gulf players have quality stars descend on doha · choice goalkeeper in place of qasim urhan. amine...

P 20 | POSTERNASSER SALEH AL ATTIYAHEXCLUSIVE

INTERVIEW

P 10 | FOOTBALLGetting paid forchasing passion!

Qatar thrash Maldives to make it five wins from as many matches and consolidate their position on top of Group C in the 2018 FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualification. PAGES 6-7

Follow us onwww.dohastadiumplusqatar.comWEDNESDAY, OcTObER 14, 2015 | Vol X | No.37 | QR 2.00

P 22 | BOXINGSTARS DEScEND ON DOHAThe presence of top professionals Manny Pacquaio and Amir Khan as guests at the Worlds boosts the sport’s profile in Qatar.

UK ...................................... £1Europe ............................. €2Oman ...............200 BaisasBahrain ..................200 FilsEgypt .............................LE 2Lebanon ..........3,000 LivreKuwait ....................250 FilsMorocco ......................Dh 6

UAE ...............................Dh 5Yemen..................75 RiyalsSudan ...................1 PoundKSA .......................... 2 RiyalsJordan ....................500 FilsIraq .................................... $1Palestine ......................... $1Syria .............................LS 20

P 13 | FOOTBALLGULF PLAYERS HAVE QUALITYNew Zealand coach Anthony Hudson believes Gulf players, like Qatar’s Khalfan Ibrahim, have the potential to succeed in European leagues.

55

DSP

/Fad

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www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, OctObEr 14, 2015 3

INSIDE

Editor-in-Chief Dr Ahmed Al Mohannadi

Managing Editor Kumar Ravi

Senior Editor/Writer Aswin Abraham

Senior Sports Writer N Ganesh

Sports Writers Sajith B WarrierAju George ChrisMohammad Amin-ul IslamSarath Pookkat

Photographers MohanVinod DivakaranFadi Al AssaadMohammed DabboosA K BijuRaj

Graphic Designers Abhilash ChackoGopakumar K Joice Michael

Technical support Shaheen MohammedAbdul Naser M

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OPINION

Improved level of maturityvisible in Qatar’s approachNOtHING succeeds like success, they say. With five

wins out of five and 15 points in their kitty, Qatar are poised to progress to the final round of 2018

World cup Asian Zone qualification. the creditable win over china earlier last week seemed to have boosted Qatar’s confidence as they virtually toyed with Maldives on tuesday.

In their remaining fixtures, Qatar will play bhutan (November 17), Hong Kong (March 24) and china (March 29). While the Hong Kong match is at home, the other two are away. As things stand, Qatar should qualify for the 12-team final round as group leaders. the 15-0 rout of bhutan last month has given them a healthy goal difference too.

Qatar’s squad by and large comprises the same group of players who had failed miserably at the Asian cup in Australia last January. So what made them click as a team? Uruguayan coach Daniel carreno, who took over from Djamel belmadi in May, didn’t tinker much with the line-up, except for a couple of valuable changes.

carreno brought in Amine Lecomte as Qatar’s first-choice goalkeeper in place of Qasim burhan. Amine has been a source of strength and inspiration as the last line of defence so far in the qualification.

Sebastian Soria was recalled in time for the china tie. He didn’t score, but his power and speed constantly troubled rival defenders. His ability to take the defenders away from the goal is sure to create opportunities for others to score. When a team’s front man and rearguard perform well, it’s quite natural others also raise their performance by a notch or two.

carreno also needs to be complimented for instilling a winning mentality and sense of discipline in the team. Overall, there was an improved level of maturity in the players’ approach as was evident from the way they wriggled out of tight situations. He was even willing to experiment with youngsters, giving Akram Afif an opportunity in the second half against china and Maldives.

So far so good. but the momentum needs to be sustained. What lies ahead in the final round will be a real test of character for both the coach and players.

Keep it up, Qatar.

Dr Ahmed Al MohannadiEditor-in-chief

»The writer can be contacted at:[email protected]

P 16 | FOOTBALLPerfect matchNew Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp could not have found a more fitting club to take his successful coaching career to the next level.

P 26 | MOTORSPORTNasser supremeNasser Saleh Al Attiyah adds the FIA World cup for cross-country rallies to his collection and looks poised to achieve his aim of winning four championships in the season.

P 29 | MILITARY GAMESQatari hoopsters shineQatar win a gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the sixth edition in Mungyeong, South Korea.

P 28 | SQUASHUphill task!Qatar’s Abdullah Al tamimi has his task cut out after being drawn against world No.1 Mohamed El Shorbagy of Egypt in the Qatar classic.

P 18 | INITIATIVEAce sports academythe Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Academy, which offers programmes in various disciplines, plays an instrumental role in promoting sports culture in Qatar.

P.O. box: 24598, Doha, Qatar tel: +974 44138065, Fax: +974 44138597

www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com

Editorial: tel: +974 44138522, Fax: +974 44138593e-mail: [email protected]

Marketing & advertising: tel: +974 44138566e-mail: [email protected]

Distribution: tel: +974 44138535/36, Fax: +974 44138597e-mail: [email protected]


INSIDE

Editor-in-Chief Dr Ahmed Al Mohannadi

Managing Editor Kumar Ravi

Senior Editor/Writer Aswin Abraham

Senior Sports Writer N Ganesh

Sports Writers Sajith B WarrierAju George ChrisMohammad Amin-ul IslamSarath Pookkat

Photographers MohanVinod DivakaranFadi Al AssaadMohammed DabboosA K BijuRaj

Graphic Designers Abhilash ChackoGopakumar K Joice Michael

Technical support Shaheen MohammedAbdul Naser M

www.twitter.com/dohastadiumplus

www.facebook.com/dohastadiumplusqatar

www.flickr.com/photos/dohastadiumplusqatar

Publishers: ASPIrE Printing, Publishing and Distribution Printed at ASPIrE Printing Press

© Stories and photographs appearing in this publication may not be reproduced without the permission of ASPIrE Printing, Publishing and Distribution.

OPINION

Improved level of maturityvisible in Qatar’s approachNOtHING succeeds like success, they say. With five

wins out of five and 15 points in their kitty, Qatar are poised to progress to the final round of 2018

World cup Asian Zone qualification. the creditable win over china earlier last week seemed to have boosted Qatar’s confidence as they virtually toyed with Maldives on tuesday.

In their remaining fixtures, Qatar will play bhutan (November 17), Hong Kong (March 24) and china (March 29). While the Hong Kong match is at home, the other two are away. As things stand, Qatar should qualify for the 12-team final round as group leaders. the 15-0 rout of bhutan last month has given them a healthy goal difference too.

Qatar’s squad by and large comprises the same group of players who had failed miserably at the Asian cup in Australia last January. So what made them click as a team? Uruguayan coach Daniel carreno, who took over from Djamel belmadi in May, didn’t tinker much with the line-up, except for a couple of valuable changes.

carreno brought in Amine Lecomte as Qatar’s first-choice goalkeeper in place of Qasim burhan. Amine has been a source of strength and inspiration as the last line of defence so far in the qualification.

Sebastian Soria was recalled in time for the china tie. He didn’t score, but his power and speed constantly troubled rival defenders. His ability to take the defenders away from the goal is sure to create opportunities for others to score. When a team’s front man and rearguard perform well, it’s quite natural others also raise their performance by a notch or two.

carreno also needs to be complimented for instilling a winning mentality and sense of discipline in the team. Overall, there was an improved level of maturity in the players’ approach as was evident from the way they wriggled out of tight situations. He was even willing to experiment with youngsters, giving Akram Afif an opportunity in the second half against china and Maldives.

So far so good. but the momentum needs to be sustained. What lies ahead in the final round will be a real test of character for both the coach and players.

Keep it up, Qatar.

Dr Ahmed Al MohannadiEditor-in-chief


P 16 | FOOTBALLPerfect matchNew Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp could not have found a more fitting club to take his successful coaching career to the next level.

P 26 | MOTORSPORTNasser supremeNasser Saleh Al Attiyah adds the FIA World cup for cross-country rallies to his collection and looks poised to achieve his aim of winning four championships in the season.

P 29 | MILITARY GAMESQatari hoopsters shineQatar win a gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the sixth edition in Mungyeong, South Korea.

P 28 | SQUASHUphill task!Qatar’s Abdullah Al tamimi has his task cut out after being drawn against world No.1 Mohamed El Shorbagy of Egypt in the Qatar classic.

P 18 | INITIATIVEAce sports academythe Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Academy, which offers programmes in various disciplines, plays an instrumental role in promoting sports culture in Qatar.

P.O. box: 24598, Doha, Qatar tel: +974 44138065, Fax: +974 44138597


Editorial: tel: +974 44138522, Fax: +974 44138593e-mail: [email protected]

Marketing & advertising: tel: +974 44138566e-mail: [email protected]

Distribution: tel: +974 44138535/36, Fax: +974 44138597e-mail: [email protected]

WEDNESDAY, OctObEr 14, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com4

MIXED ZONE | QATARPICK OF THE WEEK | FOOTBALL

lost one big battle by reluctantly agreeing to step down seven months into his fifth term after digesting the full repercussions of the twin US and Swiss corruption probes that thrust the sharpest of blades into the heart of FIFA’s credibility, blatter was determined to cling on and not be further humiliated by throwing in the towel even earlier.

In one sense, blatter’s defiance not to be brought down before the time of his own choosing deserves admiration given much of the largely unreported work he has done to improve facilities in the developing world, especially in Asia and Africa. but he should’ve realised when Swiss investigators came calling that the die was cast. Instead his stubborn refusal to read the signs have led to the very thing he dreaded most — being cast out of his own office.

Given all the imponderables and uncertainties surrounding the biggest corruption story in the history of sport, it’s unwise to predict what happens next. but one element of the saga needs to be highlighted. For months, the independence of FIFA’s Ethics

committee has been called into question, with the

sceptics predicting the committee

wouldn’t dare go near blatter and

would

simply massage its own ego by punishing lesser scapegoats.

Yet, that was to underestimate Hans-Joachim Eckert, the German judge who heads the adjudicatory chamber of the committee. Eckert may’ve taken a lot of stick for leaving out key parts of the infamous Michael Garcia report into the 2018 and ’22 World cup bid process, but take one look at his cV and you can see how many prominent people he has successfully prosecuted and the extent of his knowledge and experience.

Some say failure to react to the

criminal proceedings against blatter would’ve rendered both Eckert and the investigatory side of the Ethics committee a laughing stock. Yet now they’re being attacked in certain quarters for going too far. Surely both arguments can’t be right. the result is a legal battle between the Ethics committee on the one hand and the teams of blatter, Platini and ex-FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke on the other.

How long it’ll run is anyone’s guess. blatter and Platini both vehemently deny they’ve done anything wrong over payment the Frenchman received from FIFA in

farce!Total FIFA’S INTERNAL TURMOIL TAKES A TURN FOR THE WORSE FOLLOWING THE ETHICS COMMITTEE’S SUSPENSION OF SEPP BLATTER AND MICHEL PLATINI, WRITES ANDREW WARSHAW.

RUMOUR ALSO HAS IT THAT THE

ELECTION MIGHT BE POSTPONED.

AS rUMOUrS picked up steam around the middle of last week that ethics

investigators were about to throw the book at Sepp blatter, FIFA’s headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland, bathed in autumn sunshine, seemed calm and uneventful. From the outside at least.

the reality was quite different. Inside, blatter was learning what he had long feared — that the very body he had set up to weed out corruption had arrived at his very

own door to bare its teeth.For weeks and months on end,

in the face of mounting scrutiny and pressure, blatter had been assuring anyone who would listen that he and FIFA were clean while acknowledging the need for urgent reform to prevent any more rogue elements from infiltrating his organisation.

Having

ŠŠFrom left, Sepp blatter, Michel Platini and Jerome Valcke.


’11. blatter’s long-time advisor Klaus Stohlker says the veteran Swiss “will fight until the last day.”

that last day is supposed to be February 26, the presidential election date to replace blatter. but it’s rapidly degenerating into total farce. technically, once the 90 days are completed — plus 45 more at the discretion of the Ethics committee — blatter could return to power just in time to take charge of the electoral congress and doubtless give a tub-thumbing goodbye speech. but I just can’t see that happening unless he is somehow cleared on appeal.

And who would be in the running? Whether Platini, who has long been the favourite to take over, will still be eligible is highly questionable. Like blatter, Platini has appealed, but the deadline for nominations, don’t forget, is a few days away on October 26. Platini may’ve cleverly submitted his required five letters of support before he was suspended, but that may not be enough to save him.

Quite simply, he may not pass the necessary integrity check. the fact that the French federation has found it necessary to go straight to the court of Arbitration for Sport on Platini’s behalf suggests it doubts FIFA’s Appeals committee will overturn the suspension.

With chung Mong-Joon almost definitely out of the equation too following the six-year ban, that leaves Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, beaten by blatter in May, as the only remaining heavyweight contender. but Prince Ali no longer has UEFA’s support or that of his

own Asian confederation. then there is the little-known Musa bility, president of the Liberian FA, who has received scant backing from his own African brothers despite personally appealing to their executive committee.

rumour has it that Asian Football confederation chief Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa may, as a result of all the confusion, put his name forward, after all. rumour also has it that the election might be postponed until the current mountain of dust settles. If it’s delayed simply to allow Platini to stand, that would be a bad tactical move. If on the other hand, it’s postponed to provide as much time as possible for a highly regarded list of new contenders to come forward, that makes good sense.

tokyo Sexwale, the South African human rights icon who runs FIFA’s mediation efforts between Israel and Palestine, says he still hasn’t made up his mind, but might yet emerge as a genuine contender. In the meantime, there’s now a power vacuum not only at FIFA, but at UEFA too. At both organisations, the two guys who’ve temporarily stepped in are hardly a break from the establishment. cameroon’s Issa Hayatou and Spain’s Angel Villar Lllona are more corruption-tainted old guard than reform-minded new broom.

It only goes to prove how desperate a need there is for root and branch change, a phrase too often used by the anti-blatter lobby just for the sake of it but, given FIFA’s current paralysis, more relevant than ever.

Makudi suspended for three months

Ruffinen may step in as a candidate

Reform committee to continue work

FOrMEr FIFA Executive committee member Worawi Makudi, the current head of thailand Football Association, has been suspended for

90 days pending a full investigation, the Ethics committee of the game’s governing body said.

Makudi, who was on the committee in December, 2010, when it voted to award the

hosting rights of the ’18 and ’22 World cups, will now face a formal

investigation, it said.“the decision was taken on

the grounds that a breach of the code of Ethics appears to have

been committed and a decision on the main issue may not be taken early

enough. the case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings,” the Ethics committee said.

Switzerland’s attorney general has opened an investigation into the bidding process for the ’18 and ’22 tournaments.

FOrMEr FIFA secretary general Michel Zen Ruffinen has been asked to stand for the presidency of the game’s governing body and

is studying the situation.“I’m simply studying the situation following

some requests that I’ve received to be a candidate for the position. I’ll

monitor the situation, see how it develops in the next days and check the feasibility to see if it makes sense,” said ruffinen.ruffinen, a former referee, did

not say who had suggested he stand. He served as FIFA’s secretary general from 1998 to 2002 and left after falling out with president Sepp blatter.

A FIFA advisory panel is pressing ahead to draft reforms of the scandal-shaken world body despite the suspension of president

Sepp blatter and other senior officials amid corruption investigations, the panel’s head said.

“this has no influence on the reform process itself because our work continues,” said Francois carrard, who heads the reform committee that FIFA’s Executive committee set up in July.

carrard, a former director general of the International Olympic committee, stressed the committee’s efforts were independent of the people in charge at FIFA, whose leadership is in disarray.

the Executive committee is supposed to review its ideas before they go before a members’ congress scheduled for February.

carrard gave no details of what his group was considering. It remains unclear if his panel will incorporate radical reforms proposed last month.

FIFA’s Ethics committee has rejected criticism from UEFA President Michel Platini over the manner of his suspension, saying the argument that he was

not allowed to defend himself is ‘not valid.’A statement issued on behalf of FIFA’s ethics judge

Hans-Joachim Eckert rejected suggestions that Platini had not been fairly treated and that he had been interviewed for five hours by FIFA’s ethics investigators.

“the argument put forward by Michel Platini’s lawyers that their client had not had the possibility to defend himself before the adjudicatory chamber before his suspension isn’t valid,” it said.

“After the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics committee had heard him for more than five hours on October 1, 2015 — with the hearing documented on more than 50 pages — the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber, Hans-Joachim Eckert, did not see a need for a second hearing with Mr Platini.”

Meanwhile, South American football’s governing body cONMEbOL has criticised Platini’s suspension, terming it “disproportionate and untimely.”

Ethics body rejects Platini’s claims

POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS FIFA faces months of turmoil over the election of a new president, after incumbent Sepp blatter was suspended over a criminal probe. the one-time favourite to succeed him, UEFA President Michel Platini, was also suspended, while another top runner chung Mong-Joon was hit with a six-year ban. Who could be in the running to take over from blatter, who has run FIFA since 1998, at the February 26 election?

MICHEL PLATINIOnce the clear favourite to succeed his long-time ally blatter, the former France captain has been tarnished by his association with the veteran Swiss. Platini had

presented himself as the man to clean up FIFA, but last month

he was named in the investigation into blatter because of a $2m payment he received in 2011.

CHUNG MONG-JOONSouth Korean tycoon chung, a FIFA vice president for 17 years until 2011, has been a fierce critic of blatter since announcing his bid in August, saying the Swiss

had morally bankrupted the organisation. but he was banned

for six years for breaking rules while lobbying for his country’s 2022 World cup bid.

PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEINJordan’s Prince Ali pitched his hat into the ring last month, saying he is the only candidate with the guts to confront corruption in FIFA. the 39-year-old led an

unsuccessful challenge as a reform candidate against blatter for the

top job in May, just two days after the arrest of seven FIFA officials in Zurich.the prince has so far not been implicated in any graft scandals at the organisation.

ZICOLike Platini, brazilian Zico enjoys a legendary reputation as a player — he graced three World cups. the 62-year-old, who has managed several teams including

Japan and Iraq as well as latterly Indian club side Goa, announced

his candidacy in June. but he has no experience in administration and conceded he was struggling to muster the backing of five national federations, which he needs to get on the ballot.

JEROME CHAMPAGNEFormer FIFA deputy secretary general and director of international relations, champagne tried to challenge blatter in the May election, but

could not get the necessary official backing. champagne was once a

close blatter aide and now advises the Palestine and North cyprus football federations.

TOKYO SEXWALE

South African anti-apartheid activist Sexwale has been touted by some as a possible outside candidate for the race. German legend Franz beckenbauer gave

the 62-year-old his backing last month, saying he was a fresh face

and had the smell of neutrality. but Sexwale, who spent 13 years in prison alongside Nelson Mandela and now works on the FIFA Monitoring committee Israel-Palestine, said earlier this month he has still not decided if he would run.


’11. blatter’s long-time advisor Klaus Stohlker says the veteran Swiss “will fight until the last day.”

that last day is supposed to be February 26, the presidential election date to replace blatter. but it’s rapidly degenerating into total farce. technically, once the 90 days are completed — plus 45 more at the discretion of the Ethics committee — blatter could return to power just in time to take charge of the electoral congress and doubtless give a tub-thumbing goodbye speech. but I just can’t see that happening unless he is somehow cleared on appeal.

And who would be in the running? Whether Platini, who has long been the favourite to take over, will still be eligible is highly questionable. Like blatter, Platini has appealed, but the deadline for nominations, don’t forget, is a few days away on October 26. Platini may’ve cleverly submitted his required five letters of support before he was suspended, but that may not be enough to save him.

Quite simply, he may not pass the necessary integrity check. the fact that the French federation has found it necessary to go straight to the court of Arbitration for Sport on Platini’s behalf suggests it doubts FIFA’s Appeals committee will overturn the suspension.

With chung Mong-Joon almost definitely out of the equation too following the six-year ban, that leaves Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, beaten by blatter in May, as the only remaining heavyweight contender. but Prince Ali no longer has UEFA’s support or that of his

own Asian confederation. then there is the little-known Musa bility, president of the Liberian FA, who has received scant backing from his own African brothers despite personally appealing to their executive committee.

rumour has it that Asian Football confederation chief Shaikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa may, as a result of all the confusion, put his name forward, after all. rumour also has it that the election might be postponed until the current mountain of dust settles. If it’s delayed simply to allow Platini to stand, that would be a bad tactical move. If on the other hand, it’s postponed to provide as much time as possible for a highly regarded list of new contenders to come forward, that makes good sense.

tokyo Sexwale, the South African human rights icon who runs FIFA’s mediation efforts between Israel and Palestine, says he still hasn’t made up his mind, but might yet emerge as a genuine contender. In the meantime, there’s now a power vacuum not only at FIFA, but at UEFA too. At both organisations, the two guys who’ve temporarily stepped in are hardly a break from the establishment. cameroon’s Issa Hayatou and Spain’s Angel Villar Lllona are more corruption-tainted old guard than reform-minded new broom.

It only goes to prove how desperate a need there is for root and branch change, a phrase too often used by the anti-blatter lobby just for the sake of it but, given FIFA’s current paralysis, more relevant than ever.

Makudi suspended for three months

Ruffinen may step in as a candidate

Reform committee to continue work

FOrMEr FIFA Executive committee member Worawi Makudi, the current head of thailand Football Association, has been suspended for

90 days pending a full investigation, the Ethics committee of the game’s governing body said.

Makudi, who was on the committee in December, 2010, when it voted to award the

hosting rights of the ’18 and ’22 World cups, will now face a formal

investigation, it said.“the decision was taken on

the grounds that a breach of the code of Ethics appears to have

been committed and a decision on the main issue may not be taken early

enough. the case is now the subject of formal investigation proceedings,” the Ethics committee said.

Switzerland’s attorney general has opened an investigation into the bidding process for the ’18 and ’22 tournaments.

FOrMEr FIFA secretary general Michel Zen Ruffinen has been asked to stand for the presidency of the game’s governing body and

is studying the situation.“I’m simply studying the situation following

some requests that I’ve received to be a candidate for the position. I’ll

monitor the situation, see how it develops in the next days and check the feasibility to see if it makes sense,” said ruffinen.ruffinen, a former referee, did

not say who had suggested he stand. He served as FIFA’s secretary general from 1998 to 2002 and left after falling out with president Sepp blatter.

A FIFA advisory panel is pressing ahead to draft reforms of the scandal-shaken world body despite the suspension of president

Sepp blatter and other senior officials amid corruption investigations, the panel’s head said.

“this has no influence on the reform process itself because our work continues,” said Francois carrard, who heads the reform committee that FIFA’s Executive committee set up in July.

carrard, a former director general of the International Olympic committee, stressed the committee’s efforts were independent of the people in charge at FIFA, whose leadership is in disarray.

the Executive committee is supposed to review its ideas before they go before a members’ congress scheduled for February.

carrard gave no details of what his group was considering. It remains unclear if his panel will incorporate radical reforms proposed last month.

FIFA’s Ethics committee has rejected criticism from UEFA President Michel Platini over the manner of his suspension, saying the argument that he was

not allowed to defend himself is ‘not valid.’A statement issued on behalf of FIFA’s ethics judge

Hans-Joachim Eckert rejected suggestions that Platini had not been fairly treated and that he had been interviewed for five hours by FIFA’s ethics investigators.

“the argument put forward by Michel Platini’s lawyers that their client had not had the possibility to defend himself before the adjudicatory chamber before his suspension isn’t valid,” it said.

“After the investigatory chamber of the FIFA Ethics committee had heard him for more than five hours on October 1, 2015 — with the hearing documented on more than 50 pages — the chairman of the adjudicatory chamber, Hans-Joachim Eckert, did not see a need for a second hearing with Mr Platini.”

Meanwhile, South American football’s governing body cONMEbOL has criticised Platini’s suspension, terming it “disproportionate and untimely.”

Ethics body rejects Platini’s claims

POTENTIAL SUCCESSORS FIFA faces months of turmoil over the election of a new president, after incumbent Sepp blatter was suspended over a criminal probe. the one-time favourite to succeed him, UEFA President Michel Platini, was also suspended, while another top runner chung Mong-Joon was hit with a six-year ban. Who could be in the running to take over from blatter, who has run FIFA since 1998, at the February 26 election?

MICHEL PLATINIOnce the clear favourite to succeed his long-time ally blatter, the former France captain has been tarnished by his association with the veteran Swiss. Platini had

presented himself as the man to clean up FIFA, but last month

he was named in the investigation into blatter because of a $2m payment he received in 2011.

CHUNG MONG-JOONSouth Korean tycoon chung, a FIFA vice president for 17 years until 2011, has been a fierce critic of blatter since announcing his bid in August, saying the Swiss

had morally bankrupted the organisation. but he was banned

for six years for breaking rules while lobbying for his country’s 2022 World cup bid.

PRINCE ALI BIN AL HUSSEINJordan’s Prince Ali pitched his hat into the ring last month, saying he is the only candidate with the guts to confront corruption in FIFA. the 39-year-old led an

unsuccessful challenge as a reform candidate against blatter for the

top job in May, just two days after the arrest of seven FIFA officials in Zurich.the prince has so far not been implicated in any graft scandals at the organisation.

ZICOLike Platini, brazilian Zico enjoys a legendary reputation as a player — he graced three World cups. the 62-year-old, who has managed several teams including

Japan and Iraq as well as latterly Indian club side Goa, announced

his candidacy in June. but he has no experience in administration and conceded he was struggling to muster the backing of five national federations, which he needs to get on the ballot.

JEROME CHAMPAGNEFormer FIFA deputy secretary general and director of international relations, champagne tried to challenge blatter in the May election, but

could not get the necessary official backing. champagne was once a

close blatter aide and now advises the Palestine and North cyprus football federations.

TOKYO SEXWALE

South African anti-apartheid activist Sexwale has been touted by some as a possible outside candidate for the race. German legend Franz beckenbauer gave

the 62-year-old his backing last month, saying he was a fresh face

and had the smell of neutrality. but Sexwale, who spent 13 years in prison alongside Nelson Mandela and now works on the FIFA Monitoring committee Israel-Palestine, said earlier this month he has still not decided if he would run.


FIVE OUT OF FIVEPatrick Johnston

NOrtH Korea, thailand and Oman took advantage of the absence of Asia’s elite

to storm clear in their World cup qualifying groups with victories on tuesday.

With the top seeds across the eight joint Asian cup qualifying groups sitting out, the region’s unfancied sides boosted their chances of grabbing one of the 12 places on offer for the next stage of the road to russia 2018.

North Korea are close to doing so after Jong Il-Gwan struck a 15th-minute penalty for a 1-0 home win over Yemen to leave the twice World cup qualifiers four points clear of Uzbekistan in Group H, with only three games remaining.

In Muscat, Oman dispatched India 3-0 to move three points clear of favourites Iran at the top of Group D.

With Japan playing Iran in a friendly in tehran which ended 1-1, Singapore took the opportunity to move level with the four-time Asian champions at the top of Group E after a sketchy 2-1 win at home to cambodia, who scored their first goal of the campaign through Sos Suhana.

