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07TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2019

Over the winter and in the break, I could eat whatever I wanted, so pancakes and

Cheetos, all that stuff. But I stayed very active.

Lewis Hamilton says ahead of the new Formula One season.

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Eight Oman teams set for Qatar challengeTHE PENINSULA DOHA

The Sultanate of Oman may not have hosted a round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship since Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah claimed victory in a Ford Fiesta RRC in 2015, rallying is a popular sport in the country nonetheless and eight teams will make the trip to take part in this weekend’s Manateq Qatar International Rally and Manateq Qatar National Rally.

A resurgence in interest in special stage rallying in the Middle East is partly due to the intense competition between the Toyota, Hyundai, Ford and Citroën factory teams in the FIA World Rally Championship and sterling work put in by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Feder-ation (QMMF) to encourage entrants to take part in rallies in Qatar.

Six Omani crews tackled the Qatar event last November - when it was the final round of the FIA Middle East rally series - and this year’s opening round has attracted two further teams from the southern Gulf country.

Saif Al Harthy and

his co-driver Mohammed Al Mazrouii head the Oman con-tingent in the FIA category in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution that they hope will take them to MERC 2 honours in the showroom category for Group N vehicles.

Kuwait’s Meshari Al Thefiri is the regional champion in MERC 2 and Qatar’s Abdullah Al Kuwari won the category on his home event last season, but Oman’s weight of numbers on the entry list could give visiting teams a superb chance of chal-lenging for success.

Omani Abdullah Al Ruwahi and his Jordanian navigator Ata Al-Hmoud suffered bad luck on a couple of rallies last season and the youngster will be hoping for better fortune in his Subaru Impreza STI. Zakariya Al-Shanfari and Abdullah Al-Amri have entered a similar car from the Japanese stable.

Five further Omani crews are entered in the Manateq Qatar National Rally that runs behind the main event.

The British expatriate crew of Shaun McGonigal and Nath Marriott are running a Subaru Impreza STi on Omani licences,

while the Sultanate’s line-up is completed by Humaid Al Waili/Issa Al Wardi (Mitsubishi), Hamid Al Qassimi/Mohammed Al Mazroui (Mitsubishi), Faisal and Waleed Al-Rashdi (Subaru) and

Zakariya Aufi/Ammar Al Bulushi (Mitsubishi).

The punishing deserts of Qatar are the domain of pow-erful four-wheel drive cars, where traction is crucial and the

risk of punctures is very real. But two competitors have decided to buck the trend and take part in the event in a pair of nimble little two-wheel drive, near-standard, Renault Clios.

The cars lack the power and traction needed to cope with some of the rocky terrain and finishing without damaging the car is the realistic goal for both Jordan’s Asem Aref and Qatar’s Nadim Ziade.

Aref has tackled the event before in the MERC 3 section and teams up with fellow Jor-danian Faris Al-Tal. Ziade will line up at the start with Leb-anese co-driver Naji Sfeir in the National Rally section at the rear of the field.

This year’s rally gets under way with a ceremonial start and opening super special stage at Souq Al Wakra on Thursday.

Both the start and the Al Wakra super special will be tel-evised live on the Al Rayyan sat-ellite channel and rally officials have introduced a WRC-style concept to the format of the super special as well.

Competitors will compete against each other on two par-allel tracks, each of 0.68km in length, and each driver will tackle two laps on each track and a total distance of 2.72km. The first two cars are due on stage from the later time of 21.05hrs on Thursday evening.

Asem Aref in action in Jordan

last year.

A resurgence in interest in special stage rallying in the Middle East is partly due to the intense competition between the Toyota, Hyundai, Ford and Citroën factory teams in the FIA World Rally Championship and sterling work put in by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) to encourage entrants to take part in rallies in Qatar.

Beefed-up Hamilton binged on food ahead of 6th F1 title bidAP BARCELONA

Hungry for more success, Lewis Hamilton (pictured) added a twist to offseason preparations before launching his quest for a sixth Formula One world championship.

He binged on snack food. Less for the taste of it, more for the effect it would bring.

Eating a belly-full first and then d o i n g e x t r a hard

workouts to turn that needless excess fat into muscle meant Ham-ilton returned to the track looking bigger than ever.

Bigger neck, bigger upper body, bigger arms.

He wasn’t the only F1 driver to relax the diets and beef up the body after a rule change took away an advantage for being lighter.

“Over the winter and in the break, I could eat whatever I wanted, so pancakes and Cheetos, all that stuff. But I stayed very active,” Hamilton said during pre-season testing at the Barcelona-Catalunya Circuit.

“For the last month or so I have been pretty clean.

My body fat is going down and you target more efficient defined muscle. I am not trying to be the Hulk . It takes time to put on muscle in the right way, but it has been great to eat bigger portions.”

Heavier drivers had com-plained about the previous F1 reg-ulations, which counted the driver’s weight against the car.

The regulations for 2019 say that a driver’s weight will

be considered sepa-rately from the car.

The driver and the car seat now must weigh a minimum

of 80 kilograms (176 pounds). It means teams are obligated to add ballast inside the cockpit if the driver is too light.

The 34-year-old Hamilton, who is listed by the Mercedes website as weighing 150 pounds, said that he had added more than four pounds of muscle through various training regimes.

“I feel stronger than I’ve been in a long time,” said Hamilton, who switched to a vegan diet two years ago. “I worked with different people a few days on and a few days off just to pick up new tech-nique. I worked with a vegan trainer, who has been vegan his whole life and (is) a very ripped individual, and a couple of athletes.”

Mercedes didn’t reveal the details of Hamilton’s training program but team principal Toto Wolff said the star driver is “stronger than before and in a super mental state; the best I have seen so far.”

Other drivers have also piled on the pounds.

“I may have overdone it!” Frenchman Romain Grosjean said.

“I’ve put quite a fair bit of muscle on. I just need to sweat off a little bit for the first race but we’re going to be all right.”

More muscle helps drivers

handle the physical demands of racing, such as dealing with the G-force pressing on them when they steer their one-seaters through hairpin curves at hair-raising speeds.

Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas spent time training in the frozen north of his native Finland, where he mixed cross-country skiing and other outdoor activities with in-the-gym workouts. They even included neck-strengthening exercises where he would do sit ups sideways while wearing a racing helmet.

Bottas applauded the rule change, saying it also improves the overall health of race drivers.

“I think the regulation is good, especially for the taller drivers it makes life a bit easier,” Bottas said.

“Many drivers had to be below our natural weight and it is very easy to get ill or sick. This is the first winter for many years that I didn’t get any flu or any sickness.”

The other rule changes include revamped designs for front and rear wings to favour overtaking, and the introduction of new helmets and gloves. Fuel limits have been increased to reduce the need for drivers to cautiously manage their tanks. The new season starts on Sunday at the Aus-tralian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

Eating a belly-full first and thend o i n g e x t r a hard

break, I could eat wanted, so pancakes all that stuff. But I active,” Hamilton saiseason testing at theCatalunya Circuit.

“For the lso I have been

My body fat isand you target modefined muscle. I ambe the Hulk . It takes tmuscle in the right wbeen great to portions.”

Heavier driversplained about the preulations, which counteweight against the ca

The regulationsthat a driver’

be considrately fr

The drcar seweigh

�� Ferrari in hot form, but Vettel may face fireworks Ferrari are ex-

pected to set the season-opening pace at Albert Park, but the Italian

team could be the scene of some old-fashioned intra-team fireworks.

