‘Playing World Cup on home soil is a dream come true’

Thursday, November 25, 2021Rabia II 20, 1443 AH

SPORTGULF TIMES

SPOTLIGHT

Qatar stars Bassam al-Rawi and Almoez Ali play at op-posite ends of the fi eld – but they are both determined to

deliver a strong performance for the host nation at next year’s FIFA World Cup. The stalwart defender and prolifi c goal scorer have emerged as mainstays in Qatar’s line-up after starring in the country’s run to AFC Asian Cup glory in 2019.

And with just under a year to go until the fi rst FIFA World Cup in the Mid-dle East and Arab world, the pair can-not wait to showcase their talents to a global audience. “Every player wants to play in the World Cup – and getting the chance to do so in front of your home fans is a dream come true,” said Ali, who has scored goals in three continen-tal championships.

“I hope we can write a new chapter in Qatari football history when we take to the pitch in a year’s time,” continued Ali, who plays for Al Duhail in the Qatar Stars League. “Our goal isn’t merely to take part – we strive to make it to the furthest stage possible. We are not just representing Qatar – we are represent-ing the entire Arab world.”

Defender al-Rawi said teams across the region are desperate to qualify for the tournament.

“Every four years, teams from the Arab world give everything to book a place on the world stage – but with the tournament on our doorstep for the fi rst time, the desire is even greater this time around,” said al-Rawi, who was named in the team of the tournament at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup.

Qatar’s progress has been signifi -cant over the past decade. Much of the national team squad are graduates of Aspire Academy – a sporting centre of excellence that has trained local tal-

ent since 2004. The country has fared well in youth tournaments across the region, with the crowning glory com-ing two years ago with victory in the AFC Asian Cup, held in the United Arab Emirates.

Qatar has since taken part in both the Copa America and Gold Cup as a guest

nation, and played a series of friend-lies against European teams after be-ing invited to compete in UEFA’s FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign. The team performed particularly well at the Gold Cup earlier this year, reaching the semi-fi nals, where they lost narrowly to the eventual winners, the United

States.“We have been working on this

project for a very long time, both on and off the pitch,” said al-Rawi, who is a teammate of Ali at Al Duhail.

“In addition to the work being done to prepare the country to host the tour-nament, an equal eff ort has been put in to develop football in the country, which has resulted in a team which

will go into the next World Cup as the champions of Asia.”

While both Ali and al-Rawi concen-trate on matters on the pitch, they are also confi dent of Qatar’s abilities to host an outstanding tournament for fans from across the globe. “I think fans will be mesmerised by what Qatar has to off er, not just in terms of football fa-cilities but also from a cultural and en-tertainment point of view. I think this World Cup will be unlike any other in tournament history,” said al-Rawi.

Ali, who was top scorer at the 2019 AFC Asian Cup with nine goals, said: “This World Cup will be a source of pride for all Arabs. For years, fans from the region have watched this beauti-ful event from afar but now it is fi nally coming to our region.”

The tournament will also provide fans with an opportunity to learn about Qatar and the region. “People will learn more about our culture,” said Ali, who has scored 36 goals for Qatar. “It is something refl ected in the design of our stadiums – like Al Bayt and Al Thu-mama. We are honouring our heritage while building world-class facilities. I am sure this tournament will appeal to fans from the region and beyond.”

Ali also believes the timing of the tournament will improve performance. Qatar 2022 will kick off on 21 Novem-ber, meaning the majority of players will be in the middle of their seasons. “It is going to be spectacular as players will be in optimal shape, as opposed to being fatigued at the end of a long sea-son.”

For Ali and al-Rawi, they will be des-perate to be in perfect condition when Qatar takes to the pitch at Al Bayt Sta-dium for the opening match, on what will be a landmark moment in the his-tory of the country and the region.

FOCUS

The cult of Maradona runs strong in Naples, a year aft er his deathPage 3

Qatar stars Bassam al-Rawi and Almoez Ali look forward to showcasing their skills during the 2022 FIFA World Cup

By Sports ReporterDoha

Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Tijan Ahmed registered their second successive win at the Asian Beach Volley-

ball Championship defeating Kaza-khstan’s Alexey Sidorenko and Kirill Gurin 21-15, 21-9 in Phuket, Thailand, yesterday.

With the victory Tokyo Games bronze medallists entered pre-quar-ter-fi nals of the tournament. On Tuesday, Younousse and Ahmed had beaten Thailand’s Taovato and Pithak Tipjan 21-15, 21-19 in the opening match of the Pool B.

Ahmed and Cherif have won the Asian title two times in a row in 2018 in Thailand and 2019 in China aside from winning the Qatar’s fi rst beach volleyball gold in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the other Qatari pair Ahmed Mahmoud and Saifeddin El Majid defeated Ikeda Jumpei and Shi-ratori Katsuhiro of Japan 2-1 (13-21, 21-16, 21-19) in their Pool H match yesterday. Only two teams are in Pool H hence both the Qatari and Japanese advanced to the next round.

Last preliminary matches will be held today. The more competitive competition resumes in the afternoon with the men’s top two teams from each pool strutting their stuff in the round of last 16.

