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P 4 | FOOTBALL
IT’S AuSTRALIA VS KOREA
P 26 | GOLF
POISE AND GRACE!
Hosts Australia and East Asian heavyweights
South Korea defeat UAE and Iraq respectively in
the last four to set up the Asian Cup title clash.
South African Branden Grace stays all focused
and produces a moment of magic to win the
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters title.
WEDNESDAY, JANuARY 28, 2015 | Vol IX | No.52 | QR2.00
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Qatar become only the second Asian team,
since South Korea in 1997, to book
a quarterfinal berth at the Handball
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www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
OPINION
» The writer can be contacted at:
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Dr Ahmed Al Mohannadi
[email protected]
Kumar Ravi
Senior Editor/Writer
Aswin Abraham
Senior Sports Writer
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IOC needs to offer alternate
window for Olympic Games
Q
ATAr Olympic Committee Secretary General
Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani last
Monday dropped enough hints to believe that
Doha may make yet another bid to host the Summer
Olympic Games.
Talking to journalists on the sidelines of the Handball
World Championship, he said hosting the Olympics
was just a ‘small’ part of our nation’s massive future
sports development plan. He said it wasn’t a matter
of wanting to bid for it or not, but it was a question
of whether to bid for the 2024 Games or for a later
edition.
Of course, having lost out twice in the bidding
race (for ’16 and ’20 Games), we’ve to make sure that
the next time we bid, we should be able to clinch it.
As per the International Olympic Committee (IOC)
communique, bidding cities have time till September
15 this year to submit their candidacies.
It may be recalled that the IOC had recently approved
a wide-ranging reform package, including a more
affordable bidding process for the Games. It has also
offered the option of holding some events outside the
host city or country, leaving the door open for joint bids.
It goes without saying that hosting the Olympics is
hugely expensive, running into billions of dollars, and
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several cities, who had expressed initial interests, have
withdrawn later. The reforms have been introduced
mainly to reduce the cost.
Fortunately, money isn’t a big issue for us, but what
went against us in the previous attempts was the
timing. The traditional window for the Summer Games
is July-August and let’s be realistic that we just can’t
organise it then because of the summer heat.
FIFA, in all likelihood, is set to allow Qatar to host the
’22 World Cup during winter. If the IOC is sincere and
serious to take the Games to new territories and uphold
Olympic values and ideals, then it should give some
concession to Doha and allow it to organise it during
winter.
unless we get a guarantee that this’ll be favourably
considered, I don’t think we should bid simply for the
sake of it. The Games will’ve to come to the Middle East
one day or the other. And I don’t see a better candidate
than Doha to host it.
Dr Ahmed Al Mohannadi
Editor-in-Chief
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INSIDE
P 10 | FOOTBALL
P 28 | CYCLING
P 33 | BOXING
Get ready for
Challenge 22!
Wild is firm favourite again
Khan to fight
Pacquiao?
The Supreme Committee for
Delivery and Legacy launches
Challenge 22, an award aimed
to inspire, challenge and unite
the region’s brightest minds.
Kirsten Wild starts as the favourite at the Ladies
Tour of Qatar as she looks to become the first
rider to win a hat-trick of titles in Doha.
P 29 | MOTORSPORT
P 31 | TENNIS
Schmid shines at
Porsche GT3 Cup
Azarenka happy
despite defeat
Clemens Schmid wins both races
in the third round of the Porsche
GT3 Cup Middle East Challenge
at the Losail International Circuit.
Two-time champion Victoria
Azarenka, who crashed out of
the Australian Open, is happy
that her comeback from injury
and depression has gone so well.
British welterweight boxer
Amir Khan reveals a fight
against the Philippines’
Manny Pacquiao could be on
the cards after a meeting with
his former sparring partner.
4
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
FOOTBALL
BATTLE ASIA!
NUMBERS AND HISTORY WILL COUNT FOR NOTHING
WHEN HOSTS AUSTRALIA TAKE ON EAST ASIAN
HEAVYWEIGHTS SOUTH KOREA IN THE BATTLE ROYALE,
WRITES SAJITH B WARRIER FROM SYDNEY.
H
ŢŢAustralia hope
Tim Cahill will fire
on all cylinders.
AS the time finally come for
South Korea to break their
55-year title jinx? Or is it
Australia’s chance to make the big
breakthrough? That is the question
going through the minds of pundits
and fans as the tournament reaches
its climax.
South Korea and Australia, who
both cantered to victories by an
identical 2-0 margin over Iraq
and the uAE respectively in the
semifinals, have a lot at stake in
Saturday’s title clash at the Stadium
Australia in Sydney.
Both sides have met 32 times
previously, but never before in a
cup final. In terms of numbers, the
Taeguk Warriors have an edge over
the Socceroos. They have won 12
of their meetings, which include
a 1-0 result in the group
stage at Brisbane.
Australia have had
the last laugh 11
times while nine
matches have
ended in draws.
But numbers
and history
count
for nothing in football as it all boils
down to the 90 minutes, or more if
needed, of action on the field.
Four years ago at the Khalifa
International Stadium in Qatar,
Australia were felled by the
brilliance of Tadanari Lee, who
fired a long-ranger in extra time for
Japan’s record fourth title.
Australia, who are playing in
only their third Asian Cup and their
second final in a row, will be keen to
make amends this time in front of
NO HOST NATION HAS
WON THE TOURNAMENT
SINCE JAPAN CLAIMED
THEIR FIRST TITLE IN 1992.
vociferous home fans.
Much is expected from the likes
of veteran Tim Cahill, skipper Mile
Jedinak and robbie Kruse while
South Korea will rely heavily on the
brilliance of Ki Sung-Yeung, Lee
Jeong and Son Heung-Min.
At the beginning of the
tournament, South Korea’s German
coach uli Steilike had spoken
about the need to come out of
the defensive rut and the players
responded in style.
reaching their first final
since 1988, the Koreans
have impressed so far
and remains the
only unbeaten
team in the tournament.
In the semifinal against Iraq in
Sydney, they looked comfortable,
with Lee and Kim Young-Gwon
finding their names on the
scoresheet.
Australia, who were helped
by goals from defenders Trent
Sainsbury and Jason Davidson in
their last-four win over the uAE in
the lashing rain in Newcastle, will
surely be egged on by a capacity
crowd in Sydney.
No host nation has won the
tournament since Japan claimed
their first title in 1992. Now Australia
look to seal their first continental
triumph in their third attempt.
Their coach Ange Postecoglou is
known to be a master tactician. The
Australian preferred to rest some
of his key players in the group tie
against South Korea which they lost
by a single goal.
But that does not count much
as it has come down to the last
stop. Who will have the final
hurrah? South Korea, the once
most powerful force in Asian
football but have not won the
tournament in more than five
decades, or Australia, the new face
of Asia, who want to stamp their
authority?
šŢSon Heung-Min
is expected to shine
for South Korea.
SOUTH KOREA VS
AUSTRALIA
FIFA RANKING
South Korea
Australia
69
100
ASIAN RANKING
South Korea
Australia
3
10
BEST PERFORMANCE IN ASIAN CUP
South Korea
Australia
Champions 1956, ’60
runners-up 2011
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Matches
32
South Korea won
12
Australia won
11
Drawn
9
RESULTS
SEMIFINALS
Australia bt uAE
2-0
South Korea bt Iraq
2-0
QUARTERFINALS
South Korea bt uzbekistan
2-0
(0-0 after regular time, Korea win 2-0 in
extra time)
Australia bt China
2-0
Iraq bt Iran
7-6
(3-3 after extra time, Iraq win in
sudden death)
uAE bt Japan
5-4
(1-1 after extra time, uAE win in tie-breaker)
FIXTURES
Kick-off in Doha time.
THIRD-PLACE PLAY-OFF
FRIDAY,
Iraq vs uAE
JANUARY 30 Newcastle Stadium, 12noon.
FINAL
Australia vs South Korea
SATURDAY,
Stadium Australia, Sydney,
JANUARY 31
12noon.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
5
We’ve been very good: Postecoglou
C
OACH Ange Postecoglou
wants Australia to be fully
focused on the job as they
aim to go one better than what
they achieved four years ago.
“It’s a massive game. We reached
the final four years ago which was
great for our nation. We’ve been in
Asia for a while now and haven’t
won anything major. This final
gives us an opportunity to achieve
something,” said Postecoglou, after
his team’s 2-0 win over the uAE in
the semifinal in Newcastle.
South Korea have maintained
a clean slate throughout the
tournament winning all five games
while Australia’s only reversal came
against them in the group stage,
in a match where they preferred to
rest key players.
“We’ve to score. We didn’t score
last time despite having a number
of opportunities to do it. But we
had a different line-up that day.
There certainly wasn’t anything
negative coming out of it from our
perspective.
“I think we’ve been very good
the whole tournament. There
haven’t been too many periods in
any games where I’ve felt we’ve
been dominated, so for the most
part we’ve been pretty solid. The
players have got real belief now
and they’re getting the rewards.
So hopefully that means they
keep progressing and challenging
themselves to be better,”
Postecoglou added.
Ange
Postecoglou
AFC dismisses Iran’s complaint against Alaa
There was high drama off the field after the
quarterfinal between Iran and Iraq.
Iran, who had lost to Iraq on penalties in the
quarterfinal, lodged a complaint with the Asian
Football Confederation (AFC) asking it to strip their
arch-rivals of victory for fielding Alaa Abdulzahra, a
player who failed a dope test while playing for Iranian
club Tractor Sazi.
Alaa, who has played for Qatari clubs including Al
Khor and Al Kharaitiyat, is currently plying his trade
with native side Al Shorta.
Iraq spearhead Younis
rolls back the years
Koreans urged to go
a big step forward
S
OuTH Korea had beaten Australia in the group
phase, but that does not count for much, says
coach Uli Stielike.
The Taeguk Warriors entered their first Asian
Cup final in 27 years with a 2-0 win over Iraq and
Stielike is well aware of the fact that Australia will
be much more stronger in the final.
In their last Group D tie, Australia were depleted
without injured skipper Mile Jedinak while
Tim Cahill, Mathew Leckie and robbie Kruse
came off as second-half substitutes.
“We’re realistic that in the first game, we
didn’t play the best Australian team,” said
Stielike, who added that the victory against
Socceroos, even though it was against an
under-strength team, was very important for his
side.
“For us in this tournament, we had two important
games,” Stielike said. “The first was against
Australia, who I believe are the strongest team in
the tournament. By beating Australia, we became
the group toppers. That gave us the advantage of
having one more day before the final. The second
big win was against Iraq.”
South Korea, who won the inaugural Asian Cup in
1956, added one more title to their kitty four years
later. However, since then, they have failed to add to
their tally. The closest they came was when they lost
3-4 to Saudi Arabia on penalties in the ’88 edition
in Qatar.
Stielike said there was a lot of work to be done in
Korean football.
“When we came to Australia, South Korea were
third in Asia,” said the German World Cupper.
“When we embarked on our long journey, I said
we wanted to be back with a better result. We’ll try
to get this cup, no doubt about it, but the team did
what they’ve to do. Now, they’ve to go one big step
forward.”
Hoping to get the quarterfinal result overturned,
Team Melli had even cancelled their original departure
plans and set up camp at a hotel in Terrey Hills in
Sydney.
However, the AFC dismissed the case 24 hours
before Iraq’s semifinal against South Korea.
“The Disciplinary Committee heard the evidence
from two officials of the Iran Football Federation,
deliberated the matter based on its merits, and
decided that the protest was unfounded. The protest
therefore stands dismissed,” an AFC statement read.
O
Younis
Mahmoud
NE of the most important
factors behind Iraq’s
impressive run in
the tournament is the
re-emergence of Younis
Mahmoud.
Though Iraq lost
to South Korea 0-2
in the semifinal,
they had
given a great
account of
themselves
Down under
and Younis played an important
role in that.
Out of favour with former coach
Zico, the veteran striker had fallen
from the lofty standards which saw
him score the winning goal for the
war-torn nation when they claimed
their maiden Asian Cup title in 2007.
The 31-year-old was without a
club since prematurely ending his
contract with Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli
last September.
It was a big gamble by new Iraqi
coach radhi Shenaishil to bring
Younis back to the team and give
him the captain’s armband.
Younis vindicated the faith radhi
had in him with a string of consistent
performances, including in their
thrilling victory over
arch-rivals Iran in the quarterfinal.
“My team has many young players
in it and for most of them, this was a
big tournament. This Iraqi team has
great potential and we look forward
to the future with these new players,”
said Younis, who is providing the
much-needed experience to a young
side.
The confidence radhi had in the
veteran striker can be gauged from
the manner in which he assigned
Younis to take a kick in the tiebreaker against Iran, despite him
having missed a penalty against
Palestine in the group stage.
The way Younis steered the team
YOUNIS VINDICATED
THE COACH’S FAITH IN
HIM WITH CONSISTENT
PERFORMANCES.
in the quarterfinal, where tempers
frayed both on and off the field,
speaks volumes about his character.
radhi spoke about the value that
Younis brings to the team.
“We’ve a young squad and we
need a leader. He’s the type of player
who opponents hate to play against
and team-mates love to play with,”
said radhi.
“There were talks in the media
about whether he should play or not,
but I don’t listen to it. As a coach, I
see what the player produces during
training time and on the field. I wish
him all the best; he’s a star and very
important player for Iraq.”
6
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
FOOTBALL
Omar shines
brightest
Sajith B Warrier
O
MAr Abdulrahman was the
brightest star as the uAE
gatecrashed Japan’s party at
the Stadium Australia in Sydney last
week.
The quarterfinal between holders
Japan and the uAE pitted two of the
biggest playmakers of the Asian Cup
against each other. Keisuke Honda
had scored in all of Japan’s group
matches while Omar was also in
terrific form, winning the
man-of-the-match award in their
2-1 win over Bahrain that sealed
the uAE’s quarterfinal berth. He also
played an instrumental role in the
team’s 4-1 victory over Qatar in the
first group match.
However, as Honda missed the
target in the shoot-out, Omar, who
has grown in stature since the
start of the tournament, did his
reputation no harm by converting
his kick.
Omar, who is playing in an
advanced role in the midfield, has
been at the centre of all uAE attacks
and was a contender for the Player
of the Tournament award.
The Al Ain winger is difficult to
stop when in full flow as Qatar,
Bahrain and Japan found out.
Predominantly a left-footed player,
Omar mostly operates on the right
wing.
“I always try to do my best.
Then the results will take care of
themselves,” said Omar, who has
been the toast of international
media and local fans ever since he
arrived Down under.
The 23-year-old had received an
offer from current English Premier
League champions Manchester City
18 months ago, though the move
did not materialise as he did not get
the work permit.
The rumour mill is strong that he
is still very much on the radar of top
clubs like Liverpool and Galatasaray.
However, Omar remained
tight-lipped about the big leap
abroad.
“At the moment, I’m
concentrating on this tournament
only. There’ll be another time to
discuss such things, not now,” he
said.
With him becoming a hugely
popular figure in Australia, thanks to
his distinctive Afro hairstyle as well
as exceptional ability with the ball,
Australian media could not help
asking the inevitable question as to
whether he would make a plunge
into the A-League.
Looking at coach Mahdi Ali, who
was sitting beside him at the
DESPITE ALL THE
ADULATION HE HAS BEEN
RECEIVING, HE REMAINS
PRETTY GROUNDED.
post-match Press conference, Omar
came up with a funny reply.
“We follow coach Mahdi’s orders,”
he said, laughing. “If he wants me to
play here, I won’t say no,” said Omar.
Making his mark at the 2012
London Games, Omar’s stock rose
during the uAE’s victorious ’13 Gulf
Cup triumph in Bahrain, where
he was adjudged the Player of the
Tournament.
In Australia, Omar struck a good
rhythm with strikers Ali Mabkhout
and Ahmed Khalil. Against Bahrain,
Omar set up Ali just 14 seconds into
the match to score one of the best
goals in the tournament.
“I’m very close to Ali. He’s one
of those top strikers I like working
together. Me, Ali and Ahmed have
been playing alongside each other
for a long time. We played together
from the youth team level. So we
know each other very well. Not just
Ali and Ahmed, the whole
team is like a family. We’re
all very close to each
other on and off the
pitch,” added Omar.
If Omar were to join a
European club in the near
future, that would certainly
add a lot of marketing value as
well.
But at the moment, the classy
player is content to be the shining
star of Middle East football.
How important Omar is to the
uAE’s scheme of things can be
gauged from the fact that despite
injuring his ankle in their Gulf Cup
semifinal defeat to Saudi Arabia in
November, coach Mahdi persisted
with him in the Asian Cup.
Omar reposed the faith
Mahdi had in him with
stellar performances
against Qatar and
Bahrain.
Even in the match
against Iran to decide
the group toppers,
Omar showed his
flashes of brilliance
with a solo run into
the box that needed
four opposition
defenders to check
him.
The sight of
Australian boys
queuing up to get
his autographs
was an indication
of how much Omar
is popular Down
under. But one good
thing about him is that
despite all the adulation he
has been receiving, he remains
pretty grounded.
“Thanks to God, I’m very happy
for that. This’ll give me more
motivation to do my best,” was all
he would say about his new-found
stardom.
WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT OMAR
“Omar (Abdulrahman) is a top-class
player. I’m sure leading European
teams are eyeing him.
“He’s incredible. He keeps the ball
on a string and is always in control.
He’s technically sound too.
Javier Aguirre, Japan coach.
Alex Brosque, ex-Australia international.
Omar
Abdulrahman
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
7
We were complacent at start
of the game, says Aguirre
AFP/Craig Golding
H
ššJapan’s Shinji Kagawa reacts after his team’s defeat against the uAE in the quarterfinal.
OLDErS Japan’s campaign,
which started under a cloud
over coach Javier Aguirre’s
reported involvement in a
match-fixing scandal, came to
a grinding halt following the
shock defeat to the uAE in the
quarterfinal.
Aguirre, who replaced Alberto
Zaccheroni after Japan’s dismal
campaign at the World Cup,
where they failed to go past the
group stage, was under immense
pressure on and off the field and it
looked as though it had rubbed on
to the players.
The Mexican was among the
41 people named by Spain’s
anti-corruption prosecutor, who
filed a case in a Valencia court in
December following a probe into
real Zaragoza’s 2-1 win at Levante
UAE favourites to host 2019 edition
T
HE uAE’s sports ambitions
will get another major
facelift if the country gets a
chance to host the tournament’s
next edition in 2019.
The uAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia
and Thailand are the countries
who have submitted
the final bids for Asia’s
premier competition.
Initially, 11
countries had
expressed their
interests to host
the event, but
when the
deadline
for bid
presentations
concluded in
May, ’14, only
four were left in
the fray.
Australia was the sole bidder for
the ’15 event and it was expected
that a final decision on the ’19
host nation would be made at the
AFC Congress held in Melbourne
prior to the start of the ongoing
edition. But it was put off and is
now expected to be made by the
middle of this year.
A major change for the 17th
THE PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
OF HOSTING SUCH EVENTS
WILL TILT THE SCALE IN
THEIR FAVOUR.
edition of the tournament includes
expansion of teams from the
current 16 to 24. uAE Football
Association chief Yousuf Al Serkal
believes his country, which
previously hosted the event in
1996, can deliver a standout
tournament.
“I believe we’ve put together
a really good file, meeting all
requirements. In the end, it’s
going to be a fair competition
between all bidding member
associations. But we’re hoping
to get the nod in the
end since we’ve good
infrastructure,
experience
and ability
to host
such
events,”
Al Serkal was quoted as saying in
the uAE media recently.
The proposed venues for
the tournament includes the
Mohammad bin Zayed Stadium
and Zayed Sports City in Abu
Dhabi, the Hazza bin Zayed and
Khalifa bin Zayed stadiums in
Al Ain, the cricket stadium in
Dubai Sports City and a new
60,000-capacity stadium, which
will be ready by ’18.
Since the ’96 Asian Cup, the uAE
have played host to four more FIFA
events — the Youth World Cup
in ’03, the ’09 and ’10 Club World
Cups, and more recently the
under 17 World Cup in ’13.
Al Serkal believes the previous
experience of hosting such events
will tilt the scale in their favour.
“Our chances are high. FIFA and
the AFC have seen how efficient
we’re in hosting such big events
and we are now hoping to get the
’19 Asian Cup as well,” Al Serkal
added.
Iran, which previously
hosted the event in ’68 and
’76, is the main challenger
to the uAE. Tehran has two
stadiums — Azadi and Takhti.
The West Asian nation had
presented an unsuccessful
bid to host the ’11 edition,
but it lost out to Qatar.
Saudi Arabia are bidding for the
first time while Thailand hosted
the ’72 edition and was a co-host
along with Malaysia, Vietnam and
Indonesia in ’07.
on the final day of the 2010-11
campaign.
Aguirre attributed his team’s
failure to the luck factor in penalties.