New boy Charles Leclerc, a Ferrari academy protege brought in from

Sauber to replace Kimi Raikkonen, matched four-time champion Sebas-

tian Vettel in testing at Barcelona.

��Vettel is entering his fifth season with the team and knows he has

to improve on last year’s erratic showing to retain the faith of the tifosi

and keep Leclerc at bay. Michael Schumacher had to wait until his fifth

season in red before he claimed his first drivers title with them and

then won five in a row.

��Netflix movie targets younger audience Liberty Media took over in

January 2017 and soon switched attention from a more traditional

broadcast business model to greater use of social media, streaming

and inter-activity with fans.

��The first series of Netflix movie ‘Drive to Survive’ was launched on

Friday with Ross Brawn, once one of the best-known bespectacled

boffins of the pit-lane during his title-winning years with Benetton,

Ferrari and his own eponymous Brawn team, heading the promotional

activity in his role as motorsport boss for the new owners. “This sport

is able to grow and it will grow quicker if all the teams are part of the

process,” he said, noting that top teams Ferrari and Mercedes had

opted out of the initial filming in 2018.

��Williams and McLaren desperate The once-great Williams team,

which has powered drivers including Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nigel

Mansell, Damon Hill, Jacques Villeneuve and Alain Prost to world titles,

turned up late for pre-season testing at Barcelona -- and then flopped

miserably as they clocked the slowest times.

�� Technical director Paddy Lowe, recruited two years previously

from Mercedes to head the team’s revival, departed on March 6 to take

a ‘leave of absence’.

�� Like Williams, McLaren have undergone a transformation from

dominant force to midfield scrappers in the last decade and they are a

long way from repeating the halcyon days of the famous rivalry be-

tween Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost. Last season, they were sixth in

the constructors title race before two-time champion Fernando Alonso

left the team, to be replaced by fellow-Spaniard Carlos Sainz. He is

partnered by British rookie Lando Norris, 19.

��Three bright rookies Three rookies join the grid for 2019.

The trio of George Russell, Lando Norris and Alexander Albon finished

in that order on top of the 2018 Formula Two championship and have

joined Williams, McLaren and Toro Rosso respectively.

��Albon, born in London, is the first Thai driver since 1954 and will

partner returning Russian Daniil Kvyat at Toro Rosso.

Russell, 20, partners 34-year-old Robert Kubica who returns for the

first time since 2010 following a near-fatal rallying crash that left him

with a partly-severed right forearm.

Norris, 19, will be the youngest driver on the grid as partner to Carlos

Sainz, 24, at McLaren.

��Point for fastest lap F1 has stepped back to the future for 2019 by

a desire to re-introduce the award of a world championship point for

fastest lap at each race. A point for the fastest lap was awarded during

the first decade of the world championship from 1950 to 1959 and

was decisive in the outcome of the 1958 title race.

In that season, Mike Hawthorn beat Stirling Moss by a single point to

take the drivers crown, having set two fastest laps more than his rival.

2019 FORMULA ONE SEASON: TOP TALKING POINTS

F1 giants are also biggest spendersAFP PARIS

Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull were the three most successful teams in the Formula One world champi-onship in 2018, spending more money that the other seven teams combined. According to journalist Dieter Rencken, who each year collates the financial figures for Racefans.net, the cost of keeping two cars on track in the championship is around 100m euros. Worried by spiralling costs, F1 will impose a budget ceiling of $150m from 2021.

Team budgets in 2018: 1. Ferrari (2nd in con-

structors championship) $410m (361m euros) total 950 employees + 480 in engine

department Receives the largest part of the sport’s commercial revenues redistributed by F1 on account of the team’s historic status in the sport. Backed also by cigarette manufac-turers Philip Morris via their “Mission Winnow” project.

2. Mercedes (1st) $400m (352m euros) total 950 employees + 500 in engine

department Daimler-Benz’s F1

activities are split into two. 3. Red Bull (3rd) $310m (272m euros) 860 employees Should benefit in 2019 from

sister team Toro Rosso and common engine supplier Honda

4. McLaren (6th)$220m (194m euros); 760

employees. Supported by Middle East investors but despite losing Fernando Alonso for the new season, will benefit from various new sponsors one of which is British American Tobacco through their projet “A better tomorrow”

5. Renault (4th)$190m (167m euros); 680

employees + 300 in engine department Strategic partnership of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi but over-shadowed by the Carlos Ghosn affair.

6. Williams (10th)$150m (132m euros); 630

employees. Lost title sponsor Martini for the season to be replaced by tel-ecommunications company ROKiT.

With the support also of Canadian multi-millionaire busi-nessman Lawrence Stroll -- the father of driver Lance Stroll.

08 TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2019SPORT

India sought permission to wear caps, says ICCAP ISLAMABAD

The Indian cricket team was granted permission to wear camouflage caps during a one-day international against Australia in Ranchi, the ICC said yesterday.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni dis-tributed the caps among his team members before Friday’s toss for the third ODI as a way to pay tribute to 40 Indian sol-diers killed in a terror attack in Pulwama.

“The BCCI sought per-mission from the ICC to wear the caps as part of a fundraising drive and in memory of fallen soldiers who have died, which was granted,” ICC spokes-woman Claire Furlong said in an e-mail yesterday.

The move by the Board of Control for Cricket in India was heavily criticized in Pakistan. Information minister Fawad Chaudhry even called for the ICC to ban the Indian cricket team for mixing politics with sports.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ehsan Mani said he has “strongly taken up the matter with the ICC.”

“There’s absolutely no mis-understanding in the ICC about our position,” Mani said late Sunday in Karachi. “We believe that cricket and sports should not be used for politics and we have said this very clearly. Their (India) credibility in the crick-eting world has gone down very badly.”

The PCB was forced to shift the three PSL matches from Lahore to Karachi last week because of the recent political tensions between Pakistan and India.

Lahore was ruled out when its air space was temporarily closed in the aftermath of Pulwama attack. But the PCB was adamant to show the crick-eting world that it’s safe to play cricket in Pakistan by organ-izing eight PSL games in Karachi.

In the past, the ICC has either reprimanded or banned international players for showing off their political sen-timents during international matches.

England all-rounder Moeen Ali was banned five years ago for wearing wristbands showing off slogans “Save Gaza” and “Free Palestine” during a Test match against India.

South Africa leg spinner Imran Tahir was reprimanded for showing of an image of Pakistan pop singer Junaid Jamshed underneath his playing T-shirt during a T20 against Sri Lanka in 2017. Jamshed had died in a plane crash in December 2016.

“You have two examples from the past already, where both Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali were sanctioned for some-thing similar,” Mani said. “The ICC had taken strong action against them and we have sought similar action against India. The permission they took was for a different purpose but they acted differently.”

India’s Kohli slams inconsistent DRS after Australia defeatAFP NEW DELHI

Skipper Virat Kohli (pictured) has slammed the decision review system (DRS) as “not consistent” after India had a referral turned down by the TV umpire and went on to lose the fourth one-day international to a record Australia chase in Mohali.

Ashton Turner hit an unbeaten 43-ball 84 to lead Australia’s 359-run chase on Sunday -- their highest ever in ODI cricket -- to level the five-match series at 2-2 on Sunday. The final match is in Delhi

tomorrow. Turner, on 41, was on the receiving end of a caught behind appeal off Yuzvendra Chahal in the 44th over that was turned down by the on-field umpire but reviewed by the home team.