Singapore coach bernd Stange was left surprised at the criticism of his side, who have aspirations of taking one of the four best runners-up places that will mean qualification for the next Asian cup and third stage of World cup qualification.

“Why are you not able to be happy that we’ve 10 points?” the German told reporters who questioned why the team made hard work of the result.

thailand are keen not to leave anything to chance and they ramped up the pressure on favoured Iraq in Group F by claiming a 3-0 away in Vietnam to open up a five-point gap in the pool, which has been reduced to four teams following Indonesia’s suspension by FIFA for political interference.

Kroekrit thawikan hit a stunning long-range swerving opener before an own goal by tien thanh just before the hour mark made the game safe for the visitors. theerathon bunmathan completed the scoring in Hanoi by finishing a neat team move.

thailand face taiwan next month before what is sure to be the decisive clash away to former Asian champions Iraq in tehran in the battle for top spot in the group.

Southeast Asian rivals Malaysia grabbed their first World cup qualifying away win in 14 years when they edged East timor 1-0, their opening victory in Group A.

there was no first point of the campaign for lowly bhutan, however, with Hong Kong’s Siu Ki chan heading the only goal in the 89th to take the visitors clear of china in second place in Group c.

QAtAr coach Daniel Carreno said he was not thinking about the next round of the World

cup qualification as the team had not mathematically qualified yet.

“Mathematically, we haven’t qualified yet. So I’m not thinking about it,” said carreno.

“What I like to focus now is our next match with bhutan. I’m satisfied with the performance of my players. Everybody is training very well. Psychologically also they’re good. they love the colours of the national team. there’s a good harmony in the dressing room and the boys are enjoying the games,” said the Uruguayan.

“but everything can’t be perfect all the time. then there’s no need for a coach. We need to improve our finishing. At the tactical level, we were open in defence and it would be dangerous to do that against strong teams,” he added.

‘Boys are enjoying the games’

MALAYSIA BEAT EAST TIMOR FOR THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP QUALIFYING AWAY WIN IN 14 YEARS.

North Korea, Thailand, Oman register wins

COLLATED RESULTSOCTOBER 13

Qatar bt Maldives 4-0timor Leste lost to Malaysia 0-1North Korea bt Yemen 1-0bhutan lost to Hong Kong 0-1Myanmar bt Laos 3-1Vietnam lost to thailand 0-3Singapore bt cambodia 2-1turkmenistan bt Guam 1-0Kyrgyzstan bt bangladesh 2-0Oman bt India 3-0bahrain bt Philippines 2-0Jordan bt tajikistan 3-0Syria bt Afghanistan 5-2Kuwait drew Lebanon 0-0

OCTOBER 8North Korea drew Philippines 0-0bhutan lost to Maldives 3-4Vietnam drew Iraq 1-1Myanmar lost to Lebanon 0-2Singapore bt Afghanistan 1-0Syria lost to Japan 0-3turkmenistan bt India 2-1timor-Leste drew Palestine 1-1Kyrgyzstan drew tajikistan 2-2Jordan bt Australia 2-0Oman drew Iran 1-1Kuwait lost to South Korea 0-1bahrain lost to Uzbekistan 0-4Qatar bt china 1-0Saudi Arabia bt UAE 2-1

ŠŠ India’s Sandesh Jhingan challenges Oman’s Emad Al Hosni.

GROUP C STANDINGSQatar 5 5 0 0 24 2 15Hong Kong 5 3 1 1 12 3 10china 4 2 1 1 9 1 7Maldives 5 1 0 4 4 13 3bhutan 5 0 0 5 3 33 0


FOOTBALL | QATAR/ASIA

FIVE OUT OF FIVECOVER STORY

QATAR THRASH MALDIVES TO CONSOLIDATE THEIR POSITION ON TOP OF GROUP C IN THE 2018 WORLD CUP ASIAN ZONE QUALIFICATION, WRITES N GANESH.

EMPHAtIc could be the right word to describe Qatar’s win against Maldives.

It is not just because the hosts scored four goals without reply against the South-East Asians. Daniel carreno’s men played a near-perfect possession game, created numerous chances and hardly committed an error.

And five wins from as many matches have helped them consolidate their lead in Group c with 15 points, taking them closer to the final round of 2018 World cup qualification.

A twin strike from boualem Khoukhi (29th and 70th), and a goal each from Mohammed Kassola (68th) and Mohammed Mousa (stoppage time) made it easy for the Gulf nation. Qatar will play bhutan and china away and host Hong Kong in between, and it looks difficult to stop them from finishing on top of the group.

“they should win the group comfortably” endorsed Maldives coach ricki Herbert.

Eight group winners and best four runners-up will progress to the third and final round, where they will be drawn into two groups of six teams each. the top two from each group will progress directly to the russia finals, with the two third-placed teams going into play-offs.

the 12 teams who make it to the final round will also qualify for the 2019 Asian cup in the UAE.

tuesday’s win and performance proved they very much deserved to be there.

Maldives, who put up a tough fight in their home game against

Qatar before going down to a stoppage-time winner by

Ahmed Maksoud, came to Doha on

the back of a

2-1 win over bhutan, which was Herbert’s first game in charge.

but all that looked insignificant as Qatar stamped their authority on the match right from the start.

Qatar look to have evolved a great deal under carreno, who appeared quite relaxed on tuesday, compared to the china tie which they won 1-0 five days earlier.

“We played with a lot of tension in Male as it was our first match of the qualification. I think players have improved a lot now. We all see that the team is playing with personality. When things aren’t going their way, they aren’t getting panicked,” said carreno, who had guarded his players against complacency following their deserving win over china.

Maldives looked organised at the beginning, yet Qatar created opportunities only to squander them. that was the only worry for carreno.

EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE CLICKING FOR QATAR COACH DANIEL CARRENO

AT THE MOMENT.

KICK-OFFQATAR STARS LEAGUE

Saturday, October 17

Al Ahli vs Al KharaitiyatAl Ahli Stadium, 5.30pm.Al Khor vs Al rayyanAl Gharafa Stadium, 5.30pm.Al Wakrah vs Al SailiyaAl Gharafa Stadium, 7.45pm.Mesaimeer vs Umm SalalAl Ahli Stadium, 7.45pm.

Sunday, October 18

Al Gharafa vs El JaishAl Gharafa Stadium, 5.30pm.Al Sadd vs Qatar ScAl Sadd Stadium, 5.30pm.Lekhwiya vs Al ArabiAl Sadd Stadium, 7.45pm.

QAtAr Sports club’s tiff with Hamdi Harbaoui took a turn for the worse when the tunisian forward left the country for belgium last week

and later said he would not be playing for them again.“With all respect and appreciation for Qatar Sc, its

players, technical staff and fans, I want to announce that I’m ending my association with the club. I wish all success to the club, which I was proud to represent,” said Harbaoui.

the team management said it would issue an official statement later even though reports suggested it was planning legal action against the player.

Harbaoui had emerged as the second highest scorer with 21 goals in the Qatar Stars League last season and helped Qatar Sc to a fourth-place finish.

the league will resume on Saturday.

Unhappy Harbaoui leaves Qatar Sports Club

ššQatar’s Khalfan Ibrahim dribbles past Maldives’ Abdul Gani.

šşQatar’s Mohammed Mousa controls the ball during their game against Maldives.

DSP

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FIVE OUT OF FIVEPatrick Johnston

NOrtH Korea, thailand and Oman took advantage of the absence of Asia’s elite

to storm clear in their World cup qualifying groups with victories on tuesday.

With the top seeds across the eight joint Asian cup qualifying groups sitting out, the region’s unfancied sides boosted their chances of grabbing one of the 12 places on offer for the next stage of the road to russia 2018.

North Korea are close to doing so after Jong Il-Gwan struck a 15th-minute penalty for a 1-0 home win over Yemen to leave the twice World cup qualifiers four points clear of Uzbekistan in Group H, with only three games remaining.

In Muscat, Oman dispatched India 3-0 to move three points clear of favourites Iran at the top of Group D.

With Japan playing Iran in a friendly in tehran which ended 1-1, Singapore took the opportunity to move level with the four-time Asian champions at the top of Group E after a sketchy 2-1 win at home to cambodia, who scored their first goal of the campaign through Sos Suhana.

Singapore coach bernd Stange was left surprised at the criticism of his side, who have aspirations of taking one of the four best runners-up places that will mean qualification for the next Asian cup and third stage of World cup qualification.

“Why are you not able to be happy that we’ve 10 points?” the German told reporters who questioned why the team made hard work of the result.

thailand are keen not to leave anything to chance and they ramped up the pressure on favoured Iraq in Group F by claiming a 3-0 away in Vietnam to open up a five-point gap in the pool, which has been reduced to four teams following Indonesia’s suspension by FIFA for political interference.

Kroekrit thawikan hit a stunning long-range swerving opener before an own goal by tien thanh just before the hour mark made the game safe for the visitors. theerathon bunmathan completed the scoring in Hanoi by finishing a neat team move.

thailand face taiwan next month before what is sure to be the decisive clash away to former Asian champions Iraq in tehran in the battle for top spot in the group.

Southeast Asian rivals Malaysia grabbed their first World cup qualifying away win in 14 years when they edged East timor 1-0, their opening victory in Group A.

there was no first point of the campaign for lowly bhutan, however, with Hong Kong’s Siu Ki chan heading the only goal in the 89th to take the visitors clear of china in second place in Group c.

QAtAr coach Daniel Carreno said he was not thinking about the next round of the World

cup qualification as the team had not mathematically qualified yet.

“Mathematically, we haven’t qualified yet. So I’m not thinking about it,” said carreno.

“What I like to focus now is our next match with bhutan. I’m satisfied with the performance of my players. Everybody is training very well. Psychologically also they’re good. they love the colours of the national team. there’s a good harmony in the dressing room and the boys are enjoying the games,” said the Uruguayan.

“but everything can’t be perfect all the time. then there’s no need for a coach. We need to improve our finishing. At the tactical level, we were open in defence and it would be dangerous to do that against strong teams,” he added.

‘Boys are enjoying the games’

MALAYSIA BEAT EAST TIMOR FOR THEIR FIRST WORLD CUP QUALIFYING AWAY WIN IN 14 YEARS.

North Korea, Thailand, Oman register wins

COLLATED RESULTSOCTOBER 13

Qatar bt Maldives 4-0timor Leste lost to Malaysia 0-1North Korea bt Yemen 1-0bhutan lost to Hong Kong 0-1Myanmar bt Laos 3-1Vietnam lost to thailand 0-3Singapore bt cambodia 2-1turkmenistan bt Guam 1-0Kyrgyzstan bt bangladesh 2-0Oman bt India 3-0bahrain bt Philippines 2-0Jordan bt tajikistan 3-0Syria bt Afghanistan 5-2Kuwait drew Lebanon 0-0

OCTOBER 8North Korea drew Philippines 0-0bhutan lost to Maldives 3-4Vietnam drew Iraq 1-1Myanmar lost to Lebanon 0-2Singapore bt Afghanistan 1-0Syria lost to Japan 0-3turkmenistan bt India 2-1timor-Leste drew Palestine 1-1Kyrgyzstan drew tajikistan 2-2Jordan bt Australia 2-0Oman drew Iran 1-1Kuwait lost to South Korea 0-1bahrain lost to Uzbekistan 0-4Qatar bt china 1-0Saudi Arabia bt UAE 2-1

ŠŠ India’s Sandesh Jhingan challenges Oman’s Emad Al Hosni.

GROUP C STANDINGSQatar 5 5 0 0 24 2 15Hong Kong 5 3 1 1 12 3 10china 4 2 1 1 9 1 7Maldives 5 1 0 4 4 13 3bhutan 5 0 0 5 3 33 0


Toughness to the fore

KARIM BOUDIAFthe Lekhwiya player once again turned in a fine game. He was a strong presence in the midfield throughout and scored the all-important goal, heading home a Hassan Al Haidous free-kick.

SEBASTIAN SORIAthe Al rayyan striker was back for an official match after more than a year’s gap, but he did well, imposing his strong physical presence upfront and working hard as ever.

AHMED YASSERYasser has been in exceptional form for his club Lekhwiya and he extended it to the match against china. the youngster was fearless, remained focused throughout and hardly committed an error.

HASSAN AL HAIDOUSAl Haidous has been consistent. the Al Sadd forward, who replaced Khalfan Ibrahim as the No.10 at both the club and national team, penetrated a few times. His biggest contribution, however, was the dipping free-kick to pick out boudiaf for the lone goal.

MOHAMMED MOUSAthe physically-strong Mousa has looked solid in his role of a right-back. carreno has been encouraging him to go forward, which he frequently did with confidence.

PLAYERS WHO

MADE THE DIFFERENCE

FOOTBALL | QATAR/ASIA

EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE CLICKING FOR QATAR COACH DANIEL CARRENO

AT THE MOMENT.

N Ganesh

QAtAr coach Daniel carreno and his wards were nervous in the last quarter-hour of

their World cup qualifier against china. When the final whistle blew, the players celebrated with cheering fans while the Uruguayan sneaked into the dressing room with a swollen face, forgetting to even offer his counterpart Alain Perrin a handshake.

In the previous away game, Hong Kong had scored in the 87th and 89th minutes to put carreno under pressure. Against a higher-ranked china, Qatar managed to defend the lone goal scored by Karim boudiaf in the 22nd minute, but their flaws and lethargy in passing surfaced after 70 minutes and lasted till the end. It was something carreno did not like.

“Qatar’s strength lies in defence,” carreno said at the post-match Press conference.

It has been the case for several years, but many of his predecessors rued the lack of enough Qatari forwards in the domestic league for the national team’s dearth of goals. Sebastian Soria, the naturalised Uruguayan, has been Qatar’s main scorer for almost a decade, but now goals are coming through Hassan Al Haidous, Ali Asad, boudiaf, Abdulkarim Hassan and others.

Qatar have scored 20 goals in the last four qualifiers (Maldives, bhutan and Hong Kong are the other teams in Group c) and conceded just two even though only china are considered to be an even match for them in the group. tougher challenges await them in the third round. And carreno knows that.

china was the biggest test so far for him, but his team came up with a near-perfect first-half game. they enjoyed the bulk of possession,

frustrated the opposition with smart passing and looked solid in defence, where young Ahmed Yasser extended his fine form with Lekhwiya, and he once again looked flawless and confident. Ahmed Maksoud, deployed as always just above the defence line, toiled hard and put some vital blocks. Mohammed Mousa did well in negating the attacks that came through the right while his low shot on the full in the second session reflected his confidence while going forward.

boudiaf, the main link between the attack and rear at the start, had to do more defensive duties as the game wore on. His versatility in the middle has brought the biggest positive change for Qatar.

china even struggled to put up a

fight in the first session. they had their first genuine attempt only towards the end of the first half when Dabao Yu tested goalkeeper claude Amine with a sharp glancing header following a Zheng Long cross.

Qatar continued in earnest after resumption, but as carreno first pulled out Asad, who played behind Soria, early in the second half and the latter himself towards the end to bolster the defence, china pushed the hosts on the back foot. And Hanchao Yu was unlucky too see his stinging long-ranger narrowly fly past the left post towards the end.

the late slump in their level apart, Qatar did a fine job. this was almost the same team which had crashed out early at the Asian cup, but there were some visible changes. Amine joined the squad

soon after while carreno brought back Soria, who was left out by his predecessor Djamel belmadi. Soria proved he is still a few notches above Abdulkader Ilyas and Mohammed Muntari, who replaced him as the spearhead at the Gulf cup and Asian cup respectively.

Soria may not possess the wily ways of a typical South American striker — the one-on-one chance he messed up early in the second half was another proof of that — but his work ethic is incredible. With better support up front, he is looking lethal again. that he could quickly find his footing at his new club Al rayyan too has added to his confidence. carreno would have been naive to overlook that.

Football may be teamwork, but carreno knows he needs strong personalities out there to win regularly. And one suddenly finds many of them in Qatar’s line-up.

the decision to bring in young Akram Afif from the middle of the West Asian Under-23 championship and field him for almost the entire second half spoke about carreno’s bold approach in building more of them. And it works. For that matter, everything seems to be clicking for him at the moment.

»The writer can be contacted at:[email protected] ššQatari players acknowledge the cheers of the crowd after beating china.

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Jordan stun AustraliaJOrDAN stunned Asian

champions Australia 2-0 in Amman, handing the

Socceroos their first loss in the World cup qualification campaign.

Hamza Al Dardour was the star for the hosts as he earned a penalty and then struck late in the match to help Jordan beat the same opponents for the second time in World cup qualifying, their previous win coming in ’12.

Australia dominated the first half, but failed to breach the Jordan

defence before Al Kharaitiyat striker Hassan Abdelfattah struck from the penalty spot immediately after resumption following a foul on Al Dardour by Matthew Sprianovic.

Australia strove hard to restore parity, but it was Jordan who found the net again, Al Dardour scoring with six minutes remaining.

“Once Jordan went a goal up, the game became a little chaotic and we couldn’t get into any flow,” said Australia coach Ange Postecoglou.

Does Chinese League serve its purpose? CLUbS in the chinese Super

League may be pumping more and more money, and chasing

marquee names one after the other, but it is not reflecting on the standard of national team, if coach Alain Perrin is to believed.

robinho and Paulinho were the latest star names to move to china, joining 2013 AFc champions League winners Guangzhou Evergrande this season, while fellow-brazilian international Diego tardelli, who has donned Qatar’s Al Gharafa colours, signed for Shandong Luneng, all

on lucrative deals. two-time World Player of the Year ronadinho is linked with a move to second-tier outfit tianjin Songjiang.

However, last week’s defeat to Qatar, following a 1-1 draw against Hong Kong at home, triggered questions from chinese journalists about the choice of Perrin’s first team, which had ’13 Asian Player of the Year Zheng Zhi of Evergrande and rayo Vallecano winger Zhang chengdong as the most popular names.

“When the draw was made, many people in china said it’s an easy group. I knew that Qatar had quality and they showed it against us. Some

of our players are good only in the chinese league. International level is totally different, so I had to make some decisions,” said Perrin, who had won plaudits for guiding china to Asian cup quarterfinal, where they lost to hosts and eventual champions Australia last January.

“I’m disappointed with the result. We found it difficult in the first half. Our defence wasn’t bad, but we still conceded a free-kick goal. We played better in the second half. though our passing wasn’t up to the mark, we expected to equalise and take home one point. It didn’t happen,” he said the Frenchman.

the defeat to Qatar heavily dented china’s hopes of topping the group. the sports-mad nation, with a population of 1.4 billion, has been a powerhouse in several Olympic disciplines, but their recent record in football is not so encouraging. their only World cup appearance came way back in ’02.

china is reportedly keen to become the next Asian host of the World cup. the country’s leaders know that its national team should improve its ranking and performance in order to rightly project its case. Perrin should arrest the slump and make them perform well again. the onus is on him.

SOME OF OUR PLAYERS ARE GOOD ONLY IN

THE CHINESE LEAGUE. INTERNATIONAL LEVEL IS

TOTALLY DIFFERENT

Alain Perrin rated Australia, Japan, South Korea and Iran as the big four in the current World cup qualification campaign and considered them as favourites to progress yet again.

Asked about Qatar’s chances, Perrin, who has a deep knowledge of the country’s football having coached Al Khor, Al Gharafa and Umm Salal other than the national Under-23 side, said, “twelve teams will progress to the next round. there’s the top four, but all others are good and they all have a chance of progressing to the play-off.”

‘Big four are favourites to

progress’

QAtAr lost 0-2 to Syria in the semifinal of the inaugural West Asian Football Federation Under-23 championship at

the Lekhwiya Stadium last week.Goals from Khaled Al Mbayed (47th)

and Abdullah Alshami (95th) gave Syria a convincing victory. In the final, they will meet Iran, who defeated Yemen 2-1 in the other last-four clash.

Qatar had considered the tournament as a preparatory event for the inaugural Asian U-23 championship, to be held in Doha from January 12 to 30 next year. they had fast-tracked several players from the triumphant Asian U-19 squad for the tournament and Spaniard Felix

Sanchez was put in charge of them.

Qatar had progressed to the semifinal as Group A winners, but Syria, boasting physically stronger players, proved too tough for them to handle.

Sanchez, however, looked at the positives.

“It was a great experience for our players. It was a new

beginning for us. We believe we did a good job overall against Syria apart from a few individual mistakes, which cost us the game. We want to give it our all in the third-place play-off against Yemen because we may end up playing a similar match in the Asian tournament,” said Sanchez about the continental event, which will double as the rio Olympics qualification.

Qatar take many positives from West Asian event

KICK-OFFboth matches at the Lekhwiya Stadium.Wednesday, October 14

THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF

Qatar vs Yemen, 4.30pm.

FINALSyria vs Iran, 8pm.

RESULTSSEMIFINALS

Syria bt Qatar 2-0Iran bt Yemen 2-1

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ŠŠSyria’s Mahmood Albaher, left, and Qatar’s Ahmed Alaaedin fight for the ball.

Alain Perrin

Šš Jordan’s Hasan Abdelfattah gets past Australia’s Matthew Spiranovic.


RENOWNED sports scientist Andrew Young, who earlier worked with English

football side Fulham, has been helping Guam prepare for the 2018 FIFA World cup qualifiers.

“We targeted Andrew because we know he’s the best in the business and he has really taken hold of what we’re trying to do,” said Guam coach Gary White.

“He has invested himself in it. He’s a thorough professional and he brings a level to Guam that we’ve never seen in sports science. We’re trying to get as many elite sports staff around our team as we can,” he said.

Young was the key as Guam implemented wearable GPSports technology, which measures the

speed and positioning of players and tallies their vital signs in real time.

“We’re trying to be leaders in every way and we don’t see our

size as a detriment to that,” said White.

the technology is not new and is used by teams around the world. but FIFA

allowed it to be used during matches only in

July and Guam players wore it against Iran.

For the field players, the useful practical data is acceleration, duration of time spent with an elevated heart-rate, and weight distribution, which can be a sign of injury.

the goalkeepers, meanwhile, are focused on impact, change of direction and quickness.

Young helps Guam embrace technology

OMAN and Iran stayed level on points at the top of Group D after playing out a 1-1 draw in their 2018 FIFA World cup qualifier in Muscat last

week.Defender Saad Al Mukhaini put Oman in front in

the 52nd minute when he tapped the ball home at the far post following Ali Al busaidi’s cross from the left, but Jalal Hosseini equalised in the 70th, scrambling the ball home from close range after the Oman defence failed to clear a free-kick.

Iran coach carlos Queiroz said his side produced a good result against Oman who have not won against them since 2001.

“Our primary objective is to qualify for the next round and we’re on the right path,” said Queiroz.

Meanwhile, Guam will have their task cut out when they travel to bengaluru in their away game against India in November 12.

Eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the final round of qualifying for the ’18 FIFA World cup. they will also be assured of a berth in the ’19 Asian cup finals in the UAE.

Oman and Iran share spoils with 1-1 draw

I happen to get paid for chasing passion!

next priority is to be among the top five teams in East Asia. Some see this as a negative goal as we need to compete against strong sides like Japan, china, South Korea, North Korea and Hong Kong. but we’ll evaluate and then create new goals.

ЂЂ Despite having top facilities, what do you think is the reason that pulls down Gulf teams?ЂЃ Gulf teams need to hire coaches

who care about the game and not someone who takes up the job just for money. For me, football is my life and I happen to get paid for it. It’s something I’m driven by and it’s in my blood. When you bring in foreign coaches, there has to be sustainability and legacy. coaches use the short-term stints as stepping stones.

besides, you should get connected to the local heritage and culture. Guam can’t play like England as I don’t have English players and it’ll never work that way. You’ve to do some research in the people you’re working with and create a philosophy and strategic programme which suits that country and not what barcelona or chelsea are following.

ЂЂ Are you suggesting that most foreign coaches in the Gulf are focused only on money?ЂЃ It happens at times. Maybe, the

football teams are taken for granted as some coaches come here purely for money. I don’t believe in getting something for nothing. You must give to get. And if you’re only taking, it’s a short-lived career. From an outsider’s perspective, I can say Qatar has excellent facilities which a coach can dream of and I don’t see why they can’t do well.

Guam is the smallest Asian country, 10 times smaller than bhutan in terms of population and land mass. So if Guam can do it, any nation can do it. It’s a question of having professional people.

ЂЂ How do you see the criticism against Qatar 2022?ЂЃ I’m an Englishman and I wonder

why the English media has been so vocal against Qatar hosting the ’22 World cup. I think those people may’ve only voiced their opinions from their offices in London. Doha is a perfect World cup venue.


ЂšMembers of the Guam national team during a training session in Doha.

ЂŠOman’s Emad Al Hosni, left, controls the ball ahead of Iran’s Andranik teymourian.

WHITE FACT FILE Name Gary White

Date of birth July 25, 1974

Place of birth Southampton, England.

YOUTH CAREER

1986-1990 Southampton

SENIOR CAREER

1990-1994 bognor regis town

1994-1996 Fremantle city

TEAMS MANAGED

1998-1999 british Virgin Islands

1999-2008 bahamas

2009-2012 Seattle Sounders (technical Director)

2012- Guam

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Mohammad Amin-ul Islam

GArY White, who took charge of the Guam national team in February, 2012, is the man

credited with changing their outlook, style of play and, more importantly, their fortunes.

the 41-year-old gave the team the moniker ‘Matao’, a traditional term that represents courage among Guam’s indigenous chamorro population. He also integrated Inifresi, a local pledge, before every game to bolster the national spirit.

White’s philosophy worked wonders as the strong connection with the local culture elevated Guam to a new level of recognition and popularity after they beat turkmenistan 1-0 in a Group D match on June 11 for their first-ever victory in World cup qualifiers. It was also the first time Guam hosted a World cup qualifier.

Five days later, they beat India 2-1 and last month held Oman goalless.

White, who is also the Guam national federation’s technical director, was in Doha with his players as they prepared for their return match against turkmenistan at Kopetdag, Ashgabat.

In an exclusive interview with Doha Stadium Plus, White spoke about his plans with the team, his own objectives and Qatar 2022.

ЂЂ Guam don’t have a football culture, but you beat India, which was hailed as a big result. How was it possible?ЂЃ Guam’s recent success may’ve

surprised the world, but it was achieved with a plan. When I joined, I made sure Guam started their youth development programme as a 10-year plan. A national academy and feeder system were created and players from Under-10, U-12 and U-14 categories were selected. today, 150 players take part in training four days a week.

Secondly, we changed the mentality of the national team and made it a lot more a culture-based. We made them understand whom they’re playing for. We went into the roots of the country and ensured the entire community supported them.

they never had any identity, hence we gave them the name ‘Matao’ which also means the

chief. Ultimately, the success of a team depends on its mentality, professionalism and objectives.

thirdly, we brought back those who were playing in the Major League Soccer (MLS) in the US to the team. ryan Guy was one such player whom we brought back to the country as most Guam players have a dream of playing in the US. Having MSL players helped the side understand professionalism.

ЂЂ Is Guam football supported by the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) since it’s an unincorporated territory of the US?ЂЃ We’ve zero support from the USSF

with whom we don’t have any ties. We get more support from Japan and Qatar, where we go for exposure trips and training camps. Financially, the team is backed by the government and sponsors like United Airlines, Diadora, budweiser and coca-cola.