The Championships continue through Saturday, when the eventual winners will be crowned 2021 Asian

champions. Accumulating AVC points and cash prizes of US$30,000 in total are also up for grabs.

Younousse and Ahmed enter last 16ASIAN BEACH VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

Defender Bassam al-Rawi (left) hopes Al Annabi can write a new chapter in Qatari football history when they play at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Forward Almoez Ali says the 2022 World Cup will be a source of pride for all Arabs.

Two spectacular stadiums will host their first competitive matches on the opening day of the FIFA Arab Cup Qa-tar 2021. Seen as a vital opportunity to fine-tune preparations for next year’s FIFA World Cup, the tournament will feature 16 national teams from across the Arab world.

Matches will be held at six Qatar 2022 venues, including Al Bayt and Stadium 974, which will both be inau-gurated on Tuesday, November 30.

Al Bayt will stage the Group A encounter between hosts Qatar and Bahrain (kick-off 7:30pm local time),

while Stadium 974 will host the United Arab Emirates versus Syria match in Group B (kick-off 10pm local time).

It promises to be a festival of foot-ball and celebration of Arab culture. Here is some key information for the fans who will attend matches. The Arab Cup will consist of six match days in the group stage and a knockout phase con-sisting of quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third-place play-off and the final, which will be played at Al Bayt on 18 Decem-ber, which is Qatar National Day. Held prior to kick-off , the inauguration of Al Bayt will feature an opening ceremony

that will include live performances from Iraqi singer Rahma Riad and other surprise performers. There will also be a stunning pyrotechnic display and a projection show telling the story of Arab unity.

Tickets for the curtain-raisers at Al Bayt and Stadium 974, as well as the remaining 30 matches, are available on a first-come, first-served basis at FIFA.com/tickets. A selection of aff ordable tickets is available, with category 4 tickets costing QR25 (Qatar residents only) for all matches, except the semi-finals and final.

days to go

361361

Qatar’s Cherif Younousse in action during the Asian Beach Volleyball Championship in Phuket, Thailand, yesterday.

Qatar’s Ahmed Mahmoud and Saifeddin El Majid also advanced to last 16.

Two stadiums to be inaugurated on the opening day of Arab Cup

CRICKETGulf Times Thursday, November 25, 20212

AFPGalle, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka need just four wickets to win the fi rst Test against West Indies in Galle after setting the

all-but-impossible target of 348 on yesterday’s penultimate day of play.

West Indies had made just 52 before bad light forced an early end after the hosts’ spin trio made quick work of the top order.

The sensational collapse saw the tourists lose four wickets in 15 balls for just four runs.

Ramesh Mendis was the pick of the bowlers fi nishing with four for 17.

The off -spinner had the mak-ings of a hat-trick as he trapped Kyle Mayers leg before.

Jason Holder was expecting the ball to turn into him on the next delivery but a straight path smashed his off -stump.

Joshua da Silva walked in to face the hat-trick ball but it was wayward from Mendis, who bowled down the leg-side. La-sith Embuldeniya accounted for Jermaine Blackwood and Roston Chase.

There was little hope for West Indies at 18 for six and all signs were that the game was going to end on the fourth day.

Then Nkrumah Bonner (18) and da Silva (15) batted for just over 45 minutes to hang in before the umpires called bad light.

“Everyone is disappointed in the dressing room,” Bonner told reporters.

“But then, it’s up to me and Josh to get the job done.

“We have about 640 balls to bat. We want to play each ball on merit and respect the bowlers... It’s a simple plan: bat as much as possible tomorrow.”

West Indies’ lowest total against Sri Lanka is 93 all out in

Barbados in 2018. Sri Lanka de-clared their second innings on 191 for four after a 123-run stand by Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne in just 150 deliver-ies.

Skipper Karunaratne, who had posted 147 in the fi rst innings, narrowly missed twin centuries

with 83, including nine fours. He fi nally stumbled after attempt-ing to cut Rahkeem Cornwall, a top edge knocking the ball off the wicketkeeper’s gloves and into the hands of fi rst slip.

Karunaratne has been prolifi c this year with over 850 runs now at an average of 77.

He is the world’s third-highest run getter in Test cricket for 2021, behind England’s Joe Root and India’s Rohit Sharma.

“I have little doubt that by the time he’s done, he will be amongst the top three run scor-ers for Sri Lanka,” Mathews said of his teammate after play ended.

The West Indies were 230 all out in the fi rst innings, with nine wickets falling to Sri Lanka’s spinners.

Left-armer Praveen Jayawick-rama was the pick of the bowlers with four scalps to his name.

The fourth day’s play was de-layed by one hour due to rain. A total of 52 overs were lost on day three due to rain.

SCORFBOARDSRI LANKA 1st innings 386 WEST INDIES 1st innings 230 SRI LANKA 2nd innings 191d WEST INDIES 2nd inningsK. Brathwaite lbw b Mendis 0J. Blackwood c Mathews b Em-buldeniya 9N. Bonner not out 18S. Hope b Mendis 3R. Chase b Embuldeniya 1K. Mayers lbw b Mendis 2J. Holder b Mendis 0J. da Silva not out 15EXTRAS: (b 4) 4TOTAL: (six wickets, overs 25.3) 52FALL OF WICKETS: 1-3 (Brathwaite), 2-11 (Blackwood), 3-14 (Hope), 4-15 (Chase), 5-18 (Mayers), 6-18 (Holder).BOWLING: Embuldeniya 10-3-18-2, Mendis 11-1-17-4, Jayawickrama 4-2-8-0, De Silva 0.3-0-5-0.