“In the end, it went to penalties
and that’s a 50 per cent probability of
success. We were complacent at the
BOTH KEISUKE HONDA
AND SHINJI KAGAWA
MISSED THE TARGET
IN THE SHOOT-OUT.
start of the game and that’s why we
conceded an early goal and we had
to fight to score because of that until
the last minute,” said Aguirre.
Four-time champions Japan
are bowing out before reaching
the semifinal stage of the Asian
Cup for the first time since 1996,
when they lost to Kuwait in the
quarterfinal played in Al Ain.
Aguirre was all praise for the
opponents.
“The uAE played the match of
their lives,” he added.
Keisuke Honda, who was in good
form in the group stage, did get
a few scoring opportunities, but
failed to finish.
Both Honda and Shinji Kagawa
missed the target in the shootout and Aguirre will now be under
even more pressure.
But for the time being, he can
breathe easy as the Japan Football
Association has reposed its faith in
him.
» The writer can be contacted at:
[email protected]
Mahdi all praise for
team’s resilience
T
HE uAE coach Mahdi Ali believes his team’s
upset win over Japan will boost the morale
of the players, even though they lost to hosts
Australia in the semifinal.
The uAE beat Japan 5-4 on penalties after the
teams were level at 1-1 at the end of regulation
and extra time.
The uAE took the lead in the seventh minute
through Ali Mabkhout before second-half
substitute Gaku Shibasaki drew level for the
champions in the 80th, taking the game to extra
time and shoot-out.
Ismail Ahmed converted the winning penalty for
the uAE after Japanese stars Keisuke Honda and
Shinji Kagawa failed to find the target.
“We played a fantastic game. Winning against
Japan is a great thing and that’ll give my players
more confidence in future tournaments,” said
Mahdi after his team surprised the Samurai Blue at
the Stadium Australia in Sydney.
The uAE were making it to the semifinal for
the first time since the 1996 edition at home
and Mahdi praised his team’s resilience.
“I keep telling my players that we don’t
always have to play very nice football to win.
Sometimes you’ve to play with your heart
and spirit as we showed in the game
against Japan,” he added.
Mahdi singled out star winger
Omar Abdulrahman as a player for
the future.
“Of course for us, it would
be very good to see one of our
players playing in Europe. Omar
has a good future, he’s a talented
player and we hope to see him in
Europe very soon.”
8
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
FOOTBALL
Shaikh Salman is
genuinely excited
ŠŠChinese players
acknowledge
the cheers from
fans after their
quarterfinal match
against Australia.
A
STuNNING group stage, where all 24
matches yielded results without a single
draw. Edge-of-the-seat knockout fixtures
and it does not get bigger than this.
Tournament organisers are happy with the way
it has thrilled fans all over the world.
“I’m genuinely excited by the level of
enthusiasm that’s being displayed all around
the competition. I’ve been to all the stadiums
and I, like so many fans, have had a thoroughly
enjoyable experience,” said Asian Football
Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman
bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa. “These teams have
represented Asia proudly, playing some of the
best football the tournament has
ever seen. I can only wish them
good luck and may the best
team win.”
The AFC chief lauded
the fans for their rousing
support, stating he was
proud to witness such
multicultural crowds at
the stadiums.
“The spectators really
stand out in most matches. The
numbers speak for themselves and
the atmosphere inside the stadiums have been
amazing. We want to give fans a memorable
experience and I’m confident we’ve been doing
just that,” he said.
The Bahraini dwelled further about the
positives of the tournament.
“The game has been really entertaining.
There’ve been 61 goals in the first 24 matches,
which is an average of more than 2.5 goals per
game and we’ve achieved an amazing feat of 24
games without a draw in a major tournament,
beating the previous record of 18 set at the 1930
inaugural FIFA World Cup in uruguay.
“There were competitive matches played in a
really good spirit and at the same time there’ve
been some outstanding goals as well. So overall
the football has been beyond expectation, which
is excellent,” he said.
Though some of the refereeing decisions
during the course of the tournament came in for
sharp criticism, with players like Japan’s Keisuke
Honda openly expressing their angst, Shaikh
Salman reiterated his faith in the match officials.
“I’ve complete trust in the referees’ ability.
I hope they would continue their positive
contributions to the tournament, something
which would greatly help further enhance the
reputation of referees in Asia,” Shaikh Salman
said.
He added that the bidding for the ’19
edition, with the uAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia
and Thailand in the fray, is a tight race.
“Of course the decision isn’t in
my hands as there’s an Executive
Committee that’s responsible for
studying all the bids. We’ll leave it to
those people responsible for it. It’s a
tight race and the final decision will
be announced in the middle of the
year.”
Positives galore
for Perrin & Co
Sajith B Warrier
C
HINA, who made it to the
Asian Cup as the best
third-placed team in the
qualifiers, were impressive during
the group stage, before losing to
Australia in the quarterfinal.
And the man who is credited with
their success is Alain Perrin, who
took over the reins last February. The
Frenchman’s first task was to instil a
winning mentality in the team.
Though Perrin did not exactly
trigger a Chinese revolution, there
are plenty of positives for him
and his boys to take from their
performances Down under.
It was for the first time since 2004,
Alain
Perrin
when they hosted the tournament,
that China made it to the last-eight
phase. They finished as runners-up
to Japan that year, their best-ever
performance in the event.
“Honestly saying, I think our team
wasn’t the best in this tournament,”
Perrin admitted.
“But we still put up a good
fight and challenged each and
every opponent. This is the top
tournament in Asia and we did our
best. If we keep it up like this, I think
in the future we’ll do well,” he said.
China, who edged Lebanon on
goal difference to qualify for the
tournament, stunned Saudi Arabia
WE BEAT A STRONG TEAM
LIKE UZBEKISTAN WHO’RE
NOW THE FOURTH-BEST
SIDE IN ASIA.
1-0 in the opening encounter and
followed it up with 2-1 victories over
’11 semifinalists uzbekistan and
North Korea to top Group B.
However, in the quarterfinals, the
rampaging Socceroos, who rode on
a brilliant display by veteran Tim
Cahill, were too good for them.
“My players are very disappointed.
We had high hopes here. After we
finished the group stage, we had to
rethink how we play. I’ve a variety of
tactics for different opponents,
and I pick the fittest players
and the ones who want to
fight,” said Perrin.
“I don’t think defence
was the problem. The
problem was that we
couldn’t find a way to
equalise and play the
opposition once they
scored first. Australia
played well and we
did our best,” he added.
Perrin, the first
Frenchman to coach China,
does not have not much
time to recoup as the ’18 World Cup
Asian qualification is his next target.
Much of Perrin’s success has come
in Europe, especially in his home
country. He won the French Cup with
Sochaux in ’06 before moving to
Lyon, where he helped them annex
the league and cup double.
He has plenty of Asian experience
as well. He was in Qatar from ’10 to
’13, coaching three different clubs —
Al Khor, Al Gharafa and umm Salal
— apart from being in charge of the
country’s Olympic team for a while.
“The pressure in Asia is much
similar to the one when I won the
French Cup with Lyon and Sochaux.
It’s a pleasure to work with this
Chinese team. The players are very
disciplined and always willing to
learn. We believe in ourselves and
have the spirit to fight it out till the
end,” Perrin said.
Perrin, who started his career as
an assistant to current Arsenal boss
Arsene Wenger at AS Nancy, spoke
about his coaching philosophies.
“As professionals, we must always
be ready to face challenges. Players
should know their responsibilities
well. Football is a team game of
course, but individual development
is equally important,” he said.
Despite oodles of talent, China
have been the perennial
under-achievers in international
football. They are currently
languishing 96th in FIFA rankings
and have qualified for the World Cup
only once, in ’02, where they failed
to advance past the group stage.
Perrin believes there is plenty of
scope for improvement.
“The Asian Cup was a chance to
reassess the team’s strengths and
weakness. We beat a strong team
like uzbekistan who’re now the
fourth best side in Asia in terms of
rankings. In the past, Chinese players
use to buckle under pressure.
“The experience gained at the
Asian Cup will help with our World
Cup qualification,” he added.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
Record TV rating for
China-Australia match
REUTERS/Edgar Su
of predictions.
Even during the group stage, China
experienced its highest audience for
live sports since Li Na reached the
Australian Open tennis final in 2013.
Meanwhile, the tournament’s
reach in social media tools, like
Facebook and Twitter, is showing a
significant increase.
The official Twitter hashtag
#AC2015 has been used more than
1.82 billion times, making it one of
the most talked about Asian football
events in history.
Video plays on YouTube have
clocked more than 3.3 million, with
over five million minutes watched.
Followers on Facebook have
grown by 73 per cent and, in sync
with all these, there has been an
outstanding turnout of fans at the
stadiums.
ššAustralia’s Mathew Leckie vies with China’s Cai Huikang.
Checked in!
One of Australia’s favourite
footballers Alessandro Del Piero,
an official brand ambassadors of
the event, has been missing right
from the start. The Local Organising
Committee was keen on having his
presence at the Opening Ceremony or at
least in the opening week of the tournament, but
Del Piero was busy at the Ballon d’Or in Zurich. The
Italian legend, who played for Delhi Dynamos FC
in the Indian Super League, finally made the trip
Down under, and was seen talking to fans and
clicking selfies with them.
One Goal,
one noble
goal!
As Asia’s top teams battled
it out for top honours on
the pitch, 150 children from
Sydney competed in the
Dream Asia unity Football
Festival in support of One
Goal — a campaign that
uses the sport as a catalyst
to improve the nutritional
status of children in Asia
and Australia.
The three-day festival,
which took place at
the Hockey Centre in
Sydney’s Olympic Park,
combined football, family
entertainment, health
promotion and education.
A main attraction
of the festival was the
One Goal AFC Asian Cup
Legacy Forum held on the
concluding day, which
brought together leading
players, civil society,
government, academics
and food industry
stakeholders to discuss
child malnutrition.
Commenting on the
initiative, Asian Football
Confederation (AFC)
General Secretary Alex
Soosay said, “World Vision
has programmes in the
majority of AFC Member
Associations. We’re excited
to be working together
through One Goal to
help make the right kind
of nutrition a reality for
children in the region.”
S DELINES!
C
HINA’S quarterfinal match
against Australia attracted
the largest TV audience for
a football match in the country in
recent years. A whopping average
audience of 27 million people
watched China’s loss to the hosts on
CCTV-5.
With a crowd of 46,067 inside the
Brisbane Stadium as Australia posted
a 2-0 win, thanks to two goals from
Tim Cahill, the peak viewership
reached 32 million on CCTV-5.
The average audience exceeded
the previous record of 23 million,
which was set for the second leg of
the 2013 AFC Champions League
final between China’s Guangzhou
Evergrande and South Korea’s FC
Seoul.
TV viewing figures for the Asian
Cup group matches are well in excess
Testing
times!
Jordan coach Ray
Wilkins may be a
favourite with the
English media as he has
played for big clubs like
Manchester united and
Chelsea in the past and
had even managed the
Blues. But in Australia,
he had to endure tough
times on and off the
field. First, he had a
bitter fight with the
organisers regarding
the procedure followed
for the doping test
on one of his
players. As if
that was not
Sun is shining bright for China
S
uN KE was instrumental in
China’s progress into the
second round of the Asian
Cup. After missing the Group B
opener against Saudi Arabia due
to a knee injury, Sun came off as
a second-half substitute against
uzbekistan and he scored the
winning goal.
The 25-year-old also netted both
the goals in his team’s 2-1 win over
North Korea and won the
man-of-the-match award in the
process.
“Playing in the Asian Cup is
a great honour. All players tried
their best. Players adjusted quickly
and for me personally, the goals
have certainly made me feel more
confident. I think they’ve also
brought more confidence to the
entire team,” said Sun, who made
his national team debut in March,
2013.
“There’s no way to predict
THE EXPERIENCE OF
PLAYING IN THIS MAJOR
TOURNAMENT WAS
REALLY AWESOME.
the result in this sport. That’s
what makes it interesting and so
enjoyable to watch. We just have to
prepare for any difficulties that we
may run into,” he said.
Alain Perrin has a lot of faith in
Sun and the Frenchman would
9
be expecting more from him,
especially during the 2018 World
Cup qualifiers. In the last two Asian
Cups, China failed to move past
the group stage. Having set that
record straight in Australia,
Sun, who plies his trade with
Jiangsu Sainty club, looks to
the future with full of confidence.
“I think every team has its low
point but now we’ve turned a
corner here. The experience of
playing in this major tournament
was really awesome.
“Personally I’ve learnt a lot given
that this is the first time I’m playing
in such a big event. I’ve improved
mentally and have learnt a lot of
crucial tactics,” added the rising
Sun.
Sun Ke
enough, the security
guards stopped him
from entering a Press
conference room
which he himself was
supposed to address
after he forgot his
accreditation card!
Jordan’s failure to enter
the knockout phase
compounded his woes
further.
Greener
pastures
The Asian Cup in
Australia provides an
opportunity for players
from countries like
Palestine to look out
for an opening in the
A-League. No wonder,
despite their early exit,
players from Palestine
were found desperately
seeking agents to
pursue their A-League
ambitions. Most of
them were hoping to
catch the eye of local
clubs and return to
Australia in the near
future.
10
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
FOOTBALL | QATAR
‘Nov-Dec best suited for ’22 World Cup’
T
HE 2022 World Cup in Qatar
looks increasingly likely to
be played in November and
December to avoid the region’s
summer heat, Asia’s football
supremo said.
Asian Football
Confederation (AFC)
President Shaikh Salman
bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa,
who heads the FIFA
taskforce charged
with investigating
potential dates
for the 2022
World Cup, told
reporters in
Sydney that it also made sense to
avoid a calendar clash with the ’22
Winter Olympics.
“The period best suited for
hosting the ’22 World Cup in Qatar
will be in November and December
because, for sure, it needs to be
played in the winter,” he said on
the sidelines of the Asian Cup in
Australia.
The Bahraini official added that
his working group had decided that
a winter World Cup was in the best
interests of all parties. “The matter
(winter timing) is resolved,” he said.
International Olympic Committee
chief Thomas Bach had expressed
confidence that FIFA boss Sepp
Blatter would ensure the World
Cup did not overlap with the Winter
Games.
FOR SURE, IT NEEDS TO
BE PLAYED IN
THE WINTER. THE
MATTER IS RESOLVED.
Blatter has acknowledged that
the ’22 World Cup could not be
played in its traditional June-July
window due to the summer heat in
the Gulf.
While a winter World Cup now
looks likely, the game’s world
governing body has also been asked
to consider a spring option, on the
urging of European clubs.
Blatter and FIFA Secretary General
Jerome Valcke favour playing the
tournament in November and
December while uEFA boss Michel
Platini would prefer January to
avoid clashing with the Champions
League.
Not only the timing of the
tournament has been difficult —
the bidding process for hosting
rights has also been investigated
over allegations of corruption.
Get ready for Challenge 22!
N Ganesh
T
HE Supreme Committee for
Delivery and Legacy (SCDL)
launched Challenge 22, an
award aimed to inspire, challenge
and unite the region’s brightest
minds.
The award has been instituted
in association with Silatech, an
initiative to create jobs, and the
Qatar National research Fund
(QNrF), an organisation that
supports education.
Challenge 22 is established to
engage the region’s innovators
and provide them with a forum to
explore solutions that could directly
benefit the World Cup in Qatar.
Challenge 22 has sought entries
from within the Gulf Co-operation
Council. They should be solutionbased proposals related to three key
themes that address the challenges
while hosting major events. The
themes are sustainability, event
experience, and sports and health.
Successful applicants will be
provided with a professional mentor
network consisting of research,
academic and business leaders,
who will assist them in giving a
proper shape to their ideas. Winners
will also receive prizes worth
$20,000.
The deadline to submit entries
is March 3, 2015. There will be a
screening phase, with the successful
entries being invited to submit
more comprehensive proposals at a
later date.
Addressing the gathering, which
formed a cross-section of people
in the Middle East, SCDL Secretary
General Hassan Al Thawadi said,
“We’re extremely proud to launch
Challenge 22 and invite people
across the region to think big and
come up with inventive solutions
to the challenges associated with
hosting major events.
“The ’22 FIFA World Cup in Qatar
THE BENEFITS WE’LL SEE
FROM CHALLENGE 22 WILL
GO BEYOND THE WORLD
CUP IN QATAR.
is more than a tournament. It’s an
opportunity for us to build a legacy
that supports the entire region.
By recognising and supporting
emerging talents, we hope to
inspire the next generation of
innovators from the Middle East.
Through this initiative, innovators
can develop practical solutions to
global challenges,” he added.
The organisers will launch
a three-week GCC road show,
including information sessions, to
attract more participation.
SCDL’s Strategic Development
and Assurance Executive Director
Mahmoud Qutub emphasised
Challenge 22’s role in creating a
tangible legacy for the ’22 World
Cup.
“The benefits we’ll see from
Challenge 22 will go beyond the
World Cup in Qatar and prove a
lasting legacy in social, human and
economic developments in Qatar
and the region,” said Mahmoud.
Silatech CEO Dr Tariq Yousef said,
“Challenge 22 will shed light on
some of the extraordinary talents
and outstanding minds of our
region, enhancing innovation and
serving a platform to catalyse future
breakthroughs.”
QNrF Executive Director Dr Abdul
Sattar Al Taei said, “By investing in
cutting-edge research, the QNrF is
enhancing a culture that supports
the Qatar Foundation on its mission
to build the country’s innovation and
technology capacity, and to help it
develop itself into a hub of research
excellence.
“Challenge 22 therefore provides
a tremendous opportunity for
innovators in Qatar and region
to showcase their talents while
contributing solutions to the success
of the region’s first FIFA World Cup,”
he said.
For more information about
Challenge 22 and the application
process, log on to www.222.
challenge.qa.
WHO CAN APPLY
The applicants must be at
least 18 years of age at the
time of application.
Teams must have at least
one member of Arab origin.
Individual applicants must
be of Arab origin.
All individual applications
and members of teams
must be legally resident
in one of the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries
at the time of application.
Future editions of
Challenge 22 will be open
to all Arab countries.
ŠŠHassan Al
Thawadi speaks
at the launch.
THE THEMES
SUSTAINABILITY
Energy-efficient stadiums
Propose solutions to use
space and materials in
an efficient manner that
will complement the
construction work taken by
the Supreme Committee for
Delivery and Legacy.
Using green materials
Propose innovative
solutions that incorporate
green materials into the
design and construction of
stadiums and precincts.
EVENT EXPERIENCE
Making matches accessible
Propose integrated solutions
to make sports facilities
accessible to all fans.
Enhancing fan experiences
Develop interactive solutions
that enhance the overall fan
experience.
SPORTS AND HEALTH
Arabic sports content
Identify practical solutions
that will increase the use
of and accessibility to
sports-related information
in Arabic.
Healthy lifestyles
Propose new solutions that
will result in a healthier
Middle East as the region
prepares for the World Cup.
11
DSP/Mohammed Dabboos
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2015
Everton give
away ‘gift’ to
Sampdoria
Martinez is all praise
for Doha conditions
E
VERTON coach Roberto
Martinez hopes their weeklong winter training camp at
the Aspire Zone in pleasant weather
conditions will help them arrest the
slump and resume their English
Premier League campaign on a
positive note.
Martinez, who had replaced David
Moyes last season, had guided them
to a fifth-place finish, but they have
been a pale shadow of themselves
this time and are currently placed
12th, 29 points adrift of leaders
Chelsea.
Martinez found Doha as an ideal
place to rejuvenate the squad and
said the players’ improvement was
quite visible.
“The welcome we received
from the people of Qatar was
phenomenal and the facilities at the
ASPIRE Academy are terrific,” said
Martinez.
“We’re working in the best
facilities you can imagine and we
can stay outside for hours because
the weather is always what you
want it to be.
“We’ve had a few Everton fans
coming to the training sessions and
that has given us a feeling of home,”
said the 41-year-old.
The Spaniard said the team’s
training in Qatar had been a mix of
high-intensity and tactical-based
sessions.
“It’s important now that we’re
working hard as we’re getting into
the key months of the season,
especially with our Europa League
last-16 tie (against Swiss side Young
Boys) and the league games coming
up.
“Certain groups in the squad
THE WELCOME WE
RECEIVED FROM THE
PEOPLE OF QATAR WAS
PHENOMENAL.
will need more specific work, but
our work has been more of high
intensity. We’re feeling the benefits
of being out there because the
sessions give longer preparation for
the players.
“It’s like a pre-season within a
season and we’ve got a lot of high
intensity into our work, but we aren’t
treating all players the same way.
“Certain players are working more
than others because of the amount
of games they’ve played this season.
The facilities here are second to none
and they’ve really helped towards
our work,” said the former Swansea
and Wigan Athletic manager.
Everton manager Roberto
Martinez had described
Samuel Eto’o as a gift
from footballing Gods, but
the former Cameroonian
international has now left for
Sampdoria after a five-month
spell.
