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Qatari driver Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah’s strategy of playing it safe saw him move a step closer to retaining his Dakar Rally title and his fifth in all following yesterday’s ninth stage.The 52-year-old Toyota driver finished eighth 11min 8sec adrift of the stage winner, nine-time world rally champion Sebastien Loeb. However, the pressure further eased on al-Attiyah as his closest pursuer overnight, the South driver African Henk Lategan, suffered a mechanical problem and lost 40 minutes. Al-Attiyah holds a lead of 1hr 21min over another Toyota driver, Brazil’s Lucas Moraes, with Loeb a further 19min in arrears.“Today we did a really good job without any mistakes, without any problems,” said al-Attiyah, bidding to become the first back to back winner since Stephane Peterhansel in 2016/17. “We need to take it day by day like this without any problems. We have a big gap now and I hope to finish and to win this Dakar.”Three-time Dakar Rally car champion Carlos Sainz showed gritty determination in ordering a helicopter ambulance to turn around and return him to his stricken car. The 60-year-old’s Audi came to grief just six kilometres into the stage and as a precaution he and his co-pilot Lucas Cruz were airlifted to hospital.“The Spaniard wished to have a chance of resuming the race and demanded that the helicopter ambulance turn round and drop him back at his car,” race organisers Amaury Sport Organisation said in a statement. The two-time world rally champion had lost all hope of a fourth title last Friday when a front wheel came off in an accident. Despite suffering from chest pain as a result of the mishap he insisted on carrying on and started yesterday’s stage languishing in 100th spot, over 29 hours in arrears of al-Attiyah.Earlier Argentinian rider Luciano Benavides, younger brother of title contender Kevin, won the stage in the motorcycling category. The 27-year-old Husqvarna motorcyclist secured his second stage win of this year’s race as he timed 1min 2sec faster over the 358-kilometre special than Australian Toby Price on a KTM.Overall leader Skyler Howes of the United States was third, 2min 57sec off the pace set by the stage winner. Howes retains the overall lead for a fifth successive day but he enjoys a razor-thin advantage over Price of three seconds as the ultimate test of endurance enters its decisive stages with the climax on Sunday. “It was a demanding stage, for sure, with lots of water,” said Howes. “It was super crazy. We were going through giant rivers in the middle of the desert. So now we head all the way down to the Empty Quarter and I assume it’s going to be the same, with more and more challenges down there.”Kevin Benavides is not out of the mix either as he sits in third spot, 5min 9sec adrift. However, there were two big losers on Tuesday – Frenchman Adrien van Beveren and fourth stage winner Joan Barreda of Spain. Van Beveren finds himself over 15 minutes off Howes, having started the day under three minutes shy of the leader, due to getting lost on the first part of the stage. For Barreda, though, there is no coming back as the Spaniard was airlifted to hospital with back pain following a crash on his Honda. Howes said it was a “bummer” to see Barreda lying prone in the sand.Stage 9 Results1 Sebastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) 3h05m14s2 Vaidotas Zala/Paulo Fiuza (Teltonika Racing) +3m07s3 Guerlain Chicherit/Alex Winocq (GCK Motorsport) +4m18s4 Mattias Ekstrom/Emil Bergkvist (Team Audi Sport) +7m21s5 Romain Dumas/Max Delfino (Rebellion Racing) +9m48s6 Kuba Przygonski/Armand Monleon (X-raid Mini JCW) +10m33s7 Giniel de Villiers/Dennis Murphy (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +11m05s8 Nasser al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +11m08s9 Sebastian Halpern/Bernardo Graue (X-raid Mini JCW) +12m18s10 Lucas Moraes/Timo Gottschalk (Overdrive Racing) +12m43sOverall Standings1 Al-Attiyah/Baumel (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 34h19m20s2 Moraes/Gottschalk (Overdrive Racing) +1h21m57s3 Loeb/Lurquin (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) +1h43m08s4 Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +1h46m23s5 De Villiers/Murphy (Toyota Gazoo Racing) +2h04m17s6 Dumas/Delfino (Rebellion Racing) +2h25m51s7 Martin Prokop/Viktor Chytka (Orlen Benzima Team) +2h45m36s8 Brian Baragwanath/Leonard Cremer (Century Factory) +2h48m06s9 Wei Han/Ma Li (Hanwei Motorsport Team) +3h32m15s10 Juan Cruz Yacopini/Dani Oliveras Carreras (Overdrive Racing) +3h52m52s

Qatar went down to Bahrain 1-2 in their second group stage match of the Arabian Gulf Cup at the Al Minaa Olympic Stadium in Basra, Iraq, yesterday. The young side were gunning for their second successive win – after 2-0 victory over Kuwait in the opener – and a place in the semi-finals. But defending champions Bahrain came back from a goal down to keep their unbeaten record against Qatar in the Gulf Cup intact, having not lost to them in the regional competition since 2002. Qatar, missing many senior players and under temporary Portuguese coach Bruno Pinheiro – controlled the possession but two costly errors from Mohamed Waad cost them the game. Waad had a hand in Qatar’s goal in the 34th minute with the midfielder’s cross nodded in by Ahmed Alaaeldin. But Waad was left helpless as Kamil al-Aswad shot took a deflection off his right foot and went to the net. Waad’s night ended in more agony when he conceded a penalty with a handball in 89th minute. Abdulla Yusuf Helal converted the penalty as Bahrain moved one step closer to semi-final spot. Bahrain are top of Group B on six points, with Qatar second on three points. Kuwait, who edged past the United Arab Emirates earlier, are also on three points. Qatar next take on already-eliminated UAE on Friday, while Bahrain face Kuwait. “We will rectify our mistakes and come back strongly in our next match,” Qatar captain Ismaeel Mohamed said after the match. “Losing is part of the game and I am confident that the team will play well to reach far in the tournament. One defeat doesn’t mean we are out; in fact it will help us improve. We played well in our first match and this defeat will not affect our confidence. I am hopeful that the team will bounce back,” he added. Bahrain, under Coach Helio Sousa, showed they have the quality to retain the title. After a disappointing World Cup qualification campaign last year, the team looks settled and has plenty of experience. Sousa was pleased with yesterday’s win. “We were good from the start. Our desire was great to win and the players managed to come away with the full points. Yes, there are young players playing for the first time but they deserve this opportunity. These matches will help in their development. The best achievement in my career with Bahrain was winning the Gulf Cup in 2019, which brought out many promising players after that,” the Portuguese manager said. Earlier, UAE crashed out of the tournament after following a last-gasp defeat to Kuwait. Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s side, who opened their Group B campaign on Saturday with a 2-1 defeat to holders Bahrain, were beaten 1-0. An own goal by captain Walid Abbas in stoppage time ended the UAE’s hopes of a third title. The defender turned in Ahmad al-Dhefiri free-kick to leave Emiratis heartbroken. The result leaves the UAE, champions in 2007 and 2013, unable to qualify for the semi-finals by dint of their head-to-head record with the other sides.

