EUPEN, Belgium: The Qatari owners of Paris Saint-Germain are expanding their soccer portfolio with a deal to take over KAS Eupen, the Belgian league club said Tuesday.
Eupen currently plays in the second tier of Belgian soccer.
QSI, which also owns a minority stake in Portuguese side Sporting Braga, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Eupen’s current owner Aspire Zone Foundation — also a Qatari entity — for the full takeover of the club.
Financial terms of the deal were not announced.
“Throughout our discussions, Qatar Sports Investments has demonstrated a genuine commitment to the long term development of the club,” Eupen said in a statement.
PSG has won 11 Ligue 1 titles since QSI’s arrival and generated club-record revenue of 837 million euros ($976 million) last season.
PSG’s men’s team won the domestic double and clinched the Champions League for the first time this year by routing Inter Milan 5-0 in the final, finally giving QSI the trophy it craved after taking over the club in 2011.
Qatari owner of Paris Saint-Germain to take over Belgian club Eupen
https://arab.news/8rwnn
Qatari owner of Paris Saint-Germain to take over Belgian club Eupen
- QSI signed agreement with KSA Eupen’s current owner Aspire Zone Foundation
- Eupen play in the second tier of Belgian football
Scotland shake up team for Six Nations opener
- Kinghorn is replaced by Tom Jordan at fullback for their opening match of the tournament
- Townsend selected Jamie Dobie, who also plays at scrum-half, and Kyle Steyn on the wings instead
EDINBURGH: Scotland coach Gregor Townsend has shaken up his starting line-up to take on Italy in the Six Nations in Rome on Saturday, leaving out regular fullback Blair Kinghorn and their two top try scorers when he named the team on Thursday.
Kinghorn is replaced by Tom Jordan at fullback for their opening match of the tournament, while Darcy Graham was relegated to the bench and Duhan van der Merwe left out.
Van der Merwe has a record 35 tries for Scotland, with Graham one behind him, but Townsend selected Jamie Dobie, who also plays at scrum-half, and Kyle Steyn on the wings instead. Left wing Dobie gets his first Six Nations start.
“Blair, Duhan and Darcy have had some terrific games for us and they’re very proud of playing for Scotland,” Townsend said at a press conference.
“But there’s competition in that back-three area like there is in other positions and we feel Jamie, Kyle and Tom deserve their starts given how well they’ve been playing.
Townsend praised the three who were dropped as “quality players.”
“If or when they get back into the squad or they get an opportunity off the bench, like Darcy will on Saturday, we know we’re going to have hungry players desperate to get back in the starting team,” the Scotland coach added.
“But for now, we’re really pleased with that back three, how they’ve been playing but also how they’ve been combining in training.”
The injured trio of Ewan Ashman, Jack Dempsey, and Jamie Dobie have all recovered in time to make the line-up after being injury doubts last weekend.
Huw Jones, who played for the British & Irish Lions in Australia last year, is returning to the Scotland set-up after missing the November tests as he recovered from surgery on his Achilles tendon. He will partner captain Sione Tuipulotu in what will be the 18th test match the pair have played together, including for the Lions.
There is also a return for prop forward Zander Fagerson while Scott Cummings, who missed last year’s championship through injury, returns to Six Nations action alongside Grant Gilchrist in the second row.
Nine of the players in the starting line-up come from Glasgow Warriors with another five on the bench, reflecting the stellar season Scotland’s top team are having.
Team: 15-Tom Jordan, 14-Kyle Steyn, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Sione Tuipulotu (captain), 11-Jamie Dobie, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ben White, 8-Jack Dempsey, 7-Rory Darge, 6-Matt Fagerson, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Scott Cummings, 3-Zander Fagerson, 2-Ewan Ashman, 1-Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16-George Turner, 17-Nathan McBeth, 18-Elliot Millar Mills, 19-Max Williamson, 20-Gregor Brown, 21-George Horne, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Darcy Graham.
