Formula 1 may not race in 2020, say bosses

Formula 1 may not race in 2020, say bosses

by | May 7, 2020 | Sports Headlines

Formula 1 chairman Chase Carey has admitted that the sport’s owners are preparing for “the remote possibility of no racing in 2020”.

He said they discussed with lenders how to handle the loss of income involved in not being able to run a season.

But he emphasised: “We are increasingly confident – although there are no guarantees – that we will have a 2020 championship season.”

F1 released figures showing income fell by 84% in the first quarter of 2019.

Owner Liberty Media said F1’s revenue in the first quarter of 2020 was $39m (£31.6m) compared to $246m (£199m) in the same period in 2019.

The records do not include any income received for the two races called off in that period in Australia and Bahrain, or any revenue from broadcasting rights.

Carey, who was speaking on a conference call with investors after the release of the first-quarter results, said the coronavirus crisis had had “a significant impact on F1 and we are adjusting in numerous ways”.

The figures reflect the difficulty created for F1 by the lack of racing, with all the sport’s main revenue streams facing disruption, and the importance of running a season this year.

Carey said the “goal” remained to start the season in Austria on the first weekend in July, and that it was “likely” this would be followed by a second race at the Red Bull Ring the on 11-12 July.

He said he believed it would be possible to have a championship of 15-18 races, and that the plan was for a series of European races through August and into September, before heading to Eurasia, Asia, the Americas and the Middle East, finishing on 13 December.

“We expect the European races to be without fans,” Carey said, adding that he was working through the methods by which teams could get to the races without adding to the risk of spreading coronavirus.

“We are making good headway on having races that can be secure and safe for everyone,” he said.

Carey added: “We hope to be able to allow fans to attend in the latter part of the year” and that he was “increasingly positive about the number of locations that will be able and want to host a race this year”.

A series of internal transactions at F1 owner the Liberty Media Group gave the sport an extra $1.4bn of liquidity to deal with the effects of the coronavirus crisis.

Carey said: “We expect the impact of the coronavirus on the wider world will continue, but we feel well positioned to return to the growth curve we were on a few months ago.”

The sport has made a series of moves in recent weeks to reduce costs for teams in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

These include delaying a major regulation change planned for 2021 until 2022, forcing teams to use their 2020 cars next season and a move to lower the budget cap that is planned to be introduced next year.

Are Real Madrid targeting another rebuild?

Are Real Madrid targeting another rebuild?

by | May 4, 2020 | Sports Headlines

Every club is eager for football to return but perhaps none more so than Real Madrid. It will have been a fraught five weeks for Zinedine Zidane, whose side headed into the shutdown off the back of four defeats in seven games.

Dumped out of the Copa del Rey at home by Real Sociedad and with one foot out of the Champions League following a 2-1 loss to Manchester City at the Santiago Bernabeu, the season has not gone according to plan.

So much was expected of this new Madrid side following a summer of heavy spending, with £275m forked out on players such as Eden Hazard, Ferland Mendy, Luka Jovic, Rodrygo and Eder Militao.

But with the side trailing Barcelona by two points with 11 La Liga games still to play, Zidane may well have used these dormant weeks contemplating ripping up his attempts at a reboot and starting all over again.

Buzz Sports caught up with Spanish football expert Alvaro Montero to run the rule over the current squad and what could happen this summer…

Lunin expected to challenge Courtois

Andriy Lunin will provide competition for Thibaut Courtois next season
Andriy Lunin will provide competition for Thibaut Courtois next season

“Thibaut Courtois will remain No 1. Zidane is happy with him and [club president] Florentino Perez loves him,” Montero told Sky Sports.

“The club’s general director Jose Angel Sanchez – Perez’s right-hand man – has been promoting a transfer policy that is not based on massive expenditure ever since the turn of the century. They are keen to bring in players and turn them into superstars where their values go up.”

Alphonse Areola was brought in by Zidane from Paris Saint-Germain on loan to provide competition for the Belgian, but having failed to oust him from the No 1 spot, neither the player or club will look to make this a permanent arrangement.

Thibaut Courtois remains first-choice goalkeeper and is yet to reach his peak
Thibaut Courtois remains first-choice goalkeeper and is yet to reach his peak

Zidane is well-stocked in this department, with the promising Ukrainian Andriy Lunin and the manager’s son, Luca, set to provide additional pressure on Courtois to perform next season.

Montero added: “Real Madrid now feel they can’t compete financially with the money from Manchester City and those clubs backed by Arab countries.

“Lunin didn’t play much at Leganes and Valladolid but they have confidence that he will be a very good goalkeeper in the future.”

Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury talks with interested venues begin

Anthony Joshua v Tyson Fury talks with interested venues begin

by | May 1, 2020 | Sports Headlines

Talks are under way over a historic bout for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

Representatives of the two Britons are in dialogue with venues keen to stage the fight in a bid to make clear how much money the contest could generate.

Neither side is negotiating monetary splits or wider demands at this stage.

But Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said they are “talking” about how a bout for all the heavyweight belts could happen.

One source close to the discussions told Buzz Sport they now believe the fight “will happen” and confirmed talks were under way.

Authorities in Saudi Arabia – the country that staged Joshua’s rematch victory over Andy Ruiz Jr in December – are keen to secure the bout.

After working closely with Hearn to host Joshua-Ruiz, a member of the country’s royal family sat next to promoter Frank Warren in Las Vegas to watch Fury win the WBC belt from Deontay Wilder in February.