For the second year in a row, the Aspire Zone will play host to the King of the Court Crown Series Finals from January 11-14 in Doha. The absolute best will be ready to chase the crown with Ahmed Tijan and Cherif Younousse defending their crown.The field in the men’s tournament is of regal stature. The defending champions Tijan and Younousse – one of the top teams in the world and bronze medal winners of Tokyo 2020 – will start as frontrunners. . In 2022, the duo never finished outside of the top-9 in any tournament – winning an elite-16 event, a challenge event and the Asian championships. It all started with the Crown Series Finals of 2021 in January, they’re here to start the season once again on a high.“It’s going to be a good challenge for us. It’s going to be tough, I don’t know how many top teams will come. We’re looking forward to be 100% and enjoy the lovely format, the atmosphere,” Younousse said.“You need to be the best server, you need to be the best side-outer. It’s hard for everyone. The most important thing is the serving and side-out. For me it’s tough to say who will win, the best servers, they will win the event for sure. There’s no tactic, you can’t study anything. Because you don’t have time. You need to get in there and then learn quickly how the teams play. It’s hard to say who is the best team, because in every King of the Court event since it started, there is a different champion. The champion of this event will not be the champions of the next. Everything is changing, it’s hard to say who is the best,” he added.Secondly, the winners in Utrecht in 2021 and runners-up of the European Finals in Utrecht 2022 David Ahman and Jonatan Hellvig will want to better their third place from last year in Doha. Estonian Kusti Nolvak is ready to win another King of the Court medal, he chases the gold with Dmitri Korotkov. Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen will be hoping for another spot on the podium and 2021 Hamburg King Bartosz Losiak has his sights set on a new crown as well.In the women’s, Isabel Schneider, who won last year in Qatar alongside Sandra Ittlinger, is participating with a new Julia Sude. Maria Belen Carro is the Utrecht 2021 champions and she teams up with Angela Lobato and 2022 Hamburg winner Pleun Ypma will be giving her all together with Emma Piersma. Anouk Verge-Depre will hunt the crown together with Mania Bentele again, with whom she reached the final in Utrecht this season.

Virat Kohli yesterday said playing “without any fear” remains key to success after his 45th one-day international century led India to a 67-run win over Sri Lanka in the opening match. Kohli hammered 113 off 87 balls to drive India to 373-7 after they were invited to bat first at the start of the three-match series in Guwahati.Skipper Rohit Sharma (83) and fellow opener Shubman Gill (70) put on 143 runs to lay the foundations of the mammoth total. The bowlers, led by Mohamed Siraj, then restricted Sri Lanka to 306-8 to give India a 1-0 lead in the series.Skipper Dasun Shanaka top-scored with an unbeaten 108 after opening batsman Pathum Nissanka hit 72 but the knocks could only reduce the margin of loss for the tourists. Kohli, who survived two dropped catches on 52 and 81, stood out with his 73rd ton across all formats as he let out a roar and took off his helmet to bask in the stadium’s applause. “My preparation and intent always remain the same,” man of the match Kohli said. “I thought I was hitting the ball nicely. It was close to the template I play with.”The former captain has hit two successive ODI hundreds since coming out of an extended lean patch last year when he spoke about his mental struggles during the phase.“The one thing I learnt was desperation doesn’t get you anywhere,” Kohli said on lessons learnt during his slump in form.“You go out there and play without any fear. You go out there playing for the right reasons and almost play every game like it’s your last and just be happy about it. I can’t hold on to things, the game is going to move on. I am not going to play forever. I am in a happy space and enjoying my game.”He finally fell to third-time-lucky quick Kasun Rajitha, who was also bowling when wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis and Shanaka dropped the star batsman.Gill hit three successive boundaries off debutant left-arm quick Dilshan Madushanka in the fourth over and Rohit smashed two sixes and a four off Rajitha to begin the charge on a batting-friendly pitch. Rohit, who returned to captain the side after missing India’s 2-1 T20I series win, reached his fifty with a four and Gill raised his half-century a short time later.Gill took on Dunith Wellalage with three successive fours in one over before he fell lbw in the next to Shanaka’s medium-pace bowling.Rohit attempted to keep up the attack with regular boundaries but Madushanka cut short his knock with a length ball that bowled the Indian skipper off an inside edge. The rest of the innings belonged to Kohli, who is now four ODI tons away from batting icon Sachin Tendulkar’s all-time record of 49.In reply, Sri Lanka were never in the chase after losing two early wickets including Mendis bowled for a duck off Siraj. Nissanka attempted to give some life to the chase with his fighting knock and a 72-run fourth-wicket stand with Dhananjaya de Silva, who made 47.Sri Lanka slipped to 206-8 in the 38th over but Shanaka stretched the match till the final ball with an unbeaten 100-run stand with Rajitha.Shanaka reached his second ODI century with a four on the penultimate ball and ended the match with a six. The skipper said he is doing the “basics well”. Umran Malik took three wickets with his express pace. The second match is tomorrow at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens.Brief scoresIndia 373-7 in 50 overs (V. Kohli 113, R. Sharma 83, S. Gill 70; K. Rajitha 3-88) beat Sri Lanka 306-8 in 50 overs (P. Nissanka 72, D de Silva 47, D. Shanaka 108 not out; M. Siraj 2-30, U. Malik 3-57)Toss: Sri LankaResult: India won by 67 runsSeries: India lead 3-match series 1-0