Sri Lanka 4 wickets away from big win over West Indies

GALLE TEST

‘EVERYONE IS DISAPPOINTED IN THE DRESSING ROOM’

Can’t take India lightly in home conditions: WilliamsonFIRST TEST

AFPKanpur, India

New Zealand will not start as favourites despite fac-ing an Indian team missing several key players, skipper

Kane Williamson said yesterday, as the world’s two top-ranked teams geared up for a spin battle in their fi rst Test.

Hosts India have rested skipper Vi-rat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohamed Shami while opener K.L. Rahul was ruled out of the two-Test series on Tuesday after a leg injury.

New Zealand are the number one Test side and reigning World Test champions but are still wary of the hosts, who have often proved formida-ble in home conditions.

“I don’t think we are favourites,” Williamson said on the eve of the

fi rst Test in Kanpur. “One of the key strengths of Indian cricket is its depth. India has great knowledge of their own conditions, we know the challenge is a big one.”

Williamson led his side to an eight-wicket win against India at the World Test Championship (WTC) fi nal in Southampton in June, which the hosts will be looking to avenge.

New Zealand have packed their squad with fi ve spinners and are con-sidering playing as many as three of them in the match.

“As we have seen in this part of the world, the spin component has been very large and it has played a big role in changing the complexion of the game,” said Williamson.

“I am sure throughout the whole se-ries, the spin component will be a fac-tor and it will be no diff erent in Kanpur. It will be all about assessing the condi-tions as quickly as possible.”

India’s stand-in skipper Ajinkya Rahane said his side would miss the fi rst-choice players but their replace-ments were willing to stand up and be counted.

“It’s an opportunity for youngsters to back themselves and play with free-dom,” said Rahane.

He brushed aside concerns over his own patchy form, saying he was just one game away from hitting a big score.

“What I am concerned about is how I can contribute to the team. You cannot score a hundred each time you come out to bat.”

Rahane, 33, scored a Test century in December but failed to impress in the following home and away series against England. In the WTC fi nal, he made 49 and 15.

The skipper did not reveal his team combination for the Kanpur match but confi rmed that batsman Shreyas Iyer would be making his Test debut today.

Vaughan dropped from BBC Ashes commentary teamAFPLondon

Michael Vaughan has been left out of the BBC com-mentary team for

the upcoming Ashes series in Australia to avoid a “confl ict of interest” amid an ongoing rac-ism row.

English cricket has been rocked by revelations of racism from Pakistan-born former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafi q.

These have included an al-legation that former England captain Vaughan told the now 30-year-old Rafi q and other Yorkshire players of Asian ori-gin that there were “too many of you lot, we need to do some-thing about it” during a county match in 2009.

Vaughan, an Ashes-winning skipper in 2005, has “categori-cally denied” the allegation.

Following Rafi q’s com-ments, which have sparked a tidal wave of accusations of racism within English cricket, the 47-year-old Vaughan was stood down from his BBC radio show earlier this month.

And a spokesperson for the broadcaster said yesterday: “While he is involved in a sig-nifi cant story in cricket, for editorial reasons we do not believe that it would be appro-priate for Michael Vaughan to have a role in our Ashes team or wider coverage of the sport at the moment.

“We require our contribu-tors to talk about relevant top-ics and his involvement in the Yorkshire story represents a confl ict of interest.”

Vaughan still has a contract to commentate on the Ashes series for Fox Sports, one of the hosts Australian television broadcasters, and the former top-order batsman remains a columnist with Britain’s Daily Telegraph newspaper.

In a statement issued earlier in November, Vaughan said: “I categorically deny saying the words attributed to me by Azeem Rafi q and want to re-state this publicly because

the ‘you lot’ comment simply never happened.

“It is extremely upset-ting that this completely false accusation has been made against me by a former team-mate, apparently supported by two other players.

“I have been in contact with the six other players from that team and not one of them has any recollection of the remark being made,” he added.

Last week saw Rafi q, who later admitted to posting an anti-Semitic message on Twitter as a teenager, give viv-id testimony to a parliamenta-ry committee during a hearing where he said his career had been cut short by racism.

England and Wales Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison, was widely criti-cised for his response to Rafi q’s revelations while appearing at the same hearing.

Following a meeting of the national governing body’s constituent members on Fri-day, Harrison promised “tan-gible action” to combat rac-ism, but said the details would not be published until this week.

The fallout for Yorkshire, one of English cricket’s oldest and most prestigious counties, over the scandal has been dev-astating, with sponsors mak-ing a mass exodus and the club suspended from hosting lucra-tive international matches.

