• Al-Qadsiah describe appointment as ‘landmark moment’

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Brendan Rodgers has been confirmed as the head coach of the Saudi ­Arabian side Al-Qadsiah. Rodgers resigned from Celtic in October, a move thattriggered a stinging attack from the club’s main shareholder Dermot Desmond. The 52-year-old is yet to address Desmond’s sentiment but is known to have been attractive to Saudi clubs for some time. He turned down a move to the kingdom after leaving Leicester in 2023.

Al-Qadsiah, who sacked their Spanish manager Michel at the ­weekend, have stolen a march on their domestic rivals by moving for Rodgers, who has been keen for a swift return to the dugout. The club are owned by Aramco, the state-owned Saudi oil company.

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© Photograph: Steve Welsh/Getty Images

© Photograph: Steve Welsh/Getty Images

© Photograph: Steve Welsh/Getty Images

The kingdom is pouring money into data centers and working with U.S. and Chinese tech giants, landing its A.I. ambitions in the middle of a geopolitical tussle for tech power.

© Photo Illustration by Mark Harris; source photographs by Spencer Lowell for The New York Times, Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times, Katarina Premfors for The New York Times, Doug Mills/The New York Times, Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters, iStock