Some individuals also spend from their own pockets for the team.

ЂЂ How many stadiums are there in the country?ЂЃ the team plays at the Guam

national stadium, which isn’t big like the ones in Doha. but during matches, we put up extra seats. We also have a national training centre with two artificial fields, one for games and another for training sessions.

ЂЂ How about the league structure?ЂЃ We don’t have a professional

league. We’ve a three-tier amateur tournament. the gap is still huge as the players need to play at the highest level, but the last three years of hard work paid off well as we could change the mentality of players and made them believe they can win. but there’s still a lot of scope for improvement.

ЂЂ What’re the major plans for the next few years?ЂЃ We need to have a competitive

team. When I joined, Guam were ranked 197th, but now they’ve jumped to 150th. there’s a method and I understand how to do it. Our

“We’ve zero backing from the USSF with

whom we don’t have any ties. We

get more support from

Japan and Qatar, where we go for

exposure trips and training camps.

Gary White,Guam coach.


EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

GUAM’S RECENT SUCCESS MAY’VE SURPRISED THE

WORLD, BUT IT WAS ACHIEVED WITH A PLAN.

FOOTBALL | ASIA

DSP

/Vin

od D

ivak

aran


RENOWNED sports scientist Andrew Young, who earlier worked with English

football side Fulham, has been helping Guam prepare for the 2018 FIFA World cup qualifiers.

“We targeted Andrew because we know he’s the best in the business and he has really taken hold of what we’re trying to do,” said Guam coach Gary White.

“He has invested himself in it. He’s a thorough professional and he brings a level to Guam that we’ve never seen in sports science. We’re trying to get as many elite sports staff around our team as we can,” he said.

Young was the key as Guam implemented wearable GPSports technology, which measures the

speed and positioning of players and tallies their vital signs in real time.

“We’re trying to be leaders in every way and we don’t see our

size as a detriment to that,” said White.

the technology is not new and is used by teams around the world. but FIFA

allowed it to be used during matches only in

July and Guam players wore it against Iran.

For the field players, the useful practical data is acceleration, duration of time spent with an elevated heart-rate, and weight distribution, which can be a sign of injury.

the goalkeepers, meanwhile, are focused on impact, change of direction and quickness.

Young helps Guam embrace technology

OMAN and Iran stayed level on points at the top of Group D after playing out a 1-1 draw in their 2018 FIFA World cup qualifier in Muscat last

week.Defender Saad Al Mukhaini put Oman in front in

the 52nd minute when he tapped the ball home at the far post following Ali Al busaidi’s cross from the left, but Jalal Hosseini equalised in the 70th, scrambling the ball home from close range after the Oman defence failed to clear a free-kick.

Iran coach carlos Queiroz said his side produced a good result against Oman who have not won against them since 2001.

“Our primary objective is to qualify for the next round and we’re on the right path,” said Queiroz.

Meanwhile, Guam will have their task cut out when they travel to bengaluru in their away game against India in November 12.

Eight group winners and four best runners-up will advance to the final round of qualifying for the ’18 FIFA World cup. they will also be assured of a berth in the ’19 Asian cup finals in the UAE.

Oman and Iran share spoils with 1-1 draw


next priority is to be among the top five teams in East Asia. Some see this as a negative goal as we need to compete against strong sides like Japan, china, South Korea, North Korea and Hong Kong. but we’ll evaluate and then create new goals.

ЂЂ Despite having top facilities, what do you think is the reason that pulls down Gulf teams?ЂЃ Gulf teams need to hire coaches

who care about the game and not someone who takes up the job just for money. For me, football is my life and I happen to get paid for it. It’s something I’m driven by and it’s in my blood. When you bring in foreign coaches, there has to be sustainability and legacy. coaches use the short-term stints as stepping stones.

besides, you should get connected to the local heritage and culture. Guam can’t play like England as I don’t have English players and it’ll never work that way. You’ve to do some research in the people you’re working with and create a philosophy and strategic programme which suits that country and not what barcelona or chelsea are following.

ЂЂ Are you suggesting that most foreign coaches in the Gulf are focused only on money?ЂЃ It happens at times. Maybe, the

football teams are taken for granted as some coaches come here purely for money. I don’t believe in getting something for nothing. You must give to get. And if you’re only taking, it’s a short-lived career. From an outsider’s perspective, I can say Qatar has excellent facilities which a coach can dream of and I don’t see why they can’t do well.

Guam is the smallest Asian country, 10 times smaller than bhutan in terms of population and land mass. So if Guam can do it, any nation can do it. It’s a question of having professional people.

ЂЂ How do you see the criticism against Qatar 2022?ЂЃ I’m an Englishman and I wonder

why the English media has been so vocal against Qatar hosting the ’22 World cup. I think those people may’ve only voiced their opinions from their offices in London. Doha is a perfect World cup venue.


ЂšMembers of the Guam national team during a training session in Doha.

ЂŠOman’s Emad Al Hosni, left, controls the ball ahead of Iran’s Andranik teymourian.

WHITE FACT FILE Name Gary White

Date of birth July 25, 1974

Place of birth Southampton, England.

YOUTH CAREER

1986-1990 Southampton

SENIOR CAREER

1990-1994 bognor regis town

1994-1996 Fremantle city

TEAMS MANAGED

1998-1999 british Virgin Islands

1999-2008 bahamas

2009-2012 Seattle Sounders (technical Director)

2012- Guam

DSP

/Vin

od D

ivak

aran


‘I’m a top manager, I trust my convictions’

Gulf players good enough for European leagues

MARCELO BIELSAI would say bielsa made the biggest influence on me. I went to see him when he was at Athletic bilbao and

Olympique Marseille. I also flew all the way to his home in

Argentina and spent a few hours with him. I learned Spanish so that I could listen to him at his Press conferences. I think when bielsa’s teams play at their top levels, they’re the best to watch. What I like the most about bielsa is that he has got very strong convictions and principles. He has his ways and he doesn’t bend to anyone. For me, he’s a huge inspiration and has been a big part of my education.

JOSE MOURINHOHe’s an outstanding coach. I went to see him at real Madrid at a time when he was under a lot of pressure,

somewhat similar to his present situation. the whole of Spain had

turned against him. I spent a week there and the best thing about him was that the pressure least affected him. He was bigger than all of them — the media, players and owners. And spending time with him, you would never ever know that everyone is attacking him. that’s something incredible, because you can quickly recover from the losses and make your players perform again.

problems could be x, y or z. but because of the illusion with all the stuff going into it, their problems became more than that. Last season, when you lose Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge for so long, that’s a huge loss to your team. People didn’t even talk about that, but only found fault with brendan rodgers.

“When all these things affect you, that’s when you lose control of your dressing room. If you can manage all that external stuff, then you can always focus and do what’s right. Players need to see you being strong in those moments and have convictions and certainty. they don’t want you to get worried and involved in all those stuff,” he added.

And Hudson has been bold. When he was offered the New Zealand job in August, 2014, much to the surprise of bahrain whom he had guided to last January’s Asian cup in Australia, he grabbed it. He knew it could offer him a better chance of materialising his another dream — of managing a team at the World cup.

“the qualification part of the World cup is fairly straightforward for New Zealand. We’ve to top Oceania and then we’ve one inter-continental play-off, this time against a South American team. I would say that would be a lot easier than most Asian teams,” said Hudson.

In New Zealand, Hudson divided opinions when he gave many

young players debut in the senior team — 13 in the

last five matches — in

a move to rebuild the side in time for the ’18 World cup.

“What I had to do was to look at the World cup in russia and work back from there. We had to give chances to a lot of young players. In the last 12 months, a lot of young boys made their debut and played against strong teams like South Korea and china. they’ve done incredibly well.

“the board is very happy, it understands the work done with the team,” he said.

Yet, lack of enough games for the All Whites has been a worry for Hudson.

“the challenge we’ve in New Zealand is that, unlike the Qatar national team, we aren’t playing in every window. Some of the players who took part in the friendly against Myanmar early September last played a match for New Zealand 12 months ago, others nine months ago and a majority of them six months ago. So it takes time to get continuity,” he said.

Hudson finds it frustrating in an otherwise “very, very good year”. He can’t afford to waste time in his learning process. He has his goals to achieve.


THE QUALIFICATION PART OF THE WORLD CUP IS

STRAIGHTFORWARD FOR NEW ZEALAND.

HUDSON’S TAKES ON...

GULF players like the UAE’s Omar Abdulrahman and Qatar’s Khalfan Ibrahim have

achieved a great degree of success in the region and Asia, but they are often criticised for being pampered by their own countries.

English coach Anthony Hudson, who managed bahrain’s Under-23

and senior teams, said it could change soon.

“I think football in the Gulf is a lot better than what people think. there’s obviously a lot of quality here,” said Hudson.

“What stops the players from making it really big could

be their mentality. the quality of life here is very, very good for

players. those boys who do well have everything here. I think, if you compare them with some of those players from Europe... those who’ve to fight for everything.

“but I’ll say there’s a lot of quality in Gulf teams. take the UAE. I had said long ago that players in that team could make it to Europe. For example, Omar Abdulrahman earns a great salary at Al Ain and live like a king but if he moves to Europe he’ll have to play on a tuesday night, in freezing cold and rain. that’s a part of it.

“the leagues in the Gulf are getting stronger, and football becoming more organised, competitive and popular. And what’ll happen in the long run is that its good standard will drive the players to be at a certain level.

Ultimately, the teams from Europe will start feeling that the players are quite good enough for them. One or two will move to Europe in the beginning, and it’ll open up,” said Hudson, who was brought to bahrain by his compatriot and their then senior team coach Peter taylor.

Omar Abdulrahman

Khalfan Ibrahim

NEW Zealand coach Anthony Hudson stays confident they would qualify for the

World cup in russia.“I came to New Zealand,

knowing that we’ve some very, very good players. We don’t have a lot, but our best players are based in Europe — be it Winston Reid at West Ham United or chris Wood at Leeds. I believe with good coaching and organisation, we can qualify,” said Hudson.

“When I first came in, the team was very out of balance, quite old and had no depth. If we had carried on with that side, we wouldn’t have a good team in three years’ time. So I had a look at the age-group sides as well.

“I’m in charge of aligning the style of play for national teams — Under-17, U-20, U-23 and senior side. Our U-20 boys made history at the World cup at home last May. they had never got past the

group stage before that.“I took charge of the

Olympic team last July. the idea was to qualify for the Olympics, take the core of that group into the first team with our best senior players. We were disqualified after winning the semifinal (for fielding South Africa-born Deklan Wynne in the qualification tournament’s semifinal against Vanuatu who IFA found ineligible). It has been frustrating.

“We’ve some good players now in the U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams. We’re making big progress,” he added.

Hudson trusts New Zealand

WEDNESDAY, OctObEr 14, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com12FOOTBALL

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW


HUDSON FACT FILEFull name Anthony Patrick Hudson PLAYING CAREER COACHING CAREERDate of birth March 11, 1981 YOUTH 2008-10 real Maryland MonarchsPlace of birth Seattle, Washington, USA West Ham United 2011 Newport countyPlaying position Midfielder SENIOR 2012-14 bahrain Under-23 team

2000 Luton town 2013-14 bahrain2001-02 NEc Nijmegen 2014- New Zealand2006-08 Wilmington Hammerheads

N Ganesh

WHEN he says Marcelo bielsa is his role model and he learned Spanish

just to attend Press conferences of the maverick Argentinian coach, one cannot let go the chance to speak with Anthony Hudson. Especially when you know the briton has a bold method and that he prefers to think out of the box.

Hudson has completed a decade in his coaching career, but he is still just 34. English coaches generally are reluctant to get out of their country despite big native clubs’ increasing lack of trust in them, but Hudson has travelled and coached in the US (and was shortlisted for the best coach award once for his exploits at club side real Maryland Monarchs), been to bahrain and is now with New Zealand.

Son of former chelsea and Stoke city midfield great Alan, Hudson spent his youth days at West Ham United, sharing a room with Michael carrick and looking up enviously at the work ethic of Frank Lampard, who was three years senior to him.

He never made it big as a player and found coaching to be his calling. the thought of getting out of the big shadows of his father prompted Hudson to leave England. After spending two years in the US, he returned to England where he took up the job of Harry redknapp’s assistant at tottenham Hotspur and

manager at Newport county. but that did not last long and he was soon in bahrain, in charge of the Under-23 team.

And as he started exploring new countries

and their cultures, he turned more and

more inquisitive. Life evolved for him and it has become

a constant learning process for Hudson, who loves to improve himself as a football manager by gaining knowledge from the best and regularly reflecting on his own work. that, he believes, would help him realise his dream of managing an English team in the champions League.

“When I look at England now, I don’t see young managers working their way up the ladder from the lowest level all the way to the Premier League. It just doesn’t happen anymore. Years ago, it used to be the practice... Sam Allardyce, Neil Warnock, David Moyes, etc,” Hudson, who was in

Doha last week, told Doha Stadium Plus.

“the only way they can get a job is to take a team from the championship to the Premier League. those who’ve come up like that are never ever considered in the shortlist for the top five or 10 Premier League clubs.

“With the influx of foreign owners and the increased global outlook on the game, you need to have European or international experience. You need to learn different types of cultures and styles of football. I believe that’s what I’m doing now. I want to have international experience and then get back to the Premier League,” he said.

“I believe I’m a top manager and I’m going to compete at the highest level. I trust my convictions. I trust myself,” says Hudson about something he has learnt from bielsa.

While Mourinho and Pep Guardiola are two coaches who made it big at a young age, others

like Andre Villas-boas reportedly struggled to take control of the dressing room (at chelsea). Hudson does not think that age is a barrier in making it big.

“We’re “hearing” a lot of things in modern football, Villas-boas lost control of the chelsea dressing room and stuff like that. but we actually don’t know what problems he actually had. All we know is what we heard in the media and people were talking about,” said Hudson.

“In football, there’s the reality and illusion. the media comes up with stories. What we all know about Villas-boas is that he didn’t have a great record at chelsea. Everything else is subjective. As a coach, I’ve zero interest in all other stuff, what people say or think. All I’m interested to live in the reality of football.

“take Liverpool for example. their

AS A COACH, I’VE ZERO INTEREST IN ALL OTHER

STUFF, WHAT PEOPLE SAY OR THINK.

Anthony Hudson

DSP

/ M

ohan



Gulf players good enough for European leagues

MARCELO BIELSAI would say bielsa made the biggest influence on me. I went to see him when he was at Athletic bilbao and

Olympique Marseille. I also flew all the way to his home in

Argentina and spent a few hours with him. I learned Spanish so that I could listen to him at his Press conferences. I think when bielsa’s teams play at their top levels, they’re the best to watch. What I like the most about bielsa is that he has got very strong convictions and principles. He has his ways and he doesn’t bend to anyone. For me, he’s a huge inspiration and has been a big part of my education.

JOSE MOURINHOHe’s an outstanding coach. I went to see him at real Madrid at a time when he was under a lot of pressure,

somewhat similar to his present situation. the whole of Spain had

turned against him. I spent a week there and the best thing about him was that the pressure least affected him. He was bigger than all of them — the media, players and owners. And spending time with him, you would never ever know that everyone is attacking him. that’s something incredible, because you can quickly recover from the losses and make your players perform again.

problems could be x, y or z. but because of the illusion with all the stuff going into it, their problems became more than that. Last season, when you lose Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge for so long, that’s a huge loss to your team. People didn’t even talk about that, but only found fault with brendan rodgers.

“When all these things affect you, that’s when you lose control of your dressing room. If you can manage all that external stuff, then you can always focus and do what’s right. Players need to see you being strong in those moments and have convictions and certainty. they don’t want you to get worried and involved in all those stuff,” he added.

And Hudson has been bold. When he was offered the New Zealand job in August, 2014, much to the surprise of bahrain whom he had guided to last January’s Asian cup in Australia, he grabbed it. He knew it could offer him a better chance of materialising his another dream — of managing a team at the World cup.

“the qualification part of the World cup is fairly straightforward for New Zealand. We’ve to top Oceania and then we’ve one inter-continental play-off, this time against a South American team. I would say that would be a lot easier than most Asian teams,” said Hudson.

In New Zealand, Hudson divided opinions when he gave many

young players debut in the senior team — 13 in the

last five matches — in

a move to rebuild the side in time for the ’18 World cup.

“What I had to do was to look at the World cup in russia and work back from there. We had to give chances to a lot of young players. In the last 12 months, a lot of young boys made their debut and played against strong teams like South Korea and china. they’ve done incredibly well.

“the board is very happy, it understands the work done with the team,” he said.

Yet, lack of enough games for the All Whites has been a worry for Hudson.

“the challenge we’ve in New Zealand is that, unlike the Qatar national team, we aren’t playing in every window. Some of the players who took part in the friendly against Myanmar early September last played a match for New Zealand 12 months ago, others nine months ago and a majority of them six months ago. So it takes time to get continuity,” he said.

Hudson finds it frustrating in an otherwise “very, very good year”. He can’t afford to waste time in his learning process. He has his goals to achieve.


THE QUALIFICATION PART OF THE WORLD CUP IS

STRAIGHTFORWARD FOR NEW ZEALAND.

HUDSON’S TAKES ON...

GULF players like the UAE’s Omar Abdulrahman and Qatar’s Khalfan Ibrahim have

achieved a great degree of success in the region and Asia, but they are often criticised for being pampered by their own countries.

English coach Anthony Hudson, who managed bahrain’s Under-23

and senior teams, said it could change soon.

“I think football in the Gulf is a lot better than what people think. there’s obviously a lot of quality here,” said Hudson.

“What stops the players from making it really big could

be their mentality. the quality of life here is very, very good for

players. those boys who do well have everything here. I think, if you compare them with some of those players from Europe... those who’ve to fight for everything.

“but I’ll say there’s a lot of quality in Gulf teams. take the UAE. I had said long ago that players in that team could make it to Europe. For example, Omar Abdulrahman earns a great salary at Al Ain and live like a king but if he moves to Europe he’ll have to play on a tuesday night, in freezing cold and rain. that’s a part of it.

“the leagues in the Gulf are getting stronger, and football becoming more organised, competitive and popular. And what’ll happen in the long run is that its good standard will drive the players to be at a certain level.

Ultimately, the teams from Europe will start feeling that the players are quite good enough for them. One or two will move to Europe in the beginning, and it’ll open up,” said Hudson, who was brought to bahrain by his compatriot and their then senior team coach Peter taylor.

Omar Abdulrahman

Khalfan Ibrahim

NEW Zealand coach Anthony Hudson stays confident they would qualify for the

World cup in russia.“I came to New Zealand,

knowing that we’ve some very, very good players. We don’t have a lot, but our best players are based in Europe — be it Winston Reid at West Ham United or chris Wood at Leeds. I believe with good coaching and organisation, we can qualify,” said Hudson.

“When I first came in, the team was very out of balance, quite old and had no depth. If we had carried on with that side, we wouldn’t have a good team in three years’ time. So I had a look at the age-group sides as well.

“I’m in charge of aligning the style of play for national teams — Under-17, U-20, U-23 and senior side. Our U-20 boys made history at the World cup at home last May. they had never got past the

group stage before that.“I took charge of the

Olympic team last July. the idea was to qualify for the Olympics, take the core of that group into the first team with our best senior players. We were disqualified after winning the semifinal (for fielding South Africa-born Deklan Wynne in the qualification tournament’s semifinal against Vanuatu who IFA found ineligible). It has been frustrating.

“We’ve some good players now in the U-17, U-20 and U-23 teams. We’re making big progress,” he added.

Hudson trusts New Zealand


We made our own life difficult, laments Loew

Tim Hanlon

ALtHOUGH reigning champions Spain have qualified for Euro 2016, there still remains plenty of work to be done if they are to

match the heights they attained in their golden spell before their failure at the brazil World cup.

A routine 4-0 victory over Luxembourg last week in Group c rubberstamped their passage to France next year.

Still, they have been made to work hard and have not been able to ease to victory against inferior sides on paper.

Against Luxembourg again, they got the goals in the end, but it was a long way from the dominant ‘tiki-taka’ football when they swept aside opponents with quick passing.

tellingly, they have struggled in friendlies against stronger sides and have lost to France, Germany and the Netherlands since the World cup.

“We’ve picked up a lot of points (in qualifying), but it hasn’t been easy,” coach Vicente Del bosque said. “We’ve had some difficult moments.”

they will go to the tournament having won the European championship in ’08 and ’12, along with the ’10 World cup, but Del bosque has had to rebuild the side following the poor display in brazil.

their inability to get out of the group stage led to several of the older faces like Xavi and Xabi Alonso making way for new blood.

While they are spoilt for choice in midfield, they lack options in attack where they have never been able to replace the goals from David Villa and Fernando torres in their pomp.

Fernando Llorente, Alvaro Negredo and roberto Soldado are among players who have been tried out, and Diego costa has also had only moderate success.

the favourites now to lead the line appear to be Alvaro Morata and Paco Alcacer.

Defensively also, Spain have little cover for regular centre-halves Sergio ramos and Gerard Pique. Inigo Martinez’s star has been on the wane at real Sociedad and the inexperienced Marc bartra of barcelona and real Madrid’s Nacho Fernandez are the other options.

Spain are still far away from tiki-taka

Kruse control!

WE NEED TO DO MORE, BUT THE TEAM HAS THE

QUALITY.

SCORING ROBERT!List of most goals scored in a European championship qualifying competition.

13 12

11 10

ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

(POL)Euro 2016

DAVID HEALY (NIr)

Euro 2008

KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR

(NED)Euro 2012

DAVOR SUKER (crO)

Euro 1996

RAUL GONZALEZ (ESP)

Euro 2000

TONI POLSTER (AUt)

Euro 1996

OLE MADSEN (DEN)

Euro 1964

EDUARDO (crO)

Euro 2008

HRISTO STOICHKOV (bUL)

Euro 1996

DARKO PANCEV (MKD)

Euro 1992

“As World cup winners we can only set the highest goals and we want to be in the final in Paris. And

I can also say that we want the title. Since rio (de Janeiro), we’ve our fourth star (for

the fourth World cup win). In the first games after the brazil finals, we didn’t get the results we wanted. but we always trusted in us and never doubted

we would live up to that trust. We united as a team and can say now that we had a

successful qualification campaign.

Bastian Schweinsteiger,Germany captain.

ššSpain’s Paco Alcacer, left, tries to get the ball past Luxembourg’s Maxime chanot.

Joachim Loew

GErMANY will rediscover their goal-scoring instincts in time for next year’s European

championship, coach Joachim Loew said after his team laboured to defeat Georgia 2-1.

the world champions wasted a bagful of chances, just as they did in their 1-0 loss to Ireland in their previous match last week, and had to wait until the 79th minute for Max Kruse to snatch the winner.

“We know that’s not what we demand from ourselves. Not the way

we’re currently operating in front of goal. We made our own life difficult,” Loew said.

“We sang the same song as in Ireland. three, four huge chances early on and then the mistakes start creeping in,” he said. “First of all, we’re satisfied with the qualification, but not with our last two games. that’s not our standard. We’ve work ahead of us.”

the hosts should have gone ahead with one of three opportunities that

fell to Marco reus early on, but the attacking midfielder failed to score as did several of his team-mates in a one-sided first-half in which Germany had more than a dozen attempts on goal.

“Marco usually doesn’t waste them, but today he had three huge chances early,” Loew said. “He has the quality, but tonight we didn’t show we can make this big number of chances count.”

the Germany coach, who again opted not to play a natural striker, believes a long pre-tournament training camp would help improve their finishing.

“We need to do more, but the team has the quality,” he said. “If we’ve three four weeks of a training camp (before the tournament) then the team always raises its level.”

He did not rule out deploying an out-and-out striker in the future.

“I don’t want us to play long balls to feed the forward but it’s an alternative to have a confident striker,” he said.

the Germans are one of the best tournament teams in the world, regularly peaking at just the right time as they did last year in brazil to win the World cup for the fourth time.

WEDNESDAY, OctObEr 14, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com14FOOTBALL | INTERNATIONAL

WOrLD champions Germany and perennial also-rans Albania do not

share much in common in football, but both were united in joy last Sunday when they qualified for Euro 2016 in France along with romania and Poland.

Germany, who have lifted the Henri Delauney trophy three times as European champions, left it late, but sealed their spot with a 2-1 win over already-eliminated Georgia which gave them top spot in Group D.

Joachim Loew’s men needed a 79th-minute goal from substitute Max Kruse to win. Germany, who required only a draw, squandered over a dozen clear chances in the first half alone before thomas Mueller’s 50th-minute penalty finally put them ahead. Georgia, already out of the running to qualify, levelled three minutes later with captain Jaba Kankava’s superb 20-metre volley.

Kruse came to the rescue three minutes after coming on by slotting home from a Mesut Ozil pass to make sure Germany, who had to put celebrations on hold after their shock 1-0 loss in Ireland, finished top on 22 points.

Albania, who have never previously reached the World cup or European championship since first entering both in the mid-1960s as a secretive state shrouded in hard-line communist aloofness, secured their place with a 3-0 win over

Armenia in Yerevan.thousands of their supporters in

both Albania and Kosovo, where a number of the Albania players were born, took to the streets, letting off fireworks, and driving around towns and cities hooting their car horns in celebration.

Poland finished behind Germany with a 2-1 win over Ireland in Warsaw forcing the Irish into the play-offs. the winner was a stunning diving header by striker robert Lewandowski, who took his tally to a record-equalling 13 for a single Euro campaign.

romania also secured their berth

in France when they won 3-0 in the wintry Faroe Islands to secure second place in Group F behind already-qualified Northern Ireland.

romania’s victory lifted them to 20 points, one behind the Irish, who finished on 21 after a 1-1 draw in Finland, leaving Hungary in third spot with a place in the play-offs.

Hungary lost an extraordinary game 3-4 to Greece, the first time the ’04 European champions had won in all 10 qualifiers, and the first time they had scored at home.

TEAMS QUALIFIED

As of Sunday.

Kruse control!

MAX KRUSE NETS THE WINNER AS THREE-TIME CHAMPIONS GERMANY BEAT GEORGIA TO QUALIFY FOR THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP WHILE POLAND, ROMANIA AND PERENNIAL ALSO-RANS ALBANIA TOO JOIN THE PARTY, WRITES MIKE COLLETT.

POLAND FINISHED BEHIND GERMANY WITH A 2-1 WIN OVER IRELAND IN

WARSAW.

‘I’m so proud’

France (hosts) Icelandczech

republicbelgium

Wales Spain

GermanyPoland

EnglandSwitzerland

Northern Ireland

romania

AustriaItaly

PortugalAlbania

COLLATED RESULTSAs of Sunday.