RACISM

Sri Lanka’s Ramesh Mendis (centre) celebrates with teammates after dismissing West Indies’ Jason Holder (not pictured) during the fourth day of the first Test at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle yesterday. (AFP)

Shakib blow as Bangladesh face tough Test against PakistanAFPDhaka

Bangladesh’s struggling cricket team are battling injuries ahead of the formidable challenge of

hosting Pakistan for a two-Test series beginning tomorrow in Chittagong.

Star players Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal are sidelined, added to a lack of confi dence in the camp after losing eight straight Twenty20 internation-als, meaning Pakistan will start as overwhelming favourites.

The visitors completed a clean sweep 3-0 in the preced-ing Twenty20 series but will be without leading spinner Yasir Shah, who has been nursing a thumb injury since September.

The leg-spinner has been a key bowler for Pakistan since

2014, taking 235 wickets in 46 Tests.

All-rounder Shakib suf-fered a hamstring injury against the West Indies in Sharjah last month that ended his T20 World Cup, but he had been included in the Test squad in the hope that he would regain his fi tness.

But Bangladesh’s chief se-lector Minhajul Abedin said on Tuesday: “Shakib hasn’t re-covered from his injury yet. He needs further rehabilitation. Our physiotherapist is constantly taking care of him.”

Tamim was left out of the Test squad as he recovers from a fi nger injury and is unlikely to resume training until next month, said a Bangladesh Crick-et Board offi cial.

Minhajul was confi dent Bang-ladesh would be able to make up for the absence of Shakib.

“We have options in the spin department as well as in pace.

The team for the fi rst Test is made up of cricketers who have been playing together regularly and they know the demand of Test matches,” he said.

“Pakistan are a formidable team but we are confi dent that Bangladesh will be competitive if we are disciplined and pa-tient.”

Pakistan will replace Yasir with the 36-year-old Bilal Asif, who played the most recent of his fi ve Tests in 2018.

“We have experienced players for the Test matches, we want to just carry forward the momen-tum,” said Pakistan captain Ba-bar Azam after sweeping Bang-ladesh in the T20 series.

Pakistan have played 10 Tests against Bangladesh, winning nine.

Bangladesh’s only draw came in 2015 when Tamim scored a maiden Test double hundred in a record 312-run opening stand

with Imrul Kayes in the second innings in Khulna.

The second Test will start in Dhaka on December 4.

SQUADSBangladesh: Mominul Haque (captain), Shadman Islam, Saif Hasan, Najmul Hossain, Mush-fiqur Rahim, Liton Das, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nayeem Hasan, Taijul Islam, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Abu Jayed Chowdhury, Yasir Ali, Mahmudul Hasan, Rejaur Rah-man, Shakib Al Hasan.Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohamed Rizwan, Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali, Bilal Asif, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohamed Ab-bas, Mohamed Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zahid Mahmood.

Former England captain Michael Vaughan. (Reuters)

FOCUS

BANGLADESH’S MAHMUDULLAH RETIRES FROM TESTSBangladesh batsman Mahmudullah Riyad announced his retire-ment from Test cricket yesterday after a 12-year career.The 35-year old played his last Test against Zimbabwe in Harare in July this year with Bangladesh recording a 220-run win.The right-hander made an unbeaten 150 – his fifth Test hundred – in his final innings, and was named the player of the match.He scored 2,914 runs at an average of 33.49 and took 43 wickets in Tests, captaining the side six times.Local media reported that Mahmudullah told his teammates dur-ing the Zimbabwe Test but waited to make a formal announce-ment.“Leaving a format of which I have been a part of for such a long time is not easy. I had always thought of going on a high and I believe this is the right time to end my Test career,” he said in a statement yesterday.His announcement came two days before Bangladesh are sched-uled to begin their two-Test series against Pakistan.Mahmudullah, the Twenty20 captain of Bangladesh who was not selected for Pakistan Tests, promised to continue playing the other two formats.“Although I am retiring from Tests, I will still be playing ODIs and T20 internationals and really looking forward to continue giving my best for my country in white ball cricket,” he said.

India’s batsman Shreyas Iyer (left ) with coach Rahul Dravid during a training session in Kanpur yesterday.

SPORT3Gulf Times

Thursday, November 25, 2021

The cult of Maradona runs strong in Naples, a year aft er his death

FOCUS

AFPNaples, Italy

It is almost 30 years since Diego Maradona ended his remarkable playing spell at Napoli but a year on from his

death at the age of 60 the Argen-tine great is as present as ever in the Neapolitan world.

His name is stitched on to shirts, daubed on the walls of the southern Italian city and etched into the hearts of the people, many of whom are too young to have ever seen him play.

And today, the fi rst anniver-sary of his death, a bronze statue will be unveiled in front of the stadium which now bears his name – Stadio Diego Armando Maradona – to celebrate the “eternal” link with the “Pibe de Oro”, the golden boy.

Diego is everywhere, from the central station all the way to the offi cial Napoli store where his face stares out from the stylised fi ngerprint on the jersey in the window.

The shirt, worn by the Napoli players in November, is probably one of the last to be found in the city. Produced in limited num-bers and sold for charity, these collector’s edition jerseys have long sold out on the club’s web-site.

For those who set sail for Na-ples in memory of Maradona, the fi rst stop is often Mario Filardi’s famous fresco in the Spanish Quarter painted in 1990 and re-stored in 2016.

