot of Inter fans, they come up to us at the hotel, they wait for us outside the training grounds, and of course they come to the game. I am very happy that our fan base in Saudi and the region is growing and has grown so much over the past two years,” he stated.

  “I saw many fans last year in the final with Milan and I saw many at the stadium in the last game, and we are very happy to have those fans and we hope to have many more.”

  Interestingly, Inzaghi won the Supercoppa Italiana as Lazio manager in 2019 at the same venue as Monday’s final.

  Inter skipper and star striker Lautaro Martinez, who posted on social media thanking Riyadh for “all the love”, feels the club is in a rich vein of form because they are enjoying the atmosphere and their football. He agrees with Inzaghi’s statement in his post-semifinal press conference that Inter are playing “fun” football right now.

  “It’s a nice word and feeling, because it brings us back to why we play and to when we were kids and started playing football for fun. It also feels like that because we as a team are bringing it back to playing with friends, like when we first started playing,” Martinez said.

  While Inter are brimming with confidence, their opponents are plotting their own heist. Napoli boss Mazzarri is looking forward to his second Supercoppa Italiana final and hopes this time, unlike 2012 in his first stint as manager, that the outcome is different.

  “In 23 years of my career, I have the opportunity for the second time to have a Supercup final, and I hope this time to be able to lift the trophy,” he said.

  “Otherwise, I would still be happy because not every coach that started like me from scratch can get to the final twice. I am already proud and happy at how far I’ve reached. The team is the most important thing. They are good and young, and they won the Italian championship. I don’t think it is easy for all of them to play a Supercup, they need to make the most of the opportunity to take home this trophy,” he added.

  Napoli captain and full-back Di Lorenzo said, “We will do our best to win this trophy and to bring it home for everyone – us, and for the fans.”

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The ongoing edition of the Supercoppa Italiana is the fourth time the event is being held in Saudi Arabia. The tournament was first held in the country in 2019 when a goal from Cristiano Ronaldo, now playing in Saudi Arabia for Al Nassr, earned Juventus a 1-0 win over AC Milan in Jeddah.

  This year’s Supercoppa Italiana is the first time the tournament has been expanded to four teams. While showing off the charm of Italian football, the tournament has also highlighted Saudi Arabia’s commitment and capability to host the very best international tournaments.

  It has also bridged the gap between fans from different countries and showcased the country’s unique football culture to the world.

  Interestingly, around 80% of Saudi Arabians either play, attend, or follow football and many support international – including Italian – clubs.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  The Supercoppa Italiana follows in the footsteps of the Spanish Super Cup which was also recently held in Saudi Arabia.

  The tournament, held in a similar format to that of the Supercoppa Italiana, saw Real Madrid defeat Barcelona in the final in what was a high-voltage clash in Riyadh.