Cristiano Ronaldo a Goal Machine and Money-making Machine for Ambitious Juventus

Agencies
November 7, 2018

Nov 7: Cristiano Ronaldo's reputation has been tarnished by allegations of rape, but Juventus still believe he will help the Italian giants to reduce the financial gap between them and the world's very biggest clubs.

Juventus take on Manchester United -- the world's richest club and where Ronaldo became a star -- in Turin on Wednesday knowing a draw will seal their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.

They are counting on 'CR7' as they look to win the Champions League for the first time since 1996 -- they have lost five finals since then, including in 2015 and 2017. Ronaldo, now 33, has won the trophy five times himself.

"Financially it has been a very rational move," financial expert Carlo Alberto Carnevale Maffe news agency. "The lifetime value of a player extends longer than his biological age.

"On the pitch he's one of the best. Ronaldo also makes the news, he gives visibility, conversation, discussion...raises your intangible value."

The news recently has been as much about the rape allegations in the United States, which Ronaldo himself has strongly denied, insisting he is "an example, 100 percent on and off the pitch".

But Juve president Andrea Agnelli -- who has orchestrated their domination in Italy since taking over the family-owned club in 2010 -- believes "the Ronaldo effect" can propel the "Old Lady of Turin" into another stratosphere.

"We are fully convinced that Ronaldo is an added value in every respect, in terms of business, and will facilitate our global expansion," said Agnelli, who wants to target the US, Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.

According to the Deloitte Football Money League, Juventus are tenth in Europe with annual revenues of 405.7 million euros ($463 million) in 2017, with only three Italian clubs featuring in the top 20.

Manchester United top the list on 676.3 million euros ahead of Real Madrid (674.6m) and Barcelona (648.3m).

On the pitch, Ronaldo has made an impact, scoring seven goals in the champions' best-ever start to a Serie A season. They are on track for an eighth consecutive league title.

Carnevale Maffe believes that Juventus can only gain despite the high price of a deal estimated to cost 340 million euros in total over four years, on top of the 110 million-euro transfer fee.

"When you are so close to success, all the planning, all the strategy may not be enough...the touch of genius is needed, and Ronaldo has that," added Carnevale Maffe, who lectures in Corporate Strategy at Milan's Bocconi School of Management.

'Robust'

Since Ronaldo-fever gripped Juventus, the club's share price jumped from 0.69 euros on July 3, to 1.672 euros on September 19.

But it then dropped 34 percent, starting to slide after his red card in the Champions League against Valencia, followed by the emergence of rape allegations in the United States.

While Ronaldo has denied the claims, two of his sponsors, Nike and EA Sports, said they were "closely monitoring" what Nike called "disturbing allegations".

"There is always an element of random events, unpredictable elements," said Carnevale Maffe.

"Players are physically fragile but business-wise Ronaldo is one of the most robust assets."

The real hope is that Ronaldo will not only help Juventus win the Champions League but attract lucrative commercial deals that will make the Italian club number one in the world.

The father of four has over 323.4 million followers across all social media platforms and is now the most followed person on Instagram with 145 million.

Since his arrival the club's following on social media has increased from 49 million to 62 million.

They say they are already on track for record Ronaldo kit sales for the season, with the black and white shirts costing up to 150 euros each.

Juventus also increased the price of season tickets by 30 percent while talks with Ronaldo were still secret, with all 29,300 sold.

Their 41,507-seat stadium is not as big as other leading European clubs so finding extra revenue not generated from ticket sales is all the more important.

But audit group KPMG have estimated the "Ronaldo effect" will see Juve's revenue jump to 500 million euros in the next two to three seasons.

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News Network
January 15,2020

Jan 15: Australia openers David Warner and Aaron Finch both struck superb centuries to complement their bowlers’ inspired display as the touring side handed out a 10-wicket thrashing to India in the opening one-day international in Mumbai.

India, world-ranked No 2 in ODIs, suffered a middle-order collapse on their way to being bundled out for 255 in the final over of their innings after Australia captain Finch won the toss and opted to field in the first of the three-match series.

Warner and Finch then smashed the Indian bowlers to all corners of the ground, picking up boundaries seemingly at will to chase down the target with 74 balls to spare at the Wankhede Stadium.