Germany bt Georgia 2-1Gibraltar lost to Scotland 0-6Poland bt Ireland 2-1Faroe Islands lost to romania 0-3Finland drew N Ireland 1-1Greece bt Hungary 4-3Armenia lost to Albania 0-3Serbia lost to Portugal 1-2Iceland drew Latvia 2-2Kazakhstan lost to Netherlands 1-2czech republic lost to turkey 0-2Andorra lost to belgium 1-4bosnia bt Wales 2-0Israel lost to cyprus 1-2Azerbaijan lost to Italy 1-3Norway bt Malta 2-0croatia bt bulgaria 3-0Macedonia lost to Ukraine 0-2Slovakia lost to belarus 0-1Spain bt Luxembourg 4-0England bt Estonia 2-0Slovenia drew Lithuania 1-1Switzerland bt San Marino 7-0Liechtenstein lost to Sweden 0-2Moldova lost to russia 1-2Montenegro lost to Austria 2-3Georgia bt Gibraltar 4-0Ireland bt Germany 1-0Scotland drew Poland 2-2Hungary bt Faroe Islands 2-1N Ireland bt Greece 3-1romania drew Finland 1-1Albania lost to Serbia 0-2Portugal bt Denmark 1-0

Sixteen teams, including hosts France, are now assured of a place in the expanded 24-team finals.

Along with the four who qualified last Sunday, Iceland, czech republic, belgium, Wales, holders Spain, England, Switzerland, Northern Ireland, Austria, Italy and Portugal are also through.

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski said he was proud to have helped his team progress to the Euro finals. “I’ve to tell you I’m so proud,” Lewandowski shouted through a

microphone to fans wearing a

red and white “Vive la Pologne 2016” t-shirt

while his team-mates celebrated on

the pitch.“the Irish team didn’t create

any real opportunities. We deserved to advance, we were

the better team and played a good qualifying round,” he said.

Poland co-hosted the 2012 tournament with Ukraine and will be playing in their third straight Euro finals.

ššGermany’s Max Kruse, centre, celebrates with team-mates after scoring against Georgia.


We made our own life difficult, laments Loew

Tim Hanlon

ALtHOUGH reigning champions Spain have qualified for Euro 2016, there still remains plenty of work to be done if they are to

match the heights they attained in their golden spell before their failure at the brazil World cup.

A routine 4-0 victory over Luxembourg last week in Group c rubberstamped their passage to France next year.

Still, they have been made to work hard and have not been able to ease to victory against inferior sides on paper.

Against Luxembourg again, they got the goals in the end, but it was a long way from the dominant ‘tiki-taka’ football when they swept aside opponents with quick passing.

tellingly, they have struggled in friendlies against stronger sides and have lost to France, Germany and the Netherlands since the World cup.

“We’ve picked up a lot of points (in qualifying), but it hasn’t been easy,” coach Vicente Del bosque said. “We’ve had some difficult moments.”

they will go to the tournament having won the European championship in ’08 and ’12, along with the ’10 World cup, but Del bosque has had to rebuild the side following the poor display in brazil.

their inability to get out of the group stage led to several of the older faces like Xavi and Xabi Alonso making way for new blood.

While they are spoilt for choice in midfield, they lack options in attack where they have never been able to replace the goals from David Villa and Fernando torres in their pomp.

Fernando Llorente, Alvaro Negredo and roberto Soldado are among players who have been tried out, and Diego costa has also had only moderate success.

the favourites now to lead the line appear to be Alvaro Morata and Paco Alcacer.

Defensively also, Spain have little cover for regular centre-halves Sergio ramos and Gerard Pique. Inigo Martinez’s star has been on the wane at real Sociedad and the inexperienced Marc bartra of barcelona and real Madrid’s Nacho Fernandez are the other options.

Spain are still far away from tiki-taka

Kruse control!

WE NEED TO DO MORE, BUT THE TEAM HAS THE

QUALITY.

SCORING ROBERT!List of most goals scored in a European championship qualifying competition.

13 12

11 10

ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI

(POL)Euro 2016

DAVID HEALY (NIr)

Euro 2008

KLAAS-JAN HUNTELAAR

(NED)Euro 2012

DAVOR SUKER (crO)

Euro 1996

RAUL GONZALEZ (ESP)

Euro 2000

TONI POLSTER (AUt)

Euro 1996

OLE MADSEN (DEN)

Euro 1964

EDUARDO (crO)

Euro 2008

HRISTO STOICHKOV (bUL)

Euro 1996

DARKO PANCEV (MKD)

Euro 1992

“As World cup winners we can only set the highest goals and we want to be in the final in Paris. And

I can also say that we want the title. Since rio (de Janeiro), we’ve our fourth star (for

the fourth World cup win). In the first games after the brazil finals, we didn’t get the results we wanted. but we always trusted in us and never doubted

we would live up to that trust. We united as a team and can say now that we had a

successful qualification campaign.

Bastian Schweinsteiger,Germany captain.

ššSpain’s Paco Alcacer, left, tries to get the ball past Luxembourg’s Maxime chanot.

Joachim Loew

GErMANY will rediscover their goal-scoring instincts in time for next year’s European

championship, coach Joachim Loew said after his team laboured to defeat Georgia 2-1.

the world champions wasted a bagful of chances, just as they did in their 1-0 loss to Ireland in their previous match last week, and had to wait until the 79th minute for Max Kruse to snatch the winner.

“We know that’s not what we demand from ourselves. Not the way

we’re currently operating in front of goal. We made our own life difficult,” Loew said.

“We sang the same song as in Ireland. three, four huge chances early on and then the mistakes start creeping in,” he said. “First of all, we’re satisfied with the qualification, but not with our last two games. that’s not our standard. We’ve work ahead of us.”

the hosts should have gone ahead with one of three opportunities that

fell to Marco reus early on, but the attacking midfielder failed to score as did several of his team-mates in a one-sided first-half in which Germany had more than a dozen attempts on goal.

“Marco usually doesn’t waste them, but today he had three huge chances early,” Loew said. “He has the quality, but tonight we didn’t show we can make this big number of chances count.”

the Germany coach, who again opted not to play a natural striker, believes a long pre-tournament training camp would help improve their finishing.

“We need to do more, but the team has the quality,” he said. “If we’ve three four weeks of a training camp (before the tournament) then the team always raises its level.”

He did not rule out deploying an out-and-out striker in the future.

“I don’t want us to play long balls to feed the forward but it’s an alternative to have a confident striker,” he said.

the Germans are one of the best tournament teams in the world, regularly peaking at just the right time as they did last year in brazil to win the World cup for the fourth time.

WEDNESDAY, OctObEr 14, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com16FOOTBALL | INTERNATIONAL

Karolos Grohmann

JUErGEN Klopp, who became Liverpool manager last week, could not have found a more

fitting club to take his successful coaching career to the next level.

twice a bundesliga champion with borussia Dortmund, who he also steered to the champions League final in 2013, Klopp finds a similar situation at Liverpool to that he encountered at the ruhr valley club when he joined in ’08.

both teams had trophy-rich seasons years ago, with Klopp coming on board at Dortmund during a low point in their history when they were recovering from their ’05 near bankruptcy and not daring to dream big.

At Liverpool, once the enthusiasm over his arrival settles down, he will be expected to win trophies with the former European champions having gone a quarter of a century without an English league title.

the 48-year-old German, who helped turn 1997 champions League winners Dortmund from relegation candidates under predecessor thomas Doll into one of the most exciting brands in world football, needs a tale of woe to be successful and Liverpool offer him exactly that.

“You’re asking me how motivated my players are? I can only talk about how motivated I’m and if you could bottle that motivation and sell it, you would probably go to jail,” he told reporters in ’12.

this will be music to Liverpool’s success-starved fans who hope Klopp can emulate his success in EPL.

Exuberant, explosive and witty, Klopp is every fan’s ultimate coach, a man who can find the connection

and right balance between players, supporters and the board of directors. A big motivator in the changing room, ‘Kloppo’, as he is called back home, is a strong supporter of high-speed football.

He brought Mario Goetze into the first team in ’10, bought Shinji Kagawa from Japan’s second division and turned a string of players, including Mats Hummels, Erik Durm, Kevin Grosskreutz and roman Weidenfeller, into World cup-winning Germany internationals.

With his trademark high pressing,

quick counter-attacks and never-say-die approach, Dortmund took the bundesliga and Europe by storm, snatching domestic supremacy from bayern Munich and winning over millions of fans across the world as the club spread its commercial operations beyond Europe.

Dortmund won the bundesliga in ’11 and repeated the feat a year later when they also clinched the German cup. they won the Super cup and reached the champions League final in ’13, losing to their bavarian rivals in the first all-German title clash of the competition. In ’14, they won the Super cup again.

Having spent his entire playing career at second-tier Mainz 05, Klopp took over the team in ’01 and led them into the bundesliga in ’04 and even a 2005-06 UEFA cup spot

via the Fair Play draw before being relegated in ’07.

After failing to win promotion, he left the next year in a tearful farewell attended by thousands of fans.

His emotional outbursts on the touchline that have seen him banned and fined are as much a part of his character as the witty punch lines that can turn a run-of-the-mill champions League news conference into memorable entertainment.

Long considered a likely successor to Pep Guardiola at bayern, he announced his resignation late last season, saying Dortmund needed a change after a disappointing campaign that saw them languish at the bottom of the table at the halfway mark.

“I’m — and that may come as a surprise to some — not stupid and I know when I’ve been lucky,” he once said, when asked about coaching at Dortmund. “borussia have been a present.”

Liverpool will now hope they are his next gift.

Klopp a perfect match for Reds

EXUBERANT, EXPLOSIVE AND WITTY, KLOPP

IS EVERY FAN’S ULTIMATE COACH.

Juergen Klopp

“He (Klopp) seems very, very impressive and supporters will need to fasten

their safety belts. He seems somebody

not in love with himself, which Liverpool supporters can relate to and I’m sure they’ll take him to their hearts.Kenny Dalglish, Liverpool great.

“He’s a strong personality, very strong, very stubborn, determined, and

his performances and his career at

Dortmund was a stellar rise to the top and I think he’ll do very well.Alex Ferguson, former Manchester United manager.

“I’m convinced he’ll write a similar success story like he did here with us (at borussia

Dortmund). Liverpool have

many parallels with borussia and everybody in Dortmund will cross their fingers for the reds.Hans-Joachim Watzke, borussia Dortmund boss.

“In Jurgen Klopp, we’ve appointed a world-class manager with a proven track

record of winning and someone who

has the personality and charisma to reignite this football club and take the team forward.Tom Werner, Liverpool chairman.

HO

W T

HEY

REA

CTED


WHAT ATTRACTED HIM TO LIVERPOOL

the intensity of the football, of how the people live football in Liverpool, all Liverpool fans around the world. It’s not a usual club, it’s a special club. I had two very, very special clubs with Mainz and borussia Dortmund. It’s the perfect next step for me to be here, and try and help.

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS AT ANFIELD

It’s a real important thing that the players feel the difference from now on. they’ve to think they can reach the expectations of all the people, fans and Press. We’ve to change from doubters to believers.

We’ve to change our performance, of course, but stop thinking

about money (for signing new

players). It’s only about football.

If you want to

enjoy the game, you’ve to prepare for this. If you come to the game, you want to see fighting spirit, many shots and the result is only the result of these things.

WORKING WITH THE TRANSFER COMMITTEE

It wasn’t a problem for 10 seconds. We talk about it, of course, but for me it’s enough to have the first and the last word; the middle we can discuss. We only want to discuss about very good players. I’m not a genius. I need other people to get perfect information.

WORKING WITH BRITISH MEDIA

All the people tell me about the british Press, so it’s up to you to show me they’re all liars.

COMPARISONS WITH MOURINHO

I don’t want to describe myself. Does anyone in this room think I can do wonders? No. I’m a normal guy. I come from the black Forest. I am ‘the Normal One’. I was a very average player, I became a manager in Germany at a special club, Mainz, then I had a great opportunity to take Dortmund, a special club,

for seven years. For both parties, it was best to leave and now I’m here.

WHAT TO EXPECT ABOUT HIS STYLE OF FOOTBALL

I’m not here today to speak too much about our football. First I want to talk to my team about our game. Everyone knows me. I don’t change in four months. It’s emotion inside, it’s speed, it’s a transition game, so you’ll see this. All the things that make football interesting I want to see on the pitch.

HIS FOUR-MONTH SABBATICAL

I had a normal holiday. I’m 48. Most of the time in my life I had no money to make a holiday and then I had no time. then I had four months. It was really cool. I went with the family, played tennis, watched football all over the world.

HIS TITLE AMBITIONS AND TIME REQUIRED

Please give us time to work on it. If you want, this could be a really special day. I don’t want to say we can wait 20 years. If we sit here in four years, I think we win one title.

KLOPP ON…

Professional Hazard, isn’t it Eden?

HAZARD HAS NO GOALS AND JUST TWO ASSISTS IN 11 APPEARANCES FOR THE

CLUB THIS SEASON.

SPAIN forward Pedro believes his move from barcelona to chelsea in the close season

has helped boost his confidence and make him a happier person.

Pedro decided to quit boyhood club barca after 11 years there and move to England after spending the majority of last term on the bench and chelsea manager Jose Mourinho slotted him straight into his starting lineup.

Although the London club have had a poor start to the season, Pedro has impressed and has scored two goals and made one assist in his eight appearances.

“When someone gets to play, they gain rhythm, confidence, you’re happier, you try out more things,” Pedro said on the Spanish team website (www.sefutbol.com) last week.

“Leaving barca was tough for me, but I’m happy with the change,” added the 28-year-old.

Pedro said his fellow Spain players at chelsea, former barca team-mate cesc Fabregas, Diego costa and cesar Azpilicueta, had helped him adjust quickly to life in the Premier League.

“they’ve been a great support to me,” he said.

Pedro happy at Chelsea

KLOPP FACT FILEName Jurgen Norbert KloppAge 48Date of birth June 16, 1967Place of birth Stuttgart, Germany

PLAYING CAREERPosition striker/defenderclub Mainz (1989-2001)

MANAGERIAL CAREERMainz 2001-08borussia Dortmund 2008-15Liverpool 2015-

HONOURSCLUB

bundesliga 2010-11, 2011-12German cup 2011-12German Super cup 2013, ’14

INDIVIDUALGerman Manager of the Year

2011, ’12

CHELSEA’S Eden Hazard cannot explain why he is struggling for his club this season and

said manager Jose Mourinho has been right to drop him from the

starting line-up as he is in the “worst form of his life”.

the belgium international was the

Premier League’s best player last

season as chelsea cruised to the title,

but paid the price for his stunning fall from grace this term when Mourinho dropped him from the starting line-up for the champions League defeat by Porto recently.

Hazard has no goals and just two assists in 11 appearances for

the club this season, a slump that has contributed to chelsea’s slide down the table, where they currently sit in 16th place.

“this is the first time in my career

that I’ve had such a difficult spell like this,” Hazard was quoted as saying by the british and belgian media.

“I can’t really explain it. All I know is that I’ll need to work hard in order to bounce back. At chelsea, we’ve concerns both as a team and individually,” the 24-year-old winger said.

Hazard admitted his poor performances meant he was no longer “untouchable” as one of the first names on Mourinho’s team

sheet, but praised the Portuguese and backed himself to bounce back when the league resumes on Saturday after the international break.

“I was left on the bench against Porto in the champions League, and I’m no longer immune to being left out. You can be untouchable when you play well, and that hasn’t been the case with me,” Hazard added.

borussia Dortmund turned to Liverpool’s best-known sons the beatles for inspiration as they wished their former coach Jurgen Klopp their best, after the 48-year-old was appointed the reds’ new manager.

“We heard the news today, oh boy! All the best at the Kop, Jurgen Klopp! All the best @LFc!,” the bundesliga club said in a tweet.

the short message is

inspired by the lyrics of the beatles’ “A Day in the Life” — it starts with the line: “I read in the news today, oh boy” — and came with a photo montage of Klopp running across the street like the cover of the Liverpool band’s iconic Abbey road album.

the effort sparked an equally musical response from Fc Liverpool: “Danke, @bVb! You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

We heard the news,

oh boy!


WHAT ATTRACTED HIM TO LIVERPOOL

the intensity of the football, of how the people live football in Liverpool, all Liverpool fans around the world. It’s not a usual club, it’s a special club. I had two very, very special clubs with Mainz and borussia Dortmund. It’s the perfect next step for me to be here, and try and help.

CHANGING PERCEPTIONS AT ANFIELD

It’s a real important thing that the players feel the difference from now on. they’ve to think they can reach the expectations of all the people, fans and Press. We’ve to change from doubters to believers.

We’ve to change our performance, of course, but stop thinking

about money (for signing new

players). It’s only about football.

If you want to

enjoy the game, you’ve to prepare for this. If you come to the game, you want to see fighting spirit, many shots and the result is only the result of these things.

WORKING WITH THE TRANSFER COMMITTEE

It wasn’t a problem for 10 seconds. We talk about it, of course, but for me it’s enough to have the first and the last word; the middle we can discuss. We only want to discuss about very good players. I’m not a genius. I need other people to get perfect information.

WORKING WITH BRITISH MEDIA

All the people tell me about the british Press, so it’s up to you to show me they’re all liars.

COMPARISONS WITH MOURINHO

I don’t want to describe myself. Does anyone in this room think I can do wonders? No. I’m a normal guy. I come from the black Forest. I am ‘the Normal One’. I was a very average player, I became a manager in Germany at a special club, Mainz, then I had a great opportunity to take Dortmund, a special club,

for seven years. For both parties, it was best to leave and now I’m here.

WHAT TO EXPECT ABOUT HIS STYLE OF FOOTBALL

I’m not here today to speak too much about our football. First I want to talk to my team about our game. Everyone knows me. I don’t change in four months. It’s emotion inside, it’s speed, it’s a transition game, so you’ll see this. All the things that make football interesting I want to see on the pitch.

HIS FOUR-MONTH SABBATICAL

I had a normal holiday. I’m 48. Most of the time in my life I had no money to make a holiday and then I had no time. then I had four months. It was really cool. I went with the family, played tennis, watched football all over the world.

HIS TITLE AMBITIONS AND TIME REQUIRED

Please give us time to work on it. If you want, this could be a really special day. I don’t want to say we can wait 20 years. If we sit here in four years, I think we win one title.

KLOPP ON…

Professional Hazard, isn’t it Eden?

HAZARD HAS NO GOALS AND JUST TWO ASSISTS IN 11 APPEARANCES FOR THE

CLUB THIS SEASON.

SPAIN forward Pedro believes his move from barcelona to chelsea in the close season

has helped boost his confidence and make him a happier person.

Pedro decided to quit boyhood club barca after 11 years there and move to England after spending the majority of last term on the bench and chelsea manager Jose Mourinho slotted him straight into his starting lineup.

Although the London club have had a poor start to the season, Pedro has impressed and has scored two goals and made one assist in his eight appearances.

“When someone gets to play, they gain rhythm, confidence, you’re happier, you try out more things,” Pedro said on the Spanish team website (www.sefutbol.com) last week.

“Leaving barca was tough for me, but I’m happy with the change,” added the 28-year-old.

Pedro said his fellow Spain players at chelsea, former barca team-mate cesc Fabregas, Diego costa and cesar Azpilicueta, had helped him adjust quickly to life in the Premier League.

“they’ve been a great support to me,” he said.

Pedro happy at Chelsea

KLOPP FACT FILEName Jurgen Norbert KloppAge 48Date of birth June 16, 1967Place of birth Stuttgart, Germany

PLAYING CAREERPosition striker/defenderclub Mainz (1989-2001)

MANAGERIAL CAREERMainz 2001-08borussia Dortmund 2008-15Liverpool 2015-

HONOURSCLUB

bundesliga 2010-11, 2011-12German cup 2011-12German Super cup 2013, ’14

INDIVIDUALGerman Manager of the Year

2011, ’12

CHELSEA’S Eden Hazard cannot explain why he is struggling for his club this season and

said manager Jose Mourinho has been right to drop him from the

starting line-up as he is in the “worst form of his life”.

the belgium international was the

Premier League’s best player last

season as chelsea cruised to the title,

but paid the price for his stunning fall from grace this term when Mourinho dropped him from the starting line-up for the champions League defeat by Porto recently.

Hazard has no goals and just two assists in 11 appearances for

the club this season, a slump that has contributed to chelsea’s slide down the table, where they currently sit in 16th place.

“this is the first time in my career

that I’ve had such a difficult spell like this,” Hazard was quoted as saying by the british and belgian media.

“I can’t really explain it. All I know is that I’ll need to work hard in order to bounce back. At chelsea, we’ve concerns both as a team and individually,” the 24-year-old winger said.

Hazard admitted his poor performances meant he was no longer “untouchable” as one of the first names on Mourinho’s team

sheet, but praised the Portuguese and backed himself to bounce back when the league resumes on Saturday after the international break.

“I was left on the bench against Porto in the champions League, and I’m no longer immune to being left out. You can be untouchable when you play well, and that hasn’t been the case with me,” Hazard added.

borussia Dortmund turned to Liverpool’s best-known sons the beatles for inspiration as they wished their former coach Jurgen Klopp their best, after the 48-year-old was appointed the reds’ new manager.

“We heard the news today, oh boy! All the best at the Kop, Jurgen Klopp! All the best @LFc!,” the bundesliga club said in a tweet.

the short message is

inspired by the lyrics of the beatles’ “A Day in the Life” — it starts with the line: “I read in the news today, oh boy” — and came with a photo montage of Klopp running across the street like the cover of the Liverpool band’s iconic Abbey road album.

the effort sparked an equally musical response from Fc Liverpool: “Danke, @bVb! You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

We heard the news,

oh boy!


THE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Sports Academy (SFQSA) is discussing ways of co-operation with various national sports federations.

“the SFQSA is privately funded and we’ve never requested for financial help from the government. but we’ve started thinking about the future and have initiated talks with various national sports federations. We’ve had positive responses from the football, handball and swimming bodies,” said SFQSA Director Eric Gardow.

“Such tie-ups will be mutually beneficial for both parties. their aim is to get more Qatari kids involved in sports. We’ve more than 6,000 children registered with us so far and nearly 2,000 of them are Qataris. If we work to develop these kids, it may help add strength to Qatar’s various Olympic teams in the future. It’s a win-win situation for all involved,” he said.

While Gardow saw huge potential for grass-roots-level sports initiatives, he felt there were problems as well.

“though the scope for such programmes is big, there’s a dearth of quality venues. the facilities at various sports clubs are almost always occupied. In such a scenario, chances of an outside entity being able to rent halls are remote,” he said.

“However, I’m optimistic the issue will gradually diminish. With preparations for the 2022 FIFA World cup and ’30 Qatar National Vision well under way, more sports halls are currently being constructed. It should ease the problem a lot,” he added.

Tie-ups sought with national federations

LITT

LE B

IG T

ALK

“I’ve been learning football at the academy

since April and I’m

enjoying my time there. Many of my friends are also there and it’s great fun to play and learn at the same time.Nicolas Berini

“I’ve always loved basketball and that’s what I’m

learning at the academy.

I love the classes and the atmosphere is really nice. It’s great fun. I want to become a hoopster when I grow up.Adam Abou Ezedine

“I’m probably one of the first students at the

academy when it

started. but I don’t feel like it has been that long. While many of my classmates joined me, I’ve also made new friends.Abdulla Hafez.

“I love both basketball and gymnastics, and can’t

say which one I enjoy

doing more. I’ve been with the academy since its beginning. It has become an inseparable part of my life.Mariam Watkins

“I want to become a good basketball player

and meet Michael Jordan

when I grow up. I already have his (brand of) shoes, now I want to meet him face to face. I’m sure I’ll do that when I grow up.Bryan Kahale

unique movement education programme for children aged one to eight, and a Lego Education centre are also active there.

Another aspect which makes the academy unique is the presence of several active sportsmen, like El Jaish basketball player El Hadji Abdul Sou, who act as volunteers.

“I love working and interacting with kids, teaching them some

of the lessons I’ve learnt as a basketball player. they’re very enthusiastic learners. For me, it’s a way of giving something back to society,” said El Hadji.

Dania Lotfi, who accompanied her son Hani to the basketball programme, felt the SFQSA was a great initiative.

“It’s important for children to engage in physical activities and

grow up in a healthy environment, and the SFQSA provides that. Not only do they play sports, in the process they also make new friends. Several of my son’s friends from school are with him at the academy. It has also helped him improve his social skills a lot,” she said.


ššSheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al thani, flanked by Jamie Watkins, right, and Eric Gardow, with the academy students.

PROGRAMMESAikido Football Swimming

Aqua aerobics Gymnastics tennisballet Karate Yoga

basketball Kickboxing Monkeynastixbrazilian jujitsu Play ball Lego Education

QAtArI business magnate Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al thani, an ardent sports

lover, founded the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Sports Academy (SFQSA) as part of his contribution towards ensuring a healthy future for the country’s people.

Sheikh Faisal had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke to Doha Stadium Plus about his pet project’s expansion plans.

“We’re planning to build a stadium as well as several playgrounds, out of which the SFQSA will operate in the future. While it’s still in the planning stage, we’ll start

working on it soon. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to present the proposal. It’s one of our biggest dreams,” said Sheikh Faisal, after interacting with a group of academy

students at his private museum in Doha.

He spoke about the reasoning behind launching the academy.

“Qatar has been putting a lot of emphasis on hosting key sports events, including the ’22 FIFA World cup. Private companies, like our Al Jazi real Estate, are keen to help the nation realise its dream of building a sports-friendly society. We’re just doing our bit,” he said.

“by encouraging children to become active in sports, we’re also investing in Qatar’s future — the youth. the SFQSA’s reputation has grown beyond Qatar’s borders and many people know about us today. We want to build on the success. I’m in it for the long term. It has my full support,” he added.

AL JAZI REAL ESTATE IS KEEN TO HELP THE

NATION BUILD A SPORTS-FRIENDLY SOCIETY.

‘We’re planning to build own stadium’

Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani

DSP

/Vin

od D

ivak

aran


INITIATIVE

QAtAr has been intensifying its efforts to promote sports culture in recent years. And

initiatives like the Qatar Olympic committee’s Schools Olympic Programme have succeeded in spreading awareness of it at the grass-roots level.

What is even more encouraging is that slowly, but surely, private entities have started stepping onto the scene. the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Sports Academy (SFQSA) is one such institution.

the academy, launched in 2012, has grown by leaps and bounds. It enrolled more than 2,000 children belonging to various nationalities this year.

SFQSA Director Eric Gardow, a former basketball coach who used to train the Qatar Sports club’s senior team, spoke about the academy’s

early days.“the SFQSA is a brainchild of Al

Jazi real Estate General manager Jamie Watkins. the firm had been managing several residential compounds then and there was a strong demand for sports activities

from tenants. that’s how the academy began functioning three years ago,” Gardow told Doha Stadium Plus.

“to begin with, there were children’s activities in basketball, football and athletics. Gradually, more specialised disciplines — gymnastics and combat sports like karate, kickboxing, jujitsu and

taekwondo — were introduced.

We received tremendous word of mouth publicity and, soon, non-compound residents too started approaching us. We then decided to launch it on a bigger scale,” added the American.

the SFQSA currently operates out of two facilities — the main branch at Al Jazi Village II in Al Gharafa and Al Jazi Gardens in

West bay. the academy has also started providing sports services to schools looking to add extracurricular activities to their syllabus, but doesn’t have the expertise to do it.

