BERLIN: RB Leipzig coach Marco Rose said Jurgen Klopp, who has been appointed head of football at parent company Red Bull, had the “expertise and aura” to boost the club.
Former Liverpool, Borussia Dortmund and Mainz boss Klopp is set to start a new role as head of football operations at Red Bull, which owns the RB Leipzig, Salzburg and New York clubs, from 2025.
Rose, who played under Klopp at Mainz for six years and has previously spoken about his influence on his coaching career, said his addition was “a real bonus and a great signing.”
“His aura and expertise will benefit and help us,” Rose told the Bundesliga website. “He didn’t just win titles but also went through tough times.
“We were relegated at Mainz. He didn’t win the title in his first or second year at Dortmund.
“Even at Liverpool he had to go about working on developing things, putting together a squad that suited him. And that paid off in the end.”
Klopp won back-to-back Bundesliga titles with Dortmund before moving to Liverpool. At the Reds, Klopp won several major trophies, including the Champions League and Premier League.
Leipzig host Klopp’s former side Liverpool, now managed by Arne Slot, in the Champions League on Wednesday.
“I think everyone knows who Kloppo is,” added Rose. “I’ve got a good feeling about it.”
Klopp’s appointment has however caused controversy, particularly in Germany where some fans are critical of the energy drink brand’s ownership of Leipzig, as well as multi-club models in general.
Klopp ‘aura’ will boost Red Bull, says Leipzig coach Rose
https://arab.news/6skk6
Klopp ‘aura’ will boost Red Bull, says Leipzig coach Rose
- Rose said his addition was “a real bonus and a great signing“
- “His aura and expertise will benefit and help us”
Footballco launches new Riyadh studio to boost creator-led content boom
- Football media company’s venture caters for its Arabic video-first brands
- Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums
RIYADH: Football media and culture company Footballco have opened a new production studio in Riyadh.
The move allows it to boost the volume of in-studio content created for its leading Arabic video-first football brands — Yalla Goal, Yalla Fans and Yalla Girl, as well as branded content for commercial partners.
The new studio complements Footballco’s Riyadh office, which opened in December 2024 as its Middle East headquarters. Footballco’s move to the city was driven by a desire to better serve clients in Saudi Arabia and to bring it closer to the country’s burgeoning football industry. The company now has 20 full-time staff in the Kingdom.
Footballco currently operates three video-first Arabic-language football brands in the region, all targeting Gen-Z and Gen-Alpha fans and fronted by experienced content creators. Yalla Goal combines spirited discussions, bold challenges and fun games, while Yalla Girl celebrates the growth of women’s football in Saudi Arabia and the region, with a focus on talent, personality, laughter and friendship. Footballco also plans to create in-studio formats for its fan-driven series, Yalla Fans, previously shot on location at football stadiums.
The company’s decision to invest in creator-led, in-studio video formats is backed by its own research which found that, for young fans, brand partnerships with creators are seen as more valuable than official tournament partnerships.
Footballco’s new studio will increase the frequency of video content created for its channels, supported by two full-time hosts for Yalla Goal — Mohammed Bargat and Waleed Al-Shargi (better known as Shargi), who have a combined following of over 900,000 on their personal channels.
Andy Jackson, Footballco’s Middle East senior vice president, said: “With seven national teams from the region set to appear at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, eight if Iraq qualify through the play-offs, these new facilities and increasing video output sets our brands up for success at a time where we know there will be an unprecedented demand for fun, creator-led video content.
“We’re also excited to welcome both Bargat and Shargi to the team, with both having more than proved themselves as understanding how to create content that resonates with young fans and they are already familiar to our audiences.”
He added: “In December, our Arabic social channels generated over 1.7 billion video views, so we are building from an incredibly strong base to further cement our position as the clear market leader both in Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Our creator-led video formats have proved incredibly popular with brands, and this investment will see us able to offer a broader range of opportunities to our many commercial partners.”
While the World Cup this summer will see Footballco’s new studio in constant use, the company is also readying a slate of programming across Ramadan, with a 30-show spread culminating in an Eid special.
Taha Imani, Footballco’s head of video and social in the Middle East and North Africa region, said: “With YouTube becoming the number one place for fans to enjoy longform and short-form football content, and based on success across Footballco brands such as The Front Three in other markets, we’re expecting to grow at speed as we approach the World Cup giving fans exactly what they want from us on a daily basis.”