Although replays suggested a gap between the ball and the bottom edge of the bat, the “snickometer” showed a spike at the moment the ball passed the bat but the third umpire chose not to overturn the onfield call.

Kohli was not pleased with the decision but accepted his team’s inade-quacies against a superior Australia in the post-match presentation.

“We were sloppy in the field and should’ve grabbed our chances,” Kohli said of his team’s fielding lapses.

“But the DRS call was a bit of surprise for all of us and it’s becoming a more of a talking point every game. It’s just not con-sistent at all.

“That was a game-changing moment,” said Kohli.

It was the second straight time in the series that DRS had been questioned after a review by Australia skipper Aaron Finch in the third ODI in Ranchi could have had an outcome on the game that the tourists finally won.

Finch was trapped leg before on 93 by India’s left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav and the umpire raised his finger.

The opener called for a review which showed Yadav’s delivery pitching on middle stump but ball-tracking tech-nology then showed the ball pitching on the line of leg stump and hitting leg stump.

The on-field call was upheld and Aus-tralia lost Finch and their sole review.

However Finch said overall that DRS was a “pretty good system”.

India resisted using the technology for years but finally adopted it in 2016, becoming the last Test nation to do so.

New Zealand’s Ross Taylor

celebrates his 200 runs during day four of the

second Test match against Bangladesh at the Basin Reserve in Wellington yesterday.

Taylor’s 200 raises victory hopes in rain-hit TestAFP WELLINGTON

A double ton from Ross Taylor and three quick Bangladesh wickets yesterday put New Zealand in a prime position to pull off an exceptional victory in the rain-shortened second Test in Wellington.

At stumps on day four at Basin Reserve, where the first two days were washed out, Bangladesh were hurting at 80 for three, still 141 from making New Zealand bat again.

“We didn’t play the first two days. If the result goes against us, we will feel bad,” Bangladesh opener Tamim Iqbal said.

Taylor, dropped twice on 20, proceeded to punish the Bang-ladesh attack with a rollicking 200 from 212 balls before New Zealand declared at 432 for six.

He said he was determined to make the most of his two lives but it took a while to realise 200 was on the cards.

“If you’d told me that at the start of the day, especially how the first 10 overs went, I would have said ‘you’re kidding’,” he said.

“I thought ‘well my luck’s got to change sooner or later let’s

make it pay’. The game situation, being a three-day Test, we had to be a bit more proactive and score quickly and try first of all to get a lead and try to build it up as quick as possible to give our bowlers a bit of a chance.”

Bangladesh made a disas-trous start to their second innings when Tamim, their leading run-scorer, was out for four. Mominul Haque followed for 10 and Shadman Islam for 29 leaving Mohammad Mithun on 25 with Soumya Sarkar not out 12.

Tamim said letting Taylor off the hook early really hurt.

“It was sad that we dropped catches of someone, twice in the

same over, who went to hit a double-hundred,” he said.

“They ended up scoring five an over. It is hurting us.”

New Zealand piled on 394 runs in 73 overs on Monday before sending Bangladesh back in for 23 overs before stumps.

Taylor clouted Taijul Islam for six over the long-on boundary to bring up his century which took him past his mentor, the late Martin Crowe, to become New Zealand’s second most pro-lific century-maker with 18, two behind Kane Williamson.

He put on 172 with Wil-liamson for the third wicket and then 216 with Henry Nicholls for the fourth.

Bangladesh (I innings) ......................... 211New Zealand (I innings) J Raval c Soumya b Jayed ................................... 3

T Latham c Liton Das b Jayed ............................4

K Williamson c&b Taijul ....................................74

R Taylor c Liton Das b Mustafizur .................200

H Nicholls b Taijul .............................................107

C de Grandhomme not out .............................. 23

B Watling c Soumya Sarkar b Jayed ................ 8

Extras: (LB5, W7, NB1) ......................................13

Total: (for 6 wkts dec;)......................... 432Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-8, 3-180, 4-396, 5-421,

6-432

Bowling: Jayed 18.5-2-94-3, Ebadat 16-2-84-0

(5w), Mustafizur 14-2-74-1 (2w, 1nb), Soumya

6-0-35-0, Taijul 21-0-99-2, Mominul 9-0-41-0

Bangladesh (II innings)Tamim Iqbal b Boult ............................................4

Shadman Islam c Watling b Henry .................29

Mominul Haque c Southee b Boult ................10

M Mithun (batting) .............................................25

Soumya Sarkar (batting) .................................. 12

Extras: ...................................................................0Total: (for 3 wkts) ...................................... 80Fall: 1-4, 2-20, 3-55

Bowling: Boult 8-1-34-2, Southee 5-1-18-0,

Henry 4-2-17-1, de Grandhomme 2-0-3-0, Wag-

ner 4-2-8-0

SCOREBOARD

Remembering Crowe: Taylor prays in quiet apology after getting tonAFP WELLINGTON

Ross Taylor whispered a prayer and an apology to the late Martin Crowe Monday as he overtook his mentor’s century tally during an exceptional innings of 200 that put New Zealand in a strong position in the second Test against Bangladesh.

Taylor’s 18th Test century, one more than Crowe laid the foun-dation for New Zealand’s 432 for six declared in the first innings of the rain-disrupted Test in Wellington.

At stumps, Bangladesh were 80 for three in their second innings, needing another 141 runs on the final day to make New Zealand bat again.

The number four’s sterling effort was his third Test double hundred and achieved his long-held ambition to fulfil Crowe’s prophecy that Taylor would one day overtake the late great bats-man’s mark.

“I told Hogan (Crowe) ‘my apologies’ for taking so long to get there,” said Taylor who scored his 17th century in 2017, nearly two years after Crowe died from cancer.

“Seventeen was such a big number when I just started playing cricket. Once I got there it was probably a bit of a relief and then I didn’t kick on. It was probably a little in my subconscious.”

Taylor had discussed breaking Crowe’s record with a sports psychologist who told him to acknowledge it would always be there and “now it’s nice to knock it off and just go out there and play”.

In the course of his innings, Taylor also passed Crowe’s record for the most runs scored at the Basin Reserve “so he’s probably a bit annoyed with that one,” the batting mainstay quipped.

Taylor, who was dropped twice on 20, featured in a 172-run stand with Kane Williamson for the third wicket and shared a 216-run partnership with Henry Nicholls for the fourth.

Nicholls made 107, his fifth century, while Williamson, who now holds the New Zealand record for the most centuries with 20, battled with an injured shoulder to reach 74 before he was dismissed.

England players pose with the winning trophy at the end of the 3rd and final T20 between West Indies and England at Warner Park, Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, on Sunday.

England crush WI to seal T20 series 3-0AFP ST KITTS

England ended their Caribbean tour on an upbeat note when they thrashed West Indies by eight wickets in the final Twenty20 inter-national on Sunday to sweep the three-match series.

Fast-medium bowler David Willey rattled through West Indies’ top order, taking 4-7 off three overs as England dismissed the home team for a paltry 71 in 13 overs at Basseterre in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

The capitulation left West Indies with the ignominy of being the first team to score less than 75 in consecutive T20 internationals, following their 45-run total in the second game on Friday.

