Former Manchester United star and media pundit Rio Ferdinand said the world of football is undergoing a big churn and evolving with demands of the new generation of fans is crucial.
Ferdinand has become a prominent figure in the world of sports business. Apart from a successful YouTube channel with nearly 1.5 million subscribers, Ferdinand runs football and commercial agencies.
Ferdinand, who also bought a stake in one of the Middle East’s first Arabic-language digital football apps last year, said the consumption habits of fans has changed dramatically.
The former England captain believes new technology and social media platforms allow interactions directly with fans, which changes the dynamics for sports content producers and consumers.
“I am from a football background, that encapsulates sports as well. We want to speak to that, and new media is the way to do that, talking to people directly,” Ferdinand told Bloomberg TV.
“I have been used to linear TV. I just wanted to step out and have that freedom and that capability to kind of move and expand and talk in a new way that I think is being consumed very differently to the way when I first started ten years ago,” he added.
Ferdinand stepped down earlier this year from his role as a commentator at broadcaster TNT Sports after a decade at the company. He has set up base in Dubai with his family, diving straight into the burgeoning sports landscape in the Middle East.
It's the confidence in the sports world of this region that saw Ferdinand invest in Saudi Arabia-based sports platform Koora Break. It was one of the first deals by foreign investors in Saudi sports industry, which up until that time had made waves for record levels of investments in the Saudi Pro League and big events in various disciplines like golf, combat sports and motorsports.
“Everyone was saying, well what are you doing? It’s just a fast growing place. We’ve seen with all of the investment that’s going, in terms of media, football, sport in general,” Ferdinand said. “It’s crazy the growth there.”
Ferdinand has moved to Dubai, after contemplating a move for some time. Speaking to The National earlier, Ferdinand said he was impressed by the quality of life the UAE provided, and the freedom the move would offer – away from the grind of football fixtures.
“You don't get many opportunities in life to do something a bit different either because of the industry I'm in. You've got to be here, you've got to do this, you're led by the schedule. This is freedom that I've never had since I was 16 years old and it’ll be interesting to see how I deal with that, which I'm looking forward to,” he had said.
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz S 450
Price, base / as tested Dh525,000 / Dh559,000
Engine: 3.0L V6 biturbo
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 369hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm at 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.0L / 100km
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
More coverage from the Future Forum
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
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'Brazen'
Director: Monika Mitchell
Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler
Rating: 3/5
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Dir: Ron Howard
Starring: Alden Ehrenreich, Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson
3/5
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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Read more about the coronavirus
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
