ITV

Tag: Lionel Messi

  • La Liga onboards Khelraja as its official Asian igaming partner

    La Liga onboards Khelraja as its official Asian igaming partner

    Mumbai: Highlighting its commitment to the igaming experience, Khelraja, Asia’s real-money gaming brand that offers sports betting, casino, and esports among other categories, has partnered with La Liga team Sevilla FC. It is its official Asian igaming partner. Through the association, which will run until 30 June 2024, Khelraja will provide its users the opportunity to engage with all La Liga and Copa del Rey matches featuring Sevilla FC and win rewards.

    Sevilla FC president José Castro said, “We are very pleased to have signed this agreement which will allow us to continue growing in our process of internationalising our brand, both globally and in Southeast Asia, a market that we consider strategic in our expansion process. Sevilla is going to become an ambassador of LaLiga with this sponsorship agreement, and we are undoubtedly taking an important step in this region.”

    The Spanish First Division, known as La Liga, has, over the last two decades, featured global superstars such as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Ronaldinho, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The partnership between Sevilla and Khelraja provides these fans with an opportunity to further elevate their engagement and experience sports immersion.

    Khelraja CEO Viren Modi said, “The passion for football in India is on the rise, as can be seen in the growing popularity of overseas football leagues. Partnering with Sevilla FC, one of the biggest and most illustrious clubs in Spanish football, is a moment of great pride for us. The association will provide football fans on the Khelraja platform with yet another avenue to not only engage with Sevilla FC’s games online but also win lucrative rewards while doing so. We are looking forward to the partnership and will be exploring more such engagement opportunities with other football clubs, both in India and overseas.”

    Sevilla FC has a history spanning more than 130 years. It is the oldest club in Spain dedicated to football and has, since its founding in 1890, won one league title, five Spanish Cups, one Spanish Super Cup, and one Uefa Super Cup. Sevilla FC also holds the distinction of winning the Uefa Europa League (previously called the Uefa Cup) a record six times, with the most recent victory coming in the 2019-20 season.

  • MTV deepens LaLiga fandom in India

    MTV deepens LaLiga fandom in India

    Mumbai: The new season of LaLiga Santander has kicked off on 14 August with Valencia CF vs Getafe CF, the first of 380 fixtures through a ten-month campaign. This season’s global partners include title sponsor Santandar and official partners Puma, EA Sports FIFA 2021, Microsoft, Budweiser, BKT Tyres, Livescore, and Dream11. 

    The current season of LaLiga will be broadcasted on the youth channel MTV and streaming platform Voot Select. The league has garnered three times reach on the channel in the opening weeks vis a vis the previous season, according to Viacom18. The broadcaster also found increasing fandom of LaLiga on MTV with 38 per cent of the viewership for the matches coming from rural India and over 51 per cent viewership from urban cities.

    MTV relaunched LaLiga on Indian television with a quirky campaign that promised ‘Zero Masala, Pure Football’. The innovative campaign, which includes quirky films and engagement with football fan groups across India, is making an enormous impact on social media. The campaign has delivered 38 million reaches and 50 million impressions.

    Colombian Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Camilo penned the official song for the season.

    Notably, this season of LaLiga is missing football superstar Lionel Messi who left the club FC Barcelona a month ago to join Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). The league will showcase a host of exciting new signings like David Alaba, Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero and Rodrigo de Paul as well as young talent like Pedri, Frenkie de Jong, Joao Felix, Diego Lainez, Alexander Isak, Vinicius Jr. Fans will also watch Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann, Luis Suarez and Jan Oblak in action.

    The upcoming games include the historic Basque (October), Barcelona (November), Seville (November), Valencia (December), and Madrid (December) derbies scheduled for the coming months. ElClasico, the clash which pits Real Madrid and FC Barcelona in the most-watched club match in world football, returns on the weekend of 24 October.

    “The past year showed us the kind of emotional connection football fans have with the beautiful game. As the world slowly starts to heal and go back to normal, the new season of LaLiga returns, with the fans finally reuniting with their favourite sport,” said LaLiga, managing director – India, Jose Antonio Cachaza. “The energy is in the air, especially in India, with this new partnership with Viacom18. We are looking forward to building an even deeper connection with our audience in this country, which has shown its profound bond with the sport time and again.”