It is a meandering walk from the ferry terminal and the wan-dering pilgrim is sure to pass

other images painted on the walls as well as posters for the fi lm The Hand of God, Paolo Sorren-tino’s homage to the Naples of the 1980s which is released this Wednesday in cinemas in Italy.

But the stroll to the Spanish Quarter is worth it.

“It was important to come”, says Aicha, 17, who braved heavy rain to come to meditate in front of the famous mural which shows a shaggy-haired Maradona in Napoli’s powder blue shirt run-ning earnestly towards goal.

It is in a humble surround-ing, set back from the road, of-

ten found with a couple of cars parked in front.

But this yard is dedicated to the worship of “god” Maradona, and adorned with photos, fl ags, jerseys and other relics left by the football faithful.

Aisha came all the way across Italy from Bari on the east coast, around 260 kilometres, with her family to “see the way the city re-members him”.

“You can see that it’s not just Napoli shirts, but most of the teams he’s played with, and pic-tures of him as a player and also as a man,” she told AFP.

“It’s interesting how nor-mal people, not just supporters, bonded with him.”

Facundo Perez, 26, an Argen-tinian living in Europe, also came specially to Naples to “greet” Maradona, a year after his death.

“For me, Diego is a god. To see the fl ags, and the fact that he conquered the heart of Naples, it’s crazy. I came here to try and understand how much people love him.”

Frescoes keep blooming on the walls in Naples and the region beyond. Street artist Mario Casti, who has already produced ten in

the last year, was still at work this week fi nishing off another one for the anniversary.

Maradona also inspired the sculptor Domenico Sepe who has created the work that will stand in front of Napoli’s stadium.

“The work was born from a personal need,” Sepe told AFP, gazing at the barely-fi nished sculpture in a foundry in the Pia-nura district.

“On the announcement of his death, something was missing from my daily life. And as a Nea-politan and also as a Napoli sup-porter and as a sculptor, I decided to pay homage to him with a work that off ers him eternity.”

A sculptor in the classical tra-dition, Sepe wanted his majestic bronze to present Maradona al-most as a “Greek God”. What he has produced is a Maradona with focused gaze, the number 10 on his back, stocky legs bursting, ball at his feet, charging upfi eld on a pitch the shape of Argentina.

It is a pose reminiscent of the muscular Maradona who in-spired Argentina to victory in the 1986 World Cup – although he is obviously wearing a Napoli shirt.

Another statue will be in-stalled in the stadium on Sunday ahead of Napoli’s Serie A match against Lazio, when the home side will again be wearing the fa-mous ‘Diego shirt’.

Napoli are currently top of Se-rie A and there is no doubt that the most fi tting tribute would be to win the title.

They have only done it twice before, in 1987 and 1990 when Maradona was truly in his pomp. Little wonder the Neapolitans worship him still.

‘It’s interesting how normal people, not just supporters, bonded with him’

Djokovic, Medvedev headline 2021 Davis CupAFPParis

Novak Djokovic and Da-niil Medvedev, the two top-ranked players in the world, are the main

attractions of the Davis Cup which attempts to re-establish itself this week after the cancel-lation of the 2020 event.

The Davis Cup, which began life back in 1900 as a bilateral contest between Britain and the United States, has had numer-ous makeovers in the past, most recently in 2019 when it was reshaped to resemble a world championships.

This year’s event will be played by 18 teams, initially in six groups, over 11 days across three cities.

The group stages, which start today, will be played in Madrid, Turin and Innsbruck where the surge in coronavirus cases and

the subsequent lockdown in Austria means that matches will be played once again in an empty arena.

The semi-fi nals and Decem-ber 5 fi nal will all be played in the Spanish capital, reward for the team that won the title two years ago. Back then Spain could call on Rafael Nadal.

However, this time around the 35-year-old is out of action, re-covering from a foot injury that restricted him to a single tour-nament since losing to Djokovic in the semi-fi nals of the French Open. The 20-time Major win-ner is anticipating a return to the courts in Abu Dhabi next month.

The holders face a tough battle with Medvedev’s Russian team on Sunday if they are to progress from their group to the quarter-fi nals. “It’s true that we had a big advantage,” said Spanish captain Sergi Bruguera.

“If you have Nadal in your team you are straight in as fa-

vourites because he is the best player in the history of the Davis Cup. “But he’s not here, we can-not think about this.”

Spain still have three players, including Pablo Carreno Busta, who were a part of the 2019 win-ning team and in 18-year-old

Carlos Alcaraz they have one of the most exciting young play-ers on the tour. Russian hopes in Group A, which also contains

Ecuador, rest on an impressive all-round team.

World number two Medvedev, whose season peaked with a three-set annihilation of Djoko-vic in the US Open fi nal in Sep-tember, is backed up by two oth-ers in the top 20 – Andrey Rublev (5) and Aslan Karatsev (18) – as well as Olympic silver medallist Karen Khachanov (29).

“There are lots of strong teams – Serbia with Novak, Spain, of course, in our group, Italy even without Matteo Berrettini and the USA. But we believe in our-selves,” said Khachanov.