Ugo Humbert’s three-year reign as Auckland Open champion came to an end yesterday as Christopher Eubanks defeated the Frenchman 7-6(4) 7-6(3) with sixth-seeded American John Isner also exiting the Australian Open warm-up tournament in the first round.Humbert won the event, his first success on the ATP tour, when it was last played in 2020 but lost out to the American qualifier in a pair of tiebreaks.“I was playing some pretty good balls throughout the course of the match and I think being comfortable and playing a lot of tiebreakers in a lot of my games showed a pretty good effect today, so I’m pretty happy,” said Eubanks.The Auckland Open has returned after a two-year break due to the Covid-19 pandemic but yesterday’s matches were moved indoors and played without fans due to the impending arrival of Cyclone Hale.The day opened with Isner, a semi-finalist at Wimbledon in 2018, crashing out when he lost in three sets to Gregoire Barrere. Barrere won the tie 6-7(3), 7-6(5), 6-3 to overcome the big-serving American, who was defeated despite firing down 56 aces.Eubanks will next face Belgium’s David Goffin while Barrere meets fellow Frenchman Constant Lestienne in the second round.Meanwhile, Australia’s Alex de Minaur continued his impressive early season form by defeating former world number three Dominic Thiem 6-4 6-4 in the Kooyong Classic exhibition event.The win comes a week after de Minaur defeated defending Australian Open champion Rafa Nadal at the United Cup in Sydney.Thiem says body has healedDominic Thiem, the 2020 US Open champion, will play at the Australian Open, where he was a finalist in 2020, after gaining a wildcard entry as he continues his comeback from a wrist injury. “The body is good and has healed, last year was a good step in the right direction,” said the Austrian, who pushed Novak Djokovic to five sets in the 2020 Australian Open final. “I hope I can continue in that direction this year, hopefully the Open is a good start.”The former world number three has shown encouraging signs on his return to the tour, rising from outside the top 350 to breach the top 100 this week after semi-final runs last year at Gstaad, Gijon and Antwerp. His rapid ranking rise meant he only narrowly missed directly qualifying for the main draw of the Australian Open, which starts in Melbourne on Monday. But he was handed a wildcard entry and after twice fighting back from a break down against De Minaur, remains optimistic about his chances.“I’m ready to go at the Grand Slam but I don’t know how good I am at the moment,” he said. “It’s very difficult to go deep in a Slam, all of the players are on a high level. But I had a good preparation so I should be ready - we’ll see.”He added that the injury was “an interesting experience, probably every top athlete will face at least one major injury during a career”. “My wildcard is a big honour and also a big possibility (to do well). If I have the chance to make some damage, we will see if I can make that happen,” he said. “I’m glad I’ve left my injury behind, the body feels good.”

Jon Rahm believes he is currently the “best player in the world” after a red-hot streak of three tournament wins in five starts, and has questioned the methodology of calculating the golf rankings where he remains number five in the world.The former US Open champion won the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii over the weekend with a comeback for the ages when he overhauled Collin Morikawa’s seven-shot lead in the final round.Having also won the Spanish Open and DP World Tour Championship, former number one Rahm was hoping to at least move past Patrick Cantlay into fourth spot but still finds himself in fifth place.“Since the pla-yoffs... I’ve won three times and I don’t even get close to him. So I’m trying to understand what’s going on,” Rahm said.“Had they not changed the world ranking points (system) I would have been pretty damn close (to world number one) right now. But in my mind, I feel like since August I’ve been the best player in the world.“Earlier in the year clearly Scottie (Scheffler) was that player, then Rory (McIlroy) was that player, and I feel like right now it’s been me.“Anybody, any given year can get a hot three, four months and get to that spot.”Last year, Rahm had described the revamped world rankings system as “laughable” when priority was placed on the depth of the field rather than the ranks of the players involved.McIlroy remains at the top of the rankings followed by Masters champion Scheffler, Open winner Cameron Smith and Cantlay.Rahm still walked away pocketing $2.7mn from the $15mn purse in Hawaii.Latest World RankingsRank Country Golfer Earnings Events 1 NIR Rory McIlroy $1,890,000 46 2 USA Scottie Scheffler $969,895 53 3 AUS Cameron Smith — 39 4 USA Patrick Cantlay $953,000 39 5 ESP Jon Rahm $3,162,000 45 6 USA Xander Schauffele $297,000 44 7 USA Will Zalatoris $292,500 45 8 USA Justin Thomas $251,763 46 9 ENG Matthew Fitzpatrick $558,506 51 10 NOR Viktor Hovland $940,430 53

FIFA Technical Experts Workshop kicked off in Doha for the third year in a row, with the participation of 24 technical experts from the various national federations under the umbrella of the FIFA, to discuss the technical leadership development programs that FIFA will implement in 2023 and beyond. Secretary-General of Qatar Football Association (QFA) Mansoor al-Ansari indicated that Qatar’s hosting of these international events reflects its commitment to positively contributing to the development of technical expertise in the region and the world. It also stresses that Qatar has become an important sports centre in the world of football, especially since it has previously succeeded in hosting many major events, the latest of which is the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, in addition to many FIFA workshops. The workshop activities continue on a daily basis from 11am-7:30pm, and it is the third time in a row - in the history of FIFA - that Doha hosts the technical experts’ workshop. The workshop is attended by highly experienced coaches from the FIFA coaches and lecturers team, in addition to a group of technical managers and directors of football development in the continental federations, with the participation of a number of international coaches. The workshop will last for 5 days.