Gardow said coaching camps in new disciplines would be introduced soon.

“Since there’s a huge demand for grass-roots-level sports

programmes, we’re planning to expand our services. We’ve just received a licence from the Qatar Swimming Association (QSA) to start our own programme — the SFQ Swim Squad. besides coaching, we began organising football and basketball competitions on a small scale last year. We’ll start the same for swimming and gymnastics by January and June, ’16, respectively.

“We want to take things to the next level by initiating year-long football and basketball leagues. by ’17, our aim is to take our students to other Gcc nations for international competitions against academies from those countries,” added the coach.

For the record, the SFQSA provides training in Japanese martial art aikido, aqua aerobics, ballet, basketball, brazilian jujitsu, football, gymnastics, karate, kickboxing, play ball, swimming, tennis and yoga.

Monkeynastix, a

THE SPORTS ACADEMY, LAUNCHED IN 2012, HAS

GROWN BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS.

ššDania Lotfi with her son Hani.

THE SHEIKH FAISAL BIN QASSIM ACADEMY, WHICH OFFERS PROGRAMMES IN VARIOUS DISCIPLINES, PLAYS AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE IN PROMOTING SPORTS CULTURE IN QATAR, WRITES AJU GEORGE CHRIS.

šŢchildren attend a basketball training session.

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THE Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Sports Academy (SFQSA) is discussing ways of co-operation with various national sports federations.

“the SFQSA is privately funded and we’ve never requested for financial help from the government. but we’ve started thinking about the future and have initiated talks with various national sports federations. We’ve had positive responses from the football, handball and swimming bodies,” said SFQSA Director Eric Gardow.

“Such tie-ups will be mutually beneficial for both parties. their aim is to get more Qatari kids involved in sports. We’ve more than 6,000 children registered with us so far and nearly 2,000 of them are Qataris. If we work to develop these kids, it may help add strength to Qatar’s various Olympic teams in the future. It’s a win-win situation for all involved,” he said.

While Gardow saw huge potential for grass-roots-level sports initiatives, he felt there were problems as well.

“though the scope for such programmes is big, there’s a dearth of quality venues. the facilities at various sports clubs are almost always occupied. In such a scenario, chances of an outside entity being able to rent halls are remote,” he said.

“However, I’m optimistic the issue will gradually diminish. With preparations for the 2022 FIFA World cup and ’30 Qatar National Vision well under way, more sports halls are currently being constructed. It should ease the problem a lot,” he added.

Tie-ups sought with national federations

LITT

LE B

IG T

ALK

“I’ve been learning football at the academy

since April and I’m

enjoying my time there. Many of my friends are also there and it’s great fun to play and learn at the same time.Nicolas Berini

“I’ve always loved basketball and that’s what I’m

learning at the academy.

I love the classes and the atmosphere is really nice. It’s great fun. I want to become a hoopster when I grow up.Adam Abou Ezedine

“I’m probably one of the first students at the

academy when it

started. but I don’t feel like it has been that long. While many of my classmates joined me, I’ve also made new friends.Abdulla Hafez.

“I love both basketball and gymnastics, and can’t

say which one I enjoy

doing more. I’ve been with the academy since its beginning. It has become an inseparable part of my life.Mariam Watkins

“I want to become a good basketball player

and meet Michael Jordan

when I grow up. I already have his (brand of) shoes, now I want to meet him face to face. I’m sure I’ll do that when I grow up.Bryan Kahale

unique movement education programme for children aged one to eight, and a Lego Education centre are also active there.

Another aspect which makes the academy unique is the presence of several active sportsmen, like El Jaish basketball player El Hadji Abdul Sou, who act as volunteers.

“I love working and interacting with kids, teaching them some

of the lessons I’ve learnt as a basketball player. they’re very enthusiastic learners. For me, it’s a way of giving something back to society,” said El Hadji.

Dania Lotfi, who accompanied her son Hani to the basketball programme, felt the SFQSA was a great initiative.

“It’s important for children to engage in physical activities and

grow up in a healthy environment, and the SFQSA provides that. Not only do they play sports, in the process they also make new friends. Several of my son’s friends from school are with him at the academy. It has also helped him improve his social skills a lot,” she said.


ššSheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al thani, flanked by Jamie Watkins, right, and Eric Gardow, with the academy students.

PROGRAMMESAikido Football Swimming

Aqua aerobics Gymnastics tennisballet Karate Yoga

basketball Kickboxing Monkeynastixbrazilian jujitsu Play ball Lego Education

QAtArI business magnate Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al thani, an ardent sports

lover, founded the Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Sports Academy (SFQSA) as part of his contribution towards ensuring a healthy future for the country’s people.

Sheikh Faisal had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke to Doha Stadium Plus about his pet project’s expansion plans.

“We’re planning to build a stadium as well as several playgrounds, out of which the SFQSA will operate in the future. While it’s still in the planning stage, we’ll start

working on it soon. I’m just waiting for the right opportunity to present the proposal. It’s one of our biggest dreams,” said Sheikh Faisal, after interacting with a group of academy

students at his private museum in Doha.

He spoke about the reasoning behind launching the academy.

“Qatar has been putting a lot of emphasis on hosting key sports events, including the ’22 FIFA World cup. Private companies, like our Al Jazi real Estate, are keen to help the nation realise its dream of building a sports-friendly society. We’re just doing our bit,” he said.

“by encouraging children to become active in sports, we’re also investing in Qatar’s future — the youth. the SFQSA’s reputation has grown beyond Qatar’s borders and many people know about us today. We want to build on the success. I’m in it for the long term. It has my full support,” he added.

AL JAZI REAL ESTATE IS KEEN TO HELP THE

NATION BUILD A SPORTS-FRIENDLY SOCIETY.

‘We’re planning to build own stadium’

Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani

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NASSER SALEH AL ATTIYAH


BOXING

StarsStarsTHE Amateur International

boxing Association World championships in Doha

had two top professional stars — Manny Pacquaio of the Philippines and Amir Khan of the Great britain — as guests last week.

And with both Pacquaio and Khan hailing Qatar as the perfect venue for world competitions and also hinting at a fight in Doha, the move to invite them for the Worlds was an apt marketing strategy by the Qatar boxing Federation (QbF), which aims to put the country on the world map.

Pacquaio, who arrived two days before Khan, said he would love to fight either the british boxer or Floyd Mayweather of the US in Doha, in what could be his last bout.

Pacquaio praised the facilities at the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena and was impressed with Qatar’s huge investment in sports.

Khan, a two-time former world champion and current

holder of the World boxing council silver

welterweight title, was also blown away with the set-up. He said he would love to compete in the city

which, he

thought, was a potential destination for major championships.

“I’ve been to many arenas around the world and this is one of the best. Every seat in the arena is positioned for a great view of the ring, which creates a great atmosphere. the hospitality was amazing and I felt at home,” said Khan.

“A fight here would be amazing. there had been a lot of talks about a proposed bout against Pacquiao and Doha would be an amazing

location for it. I would love to fight with him, but I’ve left it to my agents to look at the contracts. It’s definitely something I would want to happen,” added Khan, who became the youngest british Olympic medallist in the sport, winning the silver as a 17-year-old at the 2004 Athens Games.

boxing is a relatively new sport in Qatar and a glamorous bout is sure to increase the interest among young Qataris besides enhancing the country’s reputation as a host of top sports events.

Pacquiao and Khan were welcomed to the impressive arena by QbF President and Local Organising committee Executive

Director Yousuf Ali Al Kazim.“Qatar made history as the first

Gulf country to host the prestigious event. With a state-of-the-art venue, impeccable organisation and passionate fans we’ve created the perfect platform to set a new benchmark for the Worlds,” said Al Kazim. “Fans have taken the sport to heart, particularly Filipino expatriates, and Doha has caught the attention of the boxing world.”

though Al Kazim did not divulge anything on the proposed bout, the fact that Khan is staying back in Doha till the end of the month for a training camp will definitely fuel speculations.

“Khan wanted to train in Doha. He’ll enjoy his time here and who knows, he might be back to compete. Doha has definitely announced itself as a potential venue for the biggest names in the sport to train and compete,” said Al Kazim.

“As an ambitious sports nation, we want Pacquaio to consider Qatar when he gets in the ring against his next opponent as we’ve the perfect ingredients — from world-class venues to passionate fans — to make it a global success.

“I’m sure he’ll feel like he’s boxing in front of home fans with the support he would’ve here. It’s amazing to see Pacquaio’s universal appeal and the effect he has on the fans,” he added.

horizon

DOHA HAS DEFINITELY ANNOUNCED ITSELF AS

A POTENTIAL VENUE FOR THE BIGGEST NAMES.ŢŢAmir Khan with a

young boxer during a coaching clinic in the fan zone at the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena.

on the

Doha is a peaceful place and has some amazing facilities. I’m glad I attended the World championships because it was great to see the next big talents in boxing. Amir Khan, Great britain boxer.

THE PRESENCE OF TOP PROFESSIONALS MANNY PACQUAIO AND AMIR KHAN AS GUESTS AT THE

WORLDS TREMENDOUSLY BOOSTS THE SPORT’S PROFILE IN QATAR, WRITES

MOHAMMAD AMIN-UL ISLAM.


‘India and Pakistan have great potential’

It SEEMS Manny Pacquiao’s swansong will be against Amir Khan as the Filipino superstar’s

promoter bob Arum is reportedly in negotiations with the briton’s team for a bout in February or early April next year.

Pacquaio said he would have one more fight next year before retiring to focus on winning a seat in the Philippines senate in 2016. the 36-year-old’s last bout, against Floyd Mayweather Jr in May, which was billed as the Fight of the century, had ended in defeat.

“I think I’m ready. I’ve been in boxing for more than 20 years. If you’re a senator, your focus should only be on your job and family. I’ll

have to give up the other things that require my attention,” said Pacquiao. the eight-division world champion, currently recovering from a torn

rotator cuff, said a bout with Khan was feasible, but he also mentioned another possible opponent in Danny Garcia.

Khan, who was snubbed by Mayweather on more than one occasion, said, “It was frustrating that Mayweather avoided me for three years. I think it must’ve been because my speed, movement, explosiveness and power create a lot of problems for any boxer.”

Meanwhile, Pacquiao said he would have no problem taking on the 28-year-old.

Pacquiao to face off with Khan?

british ace Amir Khan said the Gulf region had enough potential to produce good boxers, but it would take lots of efforts to achieve that.

“the Gulf and Arab region have some good boxers. the only way to encourage them is to have more boxing gyms. the Gulf nations have huge resources and they can cater to their communities’ needs by building facilities,” said Khan.

“Once they’re in place, children will start going to those gyms.

My father supported me when I was a kid. We led a middle-class and decent life. Still I got to this position. I think what matters is hard work. “Any individual can scale heights in any sport as long as he works hard and stays focused. It’s all about learning from mistakes and becoming a better fighter,” said the 28-year-old.

Gulf nations must build more gyms!

ššAIbA President Dr ching-Kuo Wu, standing next to Manny Pacquiao, with referees and judges at the Worlds.

I think I’m ready. I’ve been in boxing for more than 20 years. If you’re a senator, your focus should only be on your job and family. I’ll have to give up the other things that require my attention.Manny Pacquiao, Filipino star.

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PACQUAIO SAID HE WOULD HAVE ONE MORE FIGHT

NEXT YEAR.

With a state-of-the-art venue, impeccable organisation and

passionate fans, we’ve created the perfect platform to set a new benchmark for the

Worlds. Yousuf Ali Al Kazim, Qatar boxing

Federation President.

WOrLD boxing council silver welterweight champion Amir Khan

exuded confidence that the academy he launched in Islamabad, Pakistan, in August, would produce champions of top calibre.

the Amir Khan boxing Academy was established at Pakistan Sports complex in collaboration with Pakistan Sports board (PSb) with the sole aim of training young pugilists.

Khan, who is of Pakistani origin, is providing coaches and boxing equipment while the PSb is extending all necessary support to run it in an efficient way.

“Pakistan has great talents, which need to be promoted. I believe that country can make champions,” Khan told Doha Stadium Plus. “Pakistan could be a top nation in boxing. My dream is to help my country of origin. We’re going to have more academies in Karachi or Quetta. I would keep visiting there to offer guidance to youngsters.”

the 28-year-old also praised

the rise of Indian boxers, particularly Olympic and world bronze medallist Vijender Singh, who defeated briton Sonny Whiting in the middleweight category in Manchester, England, in his professional debut last week.

“the Indians have improved their style and skills over the years and I think they’re serious about the sport. Vijender and some others are really good. I think if they get good facilities and coaching, they’ll do well.

“there’s a lot of talent in India and that’s the case with Pakistan too. the only difference is India has made good use of the available facilities and Pakistan hasn’t,” he added.

Vijender Singh

Former world heavyweight champion Mike tyson is likely to watch final bouts of the World championships on Wednesday. the Qatar boxing Federation had invited the American through the Amateur International boxing Association.

Tyson to land in Doha?


‘India and Pakistan have great potential’

It SEEMS Manny Pacquiao’s swansong will be against Amir Khan as the Filipino superstar’s

promoter bob Arum is reportedly in negotiations with the briton’s team for a bout in February or early April next year.

Pacquaio said he would have one more fight next year before retiring to focus on winning a seat in the Philippines senate in 2016. the 36-year-old’s last bout, against Floyd Mayweather Jr in May, which was billed as the Fight of the century, had ended in defeat.

“I think I’m ready. I’ve been in boxing for more than 20 years. If you’re a senator, your focus should only be on your job and family. I’ll

have to give up the other things that require my attention,” said Pacquiao. the eight-division world champion, currently recovering from a torn

rotator cuff, said a bout with Khan was feasible, but he also mentioned another possible opponent in Danny Garcia.

Khan, who was snubbed by Mayweather on more than one occasion, said, “It was frustrating that Mayweather avoided me for three years. I think it must’ve been because my speed, movement, explosiveness and power create a lot of problems for any boxer.”

Meanwhile, Pacquiao said he would have no problem taking on the 28-year-old.

Pacquiao to face off with Khan?

british ace Amir Khan said the Gulf region had enough potential to produce good boxers, but it would take lots of efforts to achieve that.

“the Gulf and Arab region have some good boxers. the only way to encourage them is to have more boxing gyms. the Gulf nations have huge resources and they can cater to their communities’ needs by building facilities,” said Khan.

“Once they’re in place, children will start going to those gyms.

My father supported me when I was a kid. We led a middle-class and decent life. Still I got to this position. I think what matters is hard work. “Any individual can scale heights in any sport as long as he works hard and stays focused. It’s all about learning from mistakes and becoming a better fighter,” said the 28-year-old.

Gulf nations must build more gyms!

ššAIbA President Dr ching-Kuo Wu, standing next to Manny Pacquiao, with referees and judges at the Worlds.

I think I’m ready. I’ve been in boxing for more than 20 years. If you’re a senator, your focus should only be on your job and family. I’ll have to give up the other things that require my attention.Manny Pacquiao, Filipino star.

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PACQUAIO SAID HE WOULD HAVE ONE MORE FIGHT

NEXT YEAR.

With a state-of-the-art venue, impeccable organisation and

passionate fans, we’ve created the perfect platform to set a new benchmark for the

Worlds. Yousuf Ali Al Kazim, Qatar boxing

Federation President.

WOrLD boxing council silver welterweight champion Amir Khan

exuded confidence that the academy he launched in Islamabad, Pakistan, in August, would produce champions of top calibre.

the Amir Khan boxing Academy was established at Pakistan Sports complex in collaboration with Pakistan Sports board (PSb) with the sole aim of training young pugilists.

Khan, who is of Pakistani origin, is providing coaches and boxing equipment while the PSb is extending all necessary support to run it in an efficient way.

“Pakistan has great talents, which need to be promoted. I believe that country can make champions,” Khan told Doha Stadium Plus. “Pakistan could be a top nation in boxing. My dream is to help my country of origin. We’re going to have more academies in Karachi or Quetta. I would keep visiting there to offer guidance to youngsters.”

the 28-year-old also praised

the rise of Indian boxers, particularly Olympic and world bronze medallist Vijender Singh, who defeated briton Sonny Whiting in the middleweight category in Manchester, England, in his professional debut last week.

“the Indians have improved their style and skills over the years and I think they’re serious about the sport. Vijender and some others are really good. I think if they get good facilities and coaching, they’ll do well.

“there’s a lot of talent in India and that’s the case with Pakistan too. the only difference is India has made good use of the available facilities and Pakistan hasn’t,” he added.

Vijender Singh

Former world heavyweight champion Mike tyson is likely to watch final bouts of the World championships on Wednesday. the Qatar boxing Federation had invited the American through the Amateur International boxing Association.

Tyson to land in Doha?


WHAT THEY SAID“I’m happy the Doha Worlds are one of the successful events as far as safety of boxers is concerned. We’ll be carrying forward the HeadsUp! initiative by hosting seminars for coaches, so they can implement the changes. Yousuf Ali Al Kazim, Qatar boxing Federation President.

HOLDErS Kazakhstan, traditional heavyweights cuba, russia and Uzbekistan

showed their strength as the World championships moved towards its business end at the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena last week.

In the heavyweight category, top seed cuban Erislandy Savon was superb against Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdulllayev, but will have his work cut out against russia’s Evgeny tishchenko, who was ruthless against Ukrainian Gevorg Manukian, in Wednesday’s final.

Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev defeated India’s Shiva thapa in the 56kg bantam weight semifinal and will meet Ireland’s Michael conlan in the final. conlan put it past belarusian

Dzmitry Asanau in another exquisite semifinal.

“I’m looking forward to the final now. I kept my cool and patience and I didn’t panic. I knew I had to stick to my game plan because Asanau was going to fold,” said conlan.

the middleweight battle between

cuba’s Arlen Lopez and Egypt’s Hosam Abdin was decided by the former’s more accurate punching. Despite a tremendous effort, Abdin lost 0-3.

“It was a personal best to get this

far at the World championships. It was a close fight and I did all I could do against a very strong opponent,” said Hosam.

Ireland’s Michael O’reilly’s highly-anticipated bout against bektemir Melikuziev lived up to the billing, with the Uzbek coming up on top.

Philippines’ rogen Ladon’s campaign came to an end after he lost an incredibly close light flyweight contest against Vasili Egorov. the russian will face cuba’s Joahnys Argilagos, who defeated Ukraine’s Dmytro Zamotaev, in the final.

china ensured two bronze medals after Jianguan Hu (flyweight) and Wei Liu (welterweight) secured semifinal berths.

Heavyweights show strength

HOStS Qatar came close to securing a semifinal berth at the World championships,

but Hakan Ersaker failed to overcome India’s Shiva thapa who won by a unanimous decision in bantam weight.

In fact, Ersaker, who started his campaign with a win against Vanuatu’s boe Warawara 2-1, was the only Qatari who progressed from preliminaries after team-mates fell in the qualifiers.

Qatar had fielded six boxers in the competition, but Ersaker’s performance was the only bright spot for them.

“I thank my coach who has been invaluable in my preparations going into the competition. I’ve mixed results, but reaching the last eight will make me more confident and help Qatar develop a strong squad for future,” Ersaker told Doha Stadium Plus.

Qatari competitors began in style, with thulasi tharumalingam (light welterweight) and Hakan Nuraydin (light heavyweight) beating botswana’s Kagiso bagwasi and Dzemal bosnjak of bosnia and Herzegovina respectively.

However, the euphoria was shortlived when tharumalingam tasted a heavy defeat against Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, who won a technical knockout, while belarus’ Mikhail Dauhaliavets

proved too good for Nuraydin.

“I did my best,

but it was difficult as my opponent had an extra day’s rest. My legs were tired and I had to focus to stay in the three rounds,” said Nuraydin.

Doha 2006 Asian Games

bronze medallist Hozam Nabah (welterweight) lost to Argentinian Alberto Palmetta while Abdulrahman Al Hadi (light welterweight) and Abdullatef Sadiq (lightweight)

lost to Venezuelans Endry Pinto and Luis cabrera respectively in the first round.

Sadiq, the reigning lightweight Gcc champion, was a bit disappointed.

“I was happy to fight in front of my family and friends. It has been such a huge experience and I thank the Qatar boxing Federation for making my dream come true,” said Sadiq.


Ersaker’s display bright spot for Qatar

IT WAS A PERSONAL BEST TO GET THIS

FAR AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.

“HeadsUp! will protect the head. In the past, boxers’ behaviour during bouts has led to cuts and injuries, so it’s important that they keep their heads up.Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, AIbA President.

Qatar boxing Federation President Yousuf Ali Al Kazim expressed happiness with the overall standard of the World championships.

“When we won the bid, it was our vision to make Doha the centre stage of boxing in the region. We wanted to gather local communities to support their heroes and make the sport come alive across the Gulf region. I’m happy the first-ever World championships in this region are proving to be a successful one,” said Al Kazim.

“Everybody was waiting for the event and all are thrilled to watch the top boxers. What really impressed me was seeing people from all around the world create such a spectacular atmosphere, from the noisy Irish to the passionate cubans, and a whole range of other nationalities coming out in force at this marquee event,” he said.

Al Kazim said the tournament would help promote the sport in the country.

“It was a defining moment for boxing in Qatar and a clear statement of how important the sport is for the people,” he said.

Al Kazim happy with Worlds’ big success

ŠŠcuba’s Erislandy Savon, left, fights Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdullayev in heavyweight category. Savon won the bout.

ŠşFrom left, Serik Konakbayev, Dr ching-Kuo Wu and Yousuf Ali Al Kazim.

QATAR FIELDED SIX BOXERS, BUT ERSAKER’S

SHOW WAS THE ONLY BRIGHT SPOT FOR THEM.

ŠŠQatar’s Hakan Ersaker, right, lost to India’s Shiva thapa by a unanimous decision in bantam weight.

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WHAT THEY SAID

BOXING

Mohammad Amin-ul Islam

POWErFUL punches to the face and head make boxing a dangerous contact sport and

the Amateur International boxing Association (AIbA) had introduced head guards in 1984 as a safety measure.

but the AIbA Executive committee meeting held in bangkok, thailand, in 2012, passed a resolution to end the use of head guards in elite men’s competitions. It was based on the report of its Medical commission’s study of 11,000 bouts around the world.

the commission believed the use of head guards actually increased the risk of injuries as boxers usually dropped their heads and took punches on the guards, also leading to a passive and unattractive style.

to educate boxers following its decision to do away with head guards, AIbA launched the awareness campaign HeadsUp! on the sidelines of the World championships in Doha.

“HeadsUp! is aimed at protecting

the head. In the past, boxers’ behaviour during bouts had led to cuts and injuries, so it’s important that they keep their heads up. Our new decision will be adopted by all AIbA member associations to help our athletes enjoy a stable future,” said AIbA President Dr ching-Kuo Wu, who announced the initiative’s details in Doha last week.

the ’11 edition in baku, Azerbaijan, was the last Worlds to allow the use of head guards.

the ’13 Worlds in Almaty, Kazakhstan, showed a decrease in the number of concussions compared to baku. the protective gear was also missing at the ’12 London Olympics, last year’s Asian Games (Incheon, South Korea) and last month’s Pan American Games (toronto, canada).

top professionals Manny Pacquaio and Amir Khan, who were in Doha as guests last week, supported the new initiative and

Wu acknowledged it.“It was really nice to have

Pacquaio and Khan at its launch. both were amateur boxers before,” said Wu.

“Just before the World championships in Doha, a workshop was held for coaches and referees to teach them the new scoring rules. the referees inside the ring now have the power to disqualify boxers who try head-butting and you can see that there’ve been no cases of concussion during the championship.

“the coaches were told to change their tactics and they did their job well as there were no serious injuries either. It’s essential that AIbA fulfils its duty to provide a strong, secure framework within which boxers can develop and excel from grass roots to professional level,” he added.

bringing a change in training methods to literally keep boxers’ heads raised during bouts was also imperative. It led to an overall rise in standard of the championship and some fights were more intense as well as aggressive and had shades of professional ones.

the HeadsUp! charter will be shared with AIbA’s 196 national federations. Asian boxing

confederation President Serik

Konakbayev was the first to sign on it.

“I’m proud we became the first confederation to sign this important charter which deals with boxers’ safety,” said Konakbayev.

the medical departments of the AIbA and International Olympic committee worked behind the scenes during the competition to develop the charter.

“We need to teach the correct way to box and that requires education of boxers and referees,” said Qatar boxing Federation (QbF) chief Yousuf Ali Al Kazim.

He volunteered to support the HeadsUp! campaign and said the QbF would organise seminars to help its coaches and boxers familiarise with the new rules.

“I’m happy the World championships in Doha is one of the successful events as far as safety of boxers is concerned. We’ll be carrying forward the HeadsUp! initiative by hosting seminars for coaches, so that they can implement the changes,” said the official.

Heads up, guys!

THE HEADSUP! CHARTER WILL BE SHARED WITH AIBA’S 196 NATIONAL

FEDERATIONS.

“I’m proud we became the first AIbA confederation to sign this important charter, which deals with boxers’ safety.Serik Konakbayev, Asian boxing confederation President.

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ŢŢMorocco’s Hassan Saada punches USA’s Steve Nelson during their preliminary-round bout in light heavyweight category.


WHAT THEY SAID“I’m happy the Doha Worlds are one of the successful events as far as safety of boxers is concerned. We’ll be carrying forward the HeadsUp! initiative by hosting seminars for coaches, so they can implement the changes. Yousuf Ali Al Kazim, Qatar boxing Federation President.

HOLDErS Kazakhstan, traditional heavyweights cuba, russia and Uzbekistan

showed their strength as the World championships moved towards its business end at the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena last week.

In the heavyweight category, top seed cuban Erislandy Savon was superb against Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdulllayev, but will have his work cut out against russia’s Evgeny tishchenko, who was ruthless against Ukrainian Gevorg Manukian, in Wednesday’s final.

Uzbekistan’s Murodjon Akhmadaliev defeated India’s Shiva thapa in the 56kg bantam weight semifinal and will meet Ireland’s Michael conlan in the final. conlan put it past belarusian

Dzmitry Asanau in another exquisite semifinal.

“I’m looking forward to the final now. I kept my cool and patience and I didn’t panic. I knew I had to stick to my game plan because Asanau was going to fold,” said conlan.

the middleweight battle between

cuba’s Arlen Lopez and Egypt’s Hosam Abdin was decided by the former’s more accurate punching. Despite a tremendous effort, Abdin lost 0-3.

“It was a personal best to get this

far at the World championships. It was a close fight and I did all I could do against a very strong opponent,” said Hosam.

Ireland’s Michael O’reilly’s highly-anticipated bout against bektemir Melikuziev lived up to the billing, with the Uzbek coming up on top.

Philippines’ rogen Ladon’s campaign came to an end after he lost an incredibly close light flyweight contest against Vasili Egorov. the russian will face cuba’s Joahnys Argilagos, who defeated Ukraine’s Dmytro Zamotaev, in the final.

china ensured two bronze medals after Jianguan Hu (flyweight) and Wei Liu (welterweight) secured semifinal berths.

Heavyweights show strength

HOStS Qatar came close to securing a semifinal berth at the World championships,

but Hakan Ersaker failed to overcome India’s Shiva thapa who won by a unanimous decision in bantam weight.