Serbia’s hopes of replicat-ing their 2010 success will rest largely on the shoulders of Djok-ovic.

However, the world number one looked weary at the ATP Finals in Milan last week when he lost to Alexander Zverev in the semi-fi nals. The German has chosen not to play in the Davis Cup and he is joined on

the sidelines by a host of other big names as 10 of the world’s top 15 are absent. Berrettini (7) is still suff ering from the abdomi-nal injury that ruled him out of the ATP Finals. Dominic Thiem (15) is missing for Austria as he continues to recuperate from an injury that wiped the latter part of his season while 2019 fi nalists Canada will be without the in-jured Felix Auger-Aliassime (11) as well as Denis Shapovalov (14) who is resting.

And then there are those whose teams did not qualify – Stefanos Tsitsipas (4, Greece), Casper Ruud (8, Norway), Hu-bert Hurkacz (9, Poland) and Diego Schwartzman (13, Argen-tina). The 2021 Davis Cup begins today with Canada taking on Sweden in Group B in Madrid, France up against the Czech Re-public in Group C in Innsbruck and Croatia battling it out with 28-time winners Australia in Group D in Turin.

TENNIS

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (right) with Russia’s Daniil Medvedev.

QSL CEO presents QFA best referees awardsQNADoha

Qatar Stars League (QSL) CEO Hani Taleb Ballan handed over the Qatar Football As-sociation (QFA) award for

the 2020-2021 season to the best ref-eree team yesterday

The referees team consisted of Ab-dulrahman al-Jassim (Best Referee), Khaled Ayed Khalaf (Best First As-sistant Referee), Majed al-Shammari (Best Second Assistant Referee) and Meshari al-Shammari (Best Video As-sistant Referee). General Secretary of the Board of Trustees of QFA Award Hassan Rabeah al-Kuwari was also present on the occasion.

Ballan praised the award-winning team of referees during the past sea-son, and congratulated them. He hoped the award would motivate them to do more in the coming period, espe-cially since Qatar football is witness-ing a great leap at all levels, be it tech-nical, competitive or organisational.

Al-Kuwari also congratulated the team of referees for their eff orts and hard work, and said: “On behalf of the Board of Trustees of the Qatar Foot-ball Association Award, I congratulate you on this achievement and we wish you further success in the future. All thanks and appreciation to the Board of Trustees of the Qatar Football As-sociation Award and to all offi cials and the Referees Department of the Qatar Football Association for their continu-

ous support and this award does not represent the winning team of referees only, but all Qatari referees.”

Referee Abdulrahman al-Jassim said: “This award is an incentive for us to strive and excel in the coming period and we seek to keep raising the bar of refereeing in Qatar.”

On his part, Majed said, “We are pleased to have been honoured and received this award. In this regard, I thank the Board of Trustees of the Qatar Football Association Award headed by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani. This honour is the result of continuous work by the Referees Department of the Qatar Football Association and thanks to all those who support us in the process of refereeing.”

SPOTLIGHT

Qatar Stars League CEO Hani Taleb Ballan (third left) and General Secretary of the Board of Trustees of QFA Award Hassan Rabeah al-Kuwari (third right) with the winners of the Qatar Football Association’s best referees awards.

Ooredoo sponsors QOC padel tourney

SUPPORT

Ooredoo has announced it is the title sponsor for the Padel tournament being organised by Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC).

This year’s tournament, which kicked off on Monday, is in the third edition. The women’s games are being hosted at Al Sadd Sports Club from November 25-27, while the men’s games being are held at Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex till November 27. Some 610 participants are competing, which show the exponential growth in popularity of the sport in Qatar. Sabah Rabiah al-Kuwari, Director PR at Ooredoo, said: “Padel has seen an exciting surge in popularity in Qatar since it was fi rst in-troduced – which was relatively recently – and we’re delighted to be helping QOC further raise the sport’s profi le. Promoting a healthy, active lifestyle is a key pillar of our corporate social re-sponsibility strategy, and we’re always delighted to support local sporting events that enable us to demonstrate our commitment to health and well-being. We’re looking forward to seeing some awesome games!”

Kimmich and Choupo-Moting positive for Covid

AFPBerlin

Bayern Munich con-fi rmed yesterday that star midfi elder Joshua Kimmich and back-up

striker Eric Choupo-Moting – both of whom are unvaccinat-ed – have tested positive for Covid-19. “Joshua Kimmich is isolating at home after testing positive. The FC Bayern mid-fi elder is doing well,” the club said in a statement.

German international Kim-mich, Cameroon’s Choupo-Moting as well as Jamal Mu-siala and Serge Gnabry were all already in quarantine as contact cases.

Bayern had arrived back in Munich after Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League to learn Choupo-Moting had tested positive with the club saying he was “doing well in the cir-cumstances.”

Kimmich sparked a vacci-nation debate in Germany last month when the 26-year-old admitted he had so far opted

against being inoculated due to “personal reasons”. The news angered some Bayern fans, as spectators at football matches in Germany must prove they are fully vaccinat-ed or recovered from Covid, while the players they come to watch must only show a nega-tive test result. Bild and Kicker magazine both claim Gnabry and Musiala have now allowed themselves to be vaccinated.