Al Sadd coach Juan Manuel Lillo Juanma yesterday said his team will be aiming to deliver a winning performance against arch-rivals Al Rayyan today.Juanma was speaking to the media ahead of their 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League Week 9 match against Al Rayyan (Qatar Clasico).“Now we miss another large group of players who are with the national team in the Gulf Cup. The team must be stronger with the return of some players and we will strive to be at our best,” Juanma said yesterday.“Looking at the 2022 FIFA World Cup from our point of view, we were more enthusiastic and passionate because we had a large number of players in the tournament.“Regarding training, we had to complete the team with young players for more than a month and a half and, despite that, I think it was good.“We will face a good competitor with good players, it will be a very difficult match and we need to see what the situation of our team will be with the absence of many players who are still with the national team. At the same time, some have returned but at different times, so we have to see how the situation is.Al Sadd player Jung Woo-Young said yesterday: “We will play in the upcoming matches of the league championship with full force after the return of most of the team members who represented their countries in the World Cup. Before the World Cup, we lost many points and now it is time to add points to our tally.“From now on, we need to win all matches. The Qatar Clasico against Al Rayyan is the start for us and we have to win this match. There are no other options.“Ahead of the World Cup, we did not have the services of Qatar national team players and many young players gained experience and this is a good thing for the team. Now, the national team players have returned and we can play in a better way like last season as we used to and we need to win all matches.”Al Rayyan coach Nicolas Cordova warned his players to be ready for a tough match.“After winning, the work will be different and the most important thing is that we know that we will face a very strong competitor, one of the strongest teams in the league. And we must be in the best readiness to provide the best performance. We must know that the team is suffering especially on the front of professional players,” Cordova said“The winter transfer period is an opportunity to strengthen the team. We have a shortage of foreign professional players, especially in the offensive line, and we must include players. We also have a shortage at the level of local players and we need three players to strengthen the defence.“We have an absence of players who are with Al Annabi in the Gulf Cup, four players in the player development project in Europe and some others in the youth team who are very important to us. We miss a large number of players, be they local or foreign professionals, and the lack of players was one of the reasons for the team’s low position in the table and it is difficult to compete in their absence.“Winning (over Al Sailiya) is a great incentive to prepare for the match in a better way. With accuracy and high quality in training and match, we hope that we will be ready for this match and win,” said Cordova.Al Rayyan goalkeeper Ivanildo Rodriguez said yesterday: “We are ready, and the team has prepared well, and we know that this match is very important. We will miss an important player in Dame Traore, but we hope to perform well in this game.”In other matches today, Al Duhail face Umm Salal (4:20pm) at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium while Qatar SC face Al Gharafa at the same venue (6:30pm).

Lionel Messi is expected to make his first appearance for Paris Saint-Germain since his World Cup triumph in a Ligue 1 clash at home against Angers today, as the Qatar-owned club look to tie the Argentine down to a new contract.The 35-year-old took part in training with his teammates yesterday, a little over three weeks after inspiring Argentina to victory over France on penalties in an epic World Cup final in Qatar.He was granted a two-week holiday back in his home country following the tournament, before returning to Paris and being given a guard of honour at PSG’s training ground last Wednesday.The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, who scored 12 goals in 19 games this season for his club prior to the World Cup, did not take part in PSG’s win at third-tier side Chateauroux in the French Cup at the weekend.But he could start as the Ligue 1 leaders play host to an Angers side who are bottom of the table and have lost their last nine league outings.How Messi approaches the second half of the campaign in France after a career-defining World Cup will be closely observed, with his initial two-year deal in Paris coming to an end.However, the Qatar-owned club are in talks to extend his contract with coach Christophe Galtier insisting the former Barcelona star is settled in the French capital.“I know there are talks and that the club has spoken to Leo but I don’t know where they are at,” Galtier told reporters yesterday.“Leo seems to me to be happy in Paris and I think there is a real desire on behalf of the club to extend Leo’s contract,” added Galtier, who said that Luis Campos, PSG’s football advisor, was in discussions with Messi’s representatives along with president Nasser al-Khelaifi.Kylian Mbappe, scorer of a hat-trick for France in the World Cup final, may again be rested for PSG’s midweek game after missing their French Cup victory as he took a holiday in New York along with teammate Achraf Hakimi.Neymar has been getting treatment on the ankle injury he suffered playing for Brazil at the World Cup, while Italy midfielder Marco Verratti is out for a PSG side who suffered their first defeat of the season in their last league outing at Lens on New Year’s Day.

Oxford, United Kingdom: Eddie Nketiah scored twice as Arsenal set up an FA Cup fourth-round clash away to Manchester City after seeing off third-tier Oxford United 3-0 on Monday.Mohamed Elneny’s header opened the floodgates at the Kassam Stadium after the Premier League leaders failed to make the breakthrough for over an hour.Nketiah then sealed the win by taking his tally to four goals in as many games since the World Cup break.“We had to up the level as it wasn’t good enough from us in the first half and I think we did that in the second,” said Nketiah.“It’s not the best draw but we’re up for it.”Mikel Arteta named a strong side featuring his preferred front three in the absence of the injured Gabriel Jesus as Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli flanked Nketiah in attack.Arsenal were dominant in possession before the break but struggled to create any clear-cut chances and were further frustrated by the decision not to award a penalty for handball when Elliott Moore blocked Albert Sambi Lokonga’s effort. Fabio Vieira was one of those not commonly in Arteta’s starting line-up given a chance to shine and the Portuguese made his mark after the break with two assists.The former Porto midfielder’s inviting free-kick was headed in powerfully by Elneny for the Egyptian’s first goal since 2021.Nketiah then continued to make the most of his prolonged run in the side following Jesus’ injury.The all-time top goalscorer for England’s under-21s coolly rounded Edward McGinty from Vieira’s through ball to roll into an empty net.“Every player wants to play,” added Nketiah. “I’m grateful for the opportunities and just want to keep helping the team.”Saka was then replaced after receiving treatment in concerning scenes for Arsenal, but there was some solace in the return of Emile Smith Rowe for the first time since September.Nketiah added his second of the night with another cheeky finish as he dinked the ball over McGinty from Martinelli’s pass 14 minutes from time.A much tougher test awaits in the next round when the Premier League’s top two will go head-to-head at the Etihad on the last weekend of January.