In fact, Ersaker, who started his campaign with a win against Vanuatu’s boe Warawara 2-1, was the only Qatari who progressed from preliminaries after team-mates fell in the qualifiers.

Qatar had fielded six boxers in the competition, but Ersaker’s performance was the only bright spot for them.

“I thank my coach who has been invaluable in my preparations going into the competition. I’ve mixed results, but reaching the last eight will make me more confident and help Qatar develop a strong squad for future,” Ersaker told Doha Stadium Plus.

Qatari competitors began in style, with thulasi tharumalingam (light welterweight) and Hakan Nuraydin (light heavyweight) beating botswana’s Kagiso bagwasi and Dzemal bosnjak of bosnia and Herzegovina respectively.

However, the euphoria was shortlived when tharumalingam tasted a heavy defeat against Uzbekistan’s Fazliddin Gaibnazarov, who won a technical knockout, while belarus’ Mikhail Dauhaliavets

proved too good for Nuraydin.

“I did my best,

but it was difficult as my opponent had an extra day’s rest. My legs were tired and I had to focus to stay in the three rounds,” said Nuraydin.

Doha 2006 Asian Games

bronze medallist Hozam Nabah (welterweight) lost to Argentinian Alberto Palmetta while Abdulrahman Al Hadi (light welterweight) and Abdullatef Sadiq (lightweight)

lost to Venezuelans Endry Pinto and Luis cabrera respectively in the first round.

Sadiq, the reigning lightweight Gcc champion, was a bit disappointed.

“I was happy to fight in front of my family and friends. It has been such a huge experience and I thank the Qatar boxing Federation for making my dream come true,” said Sadiq.


Ersaker’s display bright spot for Qatar

IT WAS A PERSONAL BEST TO GET THIS

FAR AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS.

“HeadsUp! will protect the head. In the past, boxers’ behaviour during bouts has led to cuts and injuries, so it’s important that they keep their heads up.Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, AIbA President.

Qatar boxing Federation President Yousuf Ali Al Kazim expressed happiness with the overall standard of the World championships.

“When we won the bid, it was our vision to make Doha the centre stage of boxing in the region. We wanted to gather local communities to support their heroes and make the sport come alive across the Gulf region. I’m happy the first-ever World championships in this region are proving to be a successful one,” said Al Kazim.

“Everybody was waiting for the event and all are thrilled to watch the top boxers. What really impressed me was seeing people from all around the world create such a spectacular atmosphere, from the noisy Irish to the passionate cubans, and a whole range of other nationalities coming out in force at this marquee event,” he said.

Al Kazim said the tournament would help promote the sport in the country.

“It was a defining moment for boxing in Qatar and a clear statement of how important the sport is for the people,” he said.

Al Kazim happy with Worlds’ big success

ŠŠcuba’s Erislandy Savon, left, fights Azerbaijan’s Abdulkadir Abdullayev in heavyweight category. Savon won the bout.

ŠşFrom left, Serik Konakbayev, Dr ching-Kuo Wu and Yousuf Ali Al Kazim.

QATAR FIELDED SIX BOXERS, BUT ERSAKER’S

SHOW WAS THE ONLY BRIGHT SPOT FOR THEM.

ŠŠQatar’s Hakan Ersaker, right, lost to India’s Shiva thapa by a unanimous decision in bantam weight.

DSP

/Vin

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ivak

aran

DSP

/Moh

an

www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, OctObEr 14, 2015 27british riders Benjamin Menzies and ryan blair won the MXI and MX2 category respectively in the opening round of National Motocross championship at the Losail Motocross track. the UAE’s Ali Al Kubaisi reigned supreme in the newly-introduced veterans’ category.

Menzies and Blair win

first round

2015Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAt)

2014Vladimir

Vasilyev (rUS)

2013Krzysztof

Holowczyc (POL)

2012Khalifa Al

Mutaiwei (UAE)

2011Leonid Novitskiy

(rUS)


(rUS)

2009Guerlain

chicherit (FrA)


2007carlos Sainz

(ESP)

2006Sergey Shmakov

(rUS)

Abdulaziz eyesstrong finishIf everything goes according to plan, Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah could earn his second title in as many weeks as he heads a strong field in Jordan, the sixth round of Middle East rally championship (MErc) to be held from thursday to Saturday.

Nasser is leading the MErc standings with 100 points, 52 clear of his nearest rival Abdulaziz Al Kuwari.

A sixth-place finish will help Nasser annex his 11th MErc crown in 13 years while a victory will move him one short of the record 60 wins held by the UAE’s Mohamed bin Sulayem.

Abdulaziz and Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al rajhi will be Nasser’s strongest challengers.

Abdulaziz, who gave Nasser a close fight in the last round in cyprus, hopes to do it again.

“I know Nasser is way ahead in standings. but I haven’t lost hope yet and expect to put up a good show in Jordan and then in the following rounds in Oman and Dubai. I missed out on the Lebanon leg and that cost me valuable points,” rued Abdulaziz.

Khalid Al Suwaidi and rashid Al Naimi are the other Qatari drivers in the fray.

A close encounter for runner-up spotWItH Jonathan rea having

already been crowned the champion, the final

round of the World Superbike championship (WSbK), to be held at the Losail International circuit on October 18, will see a close battle for the runner-up spot between tom Sykes and chaz Davies.

briton rea clinched the world title in the 11th round at Jerez, Spain, leaving his compatriot Sykes and Welshman Davies fight for the

runner-up spot.Davies has a 16-point lead over

Sykes and going into the final round, to be held under lights, of the 13-leg series, the battle between them will be worth a watch.

Incidentally, Sykes was the runner-up last season, behind Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli, who is languishing at sixth in the standings. rea had finished third last year.

Another interesting highlight of the season finale will be the presence of two-time former champion Max biaggi.

As the paddock rumour is strong

that the Italian will call it quits after the Qatar race, the 44-year-old will be eyeing a last shot at glory and also looking to become the oldest rider to win a WSbK race.

“riding at night absolutely fascinates me,” said biaggi, who competes under the Aprilia racing team banner.

“the eyes need to get accustomed to these enormously bright floodlights, which’re really powerful. It seems it’s daytime,” added the 2010 and ’12 champion, who last month did a round of testing at the 5.3km Losail circuit.

the World Supersport category and Qatar Superbike championship will also be held along WSbK.

the World Superbike championship’s (WSbK) grid will have more star power in 2016 with the arrival of former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden.

the American announced his decision to bid adieu to his 13-year-long MotoGP career, where he won the world title in ’06, and the reasons for his switch to WSbK next season.

“Superbike is where it all started and a lot of things have changed since then. Obviously, my ultimate goal is to win the

title and to be the first-ever rider to annex both championships (MotoGP and WSbK),” said Hayden about his new adventure with Honda.

the 34-year-old waxed eloquent about his MotoGP stint.

“I’ve enjoyed my time in MotoGP. I spent 13 years in it and even won a world title. Of course, I wish I could’ve won some more races and had more success, but you don’t always get to write the script the way you wanted,” he added.

Hayden to ride superbike

next season

SCHEDULEFRIDAY, OCTOBER 16

3pm Qatar Superbike free practice 15.45pm Qatar Superbike free practice 26.30pm World Supersport free practice 17.30pm World Superbike free practice 110pm World Supersport free practice 211pm World Superbike free practice 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1712am Qatar Superbike pole4pm Qatar Superbike race 17.45pm World Supersport pole8.45pm World Superbike pole 19.10pm World Superbike pole 211pm Qatar Superbike race 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 187pm World Superbike race 1 (17 laps)8.30pm World supersport (15 laps)10pm World Superbike race 2 (17 laps)

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT WILL BE THE PRESENCE OF TWO-TIME FORMER

CHAMPION MAX BIAGGI.

RESULTSNasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAt)/Matthieu baumel (FrA)

MINI All4 racing

14:18.18

Vladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (rUS)

Overdrive toyota Hilux

at 16.45sec

Yazeed Al rajhi (KSA)/timo Gottchalk (GEr)


17:14

STANDINGSNasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAt) 261Vladimir Vasilyev (rUS) 221 Yazeed Al rajhi (KSA) 98

ššNasser Saleh Al Attiyah takes to the air during the Morocco rally.

šŠthe final round of World Superbike championship at Losail promises to be an exciting one.

“We’re happy with Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah’s win and I congratulate him. It’s a huge achievement not only for Qatar, but also for the entire Arab region. Nasser is no stranger to success and he has always made us proud with international achievements. this victory proves that Qatar is working well on a planned sportsstrategy set out by the Emir HH Sheikh tamim bin Hamad Al thani.

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation President.

DSP

/Moh

an

ROLL OF HONOUR

Last 10 champions.


MOTORSPORT

QATARI DRIVER NASSER SALEH AL ATTIYAH ADDS THE FIA WORLD CUP FOR CROSS-COUNTRY RALLIES TO HIS TROPHY COLLECTION AND LOOKS POISED TO COMPLETE

THE AIM OF FOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS IN THE SEASON, WRITES SAJITH B WARRIER.

TWO down, two more to go! At the beginning of the season, Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah had

set a goal of winning four titles. He began with a flourish, lifting

the Dakar trophy in January. Last week, he achieved the second, the FIA World cup for cross-country rallies, by winning the penultimate round in Morocco. And with the Middle East crownand World rally championship’s support category (Wrc2) title within touching distance, the champion nonpareil is well on course to accomplish his goals.

the victory at the Morocco rally, which gave him his second World cup of cross-country rallies crown after 2008, has added significance, considering that it was

his final tune-up event before the Dakar.

Nasser, who has an unassailable 261 points to russia’s Vladimir Vasilyev 221, will skip the last round in Portugal. Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed

Al rajhi is a distant third in the standings with 98 points.

Since most of the stages in Morocco bear resemblance to the gruelling Dakar, Nasser can take a lot of positives from his outing in the North African country.

Nasser and his French co-driver Mathieu baumel, in a MINI All4 racing, had won the rally last year as well. they were again in a class of their own and exhibited a level of consistency that could not be matched by any of their rivals including Vasilyev, who finished 16min, 45sec behind the Qatari, in second place. Yazeed brought up the last spot on the podium.

“this is always a great race, with some of the harshest driving conditions. to win last year and do it again this time is very special. It was also a big target of mine to win the cross-country World cup. So that makes me happier,” said a beaming Nasser.

“Our team has been working very hard to give us a shot at victory and

now we can all celebrate together, which is a great feeling. Now I’m ready for the Dakar,” added Nasser.

the ’16 Dakar rally, which will cover a total distance of 8,000km and crosses through three South American countries — Peru, bolivia and Argentina — will be held from January 3 to 16.

Nasser has won the gruelling rally twice (’11 and ’15) and is keen to defend the title.

“We put trust in our own abilities and that of the MINI with which we’ve had a remarkable run of results since the start of this season. It’s a fanstastic car and I really enjoy driving it. If we can continue the way we’re going right now, I’m hopeful of delivering a good performance in Dakar,” Nasser concluded.

I’M NOW HOPEFUL OF AGAIN DELIVERING A

GOOD PERFORMANCE AT THE DAKAR RALLY.

Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah

Phot

o/M

aria

n Ch

ytka

Down

to go!

www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, OctObEr 14, 2015 27british riders Benjamin Menzies and ryan blair won the MXI and MX2 category respectively in the opening round of National Motocross championship at the Losail Motocross track. the UAE’s Ali Al Kubaisi reigned supreme in the newly-introduced veterans’ category.

Menzies and Blair win

first round


2014Vladimir

Vasilyev (rUS)

2013Krzysztof

Holowczyc (POL)

2012Khalifa Al

Mutaiwei (UAE)


(rUS)


(rUS)

2009Guerlain

chicherit (FrA)


2007carlos Sainz

(ESP)

2006Sergey Shmakov

(rUS)

Abdulaziz eyesstrong finishIf everything goes according to plan, Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah could earn his second title in as many weeks as he heads a strong field in Jordan, the sixth round of Middle East rally championship (MErc) to be held from thursday to Saturday.

Nasser is leading the MErc standings with 100 points, 52 clear of his nearest rival Abdulaziz Al Kuwari.

A sixth-place finish will help Nasser annex his 11th MErc crown in 13 years while a victory will move him one short of the record 60 wins held by the UAE’s Mohamed bin Sulayem.

Abdulaziz and Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al rajhi will be Nasser’s strongest challengers.

Abdulaziz, who gave Nasser a close fight in the last round in cyprus, hopes to do it again.

“I know Nasser is way ahead in standings. but I haven’t lost hope yet and expect to put up a good show in Jordan and then in the following rounds in Oman and Dubai. I missed out on the Lebanon leg and that cost me valuable points,” rued Abdulaziz.

Khalid Al Suwaidi and rashid Al Naimi are the other Qatari drivers in the fray.

A close encounter for runner-up spotWItH Jonathan rea having

already been crowned the champion, the final

round of the World Superbike championship (WSbK), to be held at the Losail International circuit on October 18, will see a close battle for the runner-up spot between tom Sykes and chaz Davies.

briton rea clinched the world title in the 11th round at Jerez, Spain, leaving his compatriot Sykes and Welshman Davies fight for the

runner-up spot.Davies has a 16-point lead over

Sykes and going into the final round, to be held under lights, of the 13-leg series, the battle between them will be worth a watch.

Incidentally, Sykes was the runner-up last season, behind Frenchman Sylvain Guintoli, who is languishing at sixth in the standings. rea had finished third last year.

Another interesting highlight of the season finale will be the presence of two-time former champion Max biaggi.

As the paddock rumour is strong

that the Italian will call it quits after the Qatar race, the 44-year-old will be eyeing a last shot at glory and also looking to become the oldest rider to win a WSbK race.

“riding at night absolutely fascinates me,” said biaggi, who competes under the Aprilia racing team banner.

“the eyes need to get accustomed to these enormously bright floodlights, which’re really powerful. It seems it’s daytime,” added the 2010 and ’12 champion, who last month did a round of testing at the 5.3km Losail circuit.

the World Supersport category and Qatar Superbike championship will also be held along WSbK.

the World Superbike championship’s (WSbK) grid will have more star power in 2016 with the arrival of former MotoGP champion Nicky Hayden.

the American announced his decision to bid adieu to his 13-year-long MotoGP career, where he won the world title in ’06, and the reasons for his switch to WSbK next season.

“Superbike is where it all started and a lot of things have changed since then. Obviously, my ultimate goal is to win the

title and to be the first-ever rider to annex both championships (MotoGP and WSbK),” said Hayden about his new adventure with Honda.

the 34-year-old waxed eloquent about his MotoGP stint.

“I’ve enjoyed my time in MotoGP. I spent 13 years in it and even won a world title. Of course, I wish I could’ve won some more races and had more success, but you don’t always get to write the script the way you wanted,” he added.

Hayden to ride superbike

next season

SCHEDULEFRIDAY, OCTOBER 16

3pm Qatar Superbike free practice 15.45pm Qatar Superbike free practice 26.30pm World Supersport free practice 17.30pm World Superbike free practice 110pm World Supersport free practice 211pm World Superbike free practice 2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1712am Qatar Superbike pole4pm Qatar Superbike race 17.45pm World Supersport pole8.45pm World Superbike pole 19.10pm World Superbike pole 211pm Qatar Superbike race 2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 187pm World Superbike race 1 (17 laps)8.30pm World supersport (15 laps)10pm World Superbike race 2 (17 laps)

ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT WILL BE THE PRESENCE OF TWO-TIME FORMER

CHAMPION MAX BIAGGI.

RESULTSNasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAt)/Matthieu baumel (FrA)

MINI All4 racing

14:18.18

Vladimir Vasilyev/Konstantin Zhiltsov (rUS)


at 16.45sec

Yazeed Al rajhi (KSA)/timo Gottchalk (GEr)


17:14

STANDINGSNasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAt) 261Vladimir Vasilyev (rUS) 221 Yazeed Al rajhi (KSA) 98

ššNasser Saleh Al Attiyah takes to the air during the Morocco rally.

šŠthe final round of World Superbike championship at Losail promises to be an exciting one.

“We’re happy with Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah’s win and I congratulate him. It’s a huge achievement not only for Qatar, but also for the entire Arab region. Nasser is no stranger to success and he has always made us proud with international achievements. this victory proves that Qatar is working well on a planned sportsstrategy set out by the Emir HH Sheikh tamim bin Hamad Al thani.

Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation President.

DSP

/Moh

an

ROLL OF HONOUR

Last 10 champions.


BEACH VOLLEYBALL

THE Qatari duo of Mahmoud Essam and Jefferson Pereira lost to hosts Indonesia’s Fahrian Syah and Mohammad Ashfiya

21-23, 12-21 in the quarterfinal of the inaugural Yogyakarta Open Asian Volleyball confederation (AVc) tour event at Java last week.

Essam and Pereira fought hard in the first set, but failed to get their act together in the second in a match that lasted a little less than 40 minutes.

Gcc champions Qatar had defeated fancied teams like Kazakhstan and India in the group stage.

A total of 42 teams from 15 countries competed in the event. the duo will next be seen in action at the AVc tour’s Palembang Open, which begins on Wednesday.

Qatari duo crashesout of Asian event

SWIMMING

TIcKEtS for the penultimate round of the FINA/airweave World cup, to be held at

the Hamad Aquatic centre on November 2 and 3, are on sale.

being a qualifying event for the 2016 rio Olympics, the World cup is expected to feature some of the best swimmers.

So far, 322 competitors from 44 countries have registered for the Doha event, with Great britain’s double world record holder Adam Peaty, South Africa’s golden boy chad le clos and Hungarian katinka Hosszu being the biggest names.

While the heats will begin at 10am, finals are scheduled for a 6pm start on both days. tickets, priced at Qr10 per session, can be purchased from the Virgin Mega Stores outlets in Qatar and online

at www.tickets.virginmegastore.me.Qatar Swimming Association

President Khaleel Al Jabir welcomed fans to the competition.

“We had a record-breaking

event last year and we’re expecting similar crowds this year as well. We welcome families and swimming enthusiasts to witness the world’s best perform in Doha,” he said.

the World cup’s final round will take place in Dubai on November 6 and 7.

Grab your tickets for World Cup

“both Katinka (Hosszu) and chad (le clos) seem to be in great shape and they’ve been doing quite well. We expect to see great races and performances from them in Doha.

Khaleel Al Jabir, Qatar Swimming Association President.

MILITARY WORLD GAMES

QAtAr won a gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the Sixth cISM Military

World Games in Mungyeong, South Korea, last week.

basketball players did Qatar proud by defeating Greece 90-73 in the final. they thus exacted revenge for their 71-86 group-stage reversal.

Qatar opened their campaign with back-to-back defeats,

against brazil (75-77) and Greece (71-86), before turning things around

with wins over France (73-51) and the US (88-83). In the semifinal, the Gulf nation overcame brazil 60-55.

Meanwhile, the handball team settled for a silver after losing 26-29 to Egypt in the final. Qatar, visibly tired after their hard-fought 27-24 semifinal win over the hosts,

struggled this time. Shooter Abdulaziz Saleh Al

Attiyah won silver in men’s skeet. He shot down nine targets to finish behind the czech republic’s Jan Sychra (16).

Abdulaziz, along with Saeed Abusharib and rashid Hamad, went on to clinch silver in the team skeet.

though they tied Finland for the top spot with a new championship

record score of 352, the Europeans clinched gold by virtue of having a superior fifth-round score (70 to 67).

the women’s trap team of Noora Al Ali, Amna Al Abdullah and Kholoud Al Khalaf had finished second on the opening day.

the men’s formation skydive team won Qatar’s fifth silver in parachuting. they scored an impressive 180 points to finish behind belgium (206).

Said Aden Said was Qatar’s lone medallist in track and field. He won bronze in the 1,500M race, finishing in 3min, 45.64sec behind Morocco’s Fouad Elkaam (3:44.79) and bahrain’s bensom Kiplagat (3:44.98).

Faisal Al rushaidi won Qatar’s other medal, a bronze, in men’s 68kg taekwondo.

Hoopsters do Qatar proud

SO FAR, 322 COMPETITORS FROM 44 COUNTRIES HAVE

REGISTERED FOR THE DOHA EVENT.

TENNIS

Ola, Amir triumph at InterCon Open

NAtIONAL team player Ola Basel beat compatriot Fatima Aba 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the women’s title of Eighth Intercontinental

Doha Open, which concluded last week.Ola proved too good for her opponent in the final

played at the Khalifa International complex.She had defeated Saba Aziz 6-1, 6-0 in

the semifinal while Fatima had sailed past Sarah Fontana 6-4, 6-0 in the other last-four encounter.

Amir bayoumi won the men’s title for the third year in a row, thwarting off the challenge of Hassan Salah 6-2, 6-0 in the final.

Qatar had more to cheer as another national player Issa Shanan clinched the boys’ U-18 title, beating Ibrahim Al Sulaiti 6-1, 6-3 in the title clash.

THE Qatar Sailing and Marine Sports Federation (QSMSF) will organise the 2015 Sail

Qatar regatta at the Katara beach from October 16 to 19.

races will be held in optimist, optimist team, laser 4.7, laser radial, laser standard, hobie-16 and 470 classes.

Qatar will field a 20-member squad in the four-day competition.

“the competition will feature around 90 sailors from five countries and we expect a tough competition. Many sailors are treating it as a test event for the 2015 Optimist Asian and Oceanian championship, also to be held in Doha from October 23 to 31. It’ll be an ideal venue for Qatari competitors to test their mettle,” said QSMSF technical Advisor Sarah Lord.

SAILING

Sail Qatar from Friday

ŠŠMahmoud Essam, left, and Jefferson Pereira in action.


MIXED ZONE | QATAR

Sajith B Warrier

QAtAr’S Abdullah Al tamimi has his task cut out after being drawn against Egypt’s

reigning world No.1 Mohamed El Shorbagy in the Professional Squash Association’s (PSA) Qatar classic, to be held from October 30 to November 6.

the 20-year-old, whose current PSA ranking is 71st, got a wild card for the tournament, which will be played at the Khalifa International complex.

Al tamimi, who lost to England’s James Willstrop in the opening round in the last edition of the

tournament held in 2013, faces an uphill task after being pitted against the defending champion.

the ASPIrE Academy product has been in good form, reaching

the Nash cup final in England last month and then entering the semifinal of the AnyPresence Open in Virginia, the US.

“I reached the last-four stage in two tournaments recently. but I think I still’ve got a lot to

learn,” said Abdullah, who turned professional in ’11.

Other big names in the draw include three-time world champion ramy Ashour, who is a darling among the sizeable Egyptian expatriate population in Doha, as well as former Qatar classic winners Nick Matthew of England and Gregory Gaultier of France.

the event also marks the return of top-level women’s game to Doha for the first time since ’11.

Six-time Qatar classic champion Nicol David of Malaysia will be the star attraction, but Egypt’s newly-crowned world No.1 raneem El Welily has been given the top billing.

SQUASH

Qatar’s Al Tamimi faces uphill task

SIX-TIME QATAR CLASSIC CHAMPION NICOL DAVID OF MALAYSIA WILL BE A

STAR ATTRACTION.

EQUESTRIANISM

THE world’s best jumpers will fight for honours and plenty of prize money, including a €1m purse for the overall winner, in the final round

of the 2015 Global champions tour (Gct) to be held at the Al Shaqab equestrian centre from November 12 to 14.

reigning champion Scott Brash is currently at the top of the leader board. the briton has 279 points, just two more than Portuguese Luciana Diniz and 10 ahead of Sweden’s rolf-Goran bengtsson.

brash said he was looking forward to the season finale.

“I think both my challengers have had excellent seasons so far. they did well to be so close to me in time for the final. Once again, it’ll all come down to individual performances in Qatar. It’s going to be the best part of the entire season. I’m sure it’ll delight fans,” said brash.

Gct President Jan tops was happy with the tough nature of the competition.

“Once again, the title race will go down to the wire in Doha. And three jumpers have a strong chance. I’m so thrilled because things can’t get any closer. For every sport, the dream is to keep up the excitement until the last moment. thankfully, that’s the case for our sport,” he said.

Qatar, which joined the Gct in ’08, has steadily built up its reputation as one of the best destinations of the entire series.

With Qatar internationals Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al thani and bassem Hassan Mohammed also in the mix, there will be lots to look forward for the local fans.

It’s Brash’s title to lose at GCT finale

Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani

Abdullah Al Tamimi

DSP

/Vin

od D

ivak

aran


BEACH VOLLEYBALL

THE Qatari duo of Mahmoud Essam and Jefferson Pereira lost to hosts Indonesia’s Fahrian Syah and Mohammad Ashfiya

21-23, 12-21 in the quarterfinal of the inaugural Yogyakarta Open Asian Volleyball confederation (AVc) tour event at Java last week.

Essam and Pereira fought hard in the first set, but failed to get their act together in the second in a match that lasted a little less than 40 minutes.

Gcc champions Qatar had defeated fancied teams like Kazakhstan and India in the group stage.

A total of 42 teams from 15 countries competed in the event. the duo will next be seen in action at the AVc tour’s Palembang Open, which begins on Wednesday.

Qatari duo crashesout of Asian event

SWIMMING

TIcKEtS for the penultimate round of the FINA/airweave World cup, to be held at

the Hamad Aquatic centre on November 2 and 3, are on sale.

being a qualifying event for the 2016 rio Olympics, the World cup is expected to feature some of the best swimmers.

So far, 322 competitors from 44 countries have registered for the Doha event, with Great britain’s double world record holder Adam Peaty, South Africa’s golden boy chad le clos and Hungarian katinka Hosszu being the biggest names.

While the heats will begin at 10am, finals are scheduled for a 6pm start on both days. tickets, priced at Qr10 per session, can be purchased from the Virgin Mega Stores outlets in Qatar and online

at www.tickets.virginmegastore.me.Qatar Swimming Association

President Khaleel Al Jabir welcomed fans to the competition.

“We had a record-breaking

event last year and we’re expecting similar crowds this year as well. We welcome families and swimming enthusiasts to witness the world’s best perform in Doha,” he said.

the World cup’s final round will take place in Dubai on November 6 and 7.

Grab your tickets for World Cup

“both Katinka (Hosszu) and chad (le clos) seem to be in great shape and they’ve been doing quite well. We expect to see great races and performances from them in Doha.

Khaleel Al Jabir, Qatar Swimming Association President.

MILITARY WORLD GAMES

QAtAr won a gold, five silver and two bronze medals at the Sixth cISM Military

World Games in Mungyeong, South Korea, last week.

basketball players did Qatar proud by defeating Greece 90-73 in the final. they thus exacted revenge for their 71-86 group-stage reversal.

Qatar opened their campaign with back-to-back defeats,

against brazil (75-77) and Greece (71-86), before turning things around

with wins over France (73-51) and the US (88-83). In the semifinal, the Gulf nation overcame brazil 60-55.

Meanwhile, the handball team settled for a silver after losing 26-29 to Egypt in the final. Qatar, visibly tired after their hard-fought 27-24 semifinal win over the hosts,

struggled this time. Shooter Abdulaziz Saleh Al

Attiyah won silver in men’s skeet. He shot down nine targets to finish behind the czech republic’s Jan Sychra (16).