“His finishing is of the
highest calibre, but it’s
important that we give him
the right amount of playing
time. I’m really excited to
see how he’ll adapt in the
second half of the season.
His experience and knowhow
have been important,”
Martinez had said.
But his stint at Everton did
not turn out to be successful
for both parties.
Eto’o, 33, who is a free
agent, had joined Everton
from Chelsea last August
after spending a year at
Stamford Bridge. In the same
month, he announced his
international retirement
after winning 118 caps and
scoring a record 56 goals for
Cameroon.
Eto’o has won four league
titles, seven domestic cups,
a FIFA Club World Cup medal
and three Champions League
trophies, two with Barcelona
and one with Inter Milan.
ššEverton players
train at the Aspire
ground.
Al Ansari new QFA
general secretary
M
ANSOOR Al Ansari is the new general
secretary of the Qatar Football
Association (QFA).
The QFA Executive Committee,
presided over by its chief Sheikh
Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed
Al Thani last week, made the
decision in this regard.
Al Ansari will also carry
out the functions of executive
director of the Qatar national teams.
Meanwhile, Hamad Abdulla Al Kuwari has
been appointed as the director of marketing and
communications, and acting executive director of
operations.
ŠšQatar’s Nasser
Saleh Khalfan tries to
get past a UAE player.
Qatar bow out of
Gulf tournament
Q
ATAR crashed out in the group stage of the
GCC Under-23 tournament in Manama last
week.
In their second Group A game, they played out
a goalless draw with the UAE. Qatar had lost 0-3
to Kuwait in their opener, thus winding up their
campaign with just a single point.
While Kuwait and the UAE progressed to the
semifinal from Group A, Oman and Saudi Arabia
made it to the last four from Group B.
12
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
FOOTBALL | INTERNATIONAL
Shock
& relief!
CHAMPIONS ARSENAL ADVANCE TO THE FIFTH ROUND, BUT OTHER
PREMIERSHIP CLUBS CHELSEA, MANCHESTER CITY AND TOTTENHAM
HOTSPUR STUMBLE IN THE ENGLISH FA CUP, WRITES MICHAEL HAN.
A
rSENAL, Aston Villa and
West Ham united reached
the fifth round of the FA Cup
as calm returned to the competition
last Sunday, ending a weekend,
which reminded spectators that
David can beat Goliath.
While Chelsea and Manchester
City were stunned by Bradford
City 4-2 and Middlesbrough 2-0
respectively and Manchester
united were held 0-0 by fourth tier
Cambridge united, holders Arsenal
beat Championship side (second
tier) Brighton and Hove Albion 3-2,
West Ham overcame League One
(third tier) Bristol City 1-0 and Aston
Villa toppled Championship leaders
Bournemouth 2-1.
Chelsea appeared on course for a
routine win after 38 minutes with
goals from Gary Cahill and ramires.
SOUTHAMPTON SUFFERED
A 2-3 DEFEAT AT THE
HANDS OF CRYSTAL
PALACE.
Bradford, 49 places lower than
Chelsea and with a squad made
up of journeymen and bargain
signings, had other ideas when
Jon Stead beat Petr Cech before
half-time.
Former Chelsea player Filipe
Morais side-footed an equaliser
after the break, before an
improbable script was completed
by Andy Halliday thumping the ball
past Cech with 10 minutes left and
Mark Yeates side-footing a fourth in
stoppage time to send the visiting
fans delirious.
City only arrived back from a
warm-weather training camp in
Abu Dhabi the evening before
taking on Middlesbrough and
looked groggy against fluent
opponents who struck after halftime through Chelsea loan player
Patrick Bamford and Spaniard Kike.
West Bromwich Albion avoided
an upset at Birmingham City,
winning the Midlands derby
2-1, but a poor day for the elite
continued when Bolton Wanderers
drew 0-0 at Liverpool and
Sunderland were held 0-0 at home
by Fulham.
Tottenham lost 0-1 to Leicester
City 1-2 and Southampton suffered
a 2-3 defeat at the hands of
Crystal Palace. Derby County beat
Chesterfield 2-0 while Preston
North End and Sheffield united
drew 1-1.
West Ham united had substitute
Diafra Sakho to thank for sparing
their blushes against League
One Bristol City as the Senegal
international headed Andy Carroll’s
cross home in the 81st minute to
send the Hammers through to the
fifth round.
Aston Villa also secured their
place in the next round, thanks to
their victory over Bournemouth.
Carles Gil, who signed from
Valencia earlier this month, scored
a stunning effort to put Villa in
front on 51 minutes before Andreas
Weimann added a second. Callum
Wilson scored a late consolation for
Bournemouth.
Goals from Theo Walcott, Mesut
Ozil and Tomas rosicky helped
Arsenal conquer an obdurate
Brighton side and remain on course
to defend the trophy they won
last season after going nine years
without silverware.
Arsenal fans would have been
forgiven for feeling a little uneasy
at a trip to the south coast after
watching Premier League rivals
Chelsea and Manchester City fall in
round four.
But their nerves were calmed
just 89 seconds in when
Walcott neatly controlled Calum
Chambers’s cross and fired a shot
past David Stockdale to score his
first goal in over a year after a
lengthy spell on the sidelines with
an ankle problem.
Arsenal continued to pin Brighton
back in their own half and Ozil,
making his first start since October,
doubled the lead.
Brighton gained a lifeline when
Chris O’Grady held off Mathieu
Flamini’s challenge and kept his
composure to strike the ball past
Wojciech Szczesny.
rosicky restored Arsenal’s twogoal advantage with an exquisite
volley from the edge of the box, but
Brighton striker Sam Baldock set up
a nervy finish for the holders when
he delicately clipped the ball over
the oncoming Szczesny.
RESULTS
As of Sunday.
Brighton & Hove Albion lost to Arsenal
Aston Villa bt AFC Bournemouth
Bristol City lost to West Ham
Liverpool drew Bolton Wanderers
Birmingham City lost to West Brom
Cardiff City lost to reading
Chelsea lost to Bradford City
Derby County bt Chesterfield
Man City lost to Middlesbrough
Preston North End drew Sheffield united
Southampton lost to Crystal Palace
Sunderland drew Fulham
Tottenham lost to Leicester City
Blackburn rovers bt Swansea City
Cambridge united drew Man united
2-3
2-1
0-1
0-0
1-2
1-2
2-4
2-0
0-2
1-1
2-3
0-0
1-2
3-1
0-0
TOP 10 FA CUP UPSETS
1972
1973
1984
1988
1989
1992
2003
2013
2015
Hereford united bt
Newcastle united
Sunderland bt Leeds
united
AFC Bournemouth bt
Manchester united
Wimbledon bt Liverpool
Sutton united bt Coventry
Wrexham bt Arsenal
Shrewsbury Town bt
Everton
Wigan Athletic bt
Manchester City
Chelsea lost to Bradford City
Manchester City lost to
Middlesbrough
2-1
1-0
2-0
1-0
2-1
2-1
2-1
1-0
2-4
0-2
Balotelli must
improve in
training:
Rodgers
Out-of-favour Liverpool
striker Mario Balotelli
needs to improve in
training if he wants to get
back into the squad, said
manager Brendan rodgers.
“He knows exactly
what’s required to be
in this squad before he
can be in the team,” said
rodgers.
“I’m judging it every day
in training. Mario is exactly
the same as every other
player, there’s no special
treatment for anyone,” he
added.
Balotelli, who is yet to
score a league goal in
12 appearances since
his £16m move from
AC Milan in August,
was left out of
the squad that
drew 0-0 with
second-tier
Bolton Wanders
at Anfield in the
FA Cup fourth round last
week.
Liverpool started
the game without a
recognised striker on the
pitch, later introducing
forward Fabio Borini while
target man rickie Lambert
remained on the bench.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
şşArsenal’s Tomas
rosicky, second
left, celebrates with
team-mates after
scoring against
Brighton & Hove
Albion.
13
Cambridge to earn
£1m from replay
C
AMBrIDGE united are flush with cash after
securing a lucrative FA Cup fourth-round
replay at Manchester united and will spend
their Old Trafford windfall on new toilets, the
fourth tier club’s chairman said.
The club is set to earn upwards of
£1m from shared gate receipts
and TV revenue from the
replay on February 4.
Cambridge chairman Dave
Doggett said they would use
the money to update the
run-down Abbey Stadium,
which has been their home since 1932.
“Hopefully we can get the stadium done and
start putting in some proper toilets,” said Doggett.
“Some toilets and tea bars and more hospitality.
That’s what we’ll do.”
We played against
the odds: Van Gaal
M
Record sackings on the anvil
M
OrE managers will be
sacked in the English
Premier League (EPL) and
Football League than ever before
if the current trends continue,
according to the League Managers
Association’s (LMA) quarterly
report.
As of December 27, 2014, more
than a quarter managers in the EPL
and Football League’s 92 clubs had
been dismissed from their clubs this
season. The tally is three more than
at the same stage last time around.
A further seven managers
resigned or departed by mutual
consent.
“If the trend continues we’re on
course to exceed the total dismissal
record of 46 set in 2006-’07,” the
LMA report stated.
“The managers dismissed so far
this season have been in post for an
average of only 1.04 years.”
Dismissals in the EPL are down
six from last season, however, as
only Crystal Palace’s Neil Warnock
and West Bromwich Albion’s Alan
Irvine were sacked by the New Year.
Twelve clubs in the
Championship (second tier)
dismissed managers up to
December 31, with the average
tenure of current managers in the
division standing at an alarming
0.82 years.
Leeds united are on their third
permanent manager of the season
having appointed Neil redfearn
redknapp, who has spent at West
Ham, Portsmouth and Tottenham
Hotspur, holds the record for most
games managed by a current
manager at 1,383 matches.
Mourinho hits
out at his players
A
ARSENAL’S ARSENE
WENGER REMAINS
THE LONGEST-SERVING
CURRENT MANAGER.
in November after the sackings of
David Hockaday and Darko Milanic.
Five managers were sacked in
League One (third tier) and eight in
League Two (fourth tier).
Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger remains
the longest-serving current
manager at more than 18 years
while West Ham united’s Sam
Allardyce is second at 3.5 years.
Queens Park rangers boss Harry
ANCHESTEr united were happy to
survive a difficult challenge by coming
away with a 0-0 draw at fourth-tier
Cambridge united in the FA Cup fourth round last
week, said manager Louis van Gaal.
Cambridge did not manage a single shot on
target, but that was little comfort
to the contingent of united
fans who braved the cold to
watch their team held in an
embarrassing stalemate.
However, Van Gaal said
he was happy to still be in the
competition after moaning that
everything went against his team.
“We’ve to come here and the pitch wasn’t so
good. The opponents are always giving a lot more
than normally and defending is always easier than
attacking and then you’ve the referee,” said Van
Gaal.
Alan
Irvine
BEMuSED Jose Mourinho described
Chelsea’s performance as unacceptable
and a disgrace after the English Premier
League leaders slumped to a 2-4 home defeat
against third-tier Bradford City in the FA Cup
fourth round.
Mourinho, twice Champions
League winner, who has led
teams to titles in his native
Portugal, Italy and Spain as
well as at Chelsea, said the
defeat was one of the worst
of his career.
“It’s a sporting disgrace. I feel
ashamed and the players should feel the same,”
he said.
It was the first time a Mourinho-coached
Chelsea side had lost to a lower league
opposition during his two spells in England.
14
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
FOOTBALL | INTERNATIONAL
INTERVIEW
With me, what you
see is what you get!
I
T WOuLD be fair that Diego
Simeone is very much in vogue
these days. Over the last three
seasons, his Atletico Madrid side,
the very epitome of sacrifice and
teamwork, has won titles in Spain
and Europe, and begun writing a
glorious chapter in the club’s history.
It was, therefore, a fitting reward to
see the Argentinian on the threeman shortlist for the 2014 FIFA
World Coach of the Year award.
In an interview with www.fifa.
com, the 44-year-old, nicknamed
Cholo, spoke about his coaching
philosophy at Atletico, a possible
future as national team coach and
his particular relationship with fans
of arch-rivals real Madrid.
ЂЂYou made the three-man
shortlist for coach of the year...
ЃЂIt’s nothing definitive, as football
is all about your next game, the need
to keep producing the goods. But
when it’s the opinion of footballers,
I definitely place greater store on
it. I’m pleased to be in a trio that
includes (Joachim) Loew and (Carlo)
Ancelotti, but more than anything, it
gives me the impetus to work hard
and improve in the future.
In Spain, many people used to be
divided on the playing styles of Jose
Mourinho and Pep Guardiola. Now a
lot of the talk is about ‘Cholismo’.
We’ve a clearly identifiable playing
style, that’s true. I’ve always said that
the teams that best espoused those
ideals have been Estudiantes de La
Plata, where I coached for a year and
a half, and this Atletico side.
That said, I wouldn’t go so far
talking about ‘Cholismo’, even if my
teams do play in a particular way.
ЂЂA lot is written about
Cholo’s warriors and their
selflessness. Are the media
underestimating the team’s other
qualities?
ЃЂThe great thing about football is
that it’s so open to interpretation:
there’s no definitive right and wrong
and, in a sense, everyone is right.
There’re myriad ways of playing
but, as I’ve said before, I base things
on the qualities of the players I’ve,
empowering individuals for the
betterment of the team.
In all the finals we’ve competed
in, we’ve used our top players, but
we don’t believe that you can win
with talent alone. Talent has to be
accompanied by effort.
ЂЂYou’ve always maintained that
sacrifice is non-negotiable, so what
things are negotiable?
ЃЂThe human aspects. So long as
people are upfront about things, I’m
willing to discuss anything. I always
say, ‘When we’re both on the same
RIGHT NOW, I FEEL
ENERGETIC, SO ONE
WAY OR ANOTHER, I
PARTICIPATE IN THE GAME.
ЃЂNo, on the contrary. It was a very
considered decision given that the
final of the Champions League was
at stake. The day before, Costa was
doing 100M sprints and looked like
an athlete! I reasoned that if he could
give us 45-50 minutes, then it would
be worth playing him in the final,
especially given his importance to us.
Alas, fate had other ideas.
ЂЂAs a coach, your character is just
page, then we go for it. If you’re in
one place and I’m in another, then
no. I don’t like that scenario.
like it was as a player. There’s no sign
of that abating…
ЃЂNo, they’re traits of mine. Every
coach has them. Obviously when
I’m older, I’ll probably have different
mannerisms. right now I feel young
and energetic, so one way or another,
I participate in the game.
ЂЂDo you regret any decisions you
ЂЂNot long ago, Atletico were
took in 2014?
ЃЂregret? No. With any possibly
erroneous decision, you can always
look back and think you could’ve
done something differently — but
always with the benefit of hindsight.
looked upon as a perennial
bridesmaid. How about it now?
ЃЂJust after I was appointed coach
here, I said I wanted Atletico to
become a team that causes problem
for others. Taking on two giants like
real Madrid and Barcelona is very
hard. If you think about it, in our
domestic league we’re up against
two clubs who’re always expected to
ЂЂWould the decision to risk Diego
Costa in the UEFA Champions
League final be in that category?
Diego
Simeone
SPECIAL COLUMN
Can ‘New FIFA Now’ do away with corrupti
Andrew Warshaw
Real Madrid top
revenue chart
A leap in commercial and
broadcast revenue lifted
Manchester united into second
place behind real Madrid on
the list of the world’s richest
clubs in 2013-14, according
to Deloitte’s latest Football
Money League. Following are
the top 10. revenue in
2013-14 in million euros. Last
year’s ranking in parenthesis.
1. (1) real Madrid (ESP) 550
2. (4) Man united (ENG) 518
3. (3) Bayern Munich (GEr) 488
4. (2) Barcelona (ESP) 485
5. (5) Paris St Germain (FrA) 474
6. (6) Manchester City (ENG) 414
7. (7) Chelsea (ENG) 388
8. (8) Arsenal (ENG) 359
9. (12) Liverpool (ENG) 306
10. (9) Juventus (ITA) 279
A
LOAD of hot air or a genuine
challenge to FIFA’s authority?
Just as those considering
whether to become candidates to
take on Sepp Blatter for the top
job in world football were making
their decisions one way or the other
ahead of this week’s deadline for
official nominations, so a group of
well-intentioned reformists were
making it clear that FIFA’s governing
body had to clean itself up —
whoever is next in charge.
I was there last week to witness
the launch of the ‘New FIFA Now’ at
the European Parliament in Brussels.
It’s an initiative which hopes to
change the way world football body
functions after years of controversy
and scandal.
I heard speech after speech,
criticism after criticism and attack
after attack. To say FIFA received
a bloody nose would be an
under-statement.
But will the new campaign,
spearheaded by British MP Damien
Collins, have any effect? Many, you
see, believe the only way FIFA can be
changed is from within and that no
amount of outside pressure will get
the job done.
Collins and his colleagues accept
that argument, but counter forcefully
that the scale of the problem at FIFA
has become so grave that something
has to be done. To that end,
although FIFA has been conducting
its own reform programme under
Blatter, the Brussels summit issued a
hard-hitting communique stressing
that what had been achieved
didn’t go far enough and called
for the establishment of a more
accountable so-called FIFA reform
Commission that would be overseen
by an independent authority with a
10-point plan for change.
Part of its mandate would be to
publish “all current and outstanding
corruption inquiries”, oversee an
audit of “all football development
programmes” across the world,
MANY BELIEVE
THE ONLY WAY FIFA
CAN BE CHANGED IS
FROM WITHIN.
publish the minutes of all its main
meetings, allow former players
to become ExCom members and
permit fans to vote for five ExCom
positions. The new coalition said it
would be lobbying sponsors and
governments and contact everyone
of FIFA’s associations to explain the
rationale behind the new ideas.
That’s quite a task given that ‘New
FIFA Now’ has no actual power and
teeth. That doesn’t mean, of course,
it has no worthwhile raison d’etre.
Theoretically, it could influence the
way FIFA is governed in the future
and it does represent so many
different groups who’ve come
together to publicly state their lack of
faith in Blatter’s organisation.
“The time has passed for
evolution, we need a revolution.
People tore down the Berlin Wall
and it’s time for us to do the same
and rebuild a new FIFA,” declared
Bonita Mersiades, the infamous
whistleblower who for a time was
part of the failed Australian bid for
the 2022 World Cup which was
awarded to Qatar.
Former English FA chairman David
Triesman, who was in charge of
England’s failed bid to stage the ’18
tournament, was equally scathing
of FIFA. “We’ve reached the absurd
situation where the leaders of the
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
ЂšHow do you think Real Madrid
fans see you?
ЃšI imagine they’ve got mixed
feelings. On the one hand, I’m sure
they don’t like me but, on the other,
I get a lot of respect when I’m out
on the street. I get a lot of people
coming up to me saying ‘I’m a real
Madrid fan, but I would honestly
like to congratulate you. I like the
way your guys work and how much
of a team they’re’.
I think that recently Atletico have
shown something that people need
in their everyday lives — energy.
ЂšCould you see yourself
becoming the Sir Alex Ferguson of
Atletico, in terms of longevity?
ЃšI always say that my approach
is to think that I might get sacked
tomorrow. For me, it’s the best
way of making sure I live for the
moment, because in football
what matters, aside from what
you’ve already achieved and which
nobody can take away from you, is
what’s coming next.
I see Atletico as a club that’s
growing very strongly and which
has greater financial clout, thanks
to the success we’ve had.
ЂšAre you ever able to take your
foot off the pedal?
ЃšI’m not a fan of “switching off”
because I know that when I find
myself in that situation then I end
up losing. Of course, so often it
happens, but I try and fight against
it because it’s not a feeling I’m
comfortable with.
ЂšBut you do get the chance to do
things like going to the cinema and
reading books?
ЃšYes, I lead a normal life like
any other man on the street, but
I also see myself as shouldering
a major responsibility. The game
is my life and I’m so passionate
about it. When you see your life
so intertwined with football, it
can make things very difficult. You
might go and watch a film and
start imagining footballers running
across the screen, you know? It’s not
easy (to switch off).
ЂšHand on heart, were you
offered the Argentina job after the
World Cup in Brazil?
ЃšNo, but I know it’ll happen one
day. I’ve always said in the national
team you’ve room for what I call the
son, father and grandfather types.
In coaching terms, I think it’s a place
for a grandfather — someone more
serene and composed. I still feel
I need to be on the pitch, doing
training and being with players
day in, day out. The national team
can’t give you that. Is it something
I would like to do one day?
Absolutely!
ЂšIf there was a Ballon d’Or
awarded for one aspect of life,
what would Diego Simeone win
it for?
ЃšFor being a straightforward guy.
With me, what you see is what you
get.
ion in the world body?
world game go around as if they
were the Heads of State, which
isn’t the way the sport should be
governed,” he told delegates.