The 2022-2023 season QNB Stars League’s Week 9 will witness the high-profile Qatar Clasico between Al Rayyan and Al Sadd, which always evokes great interest on and off the field. And Al Rayyan are strongly preparing for the contest.Al Rayyan, under the tutelage of Chilean Nicolas Cordova, recorded their first league victory this season last week when they beat Al Sailiya 2-0. The big question now is ‘will The Lions be able to build on it and earn a respectable finish in the QNB Stars League’?Ivorian star Yohan Boli, who has been one of the lead attackers of Al Rayyan for a few seasons now, gave his takes on the QNB Stars League in general and Qatar Clasico in particular, in an Exclusive Interview.Al Rayyan are in good form now, having resumed the QNB Stars League with a convincing win over Al Sailiya. How do you see it?Yes, I believe in my team. We resumed the league competition after a long break, which saw Qatar hosting the FIFA World Cup. It’s good that we started again in good fashion and now we’re all focused on the next matches.Do you think the team can maintain the momentum the rest of the season?Yes, we can. We’re capable of sustaining the momentum. Having registered our first league victory this season, we feel we can build on it and score more wins and points, which we need the most at this stage, starting from the Qatar Clasico.How do you look forward to the Qatar Clasico against Al Sadd?Like I said, we’re focused on this game. We’ll prepare for all games like a final, so Al Sadd or whoever the opponents, we try to win all games.How do you approach the game, in terms of preparations?Like in all weeks, we work hard to be ready for the next battle. We hope to translate our training and preparations into good performance on the pitch and thus make up for the lost points in the early rounds.What’re your expectations of this season’s first Qatar Clasico?Like in every season, this game is special. Obviously for so many reasons. It’s a Clasico, so yes we’ve to win for ourselves and also for our passionate fans.What makes this game more special than the other QNB Stars League games?Because it’s Qatar Clasico, it’s simple like that. Fans are eagerly waiting for this game especially. It’s a great motivation for the competing clubs, players and everyone involved.What targets have you set for yourself and with Al Rayyan this season?We couldn’t start the season well, so we take it game by game. We hope to make progress as the season progresses and we’ve to see at the end of the season where we stand.How do you feel representing a club like Al Rayyan, which has great tradition and achievements?It’s always an honour to be a part of this team and wear this special shirt in every game. It’s true that we haven’t had a good start to the season. But in the New Year, we really want to forget the first part of the season and give a smile to the entire Al Rayyan family with solid performances.

Rafael Nadal, the 22-time Grand Slam tennis champion, has become a new team owner in the world's first all-electric race boat championship, organisers said on Tuesday.Nadal will enter his own team for the inaugural season of the UIM E1 World Championship, which is set to begin later this year.The series is the brainchild of Alejandro Agag, founder of the electric Formula E and Extreme E motor racing and off-road series.Nadal follows a growing list of sports stars to own a team in the championship, including Red Bull's Formula One driver Sergio Perez."I'm really excited to be getting involved with a project like E1 that values sustainability and will make a positive impact on society as a whole, especially in coastal communities," Nadal said in a statement."I also like the fact that E1 has a clear mission and is committed to preserving marine ecosystems. As a professional athlete, I recognise how making marginal gains has a positive impact on performance."Nadal will be looking to defend his Australian Open title this month when the season-opening major begins on January 16

Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin was discharged from hospital in Cincinnati on Monday, just a week after suffering a cardiac arrest during an NFL game, medical staff confirmed.Hamlin was released from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center and flew to Buffalo where he will continue his recovery at another hospital."We are thrilled and proud to share that Damar Hamlin has been released from the hospital and returned to Buffalo," UC Medical Center said."He is doing well and this is the next stage of his recovery."In separate posts on Twitter, Hamlin thanked medical staff in Cincinnati while paying tribute to the outpouring of goodwill across the sporting world."Grateful for the awesome care I received at UCMC," Hamlin wrote, adding that staff at his new hospital, Buffalo General Medical Center, have "already made me feel at home!""Watching the world come together around me on Sunday was truly an amazing feeling," Hamlin added in a separate tweet."The same love you all have shown me is the same love that I plan to put back into the world 'n more."The 24-year-old safety was left in critical condition last Monday after collapsing during the Bills' clash with the Cincinnati Bengals, forcing the abandonment of the game.The scary incident shocked the sports world and once again drew more scrutiny on the physically punishing nature of America's most popular sport.Hamlin had made steady progress since being admitted to hospital last week, regaining consciousness on Wednesday before addressing team-mates via a video call on Friday.University of Cincinnati Medical Center physician William Knight, who accompanied Hamlin to the airport before his transfer to Buffalo on Monday, cautioned it was still too early to say whether the Bills player would resurrect his NFL career.

The former Qatari national team player Adel Khamis hailed the level of Qatar's national football team in their opener match against Kuwait at the Arabian Gulf Football Cup (Gulf 25) hosted by the Iraqi city of Basra until Jan 19.He also affirmed his confidence in the Qatari national team's ability to win in today's match against Bahrain in the second round of Group B competitions in the tournament.In a statement today, Adel Khamis said obtaining the first three points gives the team and players a morale boost and gives them confidence, especially since some players are participating in the tournament for the first time and the opening match victory win will serve as a motivation for next clashes.Regarding today's confrontation against Bahrain, the former Qatar's national team player, who participated in previous Gulf editions starting from the 1986 edition, said the Bahraini national team is the defending champion and has technical stability, and the Qatari team have to focus on the competitor's weaknesses and exploit them well.