Wilder has a contract to face Fury again, while Joshua – holder of the IBF, WBA and WBO belts – is slated to face Bulgaria’s Kubrat Pulev when sport resumes after the coronavirus shutdown.

At this stage, establishing how much money could be generated by a Joshua-Fury bout is seen as key as it would allow clarity on what could be offered to Wilder and Pulev in order for them to break the contracts they have in place.

The ‘step aside’ money on offer for both men would be several million dollars and there is a feeling privately that Wilder – who has just had surgery – would take it, even though those closest to him have refused to acknowledge the prospect.

Wilder was due to face Fury for a third time but both dates in July and October have been wiped out by the coronavirus outbreak. It is not known as to whether the contract in place for the fight could lapse as a result of the delays but if it did, it would free Fury to pursue his fight of choice.

“Negotiations aren’t under way,” Joshua’s promoter Hearn told Sky Sports on Thursday. “What I can tell you is we are talking. We are all on the same page. You will get this fight, it’s just a case of where and when.

“There is the major hurdle that we are both under contract for other fights. Everything is solvable with money.”

Delivering the fight – which would create the first heavyweight in history to hold all four belts – faces further hurdles even if Wilder and Pulev step away from their respective bouts.

Promoters Hearn and Warren would need to briefly overcome their rivalry, Fury’s promoter in the US Bob Arum would need to be on board, financial splits would need agreeing and rival television broadcasters would need to work as one.

A source close to the talks stressed the need for everyone involved to work in harmony, a feat that has at times been hard to achieve in securing the biggest bouts in the sport.

On his podcast, former world super-middleweight champion Carl Froch assured listeners that regardless of politics, bouts at the highest level will happen if the fighters want them.

“Trust me, the fighter at the top level is the boss,” said Froch. “It’s the fighters that aren’t making the fight happen. If two fighters actually want the fight, have a 50-50 split, remember that the fight doesn’t happen without both of you, so then the fight happens.”

While talks are at a very early stage, any bout would be aimed at late in 2020 or early in 2021 and in the interim, all parties will learn if it would be possible for fans to attend any fight given the current ban on mass gatherings in most countries.

And the sums that could be earned from the contest after a boxing shutdown that has presented financial challenges for promoters and broadcasters would undoubtedly be welcomed.

Participate with CD Tenerife Esports in the #VolkswagenCup of FIFA 20

Participate with CD Tenerife Esports in the #VolkswagenCup of FIFA 20

by | Apr 15, 2020 | Sports Headlines

The tournament will take place on April 17 and 18, 2020, in two different phases: the qualifying phase and the final phase. Two qualifying tournaments will be held: one for CD Tenerife and the other for UD Las Palmas. In the qualifying phase (April 17), the eight best fans from each province will reach the final phase on Saturday, who will compete for a weekend’s first prize enjoying the Volkswagen T-Cross, a Volkswagen ball signed by all the players on your team and the club jerseys. To participate in the CD Tenerife tournament, follow the instructions and carefully read the tournament regulations and sign up!

Link for registration CD Tenerife Esports Qualifying Tournament.

Prizes: CHAMPION: Weekend with Volkswagen T-Cross + signed ball + team jersey. SUB-CHAMPION: Merchandising pack of his team + signed ball. THIRD: Merchandise pack of your team. PROVINCIAL CHAMPION: (First place in qualifying tournaments on Friday 17): Team jersey.

New date for Las Galletas Half Marathon

New date for Las Galletas Half Marathon

by | Apr 15, 2020 | Sports Headlines

The Las Galletas Half Marathon 2020 which was to have been held on Sunday, April 5th has been postponed.

Arona Council has announced the popular event will now take place on September 26th and 27th.
The decision has been taken due to the coronavirus crisis with a view to protecting public health.
The council says it didn’t want to make the date any earlier than September as it anticipates that the declaration of a State of Emergency ordered on March 14th for 15 days is likely to be extended.

Arsenio, el otro Arocha

Arsenio, el otro Arocha

by | Apr 15, 2020 | Sports Headlines

Condemned to the background by the deserved fame that his brother Ángel achieved, Arsenio Arocha was also one of the best Tenerife footballers of the first half of the last century. It was a defensive medium of great technical quality, which also did not forget the opposite goal.

He played on CD Tenerife from 1929 to 1934, a period in which he coincided with other emblematic players in Blue and Whites history such as Esquivel, Arencibia, Bernardino Semán, Gilberto Cayol and Chicote.

He was part of that CD Tenerife that made Real Madrid CF himself kneel when, recently proclaimed champion of Spain, the white team visited the Island for the first time in its history.

Up to 13 internationals, led by Zamora, Ciriaco, Quincoces and Luis Reguiero, were not enough to defeat Tenerife in the three scheduled friendlies, which resulted in a draw (0-0) and two local victories (1-0 and 2 -0).

Many classify CD Tenerife in the late 1920s and early 1930s as the best in history, but as you can see, those players had the misfortune of not being able to demonstrate it except in friendly matches, when the greats of the continent visited the Island. in summer.

In 1934, Arsenio Arocha would sign for Atlético de Aviación, where he coincided with his brother Ángel. There he played two seasons in the First Division until the Civil War paralyzed the League.

Later he would continue to be linked to the mattress club as a manager, being also an important link with other canaries who would sign for the Atletico team.

In January 1950, Arsenio led the Canarian team that faced the then powerful San Lorenzo de Almagro, in a meeting that was played at the Santiago Bernabéu before 40,000 spectators who attended in amazement at an exhibition of the insulars (4-2).