Triesman made the point that
FIFA’s hierarchy couldn’t possibly
have survived if they had been
running a private company or a
corporation. He spoke for many
in the sport who believe FIFA has
arrived at a watershed moment.
The aim is certainly a noble one:
to build a consensus of external
opinion that’ll ultimately make FIFA
more accountable for its conduct.
The ‘New FIFA Now’ charter
described it as “one of the most
discredited organisations in the
world” with a crisis of leadership,
governance and accountability.
Everyone present agreed that
more transparency was needed,
that action was required. Yet, who
were they actually addressing?
Although there were observers from
uEFA, CONCACAF and Qatar 2022
in the room, there was not a single
representative from any of FIFA’s 209
national federations. No leagues
either, no clubs. Of course no one
from FIFA to listen and report back.
Why was that? It’s obvious really
— fear. No one wanted to be seen
to be joining in and run the risk of
being blacklisted by FIFA. Instead,
we had a collection of usual suspects
gathered in front of a primarily
western European media to throw
the kitchen sink at Blatter and his
cohorts.
I can see considerable merit in an
independent body keeping the heat
on FIFA. After all, according to New
FIFA Now’s charter, “The people who
run FIFA don’t own the organisation
or the sport.”
But if it’s to have a serious
impact, it has to be more than an
antagonistic talk shop that’ll hardly
strike fear into FIFA’s old guard.
WEEKLY ROUND-UP
RESULTS
LA LIGA
Athletic Club drew Malaga
Espanyol bt Almeria
Valencia bt Sevilla
Deportivo drew Granada
Atl Madrid bt r Vallecano
Cordoba lost to real Madrid
Elche lost to Barcelona
real Sociedad bt Eibar
Villarreal bt Levante
1-1
3-0
3-1
2-2
3-1
1-2
0-6
1-0
1-0
Fiorentina drew AS roma
Inter Milan lost to Torino
Juventus bt Chievo
Parma lost to Cesena
Sampdoria drew Palermo
Verona bt Ata Bergamo
Cagliari bt Sassuolo
Lazio bt AC Milan
1-1
0-1
2-0
1-2
1-1
1-0
2-1
3-1
Evian TG bt Toulouse
Oly Lyon bt Metz
Stade rennes lost to Caen
Saint Etienne lost to PSG
Stade de reims drew racing Lens
EA Guingamp bt FC Lorient
Lille lost to Monaco
Montpellier bt Nantes
Bastia drew G Bordeaux
Nice bt Oly Marseille
1-0
2-0
1-4
0-1
0-0
3-2
0-1
4-0
0-0
2-1
SERIE A
LIGUE 1
Ronaldo sees red
in Real’s victory
Tim Hanlon
C
rISTIANO ronaldo was sent
off for kicking out at an
opponent, but real Madrid
still beat Cordoba 2-1 away last
week while Barcelona kept on their
heels with a 6-0 romp at Elche.
ronaldo kicked out at defender
Edimar with seven minutes to go
and also appeared to throw a punch
as the visitors struggled to create
chances, but they were gifted the
BARCELONA KEPT ON
REAL MADRID’S
HEELS WITH A 6-0
ROMP AT ELCHE.
STANDINGS
As of Sunday.
real Madrid
Barcelona
Atl Madrid
Sevilla
Valencia
Villarreal
Malaga
Eibar
Espanyol
r Vallecano
r Sociedad
Celta Vigo
Athletic Club
Cordoba
Deportivo
Getafe
Elche
Almeria
Levante
Granada
LA LIGA
19
20
20
18
19
20
19
20
19
20
20
19
19
20
20
19
20
19
20
20
16
15
14
12
11
11
9
7
6
7
5
5
5
3
4
4
4
4
3
2
0
2
2
3
5
5
4
6
5
2
7
6
4
9
6
5
5
4
7
9
SERIE A
3
3
4
3
3
4
6
7
8
11
8
8
10
8
10
10
11
11
10
9
64
54
40
30
35
33
22
24
22
21
20
18
15
16
16
14
18
17
13
13
16
9
19
17
17
17
20
26
29
36
24
21
25
30
33
27
41
30
35
33
48
47
44
39
38
38
31
27
23
23
22
21
19
18
18
17
17
16
16
15
win when a Gareth Bale free-kick
was handled by Fede Cartabia in
the area.
real remain top with 48 points,
one more than Barca and also
with a game in hand, but the
loss of world player of the year
ronaldo through a ban could cause
problems.
His great rival Lionel Messi and
Neymar hit second-half braces for
Barca after Gerard Pique celebrated
his 200th La Liga appearance with
a volley that clipped off Domingo
Cisma and into the roof of the net
10 minutes before the break.
Pedro got the sixth from close
range after being found by Neymar.
Livewire Antoine Griezmann hit a
Juventus
20 15 4 1 44 9 49
AS roma
20 12 6 2 33 15 42
Lazio
20 10 4 6 36 23 34
Sampdoria
20 8 10 2 26 18 34
Napoli
19 9 6 4 34 24 33
Fiorentina
20 8 7 5 28 19 31
19 7 7 5 27 23 28
Genoa
Palermo
20 6 9 5 32 32 27
Inter Milan
20 6 8 6 29 26 26
AC Milan
20 6 8 6 28 25 26
Sassuolo
20 5 10 5 24 28 25
Torino
20 6 7 7 17 21 25
udinese
19 6 6 7 23 26 24
Verona
20 6 6 8 22 32 24
Atalanta Bergamo 20 4 8 8 15 25 20
Empoli
19 3 10 6 17 23 19
Cagliari
20 4 7 9 27 38 19
Chievo Verona
20 4 6 10 14 24 18
Cesena
20 2 6 12 19 40 12
Parma
20 3 1 16 19 43 9
Parma were docked one point for missing
payment on taxes and wages.
Oly Lyon
Oly Marseille
PSG
St Etienne
Monaco
Montpellier
G Bordeaux
Nice
Nantes
Stade rennes
Stade de reims
EA Guingamp
Lille
Bastia
FC Lorient
ET Gaillard
Toulouse
Caen
racing Lens
Metz
LIGUE 1
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
15
14
12
11
11
10
9
9
8
8
8
9
7
5
7
7
6
5
5
5
3
2
8
7
6
5
6
4
7
6
5
1
6
8
2
2
4
6
5
5
4
6
2
4
5
7
7
9
7
8
9
12
9
9
13
13
12
11
12
12
47
42
39
24
25
30
27
28
19
23
27
26
17
21
25
24
23
30
20
19
17
22
19
14
18
22
29
29
22
29
36
35
19
26
32
38
34
35
28
32
48
44
44
40
39
35
33
31
31
30
29
28
27
23
23
23
22
21
20
20
double as third-placed champions
Atletico Madrid beat rayo Vallecano
3-1 at home and moved up to 44
points.
Elsewhere, a Luciano Vietto strike
gave Villarreal a 1-0 victory over
Levante and Xabi Prieto headed
home in real Sociedad’s 1-0 win
over Eibar.
Juventus draw seven clear
Juventus went seven points clear at
the top of Serie A after second-half
goals from Paul Pogba and Stephan
Lichtsteiner gave them a 2-0 win
over lowly Chievo.
Juve, aiming for a fourth
successive title, have 49 points,
with AS roma on 42 and Lazio and
Sampdoria joint third on 34.
roma drew 1-1 at Fiorentina,
Adem Ljajic salvaging them a point
early in the second half after Mario
Gomez had given Fiorentina a
halftime lead.
Olympique Lyon extend lead
Olympique Lyon extended their
lead at the top of Ligue 1 to four
points as Alexandre Lacazette scored
from the penalty spot in a 2-0 win
against 10-man Metz last Sunday.
Lyon have 48 points from 22
games, ahead of second-placed
Olympique Marseille after they lost
1-2 to Nice.
Champions Paris Saint-Germain
are third, level on points with
Marseille, after they beat Saint
Etienne 1-0, thanks to a
60th-minute penalty from
Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
AFP/Cristina Quicler
win the Champions League. We’ve
managed to break that hegemony
— just as we did in 1996 when I
was a player — and triumph over
the kind of financial muscle and
great players that they acquire.
15
ššreal Madrid’s Cristiano ronaldo is shown a red card during their game against Cordoba.
16
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
FOOTBALL | INTERNATIONAL
Cash and peace,
the lure of China
Andrew Downie
B
ETTEr infrastructure and
bigger salaries paid on time
are prompting a new wave of
Brazilians to emigrate to China, with
players and coaches making the
move for cash and relative football
stability.
Two of the top players in Brazil’s
Serie A signed for Chinese clubs this
month, joining more than a dozen
who are already there.
Diego Tardelli, 29, left Atletico
Mineiro for Shandong Luneng
recently for more than $5m
and Chinese champions
Guangzhou Evergrande
paid almost three times
that for ricardo
Goulart, the
attacking midfielder
who was third
top scorer in
the premier
domestic league last year. He is only
23.
Both players featured in recent
Brazil squads and their departure
is seen as an indication of China’s
growing allure.
“China reminds me a lot of
Japan in years gone by,” said Cuca,
the former Atletico Mineiro coach
who signed Tardelli for Shandong
Luneng.
“The Japanese market was strong
and they looked to Brazil to learn
(footballing) values.
“That’s what’s happening with
China now. They’re trying to learn
from the different schools and
have players from lots of different
countries,” he said.
Cuca, who moved to China after
guiding Atletico Mineiro to their first
ever Libertadores Cup in 2012, said
working conditions in China are light
years ahead of even the biggest
Brazilian clubs.
“No team in Brazil has an
infrastructure like the team I’m at
in China,” he said last week after
Shandong lost 1-3 to Palmeiras in a
pre-season friendly.
“The field is easier in China, we’ve
seven pitches, each one better than
the next, there’s all-weather pitches,
full size, seven-a-side. Each player
has his own suite. We all have the
latest you can imagine in terms of
physical infrastructure,” he said.
The Chinese Super League has
imported foreign players from
countries as diverse as Bosnia,
Jamaica and Zambia — each team
can sign up to five — and securing
the right personnel remains a
serious challenge, both on and off
the field, Cuca said.
“I’m taking back a kit man we
hired,” he said. “Every player there
(in China) washes his own kit. We’re
taking over a doctor, too.
“They’ve good doctors there
but they’re inexperienced.
They don’t have nutrition,
it’s not balanced like here.
Before the games they eat
stuff you wouldn’t believe. So it’s
up to the coach to help that kind of
professional evolution as well,” he
said.
But money and peace of mind
are the biggest lures. China may
become a football force in the
future, but the game there has
taken time to develop.
They have only reached the
World Cup finals once, in ’02, when
they lost all three matches without
scoring.
Despite their huge promise and
potential to excel, China have never
won the Asian Cup title, with their
best-placed finishes runners-up in
1984 and ’04, when they hosted
CHINA ARE TRYING
TO LEARN FROM THE
DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
the event. This time in Australia
they lost out to the hosts in the
quarterfinal.
However, the average attendance
at domestic league matches is
higher than in Brazil without
making the same demands on
players. Players say they work in
peace and get huge salaries in
return.
“I’m getting four times what I got
at Sao Paulo,” Aloisio, Shandong’s
Brazilian winger, said. “It was an
offer I couldn’t turn down, it was my
future and the future of my family.”
The Chinese clubs pay the
players’ tax bills and they are paid
on time, unlike in Brazil, where
the financial mismanagement
of most clubs means players
frequently go unpaid for
months.
“In Brazil, almost
a third goes
on taxes and it’s difficult to get
paid,” Cuca said. “In China you’re
guaranteed to get your money on
time. I’m not going to lie, I went to
China firstly to ensure my financial
independence.”
Cuca said the cultural aspects
were also appealing. He has visited
South Korea, Thailand, and Japan for
Asian Champions League games and
he is able to brush shoulders with
personalities such as Marcello Lippi,
the man who guided Italy to the ’06
World Cup and is now director of
football at Guangzhou.
However, he warned his
compatriots to weigh up the
consequences before making the
move east.
“Brazilians who go, as I do, have
to realise that you disappear,” he
said. “The media doesn’t see what
you do. If you score three goals in
China and one here in Brazil the one
is worth much more. The players
have to give it a long thought about
it, with their families.”
Ricardo Goulart
FAST FACTS
Diego Tardelli
One-third of the
Chinese Super
League’s (CSL) 66
current foreign
players are from
Brazil.
The CSL is now
the ninth biggest
league in the world
when it comes
to spending on
players.
Brazilian clubs play
in front of banks
of empty seats at
home, where the
average Serie A
crowd was just
more than 16,500
in 2014. Guangzhou
Evergrande’s
average spectator
turnout was 42,000.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
17
Juniors Cup, a parameter for
looking into Brazil’s future
S
OME of Brazilian football’s most
illustrious names landed their
first taste of stardom in the Sao
Paulo Juniors Cup. And many more
are hoping to follow them after this
year’s competition ended with a
ninth title win for Corinthians.
In recent years, Barcelona’s Neymar,
Chelsea’s Oscar and the Paris SaintGermain pair of Marquinhos and
Lucas Moura have been among those
who were blooded in the Copa Sao
Paulo de Futebol Junior, as the annual
under-20 tournament is formally
known in Portuguese.
Yet, as Brazil agonises over its
football future following last year’s
World Cup debacle, the nation is
still unsure about the quality of
tomorrow’s hopefuls.
Indeed, some critics say the
standard has never been lower.
Especially since the national team
was hammered 7-1 by Germany in
that numbing World Cup semifinal,
Brazilian football has increasingly
been accused of being outdated and
slow, with too much emphasis on
stamina, physicality and results.
The level of play in this year’s
junior tournament was slated by
Alvaro Oliveira Filho, a columnist in
ššBrazil’s Oscar, left,
and Neymar first
caught the eye at
the Juniors Cup.
“No team in Brazil has an
infrastructure like the team
I’m at in China. We’ve seven
pitches, each one better than
the next, there’s all-weather
pitches, full size, seven-aside. Each player has his own
suite. We all have the latest
you can imagine in terms of
physical infrastructure.
Cuca, Shandong Luneng coach.
the Lance! sports newspaper, who
warned there were few outstanding
youngsters compared to earlier years.
“If this SP Juniors Cup is the best
parameter for evaluating the quality
of Brazilian football in the future, then
prepare yourselves,” Oliveira Filho
wrote in a column last week.
Not everyone is so gloomy. Edu
Gaspar, the former Arsenal player
who scored the winning goal for
Corinthians in the 1999 final against
PLAYERS ARE AWARE THIS
IS A CHANCE THEY MIGHT
NEVER GET AGAIN.
Vasco da Gama, said the tournament
was crucial to his development as
a young player and he believes it
remains so now.
“It’s a tournament that brings
visibility for players,” he said.
The competition is played in
January, close season for Brazil’s top
leagues, and features 104 teams
playing at 16 towns and cities across
the state of Sao Paulo.
The top 32 teams qualify for the
knockout phase with the finalists
‘Did what I liked the
best, now I’ll be fan’
F
OrMEr Argentina and Boca Juniors playmaker Juan
Roman Riquelme announced his retirement last
Monday.
The 36-year-old, who had spells in Europe with
Barcelona and Villarreal, excelling particularly with the
latter, last played for Argentinos Juniors, recently helping
the Buenos Aires side earn promotion to the top division.
He had been expected to join Paraguayan club Cerro
Porteno, but decided instead to call time on his career.
riquelme said, “I’ve decided to stop playing football.
Sunday used to be the most beautiful day of the week, I
went on the pitch and did what I liked best. Now I’ll be a
fan.”
He added, “To carry on playing there would’ve had to be
something that interested me. I thought it was best to say
that I won’t play anymore.”
riquelme won 51 caps for Argentina, his first as a
19-year-old in 1997, and played for his country in the 2006
FIFA World Cup.
He began and ended his career with Argentinos Juniors,
but spent his best years at Boca Juniors, where as a
goal-scoring and creative midfielder, who specialised in
set-pieces, he was widely admired.
Barcelona were persuaded to sign him in ’02, but he
struggled to find his best form for the Camp Nou side
and moved on to Spanish rivals Villarreal, where he spent
two years on loan before permanent terms were agreed
between the clubs.
riquelme moved back to Boca Juniors in ’07, initially on
loan, and stayed for seven years, before the final chapter of
his career was played out in the second tier.
facing off on January 25, the
anniversary of the foundation of the
city of Sao Paulo.
For coaches, particularly those
outside the big cities, it’s a chance
to compare themselves with betterknown rivals.
Figueirense coach Marcio Coelho
said, “The teams from north and
northeast are a bit left out and it’s an
opportunity for the teams outside the
states of rio, Sao Paulo and Minas
Gerais to have that exchange.”
Players such as Chelsea’s Filipe Luis
and former Arsenal full-back Andre
Santos started with Figueirense,
and Coelho uses those examples to
encourage today’s youngsters.
“We try to inspire them using
those good examples,” he said.
With no top-flight games as a
distraction, the Copa is the only
source of live competitive football
in January and it has grown in
popularity.
Many of the games are broadcast
live on television and 36,000 fans
attended last Sunday’s final to see
Corinthians beat Botafogo 1-0.
Whatever the standard, players
are aware this is a chance they might
never get again.
18
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
HANDBALL
JANUARY FEBRUARY
15 1
TO
COVER STORY
Making
ASIAN CHAMPIONS QATAR OVERCOME AUSTRIA IN THE PRE-QUARTERFINAL TO
CONTINUE THEIR EMPHATIC MARCH, WRITES AJU GEORGE CHRIS.
sitting out for most of the first round.
I’m proud to be part of this
history-making side. We worked
hard for 60 minutes for the win and
earned it. The match was very close
and could’ve gone either way. I feel
the better side won,” said Vidal.
With a few seconds still left in the
game, rivera had started hugging
his players and assistants. But by the
time he arrived at the post-match
Press conference, he was his usual
serious self.
“We had a clear game plan and we
executed it well. Neither sides could
take more than a three-goal lead at
any point and that itself shows how
tough the match was. We gave our
everything on the court and the result
was certainly there for everyone to
see,” said rivera.
He acknowledged that Vidal’s
return had done the team’s
confidence a world of good.
“He’s a huge influence on our
players. His return gave them a lot of
DSP/Mohan
T
HE Lusail Multipurpose Hall
was jam-packed much before
the start of the International
Handball Federation’s (IHF) World
Championship pre-quarterfinal
between Qatar and Austria.
Tension hung thick in the air and
the anticipation was palpable. The
crowd had a hunch that they were
about to witness history in the
making.
And Qatar did not disappoint.
Though they took their own sweet
time to get going, once they did, there
was no stopping Valero rivera’s boys.
Qatar trailed 13-14
at the end of first
half, but came back
roaring to clinch
the tie 29-27. By
qualifying for the last
eight, Qatar achieved
their best-ever result
at the biennial event.
For the record, their
previous best had been
a 16th-place finish at the
2003 Worlds in Portugal.
It was also only the second
time, since South Korea in
1997, that an Asian team
qualified for the quarterfinal.
The Koreans had lost to Spain in
the seventh-place play-off.
Marko Zarkovic was once again the
star for Qatar, scoring eight times from
13 attempts. rafael Capote, who also
attempted 13 shots at goal, converted
seven. The duo’s consistent form will
give Qatar plenty of confidence in the
coming days.
The return of line player Borja Vidal
from an injury to his left knee also
bolstered the side’s confidence. rivera,
who did not want to push the tall
player too much, used him for a mere
11 minutes in the entire game, during
which he scored twice.
“I was relieved to come back after
confidence. I used him only sparingly
as I didn’t want to push him too
hard. He’ll be gradually reintegrated
into the team. I’m hopeful we can go
further in the tournament,” he said.
WE HAD A CLEAR
GAME PLAN AND WE
EXECUTED IT WELL.
Qatar’s Danijel Saric, who blocked
seven of the 18 shots that came his
way, was also a vital influence in the
team’s win. He felt the side was ready
for greater glory.
“All matches in the knock-out stage
will be touch-and-go affairs. We’ll
fight for victory every single minute
of the game. That the crowd is on
our side will definitely be another
advantage,” he said.
Austrian players, who resorted to
rough tactics, were penalised with 12
offensive fouls. raul Santos missed
five clear shots at goal, which only
added to their frustration.
Qatar will face Germany in the
quarterfinal on Wednesday.
rivera sounded confident in his
team’s chances.
“I really don’t have a problem
facing them. My team has trained
hard and they’re ready for any
challenges,” he signed off.
ŢŢQatar’s Eldar
Memisevic is
blocked by Austrian
players.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
19
Our team can go the
distance: Al Shaabi
W
QUARTERFINAL
FIXTURES
All matches on Wednesday.
LUSAIL MULTIPURPOSE HALL
Qatar vs Germany,
6.30pm.
Spain vs Denmark,
9pm.
ALI BIN HAMAD AL ATTIYAH INDOOR HALL
Croatia vs Poland,
6.30pm.
Slovenia vs France,
9pm.