The international community must help Pakistan recover from last year’s devastating floods and boost climate resilience, or the country will be locked in misery, the head of the UN development agency told AFP.Pakistan is still reeling from the unprecedented monsoon floods unleashed last August which killed more than 1,700 people and affected some 33mn others.To meet the acute needs, the country and the United Nations co-hosted an international conference in Geneva yesterday seeking billions of dollars in donor pledges and other support towards a long-term recovery and resilience plan. More than $9bn were pledged.“The sheer destruction of these floods, the human suffering, the economic cost... turns these floods truly into a cataclysmic event,” said United Nations Development Programme administrator Achim Steiner, whose agency is helping organise the conference.In an interview ahead of the event, he said the situation remained dire months after the monsoon rains ended.“The waters may have receded, but the impacts are still there,” Steiner said.“There is a massive reconstruction and rehabilitation effort that needs to be undertaken.”Millions of people remain displaced, and those who have be able to go back home are often returning to damaged or destroyed homes and mud-covered fields that cannot be planted.Food prices have soared, and the number of people facing food insecurity had doubled to 14.6mn, according to UN figures.The World Bank has estimated that up to 9mn more people could be dragged into poverty as a result of the flooding.Yesterday’s one-day conference, which opened with speeches by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, aimed to secure commitments of support towards the country’s $16bn recovery and reconstruction plan.Pakistan’s government aims to cover half that amount with “domestic resources”, including through public-private partnerships, but is looking to the international community to cover the rest.Steiner insisted the international community had a moral duty to help Pakistan recover from a catastrophe clearly amplified by climate change.The country is responsible for less than one percent of global greenhouse gas emissions but is one of the most vulnerable nations to extreme weather caused by global warming.Pakistan “is essentially a victim of a world that is not acting fast enough on the challenge of climate change”, Steiner said.The enormous shocks Pakistan is facing, he said, “require the international community to step up in partnership”.Otherwise, the country will face “an extraordinary amount of misery and suffering” in the long term, he warned.Pakistan “will essentially remain locked into a situation where it cannot recover, and for years, maybe for decades will lag behind... its potential”.As the world reels from multiple overlapping crises, from the Covid pandemic to the war in Ukraine and resulting food and energy price hikes, the $8bn Pakistan is seeking might sound like a big ask.But Steiner said the figure likely “underestimates not only the cost of what is needed, but also the potential of international support”.He pointed out that the short-lived but dramatic and deadly floods around Ahr in Germany in 2021 ultimately cost around €33bn ($35bn).By comparison, Pakistan saw large swaths of its territory flooded for months, with the water yet to recede in some areas in the south, leaving an unfathomable trail of destruction.“No country in the world could really recover from this without the solidarity and support of others,” Steiner said.Helping a climate-vulnerable country like Pakistan to rebuild in a more resilient fashion is the only way to limit the damage as global warming worsens, he said.“I think the world has begun to realise that climate change has arrived,” he said.“We will have to not only rethink the way our economies are run, but also how we deal with the catastrophic and almost unprecedented scale of these impacts in the years to come.” — AFP

Gareth Bale announced his retirement from club and international football at the age of 33 on Monday, bringing the curtain down on one of the most decorated careers in British football history.The former Real Madrid star, who played his final match at the recent World Cup, won five Champions League trophies and made a record 111 appearances for Wales, becoming their greatest goalscorer.Bale led his country from the international football wilderness to two European Championships -- reaching the semi-finals of Euro 2016 -- and a first World Cup since 1958.The forward, who also played for Southampton, Tottenham and Los Angeles FC, said after the World Cup in Qatar he would keep going for "as long as I'm wanted" but the Cardiff-born player has now decided to hang up his boots."After careful and thoughtful consideration, I announce my immediate retirement from club and international football," Bale wrote on his social media accounts."I feel incredibly fortunate to have realised my dream of playing the sport I love."It has truly given me some of the best moments of my life, the highest of highs over 17 seasons. That will be impossible to replicate, no matter what the next chapter has in store for me."Bale started his career at Southampton but made his name in the Premier League at Tottenham, where he was twice named players' player of the year.After scoring 31 goals for club and country in the 2012/13 season, it was clear that Spurs would struggle to keep Bale and Real Madrid paid a then world record fee of around £85 ($104 million) to sign him in September 2013.The high point of Bale's club career came in May 2018 when he scored twice in the 3-1 Champions League final victory over Liverpool, including a stunning overhead kick.He also won three league titles in Spain but had a troubled final few years in Madrid as injuries and a perceived lack of commitment pushed him to the fringes of the first team.The forward joined Los Angeles FC last year and went on to win the MLS Cup in early November in his short stint in the United States.Madrid 'legend'Bale started off his one and only World Cup campaign in style, scoring from the penalty spot in his country's 1-1 draw with USA in November but defeats to Iran and England meant Wales bowed out at the group stage in Qatar.The Wales talisman, whose 41 goals make him the top goalscorer in the country's history, issued a separate statement to his "Welsh family", saying his decision to retire from international football had been "by far the hardest of my career"."My journey on the international stage is one that has changed not only my life but who I am," he said."The fortune of being Welsh and being selected to play for and captain Wales, has given me something incomparable to anything else I've experienced."I am honoured and humbled to have been able to play a part in the history of this incredible country, to have felt the support and passion of the red wall, and together have been to unexpected and amazing places."Real Madrid issued a statement saying they wanted to "show their appreciation, admiration and love for a legend of our club and world football"."He will forever be united to the history and legend of our club," the club said.Tottenham and Southampton congratulated Bale on an "incredible career" while LAFC also paid tribute to the star forward."We want to thank Gareth for everything he brought to our club," LAFC co-president and general manager John Thorrington said. "He arrived here with a goal to win championships in LA and, like he has done everywhere else in his career, he succeeded."It was an honour to have one of the most talented, dynamic and exciting players of his generation finish his career with a title for LAFC."