No West Indies batsman scored more than 11.It took England just 10.3 overs to polish off their victory target,

Jonny Bairstow scoring a quickfire 37.The dye was cast from the first ball on a slowish wicket when

Shai Hope gave an easy catch to short cover off Willey, who was named man-of-the-match.

“My role up front there is to try to swing the new ball,” Willey said. “Tonight it didn’t swing a great deal but I put it in the right area and there was a bit of hold in the pitch for me and it forced some errors from the West Indies.” Captain Eoin Morgan was particularly pleased with the performance of some of his fringe players who got a chance to play when several first-choice players were rested.

“Guys who don’t get a huge amount of opportunities have stuck their hand up on numerous occasions and it’s really exciting to see,” Morgan said, naming bowlers Willey and Chris Jordan and batsmen Sam Billings and Joe Denly.

Former Pakistan Test and ODI skipper Shahid Afridi waves to fans at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, yesterday. Afridi, who quit all international cricket in 2016, now appears for Pakistan Super League (PSL) franchise Karachi Kings. INSET: Fans hold a sign showing the name of retired Australian plater Shane Watson at the same venue.

PSL matches in Karachi

09TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2019 SPORT

Karachi United’s colts living the dream at Aspire AcademyFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Shabbir Ahmed is relishing the experience of playing on the same turf at Aspire Academy where his ‘heroes’ Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani practised a couple of months ago.

For the 12-year-old, who hails from Karachi’s slum neigh-bourhood of Lyari, it’s like living a dream.

“We have been told that the PSG players were in action on the same pitch (in January) on which we are playing. It’s a fan-tastic feeling. This experience is giving us great pleasure, pride and motivation,” Shabbir told The Peninsula yesterday.

“Neymar is my favourite player. Cavani and Mbappe are also my heroes, and enjoying the same facilities as of them is like one of my dreams has come true,” said the young footballer, whose father is jobless and is

hardly able to make ends meet for a family of eight. Shabbir, one of 27 footballers part of Karachi United’s U-11 and U-12 teams, is on a five-day visit to Doha on the invitation from Aspire Academy.

Karachi United is a non-profit organisation in Pakistan that works using football as a social tool. It has formed football teams in various age groups, starting at the age of 8 years. Most of the children, who join the academy come from an impov-erished background and get full support from the academy.

The U-12 team, which is in

Doha was invited by Aspire Academy after it won the Standard Chartered Bank-spon-sored Karachi United Football League. The event, which was held in Karachi last September saw the participation of 720 boys and 80 girls.

During their stay, the Karachi U-12 team is scheduled to play a total of 8 matches against the Aspire Academy side.

While praising state-art-of-the-art facilities at Aspire, Karachi United’s Director Imran Ali, who is accompanying the teams, said the Doha trip will prove to be a great learning

curve for his players. “We have been to Barcelona

and Manchester United but Aspire has the world’s best facil-ities. In the winter, many big clubs including Bayern Munich and PSG come because of the top-notch facilities. It’s astounding how they maintain the standards,” Ali said in a candid chat with media at Doha Tower, yesterday.

Ali hoped the young players will return home with a signif-icant experience after exposure at Aspire Academy.

“Qatar are the Asian cham-pions and many members of

their national team, which won the Asian Cup, are Aspire grad-uates. That speaks volume of the talent development Qatar is doing and the marvellous facil-ities here. We look forward that our players will get valuable experience and keep on returning to Doha,” he said.

“I would like to thank Aspire for giving us this opportunity and Standard Chartered for their continued support,” Ali added.

Abdulla Bukhowa, Standard Chartered Bank’s (SCB) CEO in Qatar, backed the Karachi United’s youngsters to have a bright future, saying his bank will continue to support such initiatives.

“Karachi United’s initiative fits in our programme. We have responsibility to give opportunity to people who are normally not included in such activities. Our strength is being diverse, which include all members of the society,” said Bukhowa.

“KU is doing a fantastic job by giving chance to these kids. For us it’s a privilege to be able to work with them and to see them grow and thrive,” he added.

Tasneem Mirza, SCB’s Asso-ciate Director, Communications Corporate Affairs said the bank was running many programmes for communities.

“We are in 65 countries and we have been working in these countries on community activ-ities,” she said. “SCB is thankful to Aspire Academy for hosting the Karachi United teams and we hope this trip will be beneficial for these youngsters.”

Abdulla Bukhowa, (centre, back) CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), Qatar, Karachi United’s Director Imran Ali (left, back) and SCB’s Associate Director, Communications Corporate Affairs, Tasneem Mirza (second left, back) pose for a group photo with Karachi United’s U-12 team in Doha, yesterday. PICTURE: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

We have been told that the PSG players were in action on the same pitch on which we are playing. It’s a fantastic feeling. This experience is giving us great pleasure, pride and motivation: Shabbir Ahmed

KU: Setting lofty goals in cricket-crazy PakistanARMSTRONG VAS THE PENINSULA

Having its own residential football academy and gaining promotion to the elite division of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) League are some of the immediate goals for Karachi United (KU), a top official of the club said here yesterday.

The club from the port city have embarked on a challenging task to transform the lives of hundreds of underprivileged children using the passion of the game as a tool for change.

For the outside world Pakistan is a cricket-crazy country, but Karachi United club officials disputed the claim saying that in pockets of the country football still rules as the number one sport and Karachi is one of them.

“The football club structure is very good in Karachi. We have some 450 clubs in Karachi and in Lyari we have 250 football clubs,” said Imran Ali, Karachi United’s Director.

Officials of the club along with members of the Under-12

team are in Qatar at the invi-tation of Aspire Academy to take part in a series of matches to be played at the state-of-the-art facilities ground.

The Under-12 team, by virtue of been winners of the Standard Chartered Bank-sponsored tour-nament in Pakistan got the priv-ilege to play in Qatar.

The club formed in 1996, plays in the B Division, the second tier of PFF, and it launched its ambitious com-munity reach programmes to scout talent throughout Karachi in 2010, starting with the U-8 boys.

The club has set lofty goals ahead of them on the youth development front and for its players development.

“Some of the players want to be professional footballers, hopefully that will happen, if we can continue providing them opportunities, they will continue honing their skills and by the will of Allah one day become big players, but it’s a long way to go, but you have to be able to dream if you don’t dream big no point in living,” said Ali.

The club has a launched one

of its kind youth development programme which scouts and train footballers from different areas of the city.

The teams touring Qatar are

elite outfits selected from dif-ferent community centers spread across the length and breadth of Karachi.

“We have more than

hundred part-time coaches and we have community centers led by a head coach. We have a very strong coach development pro-gramme because we need them

to be talking about the same football coaching philosophy,” Ali said.

Karachi United has age group teams starting from the age of 8 and extend till the age of 18, and Ali is hoping that the senior team also qualifies for the premier division of the league.

“Karachi United are playing in the B Division of the PFF League and we hope we can qualify for the elite division, sometime really soon.

The club runs a day academy for footballers and hope to convert it into a residential academy in the near future.

“We hope in the future, we have a residential academy, which will take care of their edu-cation,” said Ali.

He hoped the football youth development movement spreads throughout the country.

“In a country of 200 million, one academy alone is not enough. So, if someone wants to take our knowledge and spread the movement by following our model in different cities, we are more than happy to provide that assistance.”