RESULTS
PRE-QUARTERFINALS
Spain bt Tunisia
28-20
Croatia bt Brazil
26-25
Slovenia bt Macedonia
30-28
Qatar bt Austria
29-27
Germany bt Egypt
23-16
Poland bt Sweden
24-20
France bt Argentina
33-20
Denmark bt Iceland
30-25
GROUP PHASE
Austria drew Tunisia
25-25
Argentina bt Saudi Arabia
32-20
Egypt by Czech republic
27-24
Poland bt russia
26-25
Denmark drew Germany
30-30
France drew Iceland
26-26
Sweden bt Algeria
27-29
Belarus bt Chile
34-23
Austria bt Iran
38-26
Slovenia bt Brazil
35-32
Tunisia bt Bosnia and Herzegovina
27-24
Croatia bt Macedonia
29-26
Spain bt Qatar
28-25
Germany bt Argentina
28-23
Poland bt Saudi Arabia
32-13
Sweden drew Egypt
25-25
France bt Algeria
32-26
Czech republic bt Iceland
36-25
Denmark bt russia
31-28
Brazil bt Chile
30-22
Spain bt Slovenia
30-26
Tunisia bt Iran
30-23
Croatia bt Bosnia and Herzegovina
28-21
Macedonia bt Austria
36-31
Qatar bt Belarus
26-22
Iceland bt Egypt
28-25
Argentina bt russia
30-27
Germany bt Saudi Arabia
36-19
Czech republic bt Algeria
36-20
Denmark bt Poland
31-27
France bt Sweden
27-25
Qatar look to keep
springing surprises
Q
ATAr will bank on home
advantage and look to
continue their good run
when they take on world’s
No.1 ranked side Germany
in the quarterfinal at the
Lusail Multipurpose Hall on
Wednesday.
In the other last-eight
fixtures, Croatia, holders Spain
and Slovenia will meet Poland,
Denmark and European
champions France in that order.
QATAR SHOULD WORK ON
THEIR DEFENCE AND PRAY
ZARKO MARKOVIC AND
RAFAEL CAPOTE DO WELL.
The championship is sure to
get more exciting as almost all
major teams have made it to the
last-eight stage. While Qatar, who
created history by making it to the
quarterfinal for the first time, are
the surprise package at this level,
russia, who failed to get past the
group stage, will be conspicuous
by their absence.
Qatar have stunned everyone
to put up their best-ever
performance in the event’s history.
However, they will have their task
cut out against Germany, who
qualified as an IHF wild card.
The Germans have gone from
strength to strength
after every game.
Qatar should
work hard on
their defence
and pray that
their strike duo of
Zarko Markovic and
rafael Capote fire on all
cylinders once again.
Croatia advanced after a
tough 26-25 win over Brazil.
Though the Europeans were
pushed to the limits, their better
experience at this level helped
them through.
Spain did not have to toil
much against Tunisia as they
virtually killed the game by halftime by taking a 18-9 lead.
Slovenia survived a tricky clash
against Macedonia and ran out
30-28 winners.
Germany easily overcame
Egypt 23-16 while Poland had
to fight hard to beat Sweden 2420. Denmark were pushed hard
by Iceland before winning 3025 while France steamrollered
Argentina 33-20.
The quarterfinals will be held
at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall
and the Ali bin Hamad Al Attiyah
Indoor Hall on Wednesday.
ILL the hosts be able to
prove the pundits wrong
and win their first-ever
World Championship title?
Despite the team’s quarterfinal
entry, the notion may still seem
a little far-fetched to many. After
all, their previous best show was
a 16th-place finish at the 2003
Worlds in Portugal.
But Qatar Handball Association
President Ahmed Mohammed
Abdulrab Al Shaabi, who is also
vice-president of the tournament
organising committee, did not seem
to entertain any doubts.
“Before the start of the
tournament, we said our goal
was to progress from the group
stage. We’ve done that and now
we want to finish higher than ever
before. We’ve a dedicated team
that is willing to do everything to
make the impossible happen. I
believe they’ve it in them to go the
distance,” he said.
The key factor in the
team’s success,
according
to the
ŢŢSpain’s Joan
Canellas is
challenged by
Tunisia’s Jaleleddine
Touati.
former Al Sadd player, is the
presence of faithful home fans on
the sidelines. Praising them, he
encouraged the people to stick with
the side until the end.
“Everyone can feel proud of the
way our team has been playing
at the tournament. Our team has
fought hard and the support of
our fans have been invaluable. I’m
WE’VE A DEDICATED TEAM
THAT’S WILLING TO DO
EVERYTHING TO MAKE
THE IMPOSSIBLE HAPPEN.
sure they’ll motivate our boys to try
harder,” said the official.
He felt that the IHF event, being
held in the Arab world for the first
time, would accelerate the game’s
development in the region.
“Three Arab sides — Egypt,
Tunisia and Qatar — qualified
for the knockout phase of
the tournament. This is an
unprecedented achievement, one
which I’m sure will help the game
attract more talent and crowds,” he
said.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
QATAR’S STAR AT HANDBALL WORLDS
ZARKO
MARKOVIC
DSP/Mohan
22
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
HANDBALL
JANUARY FEBRUARY
15 1
TO
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Being Onesta!
Aju George Chris
F
rANCE have been a
powerhouse for more
than a decade. They won
the 2008 and ’12 Olympic gold
medals, ’01, ’09 and ’11 World
Championships as well as
European Championships in ’06,
’10 and ’14.
Players have come and gone
in these years, but one factor
has remained as a constant —
coach Claude Onesta. Except for
the ’01 triumph, the 58-year-old
masterminded all of the team’s
biggest successes.
The coach, who took charge in
’01, cuts a powerful figure on the
court and the players derive a lot
of confidence from him. And it is
no surprise that the French team
progressed to the quarterfinal
MANY DOMESTIC
LEAGUES, ESPECIALLY
SPANISH, WERE HIT HARD
BY THE CRISIS.
IHF photo
of the ongoing IHF World
Championship in Doha without
losing a game.
Last week, they were stretched
to the limits by Algeria in a Group
C match and were held by Iceland,
leaving many observers wondering
whether they were at their best.
However, Onesta entertained no
doubts.
“Yes, we faced unexpected
problems against Algeria,
especially in the second
half when they
Claude
Onesta
came back strongly. But how we
perform in the first round really
doesn’t matter. It’s during the
knockout phase that the men are
separated from boys. Personally,
I haven’t felt better about my
team than I feel now,” Onesta told
Doha Stadium Plus in an exclusive
interview.
Being two-time defending
Olympic and triple European
champions brings with it a lot of
expectations and pressure. France
were given the favourites’ tag even
before the start of the tournament.
With hundreds of travelling
fans cheering them on from
the sidelines and millions more
following their progress on
television, the pressure was huge.
But Onesta easily took things in his
stride.
“In every competition we
enter, we do so as the favourites.
So we’re quite used to these
situations. We play against other
European teams frequently and
know almost all of their styles by
now. We’re prepared to face any
side. Our focus is on the court.
We’ll try not to disappoint our
fans,” he said.
Onesta pointed out that the
French League had played a huge
role in building a strong national
side.
“Even during the financial crisis,
the French League underwent
significant growth. It’s now one
of the strongest competitions in
Europe, with many professionals
plying their trade there. Many
domestic leagues, especially
Spanish, were hit hard by the
crisis. But the competition thrived.
Now we’re almost as strong as the
German Bundesliga,” he said.
Despite a strong Bundesliga, the
presence of too many overseas
professionals is pointed out as a
reason for the German national
team’s dismal shows in recent
times. Germany, ranked as the
world’s No.1 team by a complex
system that takes their historic
performances (from ’38) into
consideration, qualified for Doha
as wild cards.
The French tactician
admitted that more
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
Brothers turn rivals on the court
ONESTA
FACT FILE
Claude Onesta was
born on February 6,
1957, in Albi, France.
He has been the
French national team
coach since ’01.
He boasts of one of
the best track records
in the game’s history.
He helped
France win
the
’08 Beijing and
’12 Olympic Games
gold medals. He was
at the helm when
they won the ’09
and ’11 IHF World
Championship in
Croatia and Sweden
respectively. He also
led them to three
European titles in
’06 (Switzerland),
’10 (Austria) and ’14
(Denmark).
He led France to
bronze medals at the
’03 (Portugal) and
’05 (Tunisia) World
Championships. They
also finished third
at the ’08 European
Championship in
Norway.
In January, ’10, he
became the first
professional
players meant
weaker national teams
and said steps were being
taken to ensure France did not go
Germany’s way.
“It’s definitely possible that
French players may lose their
positions to professionals in
the team. But we’re acutely aware
of Germany’s recent plight and
want to avoid a similar scenario at
home.
“Hence, we’re talking with the
French Handball Federation to put
up checks and prevent that from
happening. We’ll ensure that each
national club should sign and field
a specific number of young French
WE FIRST NEED TO
EDUCATE PLAYERS FROM
NEW REGIONS BEFORE
LETTING THEM PLAY.
players. That way, we can ensure a
constant flow of talent to the top,”
he said.
Onesta was appreciative of
Qatar’s investment in French sports
and credited the nation for helping
bolster handball’s popularity.
“Big investments are necessary
to help any sport grow. In
that sense, the Qatar Sports
Investments’ (QSI) commitment to
Paris Handball has made a huge
difference. It brought in the
much-needed capital and added
star value to our league.
“But the QSI took over the
side only two years ag0. My only
concern is whether they’re
looking to stay with the team in
the long term. If they do, that’ll
23
coach in history
to help his team
hold all three major
titles — Olympic,
world and European
Championship — at
the same time.
He played all his
life with French
club side Toulouse
Handball. From ’68 to
’87, he was a youth
player with the team
and later turned
professional.
He coached Toulouse
Handball from
’87 to ’01 before
taking charge of the
national side.
His daughter
Marina plays for the
women’s team of
Toulouse Handball.
help
attract even
more lucrative
sponsorships to our
teams. It’ll help the sport
grow,” he said.
Over the years, handball
has become a mostly
European affair. Sixteen of
the 24 sides competing in
Qatar are from that continent.
Onesta, who felt the World
Championship should
eventually expand to give
chances to more countries from
other regions, said popularising
the sport was the key to
helping it grow.
“There’s no denying handball
has become a largely European
sport. Development projects in
other parts of the world is
the need of the hour. There’s
a great push for the game in
the Gulf region and I expect
these teams to become really
strong. They seem to be the
future.
“Expanding the World
Championship to include more
teams should be a later step. We
first need to educate players from
new regions before letting them
play in major events. Since they’ll
be no match for bigger sides, the
dismal show will only
have the opposite effect on them,”
he signed off.
» The writer can be contacted at:
[email protected]
Y
uGOSLAVIA was a
superpower in handball.
After its disintegration in
1991, several new countries took
shape, including Croatia and Bosnia
and Herzegovina. When the two
met in their Group B clash at the
IHF World Championship in Doha
last week, journalists dubbed
it as a ‘game between former
brothers.’
What made the match even more
interesting and intriguing was that
it featured a clash between two
brothers, playing on opposite ends
of the court. Eventually, Croatia’s Igor
Karacic got the better of his brother
Ivan, representing Bosnia and
Herzegovina, after a 28-21 win.
The brothers, born in the Bosnian
town of Mostar, went their separate
ways after coming into the sport.
“We never thought we would
play against each other at the World
Championship level,” said Ivan, who
is three years older than Igor.
“Bosnia and Herzegovina had
always been far away from the big
Igor Karacic
stage. On the other hand, Igor was
always ambitious and badly wanted
to represent Croatia. It was destiny
that we met again on the court,” he
said.
Igor, who is 26, recalled the time
the brothers went their separate
ways.
“Actually, it didn’t happen at once.
In ’05, I got a call from coach Irfan
Smajlagic to join the Croatian youth
team. That was how it started. Ivan
had already played in the Bosnian
youth team by then. Our rivalry
Ivan Karacic
started when we played for rival
clubs in the Bosnian championship
— Bosna Sarajevo and Borac Banja
Luka,” he said.
Irrespective of who won or lost,
the brothers can be proud that they
created history in Doha. A similar
scenario has happened only once
before, when the Klimovets brothers
— Andrej and Vladimir — who
played for Germany and Belarus
respectively, faced each other at the
’08 European Championship
in Norway.
French coach blasts
naturalisation rules
L
EFT-BACK Bertrand Roine has played a huge
part in turning Qatar’s dreams into reality.
He was instrumental in helping the side win
the Asian Championship and Asian Games gold
medals last year.
But French coach Claude Onesta gets a strange
feeling every time roine turns out in a Qatar shirt.
After all, the 33-year-old was his player when they
won the World Championship in 2011.
“I admit it’s strange to see him play in a
shirt other than the French blue. But since
the International Handball Federation’s (IHF)
regulations allow switching of national teams,
there’s little we can do about it. Personally, he’s a
very good man. We respect him as a player and a
human being,” Onesta told Doha Stadium Plus.
“For several years, handball has faced the
problem of players changing their nationalities. We
aren’t entirely happy with it, especially as it goes
against our culture and everything we’ve learnt.
unfortunately, we’ve to accept it,” he said.
Onesta was critical of the IHF rule which states
that a player who has not represented his side for
three years can play for another team.
“There’s a huge difference between professional
club system and national team selections. One
can understand if a club player moves base
once or even twice a year. But when it comes to
national teams, they’re focused on building players
according to a particular system.
“Handball has faced this problem for some time
now. I can understand if a junior or youth player
moves to a new country in search of a better life.
But seniors shouldn’t be doing it. In my opinion,
senior players shouldn’t be allowed to switch
allegiance.
24
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
HANDBALL
JANUARY FEBRUARY
15 1
TO
Party time for fans
Aju George Chris
T
HOuSANDS of travelling
fans are in Doha for the
International Handball
Federation’s World Championship,
with many draped in national
colours, and their faces painted.
While some made plans in
advance, for many others, it was a
spur-of-the-moment decision to
see a different part of the world,
another tick on their bucket list.
For some, like Iceland’s Einar
Gudlaugson, this is nothing new.
The 60-year-old, a veteran of six
World Championships and four
European competitions, said
he found the Doha experience
fascinating.
“I’m a huge fan of our team. I
used to play the game. Every year,
I save enough money to travel
around the world on my team’s
campaigns. Most of our national
players know me. It’s a special
feeling when they recognise me
and give me hugs after matches,”
said Gudlaugson.
“I had never been to the Middle
East before and I’m pleasantly
surprised with the experience.
While our team’s fortunes have
fluctuated wildly on the court, I
haven’t had any bad experience.
It’s a very safe country,” said
Gudlaugson, who runs a few
hostels back in his country.
Handball is not as popular as
football in Qatar. Irrespective of
that fact, the 2015 Worlds is the
biggest single-sport team event the
country has
“On the organisational front,
Qatar is second to none. I’ve
reported a few international
events and I still can’t believe
I don’t have to pay for using
anything here, be it the
Internet or food. The
in-house tournament news system is of
Olympic standard. It helps me research stories
and complement them with a lot of additional
information.
Clement Domas, French journalist.
ever hosted. And with Qatar gearing
up for the ’22 FIFA World Cup,
organisers stand to gain a lot of
insights into what they’re likely to
experience in seven years.
One issue the western media
has highlighted is the possible
unavailability of alcohol at the
stadiums. But Miguel Angel, who
hails from Spanish capital Madrid,
felt it was unnecessarily hyped up.
“I’ve been a part of many sports
events and is used to having beer
at matches. In Qatar, though they
don’t serve it at the venues, I don’t
think it has taken away anything
from my experience. We always
celebrate after returning to the
I HAD NEVER BEEN TO THE
MIDDLE EAST BEFORE. I’M
PLEASANTLY SURPRISED
WITH THE EXPERIENCE.
hotel. My team has been successful
on court and that’s what matters.
The alcohol issue has been blown
out of proportion by the Western
media,” he opined.
However, Swedish professional
sailor Emil Aberg felt there were
some things Qatari officials
definitely had to work on.
“Travelling from the hotel to the
venue at Al Sadd and back has been
very easy. The biggest problem
I faced was that the security
personnel at the venue didn’t know
how to direct us to our seats. We
had printed tickets in hand, with
seat and row numbers, but had to
walk around in circles thrice before
finding the right entrance.
“Once we reached the seat,
we found it had already been taken
by someone else. We once again
approached the security, but they
didn’t even speak English. It was
all unnecessary hassle. Finally, we
started coming to the venue at least
three hours prior to our matches,”
he said.
Tatiana Poberezskaja, a
Belarusian teacher, travelled to
Qatar with a 70-member strong
contingent. She said that made
things a lot better.
“Qatari organisers should be
appreciated for giving travelling
fans so many offers and discounts.
For example, our group availed of
an attractive Qatar Airways package
that took care of our travel and
boarding. We got an additional
discount as they had tied up with
the ’15 IHF Worlds organisers. I
can’t imagine us getting so many
concessions had it been any other
host,” Poberezskaja said.
The tournament has also been
a huge hit with the travelling
journalists. Frenchman Clement
Domas, who works with
www.handballnews.fr, could not
hide his delight.
“On the organisational front,
Qatar is second to none. I’ve
reported a few international events
and I still can’t believe I don’t have
to pay for using anything here, be it
the Internet or food. The in-house
tournament news system is of
Olympic standard. It helps me
research stories and complement it
with a lot of additional information,”
said Domas.
“Qatar has raised the bar for
the future IHF Worlds organisers. I
hope my country will be able to do
something similar when we host the
competition in ’17,” he added.
“Qatari organisers should
be appreciated for giving
travelling fans so many offers
and discounts. For example,
our group availed of an
attractive Qatar Airways package
that took care of our travel and
boarding. We got an additional discount as they
had tied up with the ’15 IHF Worlds organisers.
I can’t imagine us getting so many concessions
had it been any other host.
Tatiana Poberezskaja, Belarusian fan.
“Travelling from the hotel to
the venue at Al Sadd and
back has been very easy. The
biggest problem I faced was
that the security personnel
at the venue didn’t know
how to direct us to our seats. We
had printed tickets in hand, with seat and row
numbers, but had to walk around in circles thrice
before finding the right entrance.
Emil Aberg, Swedish fan.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
ŠŠSheikh Saoud
bin Abdulrahman Al
Thani, centre, receives
the certificate from
Gulf Organisation
for research and
Development
Chairman
Dr Yousef Al Horr
as Qatar Olympic
Committee Assistant
Secretary General for
Technical Support
Khalid Hamad Al
Mohannadi looks on.
şŠA Danish fan
cheers her team on.
25
Injuries, prevention
in the spotlight
S
Olympic hopes alive
Mohammad Amin-ul Islam
Q
ATAr Olympic Committee
(QOC) Secretary General
Sheikh Saoud bin
Abdulrahman Al Thani reiterated
Doha’s plans to again bid for the
quadrennial Games, but was
noncommittal about which edition
it would go for.
“We’re definitely thinking about
bidding again for the Games. It could
be for ’24, ’28 or ’30,” said Sheikh
Saoud. “It’s not a matter of Doha
wanting to bid for the Olympics or
not. But it’s about deciding when to
go for it. No decision has been made
on ’24 yet.”
Sheikh Saoud was speaking
to reporters after collecting the
Gulf Organisation for research
and Development’s 4-star Global
Sustainability Assessment System
rating certificate for the Lusail
Multipurpose Hall and Ali bin
Hamad Al Attiyah Arena.
The host city for the ’24 Games
will be announced at the 130th IOC
Session in Lima, Peru, in ’17.
“On January 15, the International
Olympic Committee had sent a
circular to all National Olympic
Committees asking to decide on the
bidding by September. So there’s
still time and everybody will know
about our interest for the ’24 Games”
he said.
Doha had failed in its bids for
the ’16 and ’20 Games, but Sheikh
Saoud hinted at organising more
international championships like
the IHF Worlds so as to create a
multi-sport stature.
“In the last few years,
we’ve hosted several World
Championships. Many more are
being lined up now. The Boxing
Worlds will be held later this
year. Then we’ve the World road
Cycling Championship in ’16 . It’ll be
followed by the Athletics Worlds in
’19,” he added.
IHF President Hassan Moustafa
had said earlier last week that Doha
was capable of hosting the Olympic
Games.
“For any country, hosting a
World Championship means it
has laid down the foundations it
can rely on when organising other
major multi-sport events, like the
Olympics. By organising the IHF
Worlds, Qatar proved it’s a capable
host. Future organisers are sure
to struggle to match this event,”
Moustafa said.
OME of the common injuries sustained by
players and the ways to prevent them were
in focus at the ‘Conference on New Sports
Medicine Concepts in Handball’, organised jointly
by Qatar’s orthopaedic and sports medicine
hospital Aspetar and International Handball
Federation (IHF) at the Ladies Hall last week.
The two-day event was held on the sidelines of
the ongoing World Championship.