France captain Hugo Lloris has announced his retirement from international football at the age of 36, three weeks after his country lost the World Cup final on penalties to Argentina in Doha.“I have decided to stop my international career, with the feeling that I have given everything,” Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Lloris said in an interview with French sports daily L’Equipe published yesterday.“I think it is important to announce this now, two and a half months before the start of Euro qualifying.”Lloris, who made his international debut as a 21-year-old in a friendly against Uruguay in November 2008, bows out after becoming France’s most-capped player during the World Cup.He overtook previous record-holder Lilian Thuram’s mark of 142 appearances and finished with his 145th cap in the final, which France lost 4-2 on penalties after an epic 3-3 draw at the end of extra time.“I have really been thinking about it since the end of the World Cup, but there has been something deep inside of me for maybe six months now and which grew during the competition, leading me to make this decision,” Lloris said.Former Nice and Lyon goalkeeper Lloris captained France to victory at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.He played at seven major tournaments in total, including Euro 2016, when France lost in the final to Portugal as hosts.France’s back-up goalkeepers at the World Cup were 37-year-old Rennes veteran Steve Mandanda and Alphonse Areola of West Ham United. However, the replacement for Lloris as France’s starting custodian is set to be the 27-year-old Mike Maignan of AC Milan, who missed the World Cup due to injury.“There comes a time when you need to step aside. I have always said the French national team does not belong to any one person,” Lloris said.“There is a goalkeeper who is ready (Maignan), and I need a bit more time for me, for my family and for my children.To have been the France goalkeeper for 14 and a half seasons is a big deal, but it is also mentally exhausting and I hope clearing some time for myself will allow me to keep playing at the highest level for a few more years.”He added yesterday: “I prefer to go out at the top, having helped France get to a World Cup final.”Lloris’ decision comes after coach Didier Deschamps - in charge since 2012 - signed a new contract to remain in the position through to the 2026 World Cup in North America.The next assignment for France is the qualifying campaign for Euro 2024 in Germany, which begins at the end of March with a double-header against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland.They will also play Greece and Gibraltar in Group B, with the top two teams advancing to the finals which will take place from June 14 to July 14 next year.

Naomi Osaka has not played a tennis match since September and her withdrawal from next week’s Australian Open has raised concerns that the former world number one may never appear on court again.Osaka’s social media accounts have stayed silent since Tennis Australia tweeted on Sunday that the two-time Melbourne champion would miss the first Grand Slam of the year, giving no reason for her absence.Osaka’s posts over the past few months have shown her travelling in Europe with her boyfriend, the rapper Cordae, and announcing that her sports management agency had signed up world number two Ons Jabeur.But there has been little evidence of the Japanese player spending time practising on court, fuelling speculation that the four-time Grand Slam champion’s tennis career could be over at the age of 25.Tennis writer Ben Rothenberg, who has authored a biography of Osaka due out later this year, believes she has already taken a “meaningful step back” from the sport and is deliberately keeping quiet.“I think she might want to be opaque about it because she doesn’t want to put a label on it necessarily,” he told AFP.“I don’t think she would use the word ‘retiring’, but if she was stepping away from the sport for a while - and it could be for any length of time - I don’t know that she would want to speak that out loud.“I think she would sense that that would raise a lot of bells and whistles.”‘More down than up’Osaka has previously talked about struggling with her mental health and revealed that she suffered depression.She spent all of 2022 outside the top 10, enduring first-round defeats at both the French and US Opens and withdrawing from Wimbledon with an Achilles’ injury.She also split from long-time coach Wim Fissette last summer, replacing him with her father Leonard Francois.Her last appearance was at the Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo in September, where the home favourite withdrew before her second-round match, complaining of abdominal pain.She told reporters at that tournament that she had gone through “more down than up” in 2022 and that she had “learned a lot” about herself.She is now ranked 47 in the world, having hit the summit for the first time in 2019.Rothenberg believes Osaka is “recalculating things” and may decide that she is not prepared to make the sacrifices needed to continue as a professional tennis player.“For her, the math is not adding up right now, for her to want to make the commitment,” he said.“She knows how much work it is and how all-encompassing and preoccupying it is to be an active full-time player with the standards that she has.“She’s won so much already, she’s not going to be content just to be a top-20 player again.”Australia’s Ashleigh Barty, then the world’s undisputed number one, stunned the tennis world in March last year when she announced her retirement aged 25.She explained that she was “spent physically” and no longer had the drive needed to continue.Business interestsOsaka has several interests outside of playing tennis, including her sports management agency Evolve, which counts Jabeur and Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios among its clients.She has also invested in Pickleball, a tennis-like sport that is growing fast in the United States, and boasts numerous endorsements.Her website describes herself as not only a tennis player but also “fashion nerd”, “entrepreneur” and “social change advocate”.Osaka was named the world’s top-earning woman athlete for 2022 by Forbes, with reported earnings of $51.1mn, even as her tennis career continued to dive.Rothenberg says there will be significant pressure from sponsors urging Osaka to “stay on the hamster wheel” of professional tennis.But he says the fact that she has chosen not to proves that she is “making this decision for herself”.“Whatever her reasons may be, players almost always err on the side of choosing to play,” he said.“So for her to hit pause, I think shows a good deal of control of the situation,” Rothenberg said.And Rothenberg believes there is still plenty of time for Osaka to come back, should she wish to.“She has more runway in front of her if she wants to take back off again and get back on tour,” he said.“But it won’t get any easier with more time off.“The more time she spends away, it will not get easier.”