    “We are glad to have partnered with the LaLiga team to bring one of the world’s most iconic football leagues for our viewers in India and the subcontinent,” said Viacom18, business head – youth, music and English entertainment, Anshul Ailawadi. “Starting with the season’s first match, we have witnessed viewers’ passion and we are excited to see the fandom unfold.   The response we have received so far has been phenomenal and we are certain that we will make football a much loved and followed sport in India through our partnership with LaLiga.”

    This season also sees the return of fans to LaLiga stadiums across Spain. Currently, 40 per cent of the stadium capacity may be occupied.

  • Amid uncertainty, Sony Network bags India broadcast rights of Copa America 2021

    Amid uncertainty, Sony Network bags India broadcast rights of Copa America 2021

    NEW DELHI: Sony Network has bagged the Indian broadcasting rights of Copa America 2021, a football gala that will feature biggies of the beautiful game like Lionel Messi and Neymar.

    The tournament will be held from 14 June to 11 July, and Sony Network will telecast the matches live for people in the Indian subcontinent. This edition of Copa America will be held in two nations, Argentina and Colombia. The tournament will have 10 teams participating with two groups of five teams each.

    The first group comprises Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, and Bolivia, and all their group matches will be played in Argentina. All the second group matches featuring Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela will be played in Colombia. 

    "With this acquisition, we will be presenting our viewers the best of international football from Europe to South America through the months of June and July. From Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe in the UEFA EURO 2020 to Lionel Messi and Neymar in the Copa America 2021, our football calendar will showcase the best football players and teams from across the world," said Sony Pictures Networks India chief revenue officer & sports business distribution head Rajesh Kaul. 

    Even though Sony has acquired the broadcasting rights of the tournament, it is still unclear whether the event will run as per plans. Uncertainties surrounding the league emerged on Thursday night when the Argentina president Alberto Fernandez gave a radio interview and talked about Copa America. 

    "I don't want to frustrate the spectacle which is the Copa America. What I want is for us to be very sensible, very careful," said Fernandez, referring to the ongoing pandemic which is currently at its worst in South America. 

  • CNN meets the young Lionel Messi fan from Afghanistan who is now a Taliban target

    CNN meets the young Lionel Messi fan from Afghanistan who is now a Taliban target

    In January 2016, a photo of young Murtaza Ahmadi went viral, thanks to his makeshift version of an Argentine football shirt of his idol Lionel Messi. The photo earned the child two autographed shirts, a signed football and a meeting with the footballer in Qatar 11 months later.

    However, Ahmadi’s fame has made him a Taliban target. CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh travels to Kabul to learn how the seven year old boy and his mother, Shafiqa Ahmadi, live in hiding among the many refugees. Shafiqa tells CNN how it would have been better if her son hadn’t become famous and calls on Messi to “help us to get out of Afghanistan.”

    Watch the full article here: https://cnn.it/2Bw8xV2

    Key Quotes:

    Murtaza Ahmadi on when the Taliban invaded the district of Jaghori in Ghazni province where he grew up:

    “The Taliban were killing our relatives and they were searching houses. They would stop cars and kill their passengers, searching houses and killing people… We were not allowed to play football by the Taliban or even go out of the house. We used to hear the sound of heavy machine guns, and Kalashnikovs, and rockets at home. We also heard people screaming.”

    Murtaza on how his father helped him and his mother escape to the nearby city of Bamyan:

    “Last time I saw my father was on the first day we came here. Then he went back, and I haven’t seen him since then. I miss him very much. When he calls my mother I also talk to him.”

    Murtaza on his future:

    “In Kabul, I cannot go outside the house. My mother doesn’t let me go out. She is afraid. I only play with my friend inside the house… When I was in my hometown, I was not able to wear my Messi jersey because I was afraid someone will hurt me. I want to be taken from this country because there is fighting in here. I want to become a football player like Messi and play with Messi.”

    Shafiqa Ahmadi on her son’s fame:

    “From the day Murtaza became famous, life became difficult for our family. Not only the Taliban, but some other groups also started thinking that Messi might have given him a lot of money. We stopped sending him to school, and we were being threatened all the time… It would have been better if Murtaza hadn’t gained fame. Now our lives are at risk both in our hometown and here in Kabul. He spends all of his time here inside the house.”

    Shafiqa Ahmadi’s message to Messi:

    “I would like Messi to help Murtaza, help us to get out of Afghanistan so that Murtaza can have a better future.”