Earlier yesterday, Germany head coach Hansi Flick re-vealed that Kimmich had also had a change of heart.

“I think it’s going in the direction of ‘Jo’ getting vac-cinated,” Flick said at a Ger-man FA event. Last week Bayern reportedly told those four players plus midfi elder Michael Cuisance, who is also unvaccinated, that their wages would be docked if they had to quarantine after refusing to have a jab.

In Kiev, Bayern captain Manuel Neuer said the fi ve players’ refusal to be vacci-nated had been “trivialities”, adding it was “not easy” for the rest of the team.

FOOTBALL

Thursday, November 25, 2021

GULF TIMES SPORT

Stadium 974 is one-of-a-kind, says Engineer al-Mulla

SPOTLIGHT

The men’s and juniors under-16 years competitions at the QOC Padel Tourna-ment 2021 by Ooredoo continued in style at the Khalifa Tennis and Squash Com-

plex yesterday, while the women’s event will be-gin at Ali Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah Arena of Al Sadd Sports Club today.

The 2021 edition of the tournament is held un-der the sponsorship of ooredoo Qatar as offi cial title partner. The Zone Company and Sports Cor-ner is offi cial sponsor, while Al Meera and 1969 Padel & More is offi cial supplier of the event.

The OOC is organising the tournament in light of its eff orts to promote a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness of importance of practising sport.

Tournament Director Nasser al-Modahka lauded the technical level of the third edition as padel is one of the fastest growing sports in Qatar and the region. Al-Modahka thanked the spon-sors for their support to the Qatari sports in gen-eral and to padel in particular.

AFPMilan

Edin Dzeko put Inter Milan to within touching distance of the Champions League last 16 with a brace in a 2-0 win over Sha-

khtar Donetsk which gives his side the chance of making the knockouts for the fi rst time in a decade.

Inter now need Real Madrid to man-age at least a draw with Sheriff Tiraspol later last night in Spain to secure their spot in next month’s draw with a match to spare thanks to two archetypal Dzeko goals in the space of six minutes mid-way through the second half.

The Bosnia forward lashed Inter into the lead with a precision fi rst-time strike from the edge of the area and

then nodded home a header to put the San Siro in party mood after the hosts had wasted a host of chances and had two goals ruled out for tight decisions.

Inter top Group D on 10 points after their third consecutive win in the com-petition, a point ahead of Madrid and four away from Sheriff in third.

It was a huge win with Inter’s fi nal group match at the Santiago Bernabeu against Madrid in a fortnight’s time.

Meanwhile, Sebastien Haller came off the bench to score twice as Ajax bat-tled back to beat Besiktas 2-1 in Turkey and wrap up top spot in their group.

The Dutch champions maintained their 100-percent record in Group C with a fi fth win in as many games.

Haller drew level with Bayer Munich striker Robert Lewandowski at the top of this season’s goalscoring chart.

CHELSEA THRASH JUVENTUSOn Tuesday night, holders Chelsea also reached the knockout phase by thump-ing Juventus at Stamford Bridge. The Blues took the lead through young de-fender Trevoh Chalobah’s third goal of the season.

Chelsea’s lead doubled in the 56th minute when right-back Reece James hammered a fi ne volley into the bot-tom corner. Chelsea grabbed their third goal less than two minutes later, Ru-ben Loftus-Cheek prodding the ball to Hudson-Odoi, who smashed home from close range. There was still time for Timo Werner, making his fi rst ap-pearance since an injury layoff , to come off the bench and score in added time. Zenit drew 1-1 with Malmo to secure a spot in the Europa League knockouts.

Barcelona were held to a goalless

draw by Benfi ca at the Camp Nou in Xavi’s second game as coach, but re-main above the Portuguese side in Group E. However, the Catalan club will have to beat Bayern Munich in Ger-many in their fi nal group game to be sure of making the next round. Benfi ca host already-eliminated Dynamo Kiev in their last match, trailing Barca by two points.

Barcelona endured a nervy fi rst half which saw Gavi waste the only clear opportunity, blazing over from close range when Memphis Depay was wait-ing in the middle for a tap-in.

In Group G, Lille made Salzburg wait to reach the last 16 as Jonathan David scored a fi rst-half winner in a 1-0 vic-tory in France. All four teams in the group can still go through, after Sevilla saw off Wolfsburg 2-0.

By Sports ReporterDoha

Fahad al-Mohamed said the Qatari triathletes are looking forward to com-peting at the QNB Asia

Triathlon Cup Doha 2021, which kicks off at the Lusail Marina to-morrow. Mohamed said Qatari athletes have been in training since August for the home event. He will be joined by Ebrahim Al-romaihi, Saad Almejali, Mubarak Alajji and Eid al-Bordaini in the Qatar squad.

“We attended a training camp in Slovenia in August. We are very excited about this event. After we wrapped up the camp, we headed back and then trained in Qatar with my coach. We have been attending four to fi ve train-ing sessions in Qatar every week. We have also been training indi-vidually. So that’s how we have prepared,” he said.