Abdulaziz, along with Saeed Abusharib and rashid Hamad, went on to clinch silver in the team skeet.

though they tied Finland for the top spot with a new championship

record score of 352, the Europeans clinched gold by virtue of having a superior fifth-round score (70 to 67).

the women’s trap team of Noora Al Ali, Amna Al Abdullah and Kholoud Al Khalaf had finished second on the opening day.

the men’s formation skydive team won Qatar’s fifth silver in parachuting. they scored an impressive 180 points to finish behind belgium (206).

Said Aden Said was Qatar’s lone medallist in track and field. He won bronze in the 1,500M race, finishing in 3min, 45.64sec behind Morocco’s Fouad Elkaam (3:44.79) and bahrain’s bensom Kiplagat (3:44.98).

Faisal Al rushaidi won Qatar’s other medal, a bronze, in men’s 68kg taekwondo.

Hoopsters do Qatar proud

SO FAR, 322 COMPETITORS FROM 44 COUNTRIES HAVE

REGISTERED FOR THE DOHA EVENT.

TENNIS

Ola, Amir triumph at InterCon Open

NAtIONAL team player Ola Basel beat compatriot Fatima Aba 6-2, 6-1 to clinch the women’s title of Eighth Intercontinental

Doha Open, which concluded last week.Ola proved too good for her opponent in the final

played at the Khalifa International complex.She had defeated Saba Aziz 6-1, 6-0 in

the semifinal while Fatima had sailed past Sarah Fontana 6-4, 6-0 in the other last-four encounter.

Amir bayoumi won the men’s title for the third year in a row, thwarting off the challenge of Hassan Salah 6-2, 6-0 in the final.

Qatar had more to cheer as another national player Issa Shanan clinched the boys’ U-18 title, beating Ibrahim Al Sulaiti 6-1, 6-3 in the title clash.

THE Qatar Sailing and Marine Sports Federation (QSMSF) will organise the 2015 Sail

Qatar regatta at the Katara beach from October 16 to 19.

races will be held in optimist, optimist team, laser 4.7, laser radial, laser standard, hobie-16 and 470 classes.

Qatar will field a 20-member squad in the four-day competition.

“the competition will feature around 90 sailors from five countries and we expect a tough competition. Many sailors are treating it as a test event for the 2015 Optimist Asian and Oceanian championship, also to be held in Doha from October 23 to 31. It’ll be an ideal venue for Qatari competitors to test their mettle,” said QSMSF technical Advisor Sarah Lord.

SAILING

Sail Qatar from Friday

ŠŠMahmoud Essam, left, and Jefferson Pereira in action.


SPAIN’S Dani Pedrosa claimed the 50th Grand Prix win of his career, taking victory in the Japanese MotoGP as runner-up Valentino rossi

extended his championship lead.Pedrosa, who almost quit the sport earlier this year

because of an arm problem that needed surgery, grabbed the lead seven laps from the end of a wet race at the twin ring circuit in Motegi.

He surged clear of his rivals to win for the first time this season and the 50th of his career, which began in the 125cc class in 2001.

rossi finished second while his Yamaha team-mate and championship rival Jorge Lorenzo faded to third after leading for most of the race until he had dropped back when having tyre problems.

“It’s a real pity because if the track didn’t dry I would’ve won,” said Lorenzo.

“there was a dry line and I couldn’t follow them. I just had to survive.

“Now there is only one target and that is to win the three races. Let’s see if we can do it.”

rossi now leads Lorenzo by 18 points with a maximum of 75 available from the remaining three rounds, in Australia, Malaysia and Valencia.

“It was a very long race. It was very easy to make a mistake,” said rossi.

“At this moment I need to take points. After Jorge left our pace was the same. When it got dry it was difficult to control the bike and I saw Jorge slowing.

“It’s a good result for the championship,” he added.

Peerless Pedrosa reigns in Japan

FrANcE captain thierry Dusautoir gets a chance to repeat his finest performance

when they take on defending champions New Zealand in the World cup quarterfinal on Saturday.

the 33-year-old flanker put in a massive 38 tackles against the All blacks at the same stage and the same Millennium Stadium venue in 2007 to help knock out the favourites 20-18.

Dusautoir also put in a man-of-the-match performance against the All blacks in France’s courageous 7-8 loss in the ’11 final on their opponents home turf.

“there’s a big challenge waiting for us. but we’re going to look at what was not 100 per cent and go

into the next match with a lot of appetite,” said Dusautoir after his side had suffered their first defeat of the tournament, a 9-24 loss to Six Nations champions Ireland to consign them to the runners-up

spot in Pool D.the Irish will play an impressive

Argentina side in another quarterfinal in cardiff on Sunday.

the Argentineans have a good record against the Irish in the World

cup having beaten them twice.Wales’ 6-15 defeat to Australia

consigned them to a twickenham date with the Springboks with the small consolation that they beat the two-time world champions 12-6 last November.

On the other side of the draw, Scotland will play Australia, also at twickenham, on Sunday.

Kenyan Dickson chumba pulled away from compatriot Sammy Kitwara and comfortably won a slow chicago Marathon in a sweep for the African nation. chumba, clocked 2hr, 9min, 25sec. Sammy Ndungu finished third. Kenya’s world half-marathon record holder Florence Kiplagat won the women’s race.

Kenyans sweep Chicago Marathon

other 45 times, with Nadal, who has struggled with his form and niggling injuries in the past year, hanging on to a 23-22 advantage.

In the women’s section, Spain’s Garbine Muguruza beat Switzerland’s timea bacsinszky for her biggest title to date.

Muguruza won a hard-fought final 7-5, 6-4 to capture her first Premier Mandatory title and climb to fourth in the world rankings.

It was the 22-year-old’s second WtA title, after she won her first at

last year’s Hobart International, and made up for the frustration of losing her two previous finals this year, at Wimbledon in July and Wuhan recently.

“For me to be able to come and win the tournament after losing in the finals of Wuhan recently is a great achievement,” said Muguruza.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka captured his fourth title this year when he beat his good friend benoit Paire 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the Japan Open.

A b De VILLIErS and rohit Sharma enhanced personal reputations with scintillating centuries, but it was the timely interventions

of South African bowlers that secured the visitors’ five-run win over India in the first One-Day International at Kanpur.

Skipper De Villiers’s 73-ball century provided the impetus as South Africa posted 303 for five.

Sharma led India’s strong reply with a brilliant 150 before leg-spinner Imran tahir turned the run feast on its head by claiming two wickets in his final over.

Paceman Kagiso rabada then dismissed two Indian batsmen in as many deliveries in the final over to restrict the hosts to 298 for seven and give South Africa a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni struggled and fell in the final over. He managed only one boundary as critics did not mince their words.

“Dhoni used to be great when the ball was pitched up to him. but bowlers have understood that the key is not to give him any room to manoeuvre,” said former Indian captain K Srikkanth.

De Villiers leads from the front

CRICKET

RUGBY

Djokovic continues his love affair with Beijing

France face familiar challenge

THE IRISH WILL PLAY AN IMPRESSIVE ARGENTINA

SIDE IN ANOTHER QUARTERFINAL. QUARTERFINAL

FIXTURES (Kick-off in Doha time).


South Africa vs Wales, twickenham, 6pm.New Zealand vs France, cardiff, 10pm.

Sunday, October 18

Ireland vs Argentina, cardiff, 3pm.Australia vs Scotland, twickenham, 6pm.

şşDani Pedrosa cruises to victory in Japan.

şŠFrance’s thierry Dusautoir, centre, evades the challenge of of Ireland players during their World cup tie in cardiff.

şšSouth Africa’s A b de Villiers plays a shot during the Kanpur One-Day International.


MIXED ZONE | INTERNATIONAL

MErcEDES clinched their second successive Formula One

constructors’ championship last Sunday and Lewis Hamilton took a huge stride towards his third drivers’ title with victory in Sochi, russia.

congratulated on the podium by President Vladimir Putin, Hamilton took his ninth win of the season and 42nd of his career after a throttle problem forced the early retirement of German team-mate Nico rosberg.

the briton, who first triumphed in 2008, now has a lead of 66 points over Ferrari’s second-placed Sebastian Vettel and, if results go his way, can secure his own second successive crown in Austin, texas, on October 25.

Mercedes team

bosses had left the circuit long before the constructors’ title was confirmed, however, with the outcome depending on a stewards’ enquiry that eventually demoted Ferrari’s Kimi raikkonen from fifth

to eighth.“We found out about the title upstairs. It just

feels special to be a part of it and to have contributed to a team success. It’s a great

feeling,” said Hamilton.With four races

remaining, and a maximum 100 points to be won,

Hamilton has 302 points to Vettel’s 236 and rosberg’s 229.

Mexican Sergio Perez finished third for Force India, after raikkonen rammed the rear of fellow Finn Valtteri bottas’s Williams while battling for the final podium place.

rosberg had led from pole, holding off Hamilton through

the opening corners, but was forced to retire in the

pits on the seventh of 53 laps.Hamilton, who has now won

more races than the late triple champion Ayrton Senna, had already taken over the lead as rosberg wrestled with the problem.

However his advantage was whittled away when Frenchman romain Grosjean, who was unhurt, crashed heavily on lap 12.

CAPtAIN’S pick bill Haas claimed the crucial final point at the Presidents cup, as the United States beat the Internationals 15.5 to 14.5

to clinch the team event for the ninth time in 11 editions at Incheon, South Korea, last week.

Haas, who is also the son of US captain Jay Haas, held his nerve in the last of 12 singles matches to beat local favourite bae Sang-Moon.

Jordan Spieth and Jason Day, the top two players in the world, both lost their matches, while there was delight and heartbreak in equal measure for Asia’s four representatives — thongchai Jaidee, Anirban Lahiri, Hideki Matsuyama and bae.

After five straight comfortable US wins, the one-point margin of victory was the narrowest since the Americans won 16.5 to 15.5 in 1996, and suggests the PGA tour got it right by reducing the total number of points on offer to 30 from 34.

An emotional US captain Jay Haas struggled to get through a televised interview next to the 18th green but said he had given his son a pep talk through the closing stages.

“I told him, come on, win one for your mom, she deserves this. We put him out 12th and had no idea this was going to happen,” he said.

the Presidents cup returns to US soil in two years’ time at Liberty National, New Jersey.

Son eclipses Moon to make dad proud!

Fitzpatrick is the British Master!

WOrLD No.1 Novak Djokovic continued his recent dominance over

rafael Nadal when he beat the Spaniard 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the china Open to win the tournament for the sixth time.

“this definitely has been my most successful tournament in my career. I’ve won the Australian Open five times, but beijing has been a lucky place for me,” said Djokovic after his victory at the National tennis centre in the chinese capital.

Djokovic has now beaten Nadal in seven of their last eight meetings, dating back to the 2013 china Open,

and is on the verge of levelling their head-to-head record.

the pair have played each

GOLF

MOTORSPORT

King Lewis III?

RESULTSFORMULA ONE

1. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) Mercedes 1:37.112. Sebastian Vettel (GEr) Ferrari at 5.93. Sergio Perez (MEX) Force India 28.94. Felipe Massa (brA0 Williams 38.85. Daniil Kvyat (rUS) red bull 47.5

MOTOGP 1. Dani Pedrosa (ESP) Honda 46:50.72. Valentino rossi (ItA) Yamaha at 8.53. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) Yamaha 12.14. Marc Marquez (ESP) Honda 27.85. Andrea Dovizioso (ItA) Ducati 35.08

STANDINGS FORMULA ONE

DRIVERS CONSTRUCTORS1. Lewis Hamilton (Gbr) 302 1. Mercedes 5312. Sebastian Vettel (GEr) 236 2. Ferrari 3593. Nico rosberg (GEr) 229 3. Williams 2204. Kimi raikkonen (FIN) 123 4. red bull 1495. Valtteri bottas (FIN) 111 5. Force India 92

MOTOGP1. Valentino rossi (ItA) 2832. Jorge Lorenzo (ESP) 2653. Marc Marquez (ESP) 1974. Andrea Iannone (ItA) 1725. Dani Pedrosa (ESP) 154

TENNIS


IN THE WOMEN’S SECTION, SPAIN’S GARBINE

MUGURUZA REIGNED SUPREME.

EUrOPEAN tour rookie Matt Fitzpatrick, the youngest player in the field, showed the old stagers a thing or two by easing to a two-

stroke triumph at the $4.55M british Masters.the 21-year-old Englishman was locked in an

enthralling race for the title with Dane Soren Kjeldsen until accelerating away on back nine from the field to finish with a 68 and a 15-under total of 269.

In taiwan, South African Shaun Norris won his first Asian tour title after firing a closing four-under-par 68 to overhaul Filipino Miguel tabuena and claim the weather-hit Tournament Players Championship.

Meanwhile, American Jessica Korda ended a miserable run of form in emphatic style by holding off world No.2 Lydia Ko to win the $2m LPGA Malaysia Open for her fourth career title.

Novak Djokovic

Bill Haas

Matt Fitzpatrick

ŠŠLewis Hamilton leads the pack of drivers at the russian Grand Prix.


SPAIN’S Dani Pedrosa claimed the 50th Grand Prix win of his career, taking victory in the Japanese MotoGP as runner-up Valentino rossi

extended his championship lead.Pedrosa, who almost quit the sport earlier this year

because of an arm problem that needed surgery, grabbed the lead seven laps from the end of a wet race at the twin ring circuit in Motegi.

He surged clear of his rivals to win for the first time this season and the 50th of his career, which began in the 125cc class in 2001.

rossi finished second while his Yamaha team-mate and championship rival Jorge Lorenzo faded to third after leading for most of the race until he had dropped back when having tyre problems.

“It’s a real pity because if the track didn’t dry I would’ve won,” said Lorenzo.

“there was a dry line and I couldn’t follow them. I just had to survive.

“Now there is only one target and that is to win the three races. Let’s see if we can do it.”

rossi now leads Lorenzo by 18 points with a maximum of 75 available from the remaining three rounds, in Australia, Malaysia and Valencia.

“It was a very long race. It was very easy to make a mistake,” said rossi.

“At this moment I need to take points. After Jorge left our pace was the same. When it got dry it was difficult to control the bike and I saw Jorge slowing.

“It’s a good result for the championship,” he added.

Peerless Pedrosa reigns in Japan

FrANcE captain thierry Dusautoir gets a chance to repeat his finest performance

when they take on defending champions New Zealand in the World cup quarterfinal on Saturday.

the 33-year-old flanker put in a massive 38 tackles against the All blacks at the same stage and the same Millennium Stadium venue in 2007 to help knock out the favourites 20-18.

Dusautoir also put in a man-of-the-match performance against the All blacks in France’s courageous 7-8 loss in the ’11 final on their opponents home turf.

“there’s a big challenge waiting for us. but we’re going to look at what was not 100 per cent and go

into the next match with a lot of appetite,” said Dusautoir after his side had suffered their first defeat of the tournament, a 9-24 loss to Six Nations champions Ireland to consign them to the runners-up

spot in Pool D.the Irish will play an impressive

Argentina side in another quarterfinal in cardiff on Sunday.

the Argentineans have a good record against the Irish in the World

cup having beaten them twice.Wales’ 6-15 defeat to Australia

consigned them to a twickenham date with the Springboks with the small consolation that they beat the two-time world champions 12-6 last November.

On the other side of the draw, Scotland will play Australia, also at twickenham, on Sunday.

Kenyan Dickson chumba pulled away from compatriot Sammy Kitwara and comfortably won a slow chicago Marathon in a sweep for the African nation. chumba, clocked 2hr, 9min, 25sec. Sammy Ndungu finished third. Kenya’s world half-marathon record holder Florence Kiplagat won the women’s race.

Kenyans sweep Chicago Marathon

other 45 times, with Nadal, who has struggled with his form and niggling injuries in the past year, hanging on to a 23-22 advantage.

In the women’s section, Spain’s Garbine Muguruza beat Switzerland’s timea bacsinszky for her biggest title to date.

Muguruza won a hard-fought final 7-5, 6-4 to capture her first Premier Mandatory title and climb to fourth in the world rankings.

It was the 22-year-old’s second WtA title, after she won her first at

last year’s Hobart International, and made up for the frustration of losing her two previous finals this year, at Wimbledon in July and Wuhan recently.

“For me to be able to come and win the tournament after losing in the finals of Wuhan recently is a great achievement,” said Muguruza.

Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka captured his fourth title this year when he beat his good friend benoit Paire 6-2, 6-4 in the final of the Japan Open.

A b De VILLIErS and rohit Sharma enhanced personal reputations with scintillating centuries, but it was the timely interventions

of South African bowlers that secured the visitors’ five-run win over India in the first One-Day International at Kanpur.

Skipper De Villiers’s 73-ball century provided the impetus as South Africa posted 303 for five.

Sharma led India’s strong reply with a brilliant 150 before leg-spinner Imran tahir turned the run feast on its head by claiming two wickets in his final over.

Paceman Kagiso rabada then dismissed two Indian batsmen in as many deliveries in the final over to restrict the hosts to 298 for seven and give South Africa a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni struggled and fell in the final over. He managed only one boundary as critics did not mince their words.

“Dhoni used to be great when the ball was pitched up to him. but bowlers have understood that the key is not to give him any room to manoeuvre,” said former Indian captain K Srikkanth.

De Villiers leads from the front

CRICKET

RUGBY


France face familiar challenge

THE IRISH WILL PLAY AN IMPRESSIVE ARGENTINA

SIDE IN ANOTHER QUARTERFINAL. QUARTERFINAL

FIXTURES (Kick-off in Doha time).


South Africa vs Wales, twickenham, 6pm.New Zealand vs France, cardiff, 10pm.

Sunday, October 18

Ireland vs Argentina, cardiff, 3pm.Australia vs Scotland, twickenham, 6pm.

şşDani Pedrosa cruises to victory in Japan.

şŠFrance’s thierry Dusautoir, centre, evades the challenge of of Ireland players during their World cup tie in cardiff.

şšSouth Africa’s A b de Villiers plays a shot during the Kanpur One-Day International.


MOVERS&SHAKERS

BrItON’S Sam Allardyce was appointed as Sunderland’s new manager, eight years

after he had a brief spell in charge of their Premier League arch-rivals Newcastle United.

Sunderland confirmed the appointment on their website after Dutchman Dick Advocaat left the club recently.

the 60-year-old, who has been out of management since leaving West Ham United at the end of last season, has signed a two-year deal.

“I’ve enjoyed my break from football and now I’m raring to get back. I met with club chairman Ellis Short and we spoke at length

about his ambitions. I hope to be able to help to

bring the stability and success that everyone wants,” said Allardyce.

His first match in charge will be at West

bromwich Albion, where he was assistant manager

25 years ago, on Saturday. the much-awaited derby against old rivals Newcastle will follow on October 25.

SIX-tIME Olympic champion Usain Bolt has already started his preparations for next year’s

rio Games and has sent a warning to his competitors — he thinks he is capable of breaking 19sec in the 200M.

bolt’s record of 19.19sec for the 200M has stood since August 20, 2009, four days after he set the 100M record of 9.58sec, both at the World Athletics championships in berlin.

“I really want to run under 19sec,” bolt said at his training base at the University of West Indies in

Kingston as he began preparations for next year’s rio Olympics.

“It’s one of my major goals.I think it’s one of the toughest

ones, because it’s going to be hard to find the right

day and sometime the perfect race to get this (200M record).

“It’ll not be an easy task, but I personally

feel I can do it and my coach (Glen Mills) thinks

I can do it so it’s just about the work and finding the perfect time to do it, so it’s one of the things (for ’16),” added bolt.

Allardyce Sunderland boss

Bolt is eager to run 200M in sub-19sec

SPORT THIS WEEK

Defending champion Roger Federer suffered a surprise 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 3-6 defeat to Spain’s Albert ramos-Vinolas in the second round of the Shanghai Masters on tuesday. the Swiss looked rusty against the 70th-ranked qualifier and despite appearing to be back on track when he cruised through the second set, succumbed in the decider.

Younis Khan became Pakistan’s leading run scorer in test cricket during the first match against England in Abu Dhabi on tuesday, overtaking Javed Miandad’s previous mark of 8,832 runs. the 37-year-old, who was dismissed for 38, overhauled the record in his 102nd match, taking 22 fewer than Miandad to set the mark.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14BOXINGAIbA World championships, 2pm onwards at Ali bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena (till thursday).

QATAR

INTERNATIONALWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14CRICKETEngland vs Pakistan, 1st test at Abu Dhabi (till Sunday); Sri Lanka vs West Indies, 1st test at Galle (till Monday); India vs South Africa, 2nd ODI at Indore.

RUGBYWorld cup in England (till October 31).

TENNISAtP at Shanghai; WtA at Linz, tianjin and Hong Kong (till Monday).

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15GOLFEPGA at Portugal Masters; LPGA at Incheon (till Monday).

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17HORSERACINGbritish champions Day, Ascot.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18CRICKETIndia vs South Africa, 3rd ODI at rajkot.

MOTORSPORTAustralian MotoGP at Phillip Island.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19TENNISAtP at Stockholm, Vienna and Moscow; WtA at Luxemburg and Moscow (till October 25).

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20FOOTBALLchampions League, group stage.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16SAILINGSail Qatar regatta, 10am onwards at Katara beach (till tuesday).

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17FOOTBALLQatar Stars League, Al Ahli vs Al Kharaitiyat, 5.30pm at Al Ahli Stadium, Al Khor vs Al rayyan, 5.30pm at Al Gharafa Stadium, Al Wakrah vs Al Sailiya, 7.45pm at Al Gharafa Stadium, Mesaimeer vs Umm Salal, 7.45pm at Al Ahli Stadium.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18FOOTBALLQatar Stars League, Al Gharafa vs El Jaish, 5.30pm at Al Gharafa Stadium, Al Sadd vs Qatar Sc, 5.30pm at Al Sadd Stadium, Lekhwiya vs Al Arabi, 7.45pm at Al Sadd Stadium.

MOTORSPORTWorld Superbike championship, 7pm onwards at Losail International circuit.


PEOPLE

THE European tour can proudly boast the arrival of a highly-promising new kid on the

block following Matt Fitzpatrick’s stunning two-shot win at the $4.55m british Masters.

clearly the event is not of the same stature as the US Masters, but the 21-year-old Englishman was happy to draw comparisons between his victory last Sunday and American Jordan Spieth’s triumph in the year’s opening major in April.

“Winning wire-to-wire is something I think most players dream of and it’s not often it gets done,” Fitzpatrick said with a beaming smile. “Spieth won the Masters that way and for me to be in the same category is pretty special. It’s a great achievement.”

What made Fitzpatrick’s maiden victory even more spectacular was that the tour rookie, the youngest player in the field, believed he was not even firing on all cylinders at Woburn.

“I really didn’t think I had my ‘A’ game,” he said.

“I know a lot of people will probably say, ‘you won so you must’ve’, but there were phone calls to my coach on thursday evening, Friday evening, Saturday evening, all saying, ‘what do I do?’.

“We were working on trying to fix a couple of things because I really

didn’t think I was hitting it that well,” he added.

Fitzpatrick broke Justin rose’s 2002 record as the youngest player to win the british Masters, an event that has been on the tour since 1972 and returned to the schedule this season after a seven-year hiatus.

English fans, who have had little top-notch golf to watch live in recent years, turned up at Woburn in droves and tournament host Ian Poulter hailed the week as a great success.

“We had 57,000 fans out there through the week and so many kids and that’s what this is about, trying to get more kids out here playing golf who can aspire to be a young Matt Fitzpatrick,” said Poulter, who finished down the field. “Matt played exceptionally well ... he came in on an invite and took his chance with both hands. He was a very worthy winner.”

Poulter now stands

down as host, handing over to rose, Luke Donald and Lee Westwood for the next three years although it is not yet known which member of the trio will pick up the baton in ’16.

STAR OF THE WEEK MATT FITZPATRICK

A major Pakistani team confirmed they had signed Salman Butt and paceman Mohammad Asif, who were last month relieved of sanctions over spot fixing. Former domestic champions Water and Power Development Authority said butt and Asif would feature in their team in the first class tournament starting in various cities from October 26.

German Jan Frodeno iced his competitors to clinch his first triathlon Ironman World championship with a dominating performance in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. the 2008 Olympic gold medallist at the shorter distance came out of the water in second place and broke away on the bike leg to set up his victory. Swiss Daniela ryf won the women’s title.

bayern Munich’s Mario Goetze will be out for up to three months after

suffering an adductor muscle injury in Germany’s 0-1 Euro 2016 qualifying loss to Ireland. Goetze was taken off in the 35th minute and tests showed he had torn

some adductor muscle fibre. the 23-year-old had played

in 11 of the 12 matches in all competitions this season.

Wales back Liam Williams has been ruled out of the rest of the ongoing rugby World cup in England after sustaining a foot injury in the Pool A tie against Australia which they lost 6-15. Williams played in the opening match against Uruguay but sustained a concussion against England and missed their third match with Fiji.

Striker Sergio Aguero, injured during Argentina’s shock 0-2 home defeat to Ecuador in a World cup qualifier, would be out for a month. Aguero tore a muscle in his left thigh half an hour into the team’s match at the river Plate stadium. “I think I’ll be out for a month,” said Aguero as he left a buenos Aires clinic.

Italian players Potito Starace and Daniele bracciali saw life bans overturned by an Italian tennis

Federation court of appeal. Starace and bracciali were banned on August 6 after being accused of fixing matches as part of an intricate illegal betting scam. Starace was cleared of all wrongdoing, while bracciali saw his ban being reduced to 12 months.


MOVERS&SHAKERS

BrItON’S Sam Allardyce was appointed as Sunderland’s new manager, eight years

after he had a brief spell in charge of their Premier League arch-rivals Newcastle United.

Sunderland confirmed the appointment on their website after Dutchman Dick Advocaat left the club recently.

the 60-year-old, who has been out of management since leaving West Ham United at the end of last season, has signed a two-year deal.

“I’ve enjoyed my break from football and now I’m raring to get back. I met with club chairman Ellis Short and we spoke at length

about his ambitions. I hope to be able to help to

bring the stability and success that everyone wants,” said Allardyce.

His first match in charge will be at West

bromwich Albion, where he was assistant manager

25 years ago, on Saturday. the much-awaited derby against old rivals Newcastle will follow on October 25.

SIX-tIME Olympic champion Usain Bolt has already started his preparations for next year’s

rio Games and has sent a warning to his competitors — he thinks he is capable of breaking 19sec in the 200M.

bolt’s record of 19.19sec for the 200M has stood since August 20, 2009, four days after he set the 100M record of 9.58sec, both at the World Athletics championships in berlin.

“I really want to run under 19sec,” bolt said at his training base at the University of West Indies in

Kingston as he began preparations for next year’s rio Olympics.

“It’s one of my major goals.I think it’s one of the toughest

ones, because it’s going to be hard to find the right

day and sometime the perfect race to get this (200M record).

“It’ll not be an easy task, but I personally

feel I can do it and my coach (Glen Mills) thinks

I can do it so it’s just about the work and finding the perfect time to do it, so it’s one of the things (for ’16),” added bolt.