Abdulla Bukhowa, (centre) CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB), Qatar, Karachi United’s Director Imran Ali (left) and SCB’s Associate Director, Communications Corporate Affairs, Tasneem Mirza pose for a group photo. PICTURE: ABDUL BASIT/THE PENINSULA

Roger Federer in action against Peter Gojowczyk on Sunday.

Nadal, Federer advance at Indian WellsAFP INDIAN WELLS

World number two Rafael

Nadal raced into the third

round of the ATP Indian Wells

Masters as Roger Federer

made a less speedy but still

successful start to his quest

for a sixth title on Sunday.

Nadal, a three-time Indian

Wells winner, needed just 72

minutes to get past over-

matched Jared Donaldson,

6-1, 6-1.

Federer, who is seeking

to break out of a tie with top

seed Novak Djokovic for most

titles in the California desert,

looked set for a similarly easy

time of it, but had to turn back

a second-set challenge from

German Peter Gojowczyk in a

6-1, 7-5 win.

Fourth-seeded Federer

said he was relieved not to

go to a second-set tie-

breaker after falling behind

3-1 to the free-swinging

German, who is ranked 85th

in the world.

The Swiss regained the

break and, after saving four

break points to make it 4-4,

cruised home.

“I struggled a little bit

with my serving in that second

set and that gave him

chances. Because he was

serving better, he started to

swing more freely and then it

was tough,” Federer said.

“I’m really happy I found

a way in that second set,” he

added.

Federer next faces com-

patriot Stan Wawrinka, a

three-time Grand Slam

champion currently unseeded

as he continues his return

from injury.

Wawrinka won a taut

thriller against 29th-seeded

Hungarian Marton Fucsovics,

6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, finally

sealing it on his fifth match

point after three hours and 24

minutes when Fucsovics

lofted a lob long.

Nadal, playing his third

tournament of a year that

started with a crushing loss

to Djokovic in the Australian

Open final and included an

early exit in Acapulco, con-

verted five of his six break

chances against Donaldson

and never faced a break point

himself.

He next faces Diego

Schwartzman, who beat

Spain’s Roberto Carballes, 6-3,

6-1. Nadal is 6-0 against the

Argentine.

“Today was a very pos-

itive step for me, and the next

one is going to be against a

player that we know each

other very well -- we practiced

a lot of times, and we played

some tough matches,” Nadal

said.

In other early matches,

sixth-seeded Kei Nishikori of

Japan survived a scare in a

6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory

over France’s Adrian

Mannarino.

Mannarino, ranked 52nd

in the world, served for the

match at 6-5 in the third.

He couldn’t muster a

match point and double-

faulted on break point, and

that was enough of a window

for Nishikori.

Fan who attacked Grealish jailed for 14 weeksAFP LONDON

A Birmingham fan who punched Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish during a highly-charged derby in the English Cham-pionship was jailed for 14 weeks and banned from football stadiums for 10 years yesterday.

Grealish was attacked by Paul Mitchell in a shocking incident during Sunday’s clash between the bitter local rivals at St Andrew’s.

Mitchell sprinted onto the pitch in the 10th minute of the derby, punching Grealish from behind and sending him sprawling to the turf.

The 27-year-old was eventually led away by stewards, while the visibly shaken Grealish was able to continue playing and eventually scored Villa’s second-half winner.

Yesterday, Mitchell pleaded guilty to assault and invading the pitch when he appeared at Bir-mingham Magistrates’ Court.

As well as his prison sentence and stadium ban, Mitchell was ordered to pay £100 ($130) to Grealish as compensation for the pain, discomfort and shock caused by the assault.

AFP MANCHESTER

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has again cast doubt on the Premier League champions’ readiness to win the Champions League for the first time despite being favourites for the compe-tition.

City host Bundesliga strugglers Schalke today with a 3-2 first leg lead in their last 16 tie hoping to avoid the pitfalls that did for Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid in Champions League shocks last week.

Guardiola admitted even he was taken aback by Manchester United’s stunning 3-1 win in Paris and holders Madrid’s capitulation to a talented young Ajax team, but refuted suggestions their elimi-nation had cleared the way for City to finally conquer Europe.

“We are teenagers in this com-petition that’s my feeling. It’s not excuses, of course we want to win it,” said the Catalan coach yesterday.

“You have to dream and point as high as possible but in the same time you have to accept there are other teams thinking the same with a lot of quality and lot of talent.”

Guardiola was annoyed by City’s mistakes in conceding two penalties and having Nicolas Ota-mendi sent off 22 minutes from

time in Gelsenkirchen three weeks ago despite turning around a 2-1 deficit with 10 men through late goals from Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling.

And he used that experience to warn his players against any complacency.

“In domestic competition there is another game, in this competition there is not another game. It is something unique, the focus is incredible and when you make something wrong they (the opponent) punish it,” he added.

“Schalke had two shots on target and scored two goals. We played 23 minutes 10 v 11 when we could avoid that second yellow

card from Nico. We are lucky today we are here 3-2 up when we could be 3-1 or 4-1 down. That’s the reality in this compe-tition. (There is) work to do, be calm and focused.”

Along with the suspended Otamendi, Fernandinho will again miss out through injury, but the Brazilian’s absence has not been felt as badly as first feared due to Ilkay Gundogan’s form.

The German has deputised ably in the holding midfield role, but has so far refused to commit his future to City beyond his current contract, which expires in 2020.

“There is no decision yet

otherwise I would have signed or rejected a contract. I would say we are still in talks,” said Gundogan.

“I’m 28 years old now so obvi-ously my next contract will decide where I am for maybe the end of my career.

“Everyone feels different, (whether) to go for a new chal-lenge or change something. I am always open-minded for chal-lenges, it is not (an) obvious (decision).

“Everyone has to make their own decision and at the moment I try to play as good as possible.”

Guardiola, though, urged Gun-dogan to make his intentions clear.

“I would prefer him to stay but at the same time I want to feel he wants to stay too,” said Guardiola.

“If he doesn’t want to stay, he has to leave.”

THE PENINSULA DOHA

The Engineers Corporate Cricket Tournament, organised by the Keralite Engineers Forum (KEF), kicked off at the Ideal Oval in Al Hilal, Doha recently.

The tournament in which 12 corporate teams are competing, is sponsored by Louise Philip & Van Heusen at Airport Road, Qatar.

The tournament was inaugu-rated by Dr. Hassan Kunhi, Chairman of Ideal Indian School and Director of Kannur Interna-tional Airport.

He lauded KEF for creating this opportunity for the professionals to come out and play the compet-itive game of cricket.

The participating teams are Galfar Al Misnad, L&T, Powerman International, Qatar Design Con-sortium, Mannai Corporation, Castle Constructions, Omega Engineering, Global Auto Parts, Coastal Qatar, Almoyyed

Air-conditioning, Technosteel & Gulf Warehousing Company. Only the staff of respective com-panies are allowed to play in the tournament.

During the inauguration cer-emony, KEF Chairman Sajeet

George wished best of luck to all the teams and the tournament rules were presented by Sudheesh Gopalakrishnan and T S Sreenivas. Specifically designed team Jerseys were distributed by Prakash Nair and Kishore Nair. Manual and

online scoreboard were managed by Rahul Rajan, Azhar, Farhad, Jacob Thomas and Dayan Anthony.

The tournament will be played on Fridays and spread over a period of five weeks.