While the first day focused on shoulder, hand,
wrist, knee and ankle injuries, the second day shed
light on muscle and groin strains as well as their
prevention and doping control.
Eminent speakers, including IHF President Dr
Hassan Moustafa, Aspetar Acting Chief Medical
Officer Dr Nebojsa Popovic, research scientist Dr
Karim Chamari as well as experts Jacques Prioux,
Grethe Myklebust and Mats Bittberg, led the
discussions.
“At Aspetar, we’re keen to develop new
treatment methods. The conference facilitated
the exchange of expertise and ideas between
specialists from different countries, aimed at
improving the methods of prevention of injuries
and treatment,” said Aspetar Director General
Dr Khalifa Al Kuwari.
Dr Popovic made a presentation on elbow
injuries while Dr Chamari led the discussion
titled ‘Demands and player characteristics —
training, osteoarticular and muscular constraints in
handball’.
Myklebust spoke about ‘epidemiology in
handball injuries’ while the topic of ‘dental injuries’
was handled by Dr Mohammed Alsaey, Director of
Sports Dentistry at Aspetar.
Bittberg’s session on ‘Cartilage repair in handball
— current methods and future trends’ was also
well received.
WORLD WATCH!
Qatar-Spain conundrum
The Pharaohs rule!
“Every year, I save
enough money to
travel around the
world on my team’s
campaigns. I’ve never
been to the Middle East
before and I’m pleasantly
surprised with the experience.
Einar Gudlaugson, Icelandic fan.
When the first round of the tournament drew to
a close, Egyptian fans won the race for being the
most passionate followers.
Chanting songs, banging drums and waving flags,
thousands of fans celebrated ‘The Pharaohs’ wins
over North African rivals Algeria and the Czech
republic. Their joy knew no bounds after the side
qualified for the pre-quarterfinals.
Handball is the second most popular sport in Egypt,
after football, and that was evident in their support
of the team. They cheered their players on after
every move and stayed until the final buzzer. They
also showed considerable restraint after losing
matches, filing out of the stadium in neat rows. The
tournament was certainly richer by their presence.
As the Group A match between hosts Qatar and defending
world champions Spain progressed at the Lusail Multipurpose
Hall, a group of fans faced a dilemma as to who to cheer
for. The 60-strong contingent were members of the Spanish
supporters’ group Furia Conquense. Coming to the country
as guests of the Qatar Handball Association, they had been
cheering for Qatar at every match. But when the match was
against their home side, they made a little compromise and
cheered both sides on.
Happy, happy,
happy days!
Music lovers in Doha were
in for a special treat last
week when American
singers Pharrell Williams
and Gwen Stefany
performed live at the Lusail
Multipurpose Hall. The
two singers, the biggest
entertainment stars to have
performed in the country,
sent everyone into
a tizzy.
Like father, like son
The match between Spain and Qatar
had a special significance for Qatar’s
Spanish coach Valero rivera, whose
son Valero Rivera Folch was
playing on the opposite side.
The 63-year-old, who was
Spain’s trainer before moving to
Qatar, had helped the side win the
2013 IHF World Championship at
home. He also gave several Spanish
players their first shots at the club
and international levels.
Valero kissed his son and hugged
many of the Spanish players before
the start of the game.
26
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
GOLF
POISE
GRACE!
SOUTH AFRICAN BRANDEN GRACE STAYS ALL FOCUSED AND
PRODUCES A MOMENT OF MAGIC TO WIN THE COMMERCIAL
BANK QATAR MASTERS TITLE, WRITES KUMAR RAVI.
tournaments I wanted to win, so
I’m proud of myself that I managed
to do it,” said Grace. “The Middle
East is one of the places I’ve always
wanted to win. I’ve thought my
game suits these types of courses
and I play well when I come here.
I started off the season well in
2012 as well, so hopefully it’s a
good season and it just continues
forward.”
Grace, who shared the lead
after the second and third rounds,
THE MIDDLE EAST IS
ONE OF THE PLACES I’VE
ALWAYS WANTED
TO WIN.
moved to an aggregate 14-under
after a birdie on his opening
hole in the final round. This was
followed by eight straight pars to
finish his outward journey on
one-under par 35.
On the back nine, he had pars
on the first two and that stage he
shared the lead with five others.
It was then that the South African
really found his magic touch. He
sank a birdie on the 12th and, after
a par on the 13th, repeated the feat
on the 14th.
He maintained his
bogey-free run on the
15th and then came up
with an eagle putt on
the 295-yard 16th. He
drove to six feet from the
flag and then came up with a
stunning putt for an eagle.
But by then, Warren, who
was following Grace, had birdies
on the 16th and 17th to draw
level with him on 18-under and it
all boiled down to the par-five 18th
hole for the South African.
While walking to the green,
Grace became aware that Warren
had drawn level and he had to
save at least a shot and hope for
his rival not to match him.
ultimately, that is what
happened. He nailed his third shot
to six feet and then sank a birdie
putt while Warren could only get
a par.
» The writer can be contacted at:
[email protected]
ŢŢBranden Grace
holds aloft the
trophy in the
presence of Qatar
Golf Association
and other officials.
DSP/Vinod Divakaran
I
N THE end, it was all about
poise and Grace! South African
Branden Grace concentrated
with great poise and produced a
moment of magic with an eagle
on the par-4 16th hole to steal a
march over the rest of the leading
pack and win the Commercial
Bank Qatar Masters title at the
Doha Golf Club last week.
With three holes to go in the
final round, it appeared there could
be a three-way tie and a play-off
loomed large as Grace, runner-up
Scot Marc Warren and third-placed
Austrian Bernd Wiesberger were
tied on 15-under.
However, Grace, only 26 but
undoubtedly one of the most
promising stars on the horizon,
pulled off that eagle which proved
decisive, making him richer by
€353,257 and landing him this
year’s second title on the European
Tour, following his triumph in the
Alfred Dunhill Championship at
home.
This was Grace’s sixth European
Tour title and he became the fourth
South African to lift the striking
Mother of Pearl Trophy, following
the triumphs of Darren Fichardt
(‘03), Ernie Els (‘05) and retief
Goosen (‘07).
“This is definitely one of the
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
INTERVIEW WITH BRANDEN GRACE
ЂЂTell us how it was from your perspective.
ЃЂYeah, it was good. Obviously any day you win is a
great day. It was nice. You know, this morning, I woke
up, I went through a little bit of the previous videos of
when I won just to try to get me in the right frame of
mind and it worked.
ЂЂThe crucial moment was on the 16th. Just tell us
about that.
ЃЂAt that stage, we weren’t really familiar with
what was going on behind us. I thought when Bernd
(Wiesberger) made birdies on 10, 11 and 12, to go to
under-16, I thought well he’s definitely the one to
catch. So it was kind of like a little match play situation
between the two of us, and you know, then towards
the end, Marc (Warren) just fired up the birdies.
When we got to, I think it was 13, that par 3 was
playing tough. Especially that pin tucked back right,
I saw the two guys going straight at the flags and I
thought, geez, that’s some golf shots. Then I got to 16.
I made a birdie on 12 and 14 that got me tied.
Yeah, I’ve actually been feeling good over the driver
the whole day. Again, it was one of those where it
wasn’t a big, big drive, just a smooth, solid swing and
I just managed to hit it left of the pin. One thing led
to another, hit it to a good distance and managed to
trickle it up there.
ЂЂYou were hitting into the green on 18, how aware
were you of Warren behind you and his getting
birdie? Did that put pressure on you?
ЃЂI actually had no idea. I saw he hit it pretty close on
17 before we walked off to the tee. And you know, I
got there and I knew there was no chance I would go
for it. round three was a little bit different. We had a
little bit more of a down breeze and on the fourth day
it was more off the left.
We got to the ball and actually it wasn’t lying
too bad. I just tried to get it to a good sand wedge
distance, and then I still wasn’t aware that Warren
made birdie. I thought we were going to hear a
little bit of a roar from behind, but we didn’t hear
anything.
I thought he missed and then I hit the shot on 18,
and as I walked up, I saw, geez, he made a birdie. So
I told my caddie Zack rasego, “We need this one.” As
calm as he is, he said, “Listen, what happens,
happens. You played well, so just make a
good stroke and see what happens.” And I
managed to make a good stroke and get in
the hole.
GRACE FAST FACTS
His sixth European Tour
international schedule victory in
his 124th event.
He moves to 629,653 points in
the race to Dubai.
Grace could move back into the
top 50 (from 69th) in the official
world golf ranking.
This was his second victory
of the 2015 European Tour
season after the Alfred Dunhill
Championship.
The second time during his
European Tour career, he has
recorded multiple victories in
the same season.
The other year was ’12
when he won his first four
titles — Joburg Open, Volvo
Golf Champions, Volvo China
Open and Alfred Dunhill Links
Championship.
His six victories have only taken
him 54 tournaments, dating
back to the ’12 Joburg Open.
In ’12, he won his first two
events from his first three
appearances of that season.
In the ’15 season, he won
two events from his first four
tournaments.
Victory comes in his fourth
appearance in the Qatar
Masters. This win
beats his previous
best finish of tied
sixth in 2013.
This was his first
European Tour win
in the Middle East
and he became
the fourth South
African to win the
Qatar Masters.
27
Champion bites the dust
S
PANIArD Sergio Garcia’s
hopes of winning back-toback titles were shattered
on a disastrous third day of the
tournament. After posting a threeunder par 69 each in the first two
rounds, he had a nightmarish
third, shooting a five-over 77.
The defending champion, who
was among the top 10 after the
first two rounds, plummeted 52
spots on the leader board, to a
tie for 62nd after the third round.
Though he carded a 69 in the
fourth round, all he could achieve
was to eventually finish a joint
46th with five others, including
two-time winner Paul Lawrie of
Scotland.
Garcia had a forgettable back
TOP SCORES
Branden Grace
rSA
Marc Warren
GBr
Bernd Wiesberger AuT
Eddie Pepperell
GBr
An Byeong Hun
Korea
Emiliano Grillo
ArG
Gregory Bourdy
FrA
Alejandro Canizares ESP
Alexander Noren SWE
Oliver Fisher
GBr
Benjamin Hebert FrA
67+68+68+66
71+65+67+67
69+66+68+68
69+71+65+67
67+69+72+65
67+69+67+70
70+68+70+65
67+70+68+69
67+71+72+65
65+73+69+69
72+68+69+67
269
270
271
272
273
273
273
274
275
276
276
nine in the third round.
He made the turn in
one-under 35 and had a
birdie on the par-5 10th,
but an inexplicable lack of
concentration saw him making
a double bogey on the par-4 11th,
considered one of the most difficult
holes at the Doha Golf Club and one
ALL HE COULD ACHIEVE
WAS TO EVENTUALLY
FINISH A JOINT 46TH
WITH FIVE OTHERS.
that requires a lot of perfection and
accuracy in the shot to the green.
Garcia’s shot ended up in the
rough and he could not recover,
finishing the hole with a double
bogey.
Worse followed on
the par-4 15th where
he had a triple bogey, so
much so that he ended up playing
42 strokes for the back nine (par
36). It was one of those days when
nothing went right for him, leaving
the Qatar Masters yet to throw up a
back-to-back champion.
Sergio
Garcia
An does Asia proud
by finishing fifth
S
OuTH Korea’s
An Byeong-Hun did Asia
proud by finishing joint fifth
along with Argentina’s Emiliano
Grillo and France’s Gregory Bourdy
at the Qatar Masters last week.
An, as he is popularly known,
posted a brilliant seven-under 65
in the final round for an aggregate
15-under-par 273 to record his
best-ever finish on the European
AN, A DEBUTANT IN
QATAR, WAS THE LEADING
ASIAN ON ALL FOUR DAYS.
Tour. Thongchai Jaidee of Thailand,
a six-time European Tour winner,
shared the 23rd place on
eight-under 280 while his
compatriot Kiradech Aphibarnrat
and Indian duo Jeev Milkha
Singh and Shiv Kapur finished in
a group sharing the 38th place,
on an aggregate score of 283.
An, a debutant in Qatar,
was the leading Asian on all
four days. He started the
final round trailing by five shots off
overnight leaders Grace, Grillo, Marc
Warren of Scotland and Austria’s
Bernd Wiesberger. After soaring
up the leaderboard with birdies at
three, four and six, the tall 23-yearold then challenged the leaders after
an eagle on the par-five 10th and a
birdie on 11.
Although a bogey on 15 set
him back, the laid-back Korean
responded with back-to-back birdies
on 16 and 17 before a par at the last
helped him set an early clubhouse
lead which, however, was surpassed
by others later.
“I played pretty well today. I’m
happy with it,” said An, competing in
his rookie season on the European
Tour after three years on the
Challenge Tour.
An moved to the uS a decade ago
and claimed the 2009 uS Amateur
Championship at the age of 17.
The tall Korean surprised many
when, a year after turning pro in
’11, he started to ply his trade on
the Challenge Tour in Europe before
earning a full European Tour card
this year.
28
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
MIXED ZONE | QATAR
֫ CYCLING
Wild starts firm
favourite again
Aju George Chris
T
HE Netherlands’ Kirsten Wild,
the most successful rider
at the Ladies Tour of Qatar
with four titles (2009, ’10, ’13 and
’14), once again starts as the firm
favourite as she looks to become
the first person to win a hat-trick
in Doha.
Wild, who was with German
side Argos-Shimano during her ’13
and ’14 triumphs, will compete for
Norwegian side Hitec Products this
year. She was a Cervelo Test Team
rider during her first two outings.
“A win in Qatar is a good way to
get ready for the rest of the season,
not only at a personal level, but also
as a team,” Wild said.
She has a remarkable track record
ROLL OF
HONOUR
2014
Kirsten Wild
(NED)
in Doha, having won nine of the 20
stages she has taken part in.
Italy’s Giorgia Bronzini, who will
race for British side Wiggle Honda,
is the next most successful rider,
with three stage victories.
Dutch Ellen van Dijk, who won
in Qatar in ’11, is also expected to
A WIN IN QATAR IS
A GOOD WAY TO GET
READY FOR THE REST OF
THE SEASON.
put up a stiff fight. The 27-year-old
is with native side Boels Dolmans
Cycling Team.
Qatar Cycling Federation President
Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al Thani said
the event had grown in stature.
“The Ladies Tour of Qatar is an
2013
Kirsten Wild
(NED)
2012
Judith Arndt
(GEr)
“The Ladies Tour of Qatar
is an excellent example
of gender equality in the
sport. Our country has
embraced the Olympic
spirit, not only in
cycling, but also in
other sports.
excellent example of gender
equality in the sport. The
race is now as famous
and successful as the Tour
of Qatar. Our country has
embraced the Olympic spirit,
not only in cycling, but also in
other sports, like tennis. Sports, in
this peninsula, is for everyone,” said
Sheikh Khalid.
The 98km-long opening stage
will start at the Museum of Islamic
Art and end at Dukhan Beach on
February 3.
The second stage (112km),
between the Al Zubarah Fort and
Madinat Al Shamal, will be the
longest.
The third stage (93km) will be
from the Souq Waqif to Al Khor
Corniche while the last (101km) will
start at Sealine Beach resort and end
at Doha Corniche.
2011
Ellen van
Dijk (NED)
2010
Kirsten Wild
(NED)
Sheikh Khalid bin Ali Al
Thani, President, Qatar Cycling
Federation.
LADIES TOUR OF QATAR
STAGE 1
TUESDAY,
FEBruArY 3
Kirsten
Wild
şşEl Jaish athletes
with QAF and other
officials.
E
L JAISH created a flutter by
winning the Qatar Indoor
Cup for Youth and Girls at the
ASPIrE Academy last week. The
club, which came into existence
only in 2011, scored 96 points to
emerge on top.
They had to ward off stiff
competition from traditional
powerhouse Al Sadd, who finished
four points behind. Al Gharafa
were third on 67 while Al Khor
(55), Al Arabi (49), Al rayyan (38),
Al Ahli (15), Al Shamal (14) and
Al Wakrah (six) finished in that
order.
Jaish’s athletics team head
Sultan Al Dossari was pleased with
the team’s achievement.
“Ever since we formed the team,
our aim was to unseat traditional
powers Sadd. I’m glad our boys
won the youth title. It means we’re
progressing in the right direction.
However, only if we clinch the
junior and senior titles can we say
we’ve fully succeeded. We’ll keep
striving for it,” he said.
Qatar Athletics Federation (QAF)
Board member Abdulrahman Al
Noubi and Head of QAF Technical
Committee Abdulhakim Al Omari
awarded the winners.
STAGE 2
WEDNESDAY,
FEBruArY 4
STAGE 4
FrIDAY,
FEBruArY 6
Al Zubarah Fort
to Madinat Al
Shamal
Sealine Beach
resort to Doha
Corniche
Souq Waqif
to Al Khor
Corniche
101km
֫ TENNIS
Wozniacki gets wild
card for Qatar Open
W
Jaish lift Qatar Indoor Cup
93km
112km
Kirsten Wild
(NED)
֫ ATHLETICS
98km
Museum of
Islamic Art to
Dukhan Beach.
2009
STAGE 3
THURSDAY,
FEBruArY 5
OrLD No.8 Caroline Wozniacki has
been granted a wild card for the Qatar
Total Open, to be held at the Khalifa
International Tennis Complex from February 23 to 28.
The Dane won her 22nd career singles title last
season in Istanbul and was also a finalist in Tokyo as
she finished the year in the top 10 rankings for the
seventh straight time.
The 24-year old started this
year with a final appearance in
Auckland, where she lost to Venus
Williams.
Wozniacki has played in Doha
five times, with her best result being
a runner-up finish in 2011.
Defending champion Simona Halep, Petra Kvitova,
Agnieszka radwanska, Angelique Kerber, Sam Stosur,
Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ekaterina Makarova are the
other leading players to have already confirmed their
entries. Qualifiers for the tournament will be played
on February 21 and 22. Tickets are available at City
Center, Landmark, Lagoona, Villaggio malls as well as
the tournament venue.
To purchase tickets online, log on to www.
qatartennis.org.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
Sheikh Hassan
to compete
in Kuwait
29
Qatar Marine Sports Federation President Sheikh Hassan bin
Jabor Al Thani will compete in the inaugural Kuwait Extreme
Powerboat run on Friday. He will be in action in his Outerlimits
boat which, at 52 feet, is the biggest in the competition. Sheikh
Hassan will be the only non-Kuwaiti driver in the 14-boat race,
to be held over an 80 mile-long course. Gulf Agency Qatar are
the team’s official logistics partner.
ŠšWinners of
the Qatar Junior
Championship with
officials.
Sergey
Shalunov
֫ MOTORSPORT
C
LEMENS Schmid won both races in the third
round of the Porsche GT3 Cup Middle East
Challenge at the Losail International Circuit last
week.
In the first race, the Al Nabooda racing driver
led from the start and finished ahead of Saeed Al
Mehairi of Skydive Dubai Falcons. In the second,
he won in 24:25.857sec, 0.662sec ahead of Zaid
Ashkanani.
Mark Holroyd extended his lead in the Qatar
Challenge after his third win of the season. Pavel
Nedobity, who started in pole position, pushed him
all the way, but could not put it past Holroyd, who
finished the race in 7:35:90sec.
“It has been the most exciting race I’ve ever seen
at the Qatar Challenge. Pavel and the others pushed
me hard. I’m glad I came first. I’m really looking
forward to the next race,” said Holroyd.
Meanwhile, russian driver Sergey Shalunov won
both races in the radical Middle East Cup.
The next round of the Porsche GT3 Cup, radical
Cup and Qatar Challenge will be held at Losail on
February 5 and 6.
DSP/Vinod Divakaran
Schmid shines at
Porsche GT3 Cup
֫ WATER
POLO
Wily Dolphins rule the pool!
D
OLPHINS won the inaugural
Qatar Junior Championship,
defeating Eagles 9-8 at the
Hamad Aquatic Centre last week.
Al rayyan finished third after
being awarded a 5-0 win over
Al Sadd, who failed to turn up.
Qatar Club edged Al Khor 5-4 in
another thrilling match to finish
fifth.
rayyan’s Abdullah Hassan was
chosen as the tournament’s best
player and Dolphins’ Abdullah Al
Hamadi the best goalkeeper.
Qatar national coach Wouly
de Bie was optimistic the
tournament would help unearth
new talent.
“We’ve faced a lot of difficulties
IT TAKES AT LEAST
FIVE OR SIX YEARS
TO DEVELOP A
GOOD PLAYER.
in the last few years. Water polo
is one of the toughest games to
master because it’s very technical
֫ HORSERACING
RESULTS
Thawi scripts impressive win
WEDNESDAY
Al Dabor (Alberto Sanna) 1, Takfaa
2, Ammon 3, Tiryag 4. Won by: ½,
Nk, Distance. Time: 2:00.63. Owned
Race 1
and trained by: Mohammed bin Ali
Al Attiya.