Allardyce Sunderland boss

Bolt is eager to run 200M in sub-19sec

SPORT THIS WEEK

Defending champion Roger Federer suffered a surprise 6-7 (4-7), 6-2, 3-6 defeat to Spain’s Albert ramos-Vinolas in the second round of the Shanghai Masters on tuesday. the Swiss looked rusty against the 70th-ranked qualifier and despite appearing to be back on track when he cruised through the second set, succumbed in the decider.

Younis Khan became Pakistan’s leading run scorer in test cricket during the first match against England in Abu Dhabi on tuesday, overtaking Javed Miandad’s previous mark of 8,832 runs. the 37-year-old, who was dismissed for 38, overhauled the record in his 102nd match, taking 22 fewer than Miandad to set the mark.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14BOXINGAIbA World championships, 2pm onwards at Ali bin Hamad Al Attiya Arena (till thursday).

QATAR

INTERNATIONALWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14CRICKETEngland vs Pakistan, 1st test at Abu Dhabi (till Sunday); Sri Lanka vs West Indies, 1st test at Galle (till Monday); India vs South Africa, 2nd ODI at Indore.

RUGBYWorld cup in England (till October 31).

TENNISAtP at Shanghai; WtA at Linz, tianjin and Hong Kong (till Monday).

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15GOLFEPGA at Portugal Masters; LPGA at Incheon (till Monday).

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17HORSERACINGbritish champions Day, Ascot.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18CRICKETIndia vs South Africa, 3rd ODI at rajkot.

MOTORSPORTAustralian MotoGP at Phillip Island.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 19TENNISAtP at Stockholm, Vienna and Moscow; WtA at Luxemburg and Moscow (till October 25).

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 20FOOTBALLchampions League, group stage.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16SAILINGSail Qatar regatta, 10am onwards at Katara beach (till tuesday).

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17FOOTBALLQatar Stars League, Al Ahli vs Al Kharaitiyat, 5.30pm at Al Ahli Stadium, Al Khor vs Al rayyan, 5.30pm at Al Gharafa Stadium, Al Wakrah vs Al Sailiya, 7.45pm at Al Gharafa Stadium, Mesaimeer vs Umm Salal, 7.45pm at Al Ahli Stadium.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18FOOTBALLQatar Stars League, Al Gharafa vs El Jaish, 5.30pm at Al Gharafa Stadium, Al Sadd vs Qatar Sc, 5.30pm at Al Sadd Stadium, Lekhwiya vs Al Arabi, 7.45pm at Al Sadd Stadium.

MOTORSPORTWorld Superbike championship, 7pm onwards at Losail International circuit.


MOrE than 400 people, many dressed as werewolves, howled at the moon for more than a minute last week to set a

new Guinness World record.the Halloween theme park at Mead Open saw

464 people howl for a minute to break the previous record set by 296 students at the St cloud State University in Minnesota, the US, in 2013.

“the reason we’ve gone for a werewolf howl is because obviously the attraction is called the Howl,” said Matt Heast of Mead Open Farm.

“It was fantastic to listen to nearly 500 people howling in unison. Some of the participants really got into the spirit of the event and came dressed as werewolves.

“It has been an amazing opening night and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors to the Howl between now and Halloween,” added Heast.

Mead Open Farm is well known as a family farm park and runs its popular Freaky Fortnight spooky Halloween daytime event for families during October half term.

Howl of fame, literally!

SPOrtS fans on the Indian subcontinent will be spoilt for choice after Indian Premier

League (IPL) rights holder Multi Screen Media (MSM) and sports broadcaster ESPN announced plans last week to launch new channels and foray into digital market.

ESPN, a Walt Disney unit, exited India in 2012 after a split with rupert Murdoch-owned Star TV, which owns the rights to the cricket-crazy country’s home international matches and domestic tournaments,

excluding the annual IPL twenty20 competition.

As part of the ‘long-term’ deal, Sony corp-owned MSM will rebrand its sports channel KIX as SONY ESPN and the two broadcasters will also launch new channels in the coming months.

In collaboration with MSM, ESPN will start a multisport website and app, which will provide coverage of cricket, football, tennis, NbA and several other sports.

besides broadcasting the popular IPL and NbA, MSM also holds rights for the ongoing rugby World cup, next year’s European Football championship, ’17 FIFA Under-17 World cup to be held in India, and football leagues such as the Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A, and English FA cup as well as Australian Open tennis.

MEDIA

OFFBEAT

ESPN to foray into digital marketCAMEOKaspersky Lab renews Ferrari deal

Tissot ticks onwith NBA

Emirates stays with Hamburg

Huajin backs WTAElite Trophy

Claro supportsRio Open

the NbA recently signed a deal with tissot, which sees the Swiss watch brand become the American basketball league’s Official timekeeper. the six-year pact, reported to be worth in excess of $200m, also includes the Women’s National basketball Association and NbA Development League, will begin at the start of 2016-17 season. As part of the package, tissot will deliver a new ‘state-of-the-art integrated timing system,’ including branded shot clocks.

Dubai-based airline Emirates announced an extension to its sponsorship with the Hamburg football club for another three years. the new agreement, reported to be worth €7.5m per season, will run until at least the end of the 2018-19 season.

Shanghai-based Huajin Securities signed up as title sponsor of the inaugural WtA Elite trophy, to be held in Zhuhai, china, from November 3 to 9.

South American telecom brand claro, a subsidiary of Mexico-owned telecommunications group America Movil, announced the

renewal of its title

sponsorship of South America’s biggest tennis event,

the rio Open.

cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab agreed a five-year extension of their agreement with Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team. the Moscow-based firm will continue to provide security services for the team until at least 2021. According to the deal thought to be worth more than $2m per year, Kaspersky Lab will continue to enjoy branding on the nose of Ferrari cars as well as on drivers’ helmets, overalls and team uniforms.

LIFESTYLEDangers of weight-loss surgery ObESE people may be more

likely to harm themselves or attempt suicide after

weight-loss surgery, a canadian study suggests.

researchers followed about 8,800 patients for three years before and after they had surgery to lose weight. Most of them had a common type of bariatric surgery known as gastric bypass, which helps them shed excess pounds by reducing stomach capacity from about three pints to the size of a shot glass.

During the first three years

after surgery, 111 patients, which comes to roughly one per cent of people in the study, received emergency care for self-inflicted injuries. While small, the risk of these emergencies was 54 per cent higher after surgery than it was before.

Most of these incidents of self-inflicted harm happened one to three years after bariatric surgeries, suggesting that patients may need more long-term behavioural healthcare, said Dr Amir Ghaferi, author of an editorial accompanying the study

in JAMA Surgery.“this study shouldn’t dissuade

patients with mental health problems from seeking bariatric surgery, but it should encourage healthcare providers to target them for improved follow-up care,” said Ghaferi, a bariatric surgery specialist at the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Healthcare System.

— Courtesy CSM Sport & Entertainmentwww.csm.com

@FastTrack_ME

1905 All Blacks jersey fetches

£180,000

A shirt worn by New Zealand rugby captain Dave Gallaher during a test against Wales in 1905 was sold for £180,000 last week. the shirt, which had been expected to fetch £20,000 to £40,000, went under the hammer at the roger Jones & co saleroom in cardiff and was sold to a britain-based bidder, the BBC reported. the ’05 ‘Originals’ tour was the first outside Australasia by a New Zealand team and it was while in britain that they were dubbed the All blacks by the local media.


MOSAIC

DEPrESSION and anxiety issues affect over a third of current professional

footballers, according to a study published by world players’ union FIFPro last week.

the research, led by FIFPro’s chief Medical Officer Dr Vincent

Gouttebarge, found that 38 per cent of the 607 current players

sampled and 35 per cent of 219 former players reported symptoms of depression and anxiety in the four

weeks prior to being questioned.the study also produced evidence

of a correlation between serious injury and depression, with players who had sustained three or more such injuries found to be between two and four times more likely to report mental health issues.

the study drew upon data supplied by FIFPro member unions in belgium, chile, Finland, France, Japan, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

ALFArDAN Automobiles, the importer of bMW vehicles in Qatar, last week launched

the sixth generation bMW 7 Series packed with a number of new technologies and design features.

the car is equipped with a host of new bMW connectedDrive driver assistance features including the intuitive touch command: a 7-inch tablet positioned in the rear of the vehicle offering passengers a completely new experience in controlling multiple functions, a unique Gesture control function which offers those inside the vehicle with the option to increase the volume of the radio only by gesturing at the screen, and Sky Lounge which is a panorama glass roof welcoming them to enjoy the day or night sky.

the vehicle’s advanced chassis technology allows users to adjust its set-up to their preferred requirements, and creates an ideal balance between sports performance and comfort.

the new model is armed with two comprehensively-revised

engines: the 6 cylinder

740iLi and 8 cylinder 750iLi xDrive, with the latter accelerating from 0-100kmph in just 4.4sec at 450hp. the 6 cylinder equivalent offers an impressive 326hp.

Alfardan Automobiles General Manager Ihab Allam said, “the launch of the all-new bMW 7 Series in Qatar is a landmark occasion. We’re proud to show our customers the sixth generation of bMW’s flagship model, a car that brings a new meaning to luxury. We believe this’ll be a true game changer in the luxury car market, one that’ll make a big impact in Qatar as the car includes so many industry first features that set it way apart from any competitor models.”

bMW Group Middle East Managing Director Johannes Seibert commented, “the Middle East has long been an important market for the bMW 7 Series. the flagship model is constantly one of the top sellers accounting between 16 to 20 per cent to total sales. the all-new 7 Series brings with it a new meaning to the expression ‘sheer driving pleasure’.”

SPORTMART

HEALTH

Bettering

Depression affects one-third of footballers Quit

smoking!

While smoking is linked to an increased risk of developing diabetes,

this risk appears to drop over the long term once cigarette use stops, a review of evidence suggests.

researchers analysed data on almost 5.9 million people in 88 previous studies examining the connection between smoking, second-hand smoke exposure and diabetes. they estimated that roughly 28 million type 2 diabetes cases worldwide — or about 11.7 per cent of cases in men and 2.4 per cent in women — could be attributed to active smoking.

If they quit, ex-smokers faced an even higher risk of diabetes, but as more years pass without cigarette use their odds of getting the disease gradually diminished, the analysis found.


MOrE than 400 people, many dressed as werewolves, howled at the moon for more than a minute last week to set a

new Guinness World record.the Halloween theme park at Mead Open saw

464 people howl for a minute to break the previous record set by 296 students at the St cloud State University in Minnesota, the US, in 2013.

“the reason we’ve gone for a werewolf howl is because obviously the attraction is called the Howl,” said Matt Heast of Mead Open Farm.

“It was fantastic to listen to nearly 500 people howling in unison. Some of the participants really got into the spirit of the event and came dressed as werewolves.

“It has been an amazing opening night and we look forward to welcoming many more visitors to the Howl between now and Halloween,” added Heast.

Mead Open Farm is well known as a family farm park and runs its popular Freaky Fortnight spooky Halloween daytime event for families during October half term.

Howl of fame, literally!

SPOrtS fans on the Indian subcontinent will be spoilt for choice after Indian Premier

League (IPL) rights holder Multi Screen Media (MSM) and sports broadcaster ESPN announced plans last week to launch new channels and foray into digital market.

ESPN, a Walt Disney unit, exited India in 2012 after a split with rupert Murdoch-owned Star TV, which owns the rights to the cricket-crazy country’s home international matches and domestic tournaments,

excluding the annual IPL twenty20 competition.

As part of the ‘long-term’ deal, Sony corp-owned MSM will rebrand its sports channel KIX as SONY ESPN and the two broadcasters will also launch new channels in the coming months.

In collaboration with MSM, ESPN will start a multisport website and app, which will provide coverage of cricket, football, tennis, NbA and several other sports.

besides broadcasting the popular IPL and NbA, MSM also holds rights for the ongoing rugby World cup, next year’s European Football championship, ’17 FIFA Under-17 World cup to be held in India, and football leagues such as the Spanish La Liga and Italian Serie A, and English FA cup as well as Australian Open tennis.

MEDIA

OFFBEAT

ESPN to foray into digital marketCAMEOKaspersky Lab renews Ferrari deal

Tissot ticks onwith NBA

Emirates stays with Hamburg

Huajin backs WTAElite Trophy

Claro supportsRio Open

the NbA recently signed a deal with tissot, which sees the Swiss watch brand become the American basketball league’s Official timekeeper. the six-year pact, reported to be worth in excess of $200m, also includes the Women’s National basketball Association and NbA Development League, will begin at the start of 2016-17 season. As part of the package, tissot will deliver a new ‘state-of-the-art integrated timing system,’ including branded shot clocks.

Dubai-based airline Emirates announced an extension to its sponsorship with the Hamburg football club for another three years. the new agreement, reported to be worth €7.5m per season, will run until at least the end of the 2018-19 season.

Shanghai-based Huajin Securities signed up as title sponsor of the inaugural WtA Elite trophy, to be held in Zhuhai, china, from November 3 to 9.

South American telecom brand claro, a subsidiary of Mexico-owned telecommunications group America Movil, announced the

renewal of its title

sponsorship of South America’s biggest tennis event,

the rio Open.

cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab agreed a five-year extension of their agreement with Scuderia Ferrari Formula One racing team. the Moscow-based firm will continue to provide security services for the team until at least 2021. According to the deal thought to be worth more than $2m per year, Kaspersky Lab will continue to enjoy branding on the nose of Ferrari cars as well as on drivers’ helmets, overalls and team uniforms.

LIFESTYLEDangers of weight-loss surgery ObESE people may be more

likely to harm themselves or attempt suicide after

weight-loss surgery, a canadian study suggests.

researchers followed about 8,800 patients for three years before and after they had surgery to lose weight. Most of them had a common type of bariatric surgery known as gastric bypass, which helps them shed excess pounds by reducing stomach capacity from about three pints to the size of a shot glass.

During the first three years

after surgery, 111 patients, which comes to roughly one per cent of people in the study, received emergency care for self-inflicted injuries. While small, the risk of these emergencies was 54 per cent higher after surgery than it was before.

Most of these incidents of self-inflicted harm happened one to three years after bariatric surgeries, suggesting that patients may need more long-term behavioural healthcare, said Dr Amir Ghaferi, author of an editorial accompanying the study

in JAMA Surgery.“this study shouldn’t dissuade

patients with mental health problems from seeking bariatric surgery, but it should encourage healthcare providers to target them for improved follow-up care,” said Ghaferi, a bariatric surgery specialist at the University of Michigan and Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Healthcare System.

— Courtesy CSM Sport & Entertainmentwww.csm.com

@FastTrack_ME

1905 All Blacks jersey fetches

£180,000

A shirt worn by New Zealand rugby captain Dave Gallaher during a test against Wales in 1905 was sold for £180,000 last week. the shirt, which had been expected to fetch £20,000 to £40,000, went under the hammer at the roger Jones & co saleroom in cardiff and was sold to a britain-based bidder, the BBC reported. the ’05 ‘Originals’ tour was the first outside Australasia by a New Zealand team and it was while in britain that they were dubbed the All blacks by the local media.


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YOUR PAGE

Basketball federation, Qatar Foundation in deal

It is your turn now. tell us about sports events in your neighbourhood, send us photographs too and get them published in DSP. Our e-mail is [email protected]

The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) reached a co-operation agreement with Qatar Foundation (QF) last week for the game’s development at the grass-roots-level. The two entities will also work together to build a pool of players in various age groups. “The QBF is keen to identify young talent and develop them in the future. The Qatar Foundation is a great place to start. Our coaches are already working there and this

agreement will further strengthen the bond,” said QBF General Secretary Mohammed Ali Al Hobash.QBF President Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Executive Director Saadoun Al Kuwari and QF’s Acting Community Services Manager Faisal Al Dossari were also present at the signing ceremony.Mohamed Blake sent the details and Gokul the photograph.

The Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) will organise an Open Aquathon competition on October 24 prior to the 2015-16 AZF Aquathon Series.The non-timed competition, open to men and women athletes residing in Qatar, will start at the Hamad Aquatic Centre pool and go around the AZF precinct. Roads will be closed to ensure the participants’ safety.While adults will swim 500M and run a 5km circuit, children in various age categories will swim between 100 and 200M, and run between 1.5 and 3km distances.Entry to the competition is free and registrations can be made until Sunday at http://www.lifeinaspire.qa/Events/Aquathon2015/Aquathon2015.aspx.Mohammed Hassan sent the details and photographs.

The Qatar Racing Club (QRC) will host the Drift Championship on Friday. Between 6pm and 9pm, some of the best drivers from the Middle East will vie for the Drift King Crown at the QRC’s custom-built track in Doha’s Industrial Area.During the competition, participants will get a chance to unleash the full power of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.The QRC recently entered into a formal tie-up with Formula Drift, widely regarded as the top drift series in the world.“Drifting in the GCC has continued to grow and we

now plan to take it to the next level. With Formula Drift’s expertise, fans and competitors can expect the highest level of competition

and excitement,” said QRC CEO Fahad Mohammed Behzad.Abdulrahman Al Kharji sent the details and photographs.

Aspire Zone to host Open Aquathon race

Drift Championship on Friday

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) hosted a two-day FIA medical seminar for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at the Losail International Circuit last week.The seminar, which had both theoretical discourses and practical presentations, was attended by medical personnel from the MENA region.QMMF President Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, FIA

World Rally Championship’s Chief Medical Officer Jean Duby and German Formula One Grand Prix’s Medical Commission Chairman Dr Michael Scholz were among the key speakers.The event also included simulation work on the track, with the highlight being an exercise involving a car going into the nbarrier and a difficult extrication. Neus Ramos sent the details and photographs.

Medical experts meet in Qatar


MIND SQUARE

SUDOKU-494

Solution-493

5 1 3 2 7 9 8 4 6 2 7 4 6 8 3 1 9 5 8 9 6 5 4 1 7 3 2 9 3 8 7 2 6 5 1 4 6 4 7 8 1 5 9 2 3 1 2 5 9 3 4 6 7 8 3 8 2 1 5 7 4 6 9 4 6 1 3 9 8 2 5 7 7 5 9 4 6 2 3 8 1

1 6 5 7 9 8 9 2 3 3 2 6 5 3 9 1 7 6 3 4 6 2 3 9 3 5 1 9

5 1 3 2 7 9 8 4 6 2 7 4 6 8 3 1 9 5 8 9 6 5 4 1 7 3 2 9 3 8 7 2 6 5 1 4 6 4 7 8 1 5 9 2 3 1 2 5 9 3 4 6 7 8 3 8 2 1 5 7 4 6 9 4 6 1 3 9 8 2 5 7 7 5 9 4 6 2 3 8 1

1 6 5 7 9 8 9 2 3 3 2 6 5 3 9 1 7 6 3 4 6 2 3 9 3 5 1 9

Qatar Under-19 team’s form raises hopesthe Qatar Under-19 team topping their Asian championship qualifying group (Doha Stadium Plus, October 7) was a welcome relief mainly because it came after the U-16 side’s failure to reach the final round of continental championship.

the onus was on the U-19 boys to silence the critics as they hadn’t done particularly well after winning the title in Myanmar last year and they responded in style.

It has to be said that roberto Olabe, who took over the team just before the event, did a splendid job.

Hamad Saleh, Doha.

What ails Qatar SC?It’s difficult to fathom the reasons behind Qatar Sports club’s indifferent form (Doha Stadium Plus, October 7).

Iraqi coach radhi Shenaishil had done admirably well last season, helping them finish a creditable fourth in the Qatar Stars League, but they’re struggling to get their act together this time.

radhi needs to find the problems and address them immediately should they stay in the top flight.

Noushad Ibrahim, Doha.

Hosts par excellence the successful organisation of boxing World championships (Doha Stadium Plus, October 7) was yet another feather on Qatar’s cap.

Ours is a small country, but when it comes to hosting international sports events, be it football, boxing, handball, swimming or gymnastics, we’re among the best in the world.

Hashem Abdullah, Doha.

Youngsters to the foreEven though Qatar could manage only a seventh-place finish at the FIbA Asia championship, it was encouraging that young players in the squad did well (Doha Stadium Plus, October 7).

Most of Qatar’s recent impressive results at the regional and continental levels were on the back of top performances by a couple of seasoned campaigners. that’s a worrying trend from the team’s point of view.

but youngsters such as Mohamed Hassan Mohammed and Abdulrahman Mohammed Saad have proved they’ve the talent to take up Qatar’s mantle.

Waleed Hamza, Doha.

P 20 | POSTERALVAROMORATAEXCLUSIVE

INTERVIEW

P 7 | FOOTBALLMission future for Olabe

The FIFA World Cup qualifier against China is the biggest test so far for Uruguayan Daniel Carreno as Qatar coach. PAGES 6-7

Follow us onwww.dohastadiumplusqatar.comWEDNESDAY, OcTObER 7, 2015 | Vol X | No.36 | QR 2.00

P 24 | BOXINGTHE GUARD & GUIDE!Amateur world governing body’s president Dr Ching-Kuo Wu’s energy and determination immensely help the sport improve its profile.

UK ...................................... £1Europe ............................. €2Oman ...............200 BaisasBahrain ..................200 FilsEgypt .............................LE 2Lebanon ..........3,000 LivreKuwait ....................250 FilsMorocco ......................Dh 6

UAE ...............................Dh 5Yemen..................75 RiyalsSudan ...................1 PoundKSA .......................... 2 RiyalsJordan ....................500 FilsIraq .................................... $1Palestine ......................... $1Syria .............................LS 20

P 8 | FOOTBALLON THE PROWL!Winger Moayad Hassan nets the only goal as Al Gharafa make the most of an Al Arabi error in the Qatar Stars League.

Enter the Dragon!

DSP

/Fad

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Sudoku is a number-placing puzzle based on a 9x9 grid with several given numbers.

the object is to place the numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so that each row, each column and each 3x3 box contains the same number only once.

TOP TWEETS

Wayne Hennessey@WayneHennessey1We’ve done it #euros #wales #buzzing

Ben Davies@ben_Davies33What a group of lads this is!! Such a big achievement! #togetherStronger #cymruAmbyth.

simon church@churchy18We did it!!@FAWales great to be part of this special group hope everyone enjoyed their night. #togetherStonger.

Wayne Routledge@WayneroutledgeForget the result tonight, incredible achievement for everyone involved with the Welsh FA! France awaits...Julien Laurens

@LaurensJulienWhat an achievement! Incredible. See you in France Wales!

Robbie Savage@robbieSavage8And let’s not forget the legend Gary speed who put the belief back into our nation.

Iwan Roberts@iwanwrobertsOh my god what a game of ups and downs but I don’t care we’re off to France well done lads.

Rob Phillips@robphillipshereWhat a way to do it! Not exactly according to script but history won’t remember this defeat - Welsh football will never be the same again!

BlancoEdition@blancoEditionthey’ve done it! Wales has qualified to the European championship for the first time in history!

colin murray@colinMurraycongrats Wales! 57 years!! the wait is over!! Enjoy every second! See u on the EuroStar! Allez Allez! “You are going to France!!”

Spencer FC@SpencerOwencongratulations to Wales who will be joining England & Northern Ireland at the Euros next year!!!

David Schneider@davidschneidercongratulations to Wales. Amazing achievement,

especially when you consider it’s a country which is roughly the size of Wales.

Martin Lipton@MartinLiptonForget tonight. Qualifying lasts 10 games. Outstanding achievement by Wales. thrilled for my many pals who suffered the dark days.

SocialRMadrid @SocialrMadrid regardless of the score, Wales have qualified for the Euro for the first time ever! congratulations @Garethbale11!

Gabby Logan @GabbyLoganWell done Wales - incredible campaign from chris coleman and his team. #Wales #EUrO2016

When Wales star Gareth Bale called their 0-2 reversal against Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Euro 2016 qualifiers as the ‘best loss of his life,’ it was not entirely without reason. After all, Israel’s 1-2 loss to Cyprus, in another qualifier, had just ensured Wales a place at the finals in France. It will be Wales’ first appearance at a major competition since the 1958 FIFA World Cup. Understandably, the news put the football-mad nation in a state of euphoria and accolades started pouring in. Twitter exploded with congratulatory messages and here are some of them.


YOUR PAGE

Basketball federation, Qatar Foundation in deal

It is your turn now. tell us about sports events in your neighbourhood, send us photographs too and get them published in DSP. Our e-mail is [email protected]

The Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) reached a co-operation agreement with Qatar Foundation (QF) last week for the game’s development at the grass-roots-level. The two entities will also work together to build a pool of players in various age groups. “The QBF is keen to identify young talent and develop them in the future. The Qatar Foundation is a great place to start. Our coaches are already working there and this

agreement will further strengthen the bond,” said QBF General Secretary Mohammed Ali Al Hobash.QBF President Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Executive Director Saadoun Al Kuwari and QF’s Acting Community Services Manager Faisal Al Dossari were also present at the signing ceremony.Mohamed Blake sent the details and Gokul the photograph.

The Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) will organise an Open Aquathon competition on October 24 prior to the 2015-16 AZF Aquathon Series.The non-timed competition, open to men and women athletes residing in Qatar, will start at the Hamad Aquatic Centre pool and go around the AZF precinct. Roads will be closed to ensure the participants’ safety.While adults will swim 500M and run a 5km circuit, children in various age categories will swim between 100 and 200M, and run between 1.5 and 3km distances.Entry to the competition is free and registrations can be made until Sunday at http://www.lifeinaspire.qa/Events/Aquathon2015/Aquathon2015.aspx.Mohammed Hassan sent the details and photographs.

The Qatar Racing Club (QRC) will host the Drift Championship on Friday. Between 6pm and 9pm, some of the best drivers from the Middle East will vie for the Drift King Crown at the QRC’s custom-built track in Doha’s Industrial Area.During the competition, participants will get a chance to unleash the full power of their cars in a safe and controlled environment.The QRC recently entered into a formal tie-up with Formula Drift, widely regarded as the top drift series in the world.“Drifting in the GCC has continued to grow and we

now plan to take it to the next level. With Formula Drift’s expertise, fans and competitors can expect the highest level of competition

and excitement,” said QRC CEO Fahad Mohammed Behzad.Abdulrahman Al Kharji sent the details and photographs.

Aspire Zone to host Open Aquathon race

Drift Championship on Friday

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) hosted a two-day FIA medical seminar for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region at the Losail International Circuit last week.The seminar, which had both theoretical discourses and practical presentations, was attended by medical personnel from the MENA region.QMMF President Nasser bin Khalifa Al Attiyah, FIA

World Rally Championship’s Chief Medical Officer Jean Duby and German Formula One Grand Prix’s Medical Commission Chairman Dr Michael Scholz were among the key speakers.The event also included simulation work on the track, with the highlight being an exercise involving a car going into the nbarrier and a difficult extrication. Neus Ramos sent the details and photographs.

Medical experts meet in Qatar

Publishers: ASPIRE Printing, Publishing and DistributionP O Box: 24598, Doha, Qatar.

Marketing & advertising: Tel: +974 44138566 e-mail: [email protected]

Distribution: Tel: +974 44138535/36, Fax: +974 44138597e-mail: [email protected]

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