10 TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2019SPORT

You have to dream

and point as high as

possible but in the same

time you have to accept

there are other teams

thinking the same with

a lot of quality and lot

of talent: Guardiola

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Allegri plots Juventus comebackREUTERS TRRIN, ITALY

Juventus supporters hope coach Massimiliano Allegri can pull one of his surprises out of the hat as their team attempt to overturn a 2-0 deficit at home to Atletico Madrid in the Cham-pions League last 16 today.

Although he was out-smarted by his opposite number Diego Simeone in the first leg, when three quickfire substitu-tions knocked Juve off balance, Allegri has often been in his element when he is apparently on the back foot.

“The more complicated it is, the more I enjoy it,” he said after Friday’s 4-1 win over Udinese by his Serie A leaders. “If I have to think up something new, I prefer it that way.”

Only nine teams have ever overcame a two-goal deficit in the Champions League knockout stages, with Man-chester United becoming the first to do it away from home when they won 3-1 against Paris St Germain last Wednesday.

On the eight occasions it has been achieved by a home team, only three have managed it without an away goal in the bag.

Juve will also be up against one of the competition’s best-organised defences and Allegri will be without two full backs because Mattia De Sciglio is

injured and Alex Sandro suspended.

He also needs to make sure Cristiano Ronaldo is not starved of service as he has been in some recent games.

One possibility, Allegri said after the Udinese game, would be to switch to a three-man defense. That would probably include Martin Cacares, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini.

Joao Cancelo and Federico Bernardeschi would likely play on the flanks, with Miralem Pjanic organising the midfield and Blaise Matuidi and Emre Can offering a more physical presence while Mario Mand-zukic would partner Ronaldo in attack.

“A three-man backline is a possible solution,” said Allegri. “But we will need to read the

game because it could take 120 minutes.”

Another formation, according to Italian media, would feature Caceres and Cancelo as full backs in a four-man defence with Bonucci and Chiellini in the centre.

Can, Pjanic and Matuidi would form a three-man mid-field with Mandzukic, Ronaldo and Bernardeschi in attack.

As with the previous option, that would mean no place for playmaker Paulo Dybala. The Argentine would only likely be used in the 4-2-3-1 option which could see Pjanic on the bench.

Can and Matudi would play in front of the defence, with Dybala as the playmaker, Man-dzukic and Bernardeschi on either side of the Argentine and Ronaldo in attack.

Whatever the outcome, Allegri has been keen to play down the importance of the tie amid suggestions that, having signed Ronaldo from Real Madrid, anything less than the Champions League title this season would be considered a failure.

“The Champions League has always been an objective but it is wrong to say that it’s a failure if Juventus go out,” he said.

“I find that laughable... it’s just a football match. If we go through then that’s great, if not then we’ll try again next year.”

City still teenagers in adult world of Champions League: Guardiola

KEF Engineers Corporate Cricket Tournament kicks offRESULTS OF LEAGUE

MATCHES: DAY 1

Castle Infrastructure beat Omega Engineering by 30

runsTechnosteel beat L&T by 6

wicketsGulf Warehousing

Company beat Castle Infrastructure by 89 runsMannai Corporation beat Powerman International

by 116 runsGalfar Al Misnad beat

Qatar Design Consortium by 4 runs

Global Auto Parts beat Technosteel by 4 wickets.

The players, officials and the representatives of the Keralite Engineers Forum pose for a photograph during the inauguration ceremony of the Engineers Corporate Cricket Tournament at the Ideal Oval in Al Hilal, Doha.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts during a press conference held in Manchester, Britain, yesterday.

Juventus’ Cristiano Ronaldo trains with team-mates ahead of today’s Champions

League match against Atletico Madrid at

the Juventus Training Center in Turin, Italy,

yesterday.

Tuchel committed to future at PSG after ‘accidental defeat’

AFP PARIS

Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel says he has no intention of leaving the French club in the wake of their exit from the Champions League at the hands of Manchester United.

“I have a contract and I want to stay here a long time, grow and have success with the club, that is my goal, that’s absolutely clear,” said the German yesterday when asked how he sees his future.

Tuchel was appointed last year on a two-year deal to succeed Unai Emery. He had been widely praised for his work at the Parc des Princes, but another elimination from the Champions League in the first knockout round has raised questions.

PSG had been desperate to make progress in Europe after being knocked out of the Champions League last 16 in back-to-back seasons under Emery. They looked on course to reach the quarter-finals after a 2-0 win away to United in the first leg last month, but a 3-1 home loss at the Parc des Princes last week knocked them out on away goals.

The nature of their defeat, especially coming two years after their capitulation against

Barcelona at the same stage, has seen PSG widely labelled as bottlers, incapable of dealing with the tension on the big stage.

However, Tuchel insists that the United game was “an accident”, with the tie decided by Marcus Rashford’s penalty, which was awarded for a handball following a contro-versial VAR review.

“It is difficult to analyse Wednesday because in my opinion it was an accident,” said Tuchel.

“Lots of people might say, ‘yes, but there have been lots of accidents at the same moment going back several years’, but for me and this team it was an accident, there is no explanation, we con-trolled the game.

PSG returned to training on Sunday after three days off in the wake of the United game. They were greeted with abuse from supporters who had been invited into the session at the club’s stadium.

Reports said that attempts by players, including captain Thiago Silva, to calm the ‘Ultras’ were ignored, with more verbal abuse the response.

“They were hurt, sad, angry. Everyone can under-stand that but you can’t be more sad or hurt than us. It’s not possible,” Tuchel insisted.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatari football giants Al Duhail will look to maintain their quality run as they take on Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal in the second round of AFC Champions League (ACL) while Al Sadd will take on Persepolis in what will be a repeat of the 2018 semi-final

Al Duhail’s Group C fixture will kick off at the King Saud University Stadium in Saudi capital at 6.45pm Qatar time while hosts Al Sadd meet their Iranian counterparts in Group D at the same time.

Al Duhail had defeated Iran’s Esteghlal 3-0 in their opener in Doha to lead the group, while Al Hilal beat Al Ain 1-0.

Al Duhail’s Portuguese coach Rui Faria is targeting a good outcome for his team in this year’s premier continental competition.

They are leading the group with three points, followed by Al Hilal (three), Al Ain (0) and Esteghlal (0).

New recruit and Moroccan defender Mehdi Benatia, last two seasons’ QNB Stars League top scorer Yousef El Arabi and Ali Afif scored Al Duhail’s goals against Esteghlal, whereas, Mohammed Al Shalhoub netted the winner for Al Hilal against Al Ain.

Al Duhail have shown glimpses of the form that saw them deliver a record-equalling nine-match winning run in the 2018 AFC Champions League. The Qatari side cruised past Esteghlal in a dominant 3-0 win in matchday one.

However, they will again be without AFC Asian Cup winning

pair Almoez Ali and Assem Madibo who are nurturing injuries, but Moroccan striker El Arabi, facing his former club, will look to continue the side’s run of scoring in each of their last 11 games in the competition.

Al Duhail are expected to take the field with a full squad that includes goalkeeper Amine Lecomte, Benatia, Ahmed Yasser, Murad Naji, Sultan Al Breik, Bassam Al Rawi, Luis Martin, Paolo Edmilson, Karim Boudiaf, Shoya Nakajima.

The much-experienced Benatia and Nakajima are proving to be valuable winter additions to the Al Duhail ranks.

Al Hilal have a star-studded line-up comprising the likes of Abdullah Al Mayouf, Al Shalhoub, Yasser Al Shahrani, overseas recruits Sebastian Giovinco, Andre Carrillo and Jonathan Soriano.