Pakistan strolled to a six-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first one-day international yesterday after fast bowler Naseem Shah took five wickets in Karachi.The 19-year-old grabbed 5-57 for his second five-wicket haul in just four ODI appearances as New Zealand, sent in to bat, managed 255-9 in their 50 overs at the National Stadium.Mohamed Rizwan (77 not out), skipper Babar Azam (66) and Fakhar Zaman (56) then helped Pakistan cruise to victory with 11 balls to spare.The home team took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.The remaining matches are tomorrow and Friday, also in Karachi.Naseem, the Player of the Match, said yesterday: “Good performance is fun only when the team wins. Everyone bowled well. It was reversing, and I just bowled to my strength.”Azam and Zaman put on 78 runs for the second wicket after Imam-ul-Haq (11) fell in the sixth over.Zaman hit seven boundaries in his 74-ball knock before he was bowled by Michael Bracewell, while Azam was stumped off Glenn Phillips after facing 82 deliveries.Rizwan, who added 60 with Azam, put on another 64 with Haris Sohail who made a quick-fire 32. Off-spinner Bracewell was the best New Zealand bowler with 2-44.Captain Azam said: “We utilised the new ball, and fast bowlers executed the plan. All the credit goes to them. We knew it would be cold, and there would be dew... It was difficult for a new batter coming in. In the end, Rizwan was outstanding. It is good to have options as a captain, and I have a lot of them in terms of fast bowlers as well as spinners.”New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said: “We would have liked a few runs. Pakistan were clinical with the ball. There were glimpses where the game could have changed. Pakistan adapted better. There were a number of mid-partnerships, but no one going on... The toss had an impact, but I still feel there was enough assistance (with the ball) in the second half. We got some turn, and it skidded on with the new ball.”Earlier, it was Naseem’s fiery bowling that kept New Zealand in check. The teenager dismissed opener Devon Conway in the first over of the match for nought to kickstart Pakistan. Naseem returned for a second spell to account for Phillips (37), Bracewell (43) and Henry Shipley (nought).Naseem, whose first ODI five-wicket haul was against the Netherlands in August, rounded off his night by dismissing Mitchell Santner for 21 in the final over. Tom Latham (42) and Daryl Mitchell (36) stabilised the innings during a fourth-wicket stand of 56, while Phillips and Bracewell added 66 off 59 balls for the sixth - before Naseem dismissed both in successive overs. Skipper Williamson scored 26 before he was beautifully bowled by debutant leg-spinner Usama Mir, who finished with 2-42. Phillips hit a six and a four in his 53-ball knock, while Bracewell cracked four boundaries and a six. Opener Finn Allen smashed six boundaries in his 27-ball 29.Brief scoresNew Zealand 255-9, 50 overs (M. Bracewell 43, T. Latham 42, G. Phillips 37, D. Mitchell 36; Naseem Shah 5-57) lost toPakistan 258-4, 48.1 overs (Mohamed Rizwan 77 not out, Babar Azam 66, Fakhar Zaman 56; M. Bracewell 2-44) by 6 wickets

Two days after the end of a humiliating Test tour of Australia by South Africa, a new Twenty20 league, the SA20, will be launched in Cape Town today.South Africa were outplayed in Australia, heavily beaten in the first two matches before escaping with a draw in a rain-hit third match.The Test struggles followed South Africa’s embarrassing exit from the T20 World Cup in November when they lost to the Netherlands in a must-win game.“We want to play our role in reviving (South African) cricket,” said SA20 commissioner and former Test captain Graeme Smith. “We want to get people into the stadium and cheering again.”Organisers said online tickets for today’s opening match between MI Cape Town and Paarl Royals had been sold out.All six league franchises have been bought by owners of Indian Premier League (IPL) teams. The opening-match combatants are offshoots of Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. The Cape Town team will be led by Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan and includes England trio Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone and Jofra Archer, who is returning to competitive cricket after injuries.England white-ball captain Jos Buttler, who led his country to victory in the T20 World Cup, is the star signing for Paarl Royals, who will be captained by South Africa batter David Miller.Other key players for the Royals are former England captain Eoin Morgan and opener Jason Roy. Buttler has hailed the SA20 as “a really important moment in South Africa’s cricket history”.Although there is a strong sprinkling of England and West Indian players, there are none from India, Pakistan or Australia.Despite the Indian ownership of the teams, the Indian board bars its players from foreign leagues.The SA20 clashes with Australia’s Big Bash and a new tournament in the United Arab Emirates.The tournament, which ends on February 11, takes place during what traditionally has been a prime part of the home international season.A one-day international series in Australia was forfeited to ensure the availability of the leading local players for the SA20, jeopardising South Africa’s hopes of qualifying automatically for this year’s World Cup.Cricket South Africa has chosen to reduce its international commitments, especially Tests, with most series over the next four years consisting of only two matches.Chief executive Pholetsi Moseki said when the latest future tours programme was unveiled: “You might say the programme is light but it was intentional on our side. We needed to make room for our new T20 competition.”An illustration of the focus on T20 at the expense of longer-form cricket is that two of the SA20 captains, Faf du Plessis and Quinton de Kock, have quit Test cricket in order to concentrate on the white-ball game.All-rounder Dwaine Pretorius announced yesterday that he was quitting international cricket in order to concentrate on the 20-over game. Two of the highest-paid young South African players in the league are Tristan Stubbs, who has only played in eight first-class matches, and Dewald Brevis, who yet to make his first-class debut.The SA20 has followed the IPL in refusing accreditation to photographers other than those working for an agency appointed by the league. Smith said the league was following what he described as “world-wide best practice” in ensuring product ownership.Television rights have been bought by Viacom18 in India and Sky Sports in Britain.The SA20 is South Africa’s third attempt at establishing a viable T20 league. Unlike the previous two, the SA20 has a title sponsor and a television partner in SuperSport, Africa’s biggest sports broadcaster.