Mohamed said he and his fel-low Qatari athletes will gain a lot of experience by competing with elite athletes. “You know the lev-el of competition is very high. We are not elite class like the athletes who are present here but we are trying to be like them. But we are confi dent that we will give our best. We will learn as we go and try to do well,” he noted

“We had a training camp in Novo Mesto in Slovenia. An amazing, beautiful country for cycling especially. We had exten-sive sessions in running, cycling and swimming. We were there for three weeks,” he added.

The Qatari triathlete said his

goal is to take part in the Asian Games in 2022. “Yes, God Will-ing, we are working on that. We want to participate in Asian Games and other GCC events or international meets. We are training with that in mind,” he said.

Mohamed felt the increase in the number of Qatari athletes competing is triathlon is a good sign. “Yes, it is very encouraging to see more and more athletes from Qatar taking active part in triathlon events. The numbers are increasing over time. We en-courage other young Qatari ath-letes or youngsters to come for-ward and be part of this sport,” he said.

The remarkable Stadium 974 was unveiled earlier this month. It is the seventh tournament-ready venue for the FIFA World Cup

Qatar 2022 and is best-known for its in-novative design, which features repur-posed shipping containers. The stadium is also famous for being the fi rst fully de-mountable venue in World Cup history. The concept of the stadium was designed by Fenwick Iribarren Architects.

Construction began in 2018 on a site formerly owned by QatarEnergy. The lo-cation and pioneering design meant con-struction waste was kept to a minimum. It also shortened the project’s duration and cost when compared to similar de-velopments.

Ahead of Stadium 974’s opening match – between the United Arab Emirates and Syria in the FIFA Arab Cup next Tuesday, November 30 – Qatar2022.qa spoke to Engineer Mohamed al-Mulla, Precinct Director of Stadium 974, to discuss the journey from construction to launch.

What makes Stadium 974 so special?I think everything about the stadium

demonstrates Qatar’s ability to deliver outstanding projects in terms of innova-tion and sustainability. It is a one-of-a-kind stadium and an innovative blueprint for future mega-event hosts. It is a great example of thinking outside the box. In 2022, fans will be amazed with the facili-ties here – especially the fact the conces-sion stands, toilets and medical rooms are all shipping containers. Both visually and conceptually, it is fascinating.

What is the signifi cance of thestadium’s name?

974 is the number of shipping contain-ers used in the development. It is also Qatar’s international dialling code. Fur-thermore, the stadium is situated near Doha Port, Hamad International Airport and Doha Airport. It will be the fi rst sta-dium fans see when they arrive in Qatar. In more ways than one, it can be regarded as a gateway to the country.

What kind of challenges did you face during the project?

There were many challenges! Probably the biggest challenge we faced was work-ing out the best possible way to build the stadium. This was actually the last venue

to begin construction – and this is be-cause we conducted multiple studies. Our original idea was actually inspired by a Lego set and we eventually decided to use shipping containers and recycled steel for the stadium. These elements can both be recycled after the tournament if necessary.

How important was the stadium’s location to the construction process?

The stadium narrates the history of the area. This location was previously used by QatarEnergy – formerly known as Qatar Petroleum. The stadium faces Old Doha Port, which was the fi rst commer-cial hub in the country. Just hearing ‘Old Port’ makes people locally think of ship-ping containers. The local area – Ras Abu Aboud – is also very strategic. It is close to the Doha Corniche and only 800 me-tres from the nearest metro station. The

location also benefi ts from natural cool-ing due to the design and bowl structure. This is actually the only stadium without cooling technology.

And, of course, the stadium sits oppo-site the West Bay skyline, so benefi ts from some of the best views in the country.

As someone involved in the project from the very start, what does it mean to you to see Stadium 974 completed?

I’m absolutely speechless! We are now approaching the opening of the stadium on the fi rst day of the Arab Cup. As a team, we are so proud of this achieve-ment. I feel honoured to have had the chance to work on a project that supports Qatar’s development.

Words cannot describe how I feel. I have treated the stadium like my home for the last few years and cannot wait for the offi cial inauguration.

Stadium 974 will host the FIFA Arab Cup match between UAE and Syria on Nov 30

QOC Padel Tournament by Ooredoo begins

Dzeko downs Shakhtar to fi re Inter to brink of Champions League knockouts

Qatar triathletes excited about competing in elite class: Mohamed

FOCUS

FOOTBALL

QNB ASIA TRIATHLON CUP

Stadium 974 is best-known for its innovative design, which features repurposed shipping containers.

Engineer Mohamed al-Mulla, Precinct Director of Stadium 974.

Qatar Chamber’s First Vice-Chairman Mohamed bin Ahmed Twar al-Kuwari presents the winner’s trophy to the connection of Ridicule, which clinched the Al Ghashamiah Cup, the feature race of the 13th Race Meeting at Al Rayyan Racecourse yesterday. Al Gaiah Racing’s two-year-old ward was ridden by Marco Casamento. The Mohamed Ghazali-trained horse won the 1,200-metre race by almost six lengths.

RIDICULE CLAIMSAL GHASHAMIAH CUP

Players in action during the QOC Padel Tournament 2021 by Ooredoo yesterday.

Inter Milan’s Edin Dzeko scores against Shakhtar Donetsk in Italy. (Reuters)