Meanwhile, Al Sadd’s Portu-guese coach Jesualdo Ferreira knows the strengths and weak-nesses of Persepolis very well. The Wolves, who are leading the QSL table at the moment, are sure to go all out and will look to capitalise on the home advantage.

Al Sadd are last in Group D, which is led by Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli. Uzbekistan’s Pakhtakor and Persepolis are second and third respectively.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference yesterday, Al Sadd’s midfielder Tareq Salman said: “Our goal is to be focused on Persepolis so that we can get the win. We know the Iranian team very well after facing them in the last edition. We are looking to get our first three points of this year.”

Al Sadd have players in the calibre of QSL top scorer and Algerian ace Baghdad Bounedjah, Akram Afif, Hassan

Al Haydous, Asia’s best player Abdulkarim Hassan, South Korean midfielder Jung Woo-Young and Pedro.

Spanish midfield master Xavi Hernandez is back in training after an injury layoff, but is a doubtful starter. So is

defender Boualem Khoukhi, who is also nursing an injury.

“Qatar’s win at the Asian Cup was not the end of the journey. Our journey is still long with a lot of young players in the national team looking to work and give their best,” Salman said.

“Our coaching staff has the capability to energize the players in the best way, so that they can give their best in every match,” Salman said.

THE PENINSULA DOHA

The formation of a new school for future riders and expansion of the Al Rayyan Racecourse were among several key decisions which were taken during the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) Board of Directors’ meeting, which took place yesterday.

QREC Chairman Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi chaired the meeting, the first of such meetings following the decision of Minister of Culture and Sports, H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali, to form the QREC Board of Directors for a term of four years.

The Board Members, including new Member, Ahmad bin Mohammed Alab-dulmalik, as well as Nasser bin Sherida Al Kaabi, QREC CEO, were present at the occasion.

During the meeting, several matters related to QREC were discussed and some important decisions were made in favour of the Qatar’s equestrian Sport and its progress.

Such decisions included a package of projects to develop the QREC’s infra-structure and to achieve the Club’s vision of promoting Qatar as a world hub for horse racing.

Following the meeting, Al Mohannadi said: “We would like to thank Minister of Culture and Sports,

H E Salah bin Ghanem Al Ali for sup-porting QREC and his commitment to provide stability, which ensures real-ising the planned objectives in the coming years. The first meeting saw the launch of a package of projects aimed to develop the infrastructure at QREC in favour of the Qatar’s equestrian Sport, especially as such projects will be self-financed by QREC and also funded through sponsorships by a number of the country’s organisations collaborating with QREC.

“This package of projects includes

the expansion of the QREC Al Rayyan Racecourse to match the scope and standing of horseracing in Qatar at present,” the QREC Chairman said.

“This step will deliver an excellent result for owners, trainers and jockeys and will maximise the racecourse’s capacity and, consequently, bring about a significant move in the international and the local race meetings run every season,” Al Mohannadi said.

“It has also been decided to build a riding school at QREC and provide the necessary related support. It is

considered as one of the most important projects at QREC as it is intended for future riders in order to produce new riders who can take over in future. The new school project is built on previous related steps made by QREC in terms of organising rides for young riders (pony rides), the latest of which was held during the H H The Amir Sword Festival. This type of rides will help produce a base of young and new riders over the time,” Al Mohannadi said.

“It has also been decided

to complete the development of the quarantine in line with the international requirements and to concurrently operate the Vet Clinic. In addition, new stables will be built to meet the needs of QREC and all participants and to provide the best environment for horses, which will, in turn, enhance their performance. It was further agreed, during the meeting, to establish the Qatar National Stud with a view to supporting Qatari jockeys in riding on a larger scale in local race meetings and also providing them with the oppor-tunity to ride overseas with the Stud’s horses.

“This will increase the base of riders as well as their chances of riding. In fact, QREC is committed to providing Qatari riders with training opportunities such as the training camp, which was organised for them in South Africa. In addition, the Stud’s activities will include breeding by the QREC’s excellent stal-lions,” Al Mohannadi said.

The Minister of Culture and Sports, has issued a decision forming the QREC Board of Directors recently. It consists of the QREC Chairman, Vice-Chairman Hamad bin Abdulrahman Al Attiyah and the Members Khalid bin Mohammed Al Ali, Khalifa bin Mohammed Al Attiyah, Ahmad bin Mohammed Alab-dulmalik and Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Kuwari.

11TUESDAY 12 MARCH 2019 SPORT

Zidane returns to Real MadridAFP MADRID

Zinedine Zidane has made a

sensational return as coach of

Real Madrid after Santiago

Solari’s sacking was finally con-

firmed yesterday.

Zidane has been given a

contract until June 2022, just

nine months after he resigned

at the end of last season, having

led Madrid to an historic third

consecutive Champions League

triumph. Solari’s dismissal was

expected after three consec-

utive home defeats - to Bar-

celona, twice, and Ajax -

deemed Madrid’s season all-but

over before the middle of

March.

But Zidane coming back,

with only 11 games left in La

Liga and almost nothing to play

for, is a surprise, particularly

after he left on the incredible

high of yet another European

triumph.

“Real Madrid’s board has

decided to terminate Santiago

Solari’s contract as coach of the

first team,” read an official

statement on Monday.

“Real Madrid appreciates

the work done by Santiago

Solari and the commitment and

loyalty he has always shown to

this club. The board has also

agreed to the appointment of

Zinedine Zidane as the new

coach of Real Madrid with

immediate effect for the

remainder of the season and the

next three, until June 30, 2022.”

Like Solari, Zidane had been

in charge of Real Madrid’s

reserve side, Castilla, when he

was promoted in January 2016.

Madrid finished second that

year before going on to win La

Liga in Zidane’s first full season

in charge.

They were unable to repeat

the feat last term and finished

17 points behind Barcelona but

domestic disappointment was

almost forgotten as Zidane

again oversaw success in

Europe, with a victory over Liv-

erpool in the final in Kiev.

Immensely popular with

most of the players, Zidane’s

appointment will almost cer-

tainly lift morale in the dressing

room, following a week in which

captain Sergio Ramos has

reportedly argued with club

president Florentino Perez and

been involved in a training

ground spat with Marcelo.Zinedine Zidane

QREC to boost equestrian sport with latest expansion drive

The Board of Directors of Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club, led by its Chairman, Issa bin Mohammed Al Mohannadi, involving in discussions during the first meeting held in Doha, yesterday.

ACL: Al Duhail eye away win as Al Sadd look to bounce back

Al Duhail players in action during a practice session ahead of their AFC Champions League Group C match against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal, which will be played in Riyadh, today.

Al Sadd’s midfielder Tareq Salman (left) and coach Jesualdo Ferreira during a press conference held in Doha, yesterday.

AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

Group CAl Duhail vs Al Hilal

At King Saud University StadiumGroup D

Al Sadd vs PersepolisAt Al Sadd Stadium

(Both matches kickoff at 6.45pm Qatar time)

AFC.COM DOHA

Qatari football giants Al Rayyan came from behind to earn a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Uzbekistan’s PFC Lokomotiv at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Match day Two of the 2019 AFC Champions League Group B yesterday.

Lokomotiv had

collected all three points in their opening fixture at home against Al Wahda, while Al Rayyan were subjected to a 5-1 defeat by Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad last week in Jeddah.