Left-handed Warner successfully used the decision review system twice to overturn the umpire’s decision on his way to his 18th ODI century, hitting three sixes and 17 fours in his unbeaten knock of 128, from 112 balls. Finch completed his 16th century in the format, his unbeaten innings 110 from 114 features two sixes and 13 fours.

Earlier, Australia’s left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who made his ODI debut in India 10 years ago, picked up three wickets to set up Australia’s victory. He struck the first blow with the new ball when he sent back Rohit Sharma for 10.

India managed to recover from that early loss through a second-wicket stand of 121 between opener Shikhar Dhawan, who top-scored for the hosts with 74, and KL Rahul. However left-arm spinner Ashton Agar broke the stand by dismissing Rahul for 47 before Agar caught Dhawan off Pat Cummins in the next over.

The hosts were hoping for a solid innings from captain Virat Kohli, who batted a position lower than his usual No 3 spot to accommodate Rahul, to get them out of trouble. However, he lasted only 14 balls, hitting leg-spinner Adam Zampa for a six before offering a return catch to the bowler on the very next delivery to be out for 16.

Starc then returned to the attack, removing Shreyas Iyer cheaply as India lost four wickets for 30 runs to be reduced to 164 for five. Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja then fell just short of a half-century partnership, before the remaining four wickets falling for 42 runs, with Cummins and fast bowler Kane Richardson picking up two wickets apiece for Australia.

To compound India’s woes, wicketkeeper Pant suffered a concussion after being hit on his helmet by a short-pitched delivery from Cummins. The Indian cricket board said Pant, who did not come out to keep wicket and was replaced behind the stumps by Rahul, was under observation. The two sides will meet in Rajkot for the second ODI on Friday.

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News Network
May 11,2020

Mumbai, May 11: The French Open, which was postponed to September from May due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, could be held without fans, the organisers of the claycourt Grand Slam have said.

Roland Garros had been scheduled for May 24 to June 7 before the French tennis federation (FFT) pushed it back to Sept. 20-Oct 4 in a bid to save the tournament from falling victim to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last week the FFT said all tickets purchased for this year's French Open would be cancelled and reimbursed instead of being transferred.

"Organising it without fans would allow a part of the economy to keep turning, (like) television rights and partnerships. It's not to be overlooked," FFT President Bernard Giudicelli told French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

"We're not ruling any option out."

The tennis season was suspended in early March due to the pandemic and the hiatus will continue at least until mid-July with many countries in lockdown.

Wimbledon has been cancelled while the status of the U.S. Open, scheduled to take place in late August, is still unclear.

COVID-19 Pandemic Tracker: 15 countries with the highest number of coronavirus cases, deaths

The FFT was widely criticised when they announced in mid-March that the French Open would be switched, with players bemoaning a lack of communication as the new dates clashed with the hardcourt season.

Organisers said last week they had been in talks with the sport's governing bodies to fine tune the calendar amid media reports that the Grand Slam tournament would be delayed further by a week and start on Sept. 27.

The delayed start would give players a two-week window between the end of the U.S. Open, played on the hardcourts of New York, and the Paris tournament.

"The 20th or the 27th, that does not change much," Giudicelli said.

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Agencies
March 13,2020

New Delhi, Mar 13: The remaining ODI series between India and South Africa has been called-off amidst the rising concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

"The second and third ODI between India and South Africa in Lucknow and Kolkata respectively are called off," the BCCI source told media persons.

The first match of the series was abandoned due to rain and wet outfield without a toss at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) stadium on Thursday.

The second and third ODI was scheduled to be played at Lucknow and Kolkata on March 15 and 18 respectively. Earlier on Thursday, the BCCI has decided to play the remaining two ODIs behind closed doors.

"After holding discussions with the MYAS and MOHFW, the BCCI on Thursday announced that the remaining two One-day Internationals (ODIs) of the three-match series of South Africa tour of India, 2020, will be played without any public gathering, including spectators," the BCCI had said in a statement.

The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has advised all the federations to avoid large gatherings.

World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday had declared the coronavirus outbreak a 'pandemic' and expressed deep concerns.

The coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan in China's Hubei province, in late December, and has since spread worldwide.

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