Turflight
Race 2
ABDULHADI MANA
AL HAJRI-OWNED
TORTONI WON THE
UMM TAQA CUP.
& Sons-owned Thawi galloped
resolutely in the last 200M to win
by one-and-a-quarter length from
Haashed.
Abdulhadi Mana Al Hajri-owned
Tortoni won the umm Taqa Cup, a
Thoroughbred Handicap for horses
rated 76 to 96. Ibido-trained Tortoni
Photo/Juhaim Babu
J
ASSIM Al Ghazali-trained
Thawi was brilliantly ridden by
Harry Bentley to an impressive
victory in the Abdullah bin Hamad
Al Attiyah Cup, a Local-Bred Pure
Arabian race at the Qatar racing and
Equestrian Club last week.
Jassim Mohamed Al Ghazali
Race 3
Race 4
ššHarry Bentley rides Thawi to victory.
was ridden to victory by Marco
Monteriso while Janoub Nibras
came second, ahead of Edith Cowan.
Mohammed Hussain-trained
Copleys (Excellent Art-Silk Slippers)
made a winning start to his career
with a thrilling victory in the
Thoroughbred Maiden Plate. Barry
Dolye was astride the winner.
Earlier, Hassan Ali Hassan Al
Matwi-owned and trained Majd Al
uraiq (Marco Monteriso up) put up a
commanding performance to clinch
the Al Mafiar Cup, a Local-Bred Pure
Arabian Conditions race.
Sheail bin Khalifa Al Kuwariowned Lupie registered a fluent
victory in the Thoroughbred
Handicap for horses rated 60 to
80. Al Ghazali-trained Lupie (Harry
Bentley astride) shot to the lead
inside the final furlong and stretched
away to win by five lengths from
ridge Wood Dani while urban
Dreamer finished third, ahead of Yes
We Can Dream.
Abdulaziz Ali Al Qhathiriowned and trained Pure Amber
was a runaway winner in the
Thoroughbred Graduation Plate.
and can be very exhausting,”
Wouly told Doha Stadium Plus.
“It takes at least five or six years
to develop a good player. We’ve
been working hard to build a team
from scratch since 2013 and our
efforts have finally started paying
off. We now have a few good
teams. That’s the reason why we
decided to start a competition. It’ll
now be held on a regular basis,”
said the French coach.
The next tournament will be
held at the same venue from
February 16 to 18.
Race 5
Taghya (Harry Bentley) 1, Al Waab 2,
Qaa’ed 3, Dorotheus 4. Won by: 6, 2 ½,
1 ½. Time: 1:19.72. Trained by: Jassim
Al Ghazali. Owned by: HH Sheikh
Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Ghizwan (richard Mullen) 1, Al Nefor
2, Al Taweel 3, Ankor Class 4. Won
by: 5, 1, Nk. Time: 2:07.52. Trained by:
Julian Smart. Owned by: HH Sheikh
Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Thani.
Pure Amber (Marco Monteriso)
1, Hymenaios 2, Anticipated 3,
Makinson Lane 4. Won by: 5, 2, 3 ½.
Time: 1:55.15. Owned and trained by:
Abdulaziz Ali Al Qaithri.
Katja (Harry Bentley) 1, Disco Inferno
2, The Smart One 3, Sefaat 4. Won by:
2, Nk, 3 ½. Time: 1:11.75. Trained by:
Jassim Al Ghazali. Owned by: Khalid
Yahya Al Khussal.
Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
Race 4
Race 5
Marked Card (Declan Cannon) 1, Big
Gees 2, Maliha 3, Gaazwa 4. Won by:
Race 6 1 ¼, ¾, ½. Time: 1:57.20. Trained by:
Race 6
Osama Omar Al Dhafa. Owned by:
Nasser Ahmed Mohammed Al Kuwari.
Lupie (Harry Bentley) 1, ridge Wood
Dani 2, urban Dreamer 3, Yes We
Can Dream 4. Won by: 5, 1 ¼, Shd.
Race 7
Race 7
Time: 1:11.40. Trained by: Jassim Al
Ghazali. Owned by: Sheail bin Khalifa
Al Kuwari.
Majd Al uraiq (Marco Monteriso) 1,
Tuyoorna 2, Maazouz 3, AJS Qahir
Race 8 4. Won by: 1 ½, ½, ½. Time: 1:57.20.
Race 8
Owned and trained by: Hassan Ali
Hassan Al Matwi.
THURSDAY
Copleys Walk (Barry Doyle) 1, red
Connect 2, Beach Samba 3, Tumut
4. Won by: Nk, Shd, 1 ½. Time:
1:13.18. Trained by: Mohammed
Hussain. Owned by: Hamad Adel Al
Muslimani.
Tabasheer (Pier Convertino) 1, Thabit
2, Naamah 3, Khamas 4. Won by:
¾, Nk, 1. Time: 2:09.00. Trained by:
Alban de Mieulle. Owned by: umm
Qarn.
Tarrafal (Pier Convertino) 1, Sherston
2, Soebroto 3, Inis Ains 4. Won by: 1
¼, ¾, Nk. Time: 1:25.27. Trained by:
Hassan Al Jehani. Owned by: Ahmed
Hassan Al Malki Al Jehani.
Nomaas (Cedric Segeon) 1, Qassy 2,
Al Khattaf 3, Wahchey 4. Won by: ¾,
1 ¾, Nk. Time: 1:46.31. Trained by:
Mohammed Hussain. Owned by:
Saeed Mohammed Al Shafi.
Leaf Cutter (Marco Monteriso)
1, Itorio 2, Mind Of Madness 3,
Lightning Launch 4. Won by: Shd,
1, Shd. Time: 1:24.20. Trained by:
Mohammed Hussain. Owned by:
Khalid rashid Saif Al Khayarin.
Victory Laurel (Gary Carter) 1, Hearts
Of Stone 2, Captain Cleo 3, Sejalaat
4. Won by: 1, ¾, 1. Time: 1:11.62.
Owned and trained by: Ibrahim
Saeed Al Malki.
Tortoni (Marco Monteriso) 1,
Blackdown Fair 2, Janoub Nibras
3, Edith Cowan 4. Won by: ½, 1, ¾.
Time: 1:52.37. Trained by: S. Ibido.
Owned by: Abdulhadi Mana Al Hajri.
Thawi (Harry Bentley) 1, Haashed 2,
rasan 3, Mekhbatt 4. Won by: 1 ¼,
Shd, Nk. Time: 2:14.04. Trained by:
Jassim Al Ghazali. Owned by: Jassim
Mohammed Al Ghazali and Sons.
30
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
MIXED ZONE | INTERNATIONAL
֫ CRICKET
Kiwis are soaring!
R
OSS Taylor and Kane
Williamson fell agonisingly
short of centuries, but New
Zealand’s imposing total ensured
they beat Sri Lanka by 120 runs in
the sixth One-Day International
last Sunday to take an unassailable
4-1 lead in their seven-match
series.
Both batsmen fell in their
90s after combining in 117-run
partnership that powered New
Zealand to 315 for eight wickets.
Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara
tied the record for most ODI
dismissals by a wicketkeeper and
then returned to top-score for his
team with 81, but their meek chase
ended in the 41st over when they
were shot out for 195.
Sri Lanka lost their last seven
wickets for just 49 runs with
New Zealand all-rounder Corey
Russell rocks
in Windies’
thrilling win
Anderson added a quick-fire
40, while Grant Elliott was 21 not
out with Kyle Mills run out for
nought on the final ball of the
innings.
It was the second successive
score in excess of 300 by the hosts
at the university Oval in Dunedin
after they ran up a massive 360 for
five in the fifth game earlier last
week to take a 3-1 lead.
Sangakkara, 37, who is expected
to retire from international cricket
after the World Cup, joined Adam
Gilchrist on 472 dismissals as a
wicketkeeper when he caught
opening batsman Martin Guptill for
28 off Thisara Perera.
Anderson taking four for 52 and
Mitchell McClenaghan picking up
two in a strong bowling display by
the hosts.
Taylor and Williamson came
together with New Zealand on 59
for two and were not separated
until the latter was run out for
97 due to a communication
SRI LANKA LOST THEIR
LAST SEVEN WICKETS
FOR JUST 49 RUNS.
breakdown.
Taylor sought to make amends
by anchoring the hosts through to
the final overs and was in sight of
his 12th one-day century when
he was trapped leg before by
Tillakaratne Dilshan for 96.
All-rounder Andre Russell smashed a
match-winning half-century as West
Indies claimed a nail-biting one-wicket
victory over South Africa in the fourth
One-Day International at St George’s
Park at Port Elizabeth last Sunday.
The hosts’ David Miller had earlier
struck his first ODI century as he
caressed 11 fours and three sixes in an
unbeaten 130 from 133 balls to take
the Proteas to 262 for eight in their 50
overs.
russell took West Indies past their
victory target with nine balls and just
a single wicket remaining, hitting five
sixes in his unbeaten 64 from 40 balls.
He put on 27 for the final wicket with
Sheldon Cottrell (one) as the tourists
pulled a game back in the series to go
into the fifth and final match in Pretoria
on Wednesday trailing 1-3.
Kane
Williamson
֫ CYCLING
Hardly any menace for this Dennis!
S
ššAustralia’s rohan Dennis rides at the Stage 6 of the Tour Down under.
OuTH Australian rider rohan
Dennis stayed out of trouble
on the final stage to win the
uCI season-opening Tour Down
under by two seconds from fellow
Australian richie Porte last Sunday.
Dennis finished in the leading
group behind stage winner Wouter
Wippert of the Netherlands to win
the race, which finished with a
90km stage through the streets of
Adelaide.
Dennis, from BMC racing, headed
an all-Australian podium, with
Porte (Sky) second and his BMC
team-mate Cadel Evans 20 seconds
behind in third.
Dennis took the leader’s ochre
I HAD TO MAKE SURE I
KEPT WITHIN DISTANCE
OF RICHIE, ESPECIALLY
AFTER THAT LITTLE SPILL.
jersey last week after a stunning
win on top of Paracombe Hill, then
managed to cling to the lead when
Porte claimed the penultimate stage
up the notorious Willunga Hill.
Dennis, along with all the leading
overall contenders, avoided a
crash on the second last lap of last
Sunday’s street circuit, which took
out stage favourite Marcel Kittel.
“I had to make sure I kept within
distance of richie, especially after
that little spill,” Dennis said. “It
was just about following him and
making sure if there was a split it
wasn’t too hard to come across.”
Last Sunday’s final stage win
by Wippert was a triumph for
Australia’s second team Drapac.
31
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
‘F1 needs
to be more
spectacular’
ššSebastien Ogier and co-pilot Julien Ingrassia steer at the 83d Monte-Carlo rally.
֫ MOTORSPORT
Ogier reigns supreme
at Monte Carlo Rally
F
rENCHMAN Sebastien Ogier
successfully defended his
Monte Carlo rally title last
Sunday, winning the opening round
of the World Championship with a
masterful display in the snow and
ice of the French Alps.
Double world champion
Ogier, who saw off an
initial challenge from
returning 10-time
Monte Carlo winner
Sebastien Loeb, eventually
cruised home to win by 58
seconds from Finnish team-mate
Jari-Matti Latvala.
Driving a Volkswagen Polo r in the
difficult, slippery conditions, Ogier
led home Latvala and Norway’s
Andreas Mikkelsen, as the trio
secured a podium sweep for the
German manufacturer.
Ogier prevailed after some
tremendous early battles with his
illustrious compatriot Loeb, making
a one-off appearance after a
15-month absence, over the
first seven special stages, until the
nine-time world champion hit a
rock and broke his Citroen DS
3’s rear suspension.
Ogier, who is hunting a
third consecutive global
crown, held a 43-second
lead going into the
final day and, though
controlling his pace with safe
tyre choices, still extended his
lead to seal his third Monte Carlo
triumph.
Formula One needs to go
through a ‘real revolution’
by 2017 with cars making
the sort of noise that heavy
metal rock fans would
appreciate, according to
Ferrari boss Maurizio
Arrivabene.
The principal, who took
over the team in November,
told the Ferrari website last
week that the show needed
to be more spectacular to
win back fans who had
fallen out of love with the
sport.
“By ’17, I would like to
see cars that win over the
fans that are aesthetically
more appealing, maybe
even producing a noise that
gets your hair standing on
end, like that produced by
a heavy metal band,” said
Arrivabene.
The Italian, who has a
marketing background and
arrived from team sponsor
Philip Morris, agreed with
former triple champion and
Mercedes non-executive
chairman Niki Lauda that
big changes had to be
made.
֫ TENNIS
Azarenka happy
despite defeat
T
WO-TIME champion Victoria Azarenka might
be out of the Australian Open, but she is not
upset, and instead happy that her comeback
from injury and depression has gone so well.
The former world No.1, who won the title in
2012 and ’03, was unseeded at Melbourne Park
after a horror injury-plagued ’14 and lost to last
year’s finalist Dominika Cibulkova in three tough
sets last Monday.
But she reminded people of her credentials,
counting eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki and
dangerous American Sloane Stephens among her
conquests on the road to the fourth round.
“I take it as progress. I think there’re a lot of
the positive things to take from here,” said the
Belarusian after losing 2-6, 6-3, 3-6.
“It’s a good start. There was some good quality
of tennis today, even though the result isn’t the
one that I wanted and not what I was looking for.
“But I need to be realistic a little bit and keep
working hard and try to sharpen my game. I need
to be more consistent and I need to be able to take
my opportunities when I’ve them.
Azarenka’s trials last year included a string of
foot injuries and a broken romance with musician
and reality television personality redfoo that
left her at a low point, admitting she suffered
depression.
RESULTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Sebastien Ogier (FrA)
VW
3:00:39.9
Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN) VW
at 58
Andreas Mikkelsen (NOr) VW
2:12.3
Mads Ostberg (NOr)
Citroen 2:43.6
Thierry Neuville (BEL)
Hyundai 3:12.1
֫ GOLF
American Bill Haas
the last laugh!
Bill Haas
B
ILL Haas survived a scare at the final hole to earn
a one-stroke victory over five players at the $5.7m
Humana Challenge in the California desert, the
uS, last Sunday.
Haas took the sole lead with a 10-foot birdie at the
16th hole at the PGA West Palmer course at La Quinta
on his way to his second victory in the event formerly
known as the Bob Hope Classic.
He carded a 67 to finish at 22-under-par 266 for
his sixth PGA Tour victory, leaving the 32-year-old
only three short of catching his father, Jay Haas.
Fellows Americans Matt Kuchar (67), Charley
Hoffman (64), Brendan Steele (64), Steve
Wheatcroft (67) and South Korean Park Sung-Joon
(65) tied for second on 21-under.
Kuchar had the best chance to get to 22-under, but he
missed a 10-foot birdie at the par-five 18th.
Haas parred the final hole, but it was anything but
routine after he pushed his drive and his ball stopped in
the short rough just a couple of inches above the lip of
a bunker.
Victoria
Azarenka
32
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
PEOPLE
Richard Davey, who oversaw
Boston’s mass transit system
before becoming a state
transportation secretary, was
named as chief executive
officer of Boston’s 2024
Olympic bid organising
group. The uS Olympic
Committee had recently
chosen Boston as its candidate
in bidding for the 2024
Summer Games.
Pakistan paceman
Mohammad Amir could
return to first-class cricket as
early as next month after a
relaxation of the conditions of
his ban for spot-fixing. Amir,
22, was banned for five years
along with Salman Butt and
Mohammad Asif in a spot
fixing case in England in
2010, and the trio were
jailed by a uK court in ’11.
Four-time NASCAr Sprint Cup
champion Jeff Gordon, who
ranks third in all-time race wins,
said the 2015 season would
be his last as a full-time driver.
Gordon, 43, has three Daytona
500 victories and a record five
Brickyard 400 wins. Gordon’s 92
victories rank third on the
all-time NASCAr list behind Hall
of Famers richard Petty (200)
and David Pearson (105).
Andreas Herzog, an assistant
to uS national team coach
Jurgen Klinsmann and his
former team-mate at Bayern
Munich, was named as coach
of the American under-23
team. That puts the all-time
Austrian caps leader in charge
of directing uS talent into
the 2016 rio de Janeiro
Olympics.
united States women’s team
goalkeeper Hope Solo was
suspended for a month by uS
Soccer following an incident
during a training camp. It was
found she was a passenger
in the car when her husband
Jerramy Stevens was
arrested for drink
driving.
STAR OF THE WEEK BRANDEN GRACE
S
OuTH African Branden
Grace held off a spirited
challenge from Scotland’s
Marc Warren to land his sixth
European Tour title at the
Commercial Bank Qatar Masters.
He produced a magic drive to
five feet on the par-four 16th
hole to set up a decisive eagle as
he shot a final round of 66 for a
19-under par total.
His final-day heroics came after
a miraculous snap-hook wedge
from the trees at the fifth hole in
the third round.
The Doha title was Grace’s
second of the 2015 race to Dubai,
having already captured the
Alfred Dunhill Championship on
home soil.
“It was a great day, a great
week, and it’s another trophy to
put in the cupboard,” said Grace.
“I’m going to thank Callaway
(American sports goods
manufacturers) again — that
driver again on 16 to four feet.
Without that it wouldn’t be
possible,” he added.
“That wedge on the fifth hole,
that was a shot that you want to
hit, but you don’t always manage
it. The form has been there, I
played great and I managed to
get in on top.
“This is one of the big wins
that’s really putting me back on
the map now. I think I’ll be in
the top 50 or just outside on the
official world ranking.
“These’re the things that we
need as golfers to push us to the
next level — it’s just nice that
I could do it at a place like this
and in a special way like this,” he
concluded.
Grace enjoyed a season
beyond his wildest dreams in
’12, winning four times en route
to finishing in sixth place in The
race to Dubai, having earned his
card at the ’11 qualifying school
final stage.
He came close to adding a
fifth title in ’13, at the Scottish
Open, and in ’14, at the Volvo
Championship, but finally did
it at the start of the ’15 season,
winning the Alfred Dunhill
Championship on home soil by a
whopping seven shots.
Grace comes from a golfing
family, as he is related to Michiel
Bothma and Darren Fichardt.
His technique has drawn praise
from the legendary Gary Player,
who has accrued more than 100
titles around the world.
Formula One’s governing
body took legal action
against French former F1
driver Philippe Streiff for
defamatory comments he
made about an investigation
into compatriot Jules
Bianchi’s horrific crash when
his Marussia skidded off
and hit a recovery tractor in
fading light in October at the
Suzuka circuit in Japan.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
33
SPORT THIS WEEK
QATAR
Steven Smith on Tuesday capped a
remarkable season by sweeping the
main awards, including Australian
player of the year, at the annual
Allan Border Medal ceremony. He
polled 243 votes, ahead of David
Warner (175) and Mitchell Johnson
(126). The prolific batsman, who
was promoted to national captain in
the absence of the injured Michael
Clarke, also bagged the one-day
and Test player awards.
MOVERS&SHAKERS
Podolski to hang up
boots after Euro ’16
G
played in the group stage and has
not held down a regular starting
place since Euro ’12.
“The European Championship will
be the last major tournament
for me,” said the Inter
Milan star. “I’ve already
achieved my main goal
of winning the World
Cup. No one can take
that away from me.”
Germany have struggled
in their Euro ’16 qualifying
campaign and are third in the group
after a shock defeat to Poland and
draw at home with the republic of
Ireland.
Khan to fight Pacquiao?
B
rITISH welterweight boxer
Amir Khan revealed a fight
against Manny Pacquiao could
be on the cards after a meeting with
his former sparring partner last
week.
Khan trained alongside
Pacquiao for several years
under his old mentor
Freddie roach and had
previously maintained
they would never fight.
But, despite their warm
relationship, both men are now
open to a bout following their gettogether at the Fitzroy Lodge boxing
club in London.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1
HANDBALL
HANDBALL
2015 IHF World Championship
quarterfinals, Qatar vs Germany,
6.30pm and Spain vs Denmark, 9pm,
at Lusail Multipurpose Hall; Croatia
vs Poland, 6.30pm and Slovenia vs
France, 9pm at Ali bin Hamad Al
Attiyah Indoor Hall.
2015 IHF World Championship,
third-place match, 4.30pm and final,
7.15pm at Lusail Multipurpose Hall.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
CYCLING
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
HANDBALL
South Korean Olympic
swimming star and national
icon Park Tae-Hwan fought
to clear his name on Tuesday
as he reeled from the shock
news that he failed a doping
test. The four-time Olympic
medallist blamed an injection
given by a hospital for the
result, the second high-profile
Asian swimming case in recent
months, after China’s Sun Yang.
ErMANY forward Lukas
Podolski says he plans to retire
from international football
following Euro 2016 in France after
more than a decade of playing
for the reigning world
champions.
The 29-year-old
midfielder has made
121 appearances for
Germany, having made
his debut in ‘04, and the
France tournament would be
his fourth European Championship.