The visitors came racing off the blocks and

stormed into the lead within four

minutes of kick-off to

the stunned silent of the home crowd.

Temurkhuja Abdukholikov outmuscled Rodrigo Tabata in midfield to gain possession of the ball and exchanged passes with Jamshid Iskanderov before crossing for Diyorjon Turapov who tapped in at the far post to give Lokomotiv the lead early on.

It took Al Rayyan a few minutes to regroup, but they eventually did and started cre-ating chances. Striker Gelmin Rivas tried his luck from long range but narrowly missed the target.

Lokomotiv nearly doubled their lead in the same fashion as their opener, but Jovan Djo-kic’s final touch let him down as he sent the ball high from eight yards out halfway through the first half.

Al Rayyan equalised in the 38th minute through Lucca Borges who received Rivas’ pass inside the box and rifled in at the near post to restore parity.

The Qatari side’s comeback was completed 13 minutes after the restart as Rivas turned from provider to scorer.

Tabata’s long pass from a free-kick found substitute Sebastian Soria at the far post and the former Qatari interna-

tional sent a drilled cross across the

mouth of goal for the Vene-zuelan who was well-posi-

tioned to apply the finish.

Al Rayyan’s next match has them hosting UAE’s Al Wahda on April 9th, while Lokomotiv are on the road again as they face Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad in Jeddah.

SPORTTuesday 12 March 2019

PAGE | 10 PAGE | 11City still teenagers

in adult world of Champions

League: Guardiola

French legend Zidane returns to Real Madrid

Brilliant Al Rayyan fight back to seal 2-1 victory

IAAF Council approves major changes to Diamond League

REUTERS DOHA

Athletics’ Diamond League circuit will have a trimmer look and fewer meetings beginning in 2020 as the one-day compe-titions aim for a more consistent, fast moving format, the IAAF said yesterday.

Meetings will be reduced from 14 to 12 competitions plus a final under concepts approved by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Council in Doha.

The number of disciplines will also be cut from 32 to 24 with 12 each for men and women and the longest event will be 3,000 metres.

There will also be a new focus on out-of-stadium/city centre field events where fans can be closer to the action and meetings will be limited to one per week.

“This elite circuit of quality events (will) attract the best ath-letes which in turn gives our fans a compelling reason to tune in and follow their stars over the next decade and beyond,” IAAF President Sebastian Coe said in a statement.

There was no indication which meeting would be

dropped or what disciplines would be eliminated. An end of the season examination this year will assess the quality of each meeting with the aim of focusing on the best 12 meetings plus a final with all 24 disciplines, the IAAF said. he Diamond League, which will celebrate its 10th season beginning in May, cur-rently features nine races for men and women, including the 3,000m steeplechase and 5,000m, and seven field events - high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus throw and javelin throw.

Not all events are held at each meeting.

The circuit, the IAAF’s top competition outside the Olympics and world champion-ships, at present has two end-of-season finals, with Zurich hosting one-half of the disci-plines and Brussels the other.

Qualification and entry standards for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics also were approved by the IAAF Council at its weekend meeting.

Accordingly, athletes will be able to qualify for the next Olympics either by meeting entry standards or by virtue of their position in the new IAAF world rankings.

Doha Worlds: IAAF chief Coe lauds Qatar’s preparationsQNA DOHA

The President of the International Associ-ation of Athletics Federations (IAAF), Sebastian Coe has praised the great work done by the Organising Committee for the World Championships in Athletics to be held in Doha this year under the chairmanship of the President of Qatar Olympic Committee, H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, and Vice-Chairman of the Committee Dahlan Jumaan Al Hamad, at the end of the two-day meetings of the IAAF Board of Directors held in Doha.

Coe said that Doha will organise a special edition of the World Championships in Ath-letics from September 27 to October 6, 2019, adding that he is confident in Qatar’s ability to develop the tournament through this tour-nament and provide a world-famous edition.

The IAAF President expressed his great appreciation to the State of Qatar and its great efforts to develop and support Athletics, and praised the great work he witnessed in Doha as part of its readiness to host the World Championships in Athletics Doha 2019.

The IAAF also discussed some issues on the Russian file concerning lifting the sus-pension of Russian athletes. The IAAF Pres-ident said that in the past four years they have focused on the process of change and now

they focus more on development for a better future for athletics.

The Chairman of the IAAF’s Russia Task-force Rune Andersen, said there was nothing new about the issue of Russian Athletes.

Yesterday, after the meeting of its Board of Directors, IAAF revealed details related to the development of the rounds of Diamond League in order to further spread the game and continue to be present at fre-quent intervals through com-peting for fewer r a c e s a n d competitions.

Al Hamad, who is also the IAAF Vice-Chairman and Pres-ident of the Asian A t h l e t i c s Associ-ation,

expressed his satisfaction with the fruitful results achieved by the Board of Directors in Doha, especially that the decisions taken will serve the development of Athletics.

Al Hamad said that the decision to adopt the new global classification will be in the interest of each athlete because the challenge will be greater, contributing to the high level and achieving new records, considering that reducing IAAF Diamond League tournaments will not have negative aspects, but that the expectations are very positive.

On the visit of the IAAF to the Khalifa International Stadium where the 2019 World Championships and the Diamond League will take place, Al Hamad said that things are positive and the IAAF recognizes that the Organizing Committee is in con-

stant coordination with IAAF and all things are going as planned in

advance.

f Directors, IAAF revealed details related to he development of theounds of Diamond eague in order to urther spread he game and ontinue to be resent at fre-uent intervalshrough com-eting for fewer a c e s a n d ompetitions.

Al Hamad, who is lso the IAAF Vice-hairman and Pres-

dent of the Asian t h l e t i c sssoci-tion,

interest of each athlete because the challenge will be greater, contributing to the high leveland achieving new records, considering that reducing IAAF Diamond League tournaments will not have negative aspects, but that the expectations are very positive.

On the visit of the IAAF to the Khalifa International Stadium where the 2019 World Championships and the Diamond League will take place, Al Hamad said thatthings are positive and the IAAF recognizesthat the Organizing Committee is in con-

stant coordination with IAAF and all things are going as planned in

advance.

IAAF President Sebastian Coe

Uzbekistan’s PFC Lokomotiv at Jassim bin Hamad Stadium in Match day Two of the 2019AFC Champions League Group B yesterday.

Lokomotiv had

The visitors came racing off the blocks and

stormed into the lead within four

minutes of kick-off to

with Jamshid Iskancrossing for Diyorjwho tapped in at thgive Lokomotiv thon.

It took Al Rayminutes to regroueventually did andating chances. StrRivas tried his lucrange but narrowltarget.

Lokomotiv neatheir lead in the saas their opener, bukic’s final touch leas he sent the baleight yards out halfthe first half.

Al Rayyan equ38th minute throBorges who receiveinside the box andthe near post to re

The Qatari sidewas completed 13 mthe restart as Rivasprovider to scorer

Tabata’s long free-kick foundSebastian Soria atand the former Qa

tional sencross

mfozuwa

tionethe finis

Al Rayyan’s nexthem hosting UAEon April 9th, whileare on the road agface Saudi Arabia’sJeddah.

Al Rayyan’s forward Gelmin Rivas celebrates after scoring against Uzbekistan’s PFC Lokomotiv during the AFC Champions League Group B match at the Jassim Bin Hamad stadium in Doha, yesterday.