Borussia show courage after terror attack

The terror attack on top German football team Borussia Dortmund’s team bus as they headed for the Champions League match against AS Monaco on Tuesday has to be condemned in the strongest possible terms.Whenever sportsmen and other innocent people are deliberately targeted it adds to the outrage internationally and only hardens the world’s stance against the terrorists and their sympathisers. Spain international Marc Bartra was injured in the attack and needed an operation on his wrist after being hit by flying glass. He has been sidelined for the rest of the season as a result. Luckily, nobody suffered life-threatening injuries but it did shake up the players who would no doubt be mentally scarred for the rest of their lives.German authorities arrested a suspect yesterday in connection with what Chancellor Angela Merkel called a ‘despicable’ attack which forced a 24-hour postponement of the team’s high-profile clash.Investigators have found three letters near the scene, all with the same content suggesting the attacks were carried by Islamic State sympathisers.The attack will no doubt force authorities to strengthen security measures at sports events, but encouragement can be drawn from the fact that the Borussia-Monaco match went ahead yesterday after a 24-hour delay. Borussia lost 2-3 but they put up a huge fight, which in itself is a tribute to their resilience after escaping death only a day earlier.Boost for Qatar sportsThe decision to merge Lekhwiya and El Jaish clubs into one entity called the Al Duhail Sports Club is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for Qatar as far as sports is concerned.The merger is expected to take place after the 2016-2017 domestic season ends and would not only help in creating a more competitive domestic sports scene but will also ensure that Qatar has a really strong presence in international competitions, especially in disciplines like football, basketball, athletics and handball.As it is Lekhwiya and El Jaish have been quite dominant on the local scene, winning several tournaments and also excelling in regional events. Their opponents will now have to deal with a super strong Al Duhail Sports Club and will have to raise their game a few notches if they are to compete at the highest level.Lekhwiya have been Qatar’s top football side for a few years now. They created history when they won the prestigious Qatar Stars League on their debut in 2010-11. Since then they have gone on to win the tournament four more times, including this season under the guidance of coach Djamel Belmadi.They are also doing well in the lucrative Asian Champions League in which they currently top their group and look set to qualify for the knockouts. El Jaish, too, have been among the top football teams in Qatar over the past few years although they were unlucky not to win the league on a couple of occasions.No official reason has been given for the merger, but whatever it is, in the end it would only prove beneficial for Qatar.