He was a part of the World
Cup-winning Germany squad in
rio de Janeiro last July, but only
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28
“He’s a good friend and we chatted
about the past when we were
training together, his visit to London
and also a bit about future,” he said.
They could meet each other
in the ring after Khan, 28,
delivered arguably a
career-best performance
when he won a
landslide decision
victory over American
Devon Alexander in
December.
Pacquiao, 36, seems to be past
his peak, but remains a massive
draw in the sport and he too would
be happy to fight Khan.
Ladies Tour of Qatar, Stage 1,
Museum of Islamic Art to Dukhan
Beach, 1.45pm onwards.
2015 IHF World Championship
semifinals, 6.30pm and 9pm at
Lusail Multipurpose Hall; Placement
matches, 6.30pm and 9pm at Ali bin
Hamad Al Attiyah Indoor Hall.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
MOTORSPORT
Qatar National Endurocross, 10.30am
at Sealine.
HANDBALL
2015 IHF World Championship
placement matches, 6.30pm and
9pm at Lusail Multipurpose Hall.
INTERNATIONAL
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28
FOOTBALL
CRICKET
Asian Cup, final at Sydney, Australia.
South Africa vs West Indies, fifth ODI
at Centurion.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1
FOOTBALL
ODI Tri-Nations final at Perth.
CRICKET
Africa Cup of Nations in Equatorial
Guinea (till February 8).
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 2
TENNIS
GOLF
uSLPGA at Ocala, Florida (until
Saturday).
GOLF
ATP at Montpellier, Quito, Zagreb (till
February 8).
EPGA at Dubai Desert Classic, uSPA at
Phoenix Open (until Sunday).
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 3
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30
New Zealand vs Pakistan, second ODI
at Napier.
CRICKET
England vs India, Tri-Nations ODI
at Perth.
TENNIS
FOOTBALL
ATP and WTA at Australian Open
(until Sunday).
Asian Cup, third-place play-off at
Newcastle, Australia.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29
SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
CRICKET
CRICKET
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka, seventh
ODI at Wellington.
New Zealand vs Pakistan, first ODI at
Wellington.
CRICKET
34
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
MOSAIC
LIFESTYLE
A
uSTrALIAN Open tennis
top seed Serena Williams’s
fashion sense has once again
been making waves on the court,
with other players enthusiastic
about the backless dress she
sported at the Melbourne Park.
“Love Serena’s outfit,” Canadian
seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard
tweeted about the neon green
dress with pink highlights that
Williams wore.
Two-time
Australian Open
champion Victoria
Azarenka was also a
fan, tweeting, “Serena is rocking that
outfit! Cut out back #sexy #outfit.”
Williams, whose fashion
statements in the past included
moon boots and leopard-skin prints,
explained that her backless outfits
this year were
designed to send a
message about female
empowerment.
“Nike did these wonderful
green colours and we decided to do
something,” she said. “This whole
year is about the back and strength
and women and power. We wanted
to look at my back all year, so all year
you’ll be seeing my back.”
Two-and-a-half
hours is too much?
U
NITED Nations’
recommendations that
people should do at least
two-and-a-half hours’ physical
activity a week are
unworkable for some
individuals, health experts
argued last week.
In 2013, the World Health
Organisation (WHO) published
a ‘Global Action Plan’ seeking
to reduce incidence of lifestyle
THE AGENCY SET A TARGET
OF 150 MINUTES OF
‘MODERATE INTENSITY’
ACTIVITY.
diseases by ’25.
It identified four areas
— smoking, alcohol abuse,
unhealthy diet and physical
inactivity — where doctors’
recommendations to patients
could make a difference.
On the latter goal, the agency
set a target of 150 minutes of
‘moderate intensity’ activity,
including walking or cycling to
work and household chores, per
week for people above 18.
According to the WHO’s
Global Health Data for ’08,
more than a third of people
aged above 15 — 35.6 per
cent — fail to meet the
benchmark.
Specialists argued
in the online British
journal BMJ that the
target was focused far
too narrowly on people
who already did some sort of
physical activity.
It did not speak to
sedentary people for
whom a goal of
150 minutes of
walking, cycling,
swimming
or jogging
per week
may seem
discouragingly
over-ambitious,
they contended.
She said the dress showed “you
can be beautiful and powerful at the
same time.”
The five-time Australian Open
champion joked that the revealing
outfit forced her to watch what she
ate.
“I feel like I don’t want to eat too
much — one peanut and I’m going
to break the dress, so I try not to eat
that much,” Williams said.
SPONSORSHIP
PSG sign deal with
Indonesian firm
P
ArIS Saint-Germain (PSG)
signed a new deal with
Indonesia’s GarudaFood
Group.
The agreement was signed
by Commissioner of
GarudaFood Group
Hartono Atmadja
and PSG’s Business
Operations Deputy
Managing
Director Frederic
Longuepee.
It is based on
the company’s new
oxygenated water Super
02 Sportivo, which will be
the club’s ‘official water in
Indonesia’.
A television
advertising
campaign will shortly be launched
in Indonesia with the slogan ‘super
sport water’ featuring PSG players,
to support the launch of Super 02
Sportivo.
The signing of the
agreement was in line
with the series of events
organised
by PSG in Indonesia
over the last two
years, to bring together
and interact with the
club’s fans in the country.
The club has more than
two million fans on Facebook in
the country, with a growth of
160 per cent in one year, the
majority of whom are
men under the
age of 24.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
OFFBEAT
Taking injury count,
in royal style!
B
OXING star Amir Khan met
Prince Charles last week
and discovered the heir to
the British throne had sustained
more injuries playing polo than
HE’D HAD MORE
INJURIES IN THAT THAN
I’VE IN BOXING.
the former world champion had
suffered in the ring.
The pair met in Sunderland,
north-east England, where the
Prince of Wales was visiting
a National Citizen Service
project backed by Khan where
youngsters help older people
learn to use social media.
“He’s a very nice guy,” Olympic
silver medallist Khan said
afterwards of Charles.
“I’ve met him two or three
times before and he seems like a
boxing fan.
“We had a bit of a chat about
boxing and we had a chat about
his polo and how many injuries
we’d had. He’d had more injuries
in that than I’ve in boxing,” the
former world light welterweight
champion added.
CAMEO
QAFCO stays with Qatar Masters golf
Qatar Fertiliser Company (QAFCO) announced an
extension to its sponsorship of the Commercial Bank
Qatar Masters and its association with the
Family Zone. The deal was signed by QAFCO Chief
Administration Officer Hamed Al Marwani and
Commercial Bank CEO Abdulla Saleh Al raisi.
Sho time
in sumo!
United sign deal
with KamaGames
Mongolian grand champion
Hakuho Sho became the most
successful sumo wrestler in
history last week, bagging a
record 33rd title and snatching
the honours from a Japanese
legend in the sport.
The 29-year-old blasted
out fellow championship
contender Kisenosato Yutaka,
sealing the title with a
now-unbeatable 13-0 record
in the 15-day New Year Grand
Sumo Tournament.
His other closest rival,
fellow-Mongolian Harumafuji
lost his bout to Kakuryu
rikisaburo, another Mongolian
and the most recent wrestler
to be elevated to the status of
‘yokozuna’ (grand champion).
Hakuho has now sailed
past the late Taiho Koki, a
man widely regarded as the
greatest yokozuna of the postwar era, whose record of 32
Emperor’s Cups had stood
unbeaten for 44
years.
Taiho, born on the far
northern island of Sakhalin
to a Japanese mother and
an ethnic ukrainian father
who had fled the Bolshevik
revolution, won his 32
tournaments between 1960
and ’71.
Coca-Cola backs
European Games
Coca-Cola announced it would
become a top tier Official Partner of
the 2015 European Games to take
place in Baku, Azerbaijan, in June
and will release limited edition
packaging dedicated to Baku 2015.
MediaCorp is
host broadcaster
Singapore-based MediaCorp
has been announced as the
host broadcaster for the 2015
Southeast Asian Games to be held
in Singapore from June 5 to 16.
The deal is reported to be worth
$10.9m.
CNN boost for
McLaren
CNN
International has
struck a multiyear partnership
deal with McLaren
Technology Group. As part of
it, CNN International branding
will appear on the front-wing
endplates of the new McLarenHonda MP4-30.
HEALTH
Mobile game helps in
treatment of lazy eye
C
HILDrEN who had their
‘lazy’ eye treated with an
experimental mobile game
continued to benefit for an entire
year, according to a new study in
the uS.
‘Lazy’ eye, known medically as
amblyopia, occurs when the eye
cannot clearly focus. Sometimes, it
is caused by a person’s eyes being
misaligned. The usual treatment
is to wear a patch over the
‘strong’ eye,
“to force the use of the amblyopic
or weak eye,” said Eileen Birch, the
study’s senior author.
“That does work, but there
has been some research lately
(suggesting) that’s not really the
right approach,” added Birch, a senior
scientist at the retina Foundation of
the Southwest in Dallas.
For the new study, the researchers
continued to follow children who
were treated for amblyopia in an
earlier study using an experimental
game on an iPad.
After a few weeks, the researchers
found children who used it had
improved visual acuity, which is how
much detail they are able to see.
35
KamaGames agreed
a sponsorship
deal with English
Premier League
club Manchester
united to become
the club’s Official
Social Games Partner. united
Group Managing Director richard
Arnold said “Manchester united
are lucky to have a huge global
following and we understand the
importance of engaging with and
entertaining our fans.”
NEC partners
Force India
Sahara Force India team
announced a sponsorship deal
with Japanese ICT company NEC.
The deal is thought to be driven
by the Mexican division of the
company which is keen to support
Sergio Perez, the only driver from
the North American country in
Formula 1. It also coincides with
Mexico City hosting a round
of the World Championship in
November.
— Courtesy CSM Sport & Entertainment
www.csm.com
@FastTrack_ME
Catch ’em young? Not really!
I
N A STuDY of Dutch professional
footballers, a bone deformity
at the hip was much more
common among men
who started playing
the sport at least four
times a week before
age 12.
If the bones of the hip
do not develop normally
during childhood, a so-called
cam deformity can occur, with
extra bone growing near the
ball-shaped top of the femur,
potentially leading to joint
damage and pain, according
to the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons.
Cam deformities begin to show
up on X-rays in early adolescence,
and tend to be more common
among males and athletes in
high-impact sports, the authors of
the new study note in the British
Journal of Sports Medicine.
“It’s in youth, during growth, that
bone activity is high and bone is
very responsive to loading,” said
lead author Igor Tak of the Sports
rehabilitation and Manual
Therapy Department at
Physiotherapy utrecht Oost in the
Netherlands.
“For girls, this is between 10
to 14 and, for boys, this is on the
average 1.5 years later,” Tak said.
36
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
CLOSE-UP | QATAR MASTERS GOLF
37
DSP/Vinod Divakaran
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
38
5
WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015 | www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
2 7 9
MIND SQUARE
7 6
4
3
9 4
8
9
2
3
SUDOKU-457
9
2 7
S
7 1 5 puzzle
2 based on a
udoku is a number-placing
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.
Solution-456
2
3
4
7
8
5
9
1
6
7
9
8
1
3
6
5
4
2
5
1
6
9
4
2
3
7
8
3
7
2
5
9
1
6
8
4
8
6
9
2
7
4
1
5
3
4
5
1
3
6
8
7
2
9
1
4
5
6
2
9
8
3
7
6
2
7
8
5
3
4
9
1
9
8
3
4
1
5
2 7 9
8
4
9
3
9
2
5
9 4
7 6
7
2
6
5
6
2 7
9 1
7
9
8
1
3
3
7
2
5
9
8
6
9
2
7
Ben Rothenberg
@Benrothenberg
Nadal gives great answer
on if he would’ve won
fourth, fifth sets: “‘If’ doesn’t
exist in sport. That’s the real
thing. ‘If’ never comes.”
SportsCenter
@SportsCenter
18th time’s the charm.
Tomas Berdych had lost
previous 17 matches vs
rafael Nadal before win in
Australian Open.
Jonathan Liew
@jonathanliew
Last time Nadal and Federer
were both knocked out
before the semi-finals here,
the last four were roddick,
Schuttler, Ferreira and
Agassi.
Corby Davidson
@corbydavidson
As Federer can attest to,
these things don’t get easier
as u get older. Nadal found
his game & still couldn’t get
it done. And he’s balding.
Jessie Stailey
@Jessie_Stailey
Kinda salty Nadal is out of
the @AustralianOpen.
Lilithia KatyCat
@lilithia
I wonder how many Aussie
tennis basics will hand
back their ticket now that
Kygrios, Federer & Nadal are
out of the race. #ausopen.
o’hara 2
5aidan
6
1
@oharaa
Nadal remains three Grand
9Slams
5behind3Federer.6He
might have to catch him in
French Opens.
1P I Y U4S H 7 8
@writetopiyush
that
6Now
2 Nadal8is also4
out of @AustralianOpen, I
am feeling much better. a typical die hard Federer
fan. #Confession.
Trish Holmes
@mrdarnley
Already 2015 is looking
better than 2014 for @
andy_murray and poor
Nadal, but the quarters
after 7 months out is pretty
amazing. #ausopen.
Nick McCarvel
@NickMcCarvel
“It was not my day,” #Nadal
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com
Follow us on
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah displays
abundant mental and physical toughness
en route to regaining the gruelling
Dakar Rally title with ease. PAGES 24-25
3
UK ...................................... £1
Europe ............................. €2
Oman ...............200 Baisas
Bahrain..................200 Fils
Egypt .............................LE 2
Lebanon..........3,000 Livre
Kuwait....................250 Fils
Morocco ......................Dh 6
UAE ...............................Dh 5
Yemen..................75 Riyals
Sudan ...................1 Pound
KSA.......................... 2 Riyals
Jordan ....................500 Fils
Iraq .................................... $1
Palestine ......................... $1
Syria.............................LS 20
P 10 | FOOTBALL
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW
Villas-Boas at
peace in Russia
P 20 | POSTER
HANDBALL WORLDS
OPENING CEREMONY
Amazing Nasser does it
again at Dakar Rally
5
Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah proved just why he’s one
of the top sportspersons in the Gulf region (Doha
Stadium Plus, January 21). The ace Qatari rally driver
has been known as someone who is always in
pursuit of new challenges and the 2015 Dakar rally
title was another milestone in his impressive career.
With his second crown in four years, Nasser joins
an elite list of multiple Dakar winners, including
rene Metge, Ari Vatanen, Pierre Lartigue, JeanLouis Schlesser, Hiroshi Masuoka and Stephane
Peterhansel.
I wish him all success in future competitions.
Hussain Nejad, Doha.
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Rafael Nadal crashing out of the Australian Open, or any
tournament for that matter, is a big shock. Even though the
Spaniard had just come back from a lengthy absence due
to injuries to his back, knees and what not, Nadal losing,
that too before the title clash, is too tough to digest for the
fans. Against Tomas Berdych on Tuesday, Nadal took an
eternity to take off, and by the time he did, the Czech went
too far and won 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). Twitter was flooded
with emotions ranging from grief at his loss to relief from
Roger Federer fans, who fear Nadal has the best chance of
overtaking the Swiss maestro’s 17 Grand Slam titles. Here are
some reactions.
Australian Open
@AustralianOpen
Some days you climb
the mountain. Some
days others get the
chance. #Nadal out of
the #ausopen. Beaten by
#Berdych.
Hosts Qatar book a berth in the pre-quarterfinal
of the World Championship with a cent per cent
record after the first three matches.
9 4
8
7 1
5
1
6
9
4
P 18 | HANDBALL
QATAR LIVING A DREAM
Gulf champions Qatar end their Asian Cup
campaign without a single victory as they
lose to Bahrain in their last group match.
WEDNESDAY, JANuARY 21, 2015 | Vol IX | No.51 | QR2.00
TOP TWEETS
2
3
4
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8
P 4 | FOOTBALL
QATAR EXIT WITHOuT WIN
DSP/Mohan
8
6
5
9 4
9 1
9
8
3
4
1
in
4says
8press. “I9did not3play 7
with the right intensity. The
opponent was better than
1me.” #AusOpen.
7 8 4 2
australia agent
5@australia_agent
2 3 9 6
Nobody, not even Nadal,
beats Berdych 18 times in
3a row.9 7 1 5
Veitchy on Sport
@veitchynz
Not sure we are stunned
by this? Nadal has
not been himself all
tournament since returning
from injury...
Melissa
@athena1949
You fought like a lion, @
rafaelNadal! I’m proud
of you. rest up and come
back healthy. You are
always my champion.
#respect #Nadal.
Al Annabi disappoint
Gulf champions Qatar failed to impress at the Asian
Cup in Australia, losing all their group games (Doha
Stadium Plus, January 21).
After winning the Gulf Cup in riyadh in November
last year, it was a mighty fall for Djamel Belmadi’s
boys. The competition was tough, but the team
didn’t show any fighting qualities.
The Qatar Football Association will now have to
reassess its plans to prepare the squad for the 2018
World Cup qualifiers.
Mohammed Hassan, Doha.
Handballers impress
Qatar gave fans something to cheer about when
they maintained a good run in the group stage of
the Handball World Championship (Doha Stadium
Plus, January 21).
Qatar’s Spanish coach Valero rivera, who was
recruited in April, ’13, after helping Spain win
the World Championship at home, has instilled
immense confidence in his players. Hope the players
will sustain the momentum.
Rafael Costa, Doha.
Cracker of a knock!
Pyrotechnics was at its stunning best as South
Africa’s A B de Villiers hit the fastest century in
One-Day International history, against the West
Indies at the Wanderers in Johannesburg (Doha
Stadium Plus, January 21).
De Villiers raced to his century off just 31 balls,
five balls fewer than the previous record of New
Zealander Corey Anderson, on his way to an
astonishing 149 off 44 deliveries.
A Gunasekara, Doha.
www.dohastadiumplusqatar.com | WEDNESDAY, JANuArY 28, 2015
39
YOUR PAGE
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]
SCDL hosts German fan forum
The Supreme Committee for Delivery
and Legacy (SCDL) hosted the second
annual fan forum with German
supporters of Schalke 04 and Bayern
Munich during the Bundesliga teams’
winter camps at the Aspire Zone
recently.
As many as 35 fans joined the
German Ambassador to Qatar
Angelika Renate Storz-Chakarji and
SCDL Executive Director of Marketing
and Communications Nasser Al Khater
on a traditional dhow boat trip.
They had the chance to ask questions,
give inputs and learn more about the
SCDL’s plans and build-up towards the
2022 World Cup, to be held in Qatar.
The fans gave positive feedbacks
on their experiences and said the
tournament in the Middle East was
an ideal opportunity to witness
different cultures.
SCDL sent the details and
photographs.
Ladies Aerobic programme
all set to start on February 8
Vodafone supports
UIM Qatar Cup
The Active Qatar Campaign, an initiative
by the Qatar Olympic Committee to make
exercise and healthy living fun and easy
for everyone, will organise the Ladies
Aerobic Programme at the Lycee Voltaire
School in Doha.
Vodafone Qatar will be the official communications partner for
the UIM Qatar Cup powerboat racing festival, to be organised
by the Qatar Marine Sports Federation (QMSF) at the Doha
Corniche and Pearl Qatar from February 4 to 7.
QMSF President Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor Al Thani and
Vodafone Qatar CEO Kyle Whitehill signed the deal.
The event, the world’s biggest offshore powerboating
championship, will see 50 boats in action over six racing
categories, in addition to 30 jetskis.
While entry for the public will be free, VIP tickets can be
purchased at the QMSF’s stand at the Landmark Mall.
Ashraf El Bay sent the details and photograph.
Classes will run from February 8 to
April 9.
For more information, call Tel: 44943035
or 50498359. To register, log on to
www.olympic.qa.
Lionel Gomez sent the details.
Colour Run Qatar is put off to February 7
The Colour Run Qatar, which was originally scheduled for
January 24, will now be held on February 7 on the Qatar
National Convention Centre premises.
The Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar’s Your Health
First initiative was postponed following the death of Saudi
QSL donation for
Syrian refugees
The Qatar Stars League (QSL) donated
QR121,800, raised from ticket sales from
the friendly between Bayern Munich
and Qatar Stars team, to Syrian refugees.
The cheque was presented to the Qatar
Charity at the QSL headquarters last
Monday.
Qatar Stars captain Talal Al Balooshi,
Qatar Charity Executive Director of
Collections Abdullah Al Dossari and QSL
Executive Director for Marketing and
Communications Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon
were present on the occasion.
“The partnership between the QSL and
Qatar Charity demonstrates that the
collaboration isn’t merely symbolic, but
effective in helping people who really
need it,” said Al Haroon.
Fay Smith sent the details and
photograph.
Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
The untimed 5km race, where the participants will be
covered in colour at every kilometre, is open to the public.
More than 5,000 runners have confirmed participation.
Mohammed Hassan sent the details.