WORLD CUP
Qatar final set for Dec. 18
FIFA ended more than four years of uncertainty over the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by announcing on Thursday that it would be played in November and December, with the final on Dec. 18. FIFA spokesman Walter de Gregorio said the winter tournament would probably last 28 days, instead of the 32 for last year’s finals in Brazil, but this was still to be decided. “The executive committee today... decided that, yes, we are going to play in November and December, and, yes, the final is going to be played on Dec. 18,” De Gregorio told reporters. “It’s a Sunday and it’s also the national day of Qatar and, in principle, we try to play in 28 days. The next steps will be to have different talks especially related to the match calendar.”
ITALY
Parma declared bankrupt
Stricken Serie A side Parma were officially declared bankrupt on Thursday, a day after their chairman Giampietro Manenti was arrested in a money-laundering probe. Parma’s players have not been paid all season and it took just 10 minutes for a court to declare the club, rooted to the bottom of the league after finishing sixth last season, bankrupt. They have twice been docked points this season and are more than 100 million euros (US$107 million) in debt. The court in Parma appointed accountants Angelo Anedda and Alberto Guiotto as receivers. “I believe we’ll play on Sunday against Torino,” board member Osvaldo Riccobene told reporters at the end of the hearing. The crisis has had farcical undertones, with Parma’s players having to do their own laundry and drive the team bus.
ENGLAND
United my last job: Van Gaal
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal revealed on Thursday that he plans to retire when his reign at Old Trafford comes to an end. Van Gaal is under contract with United until 2017 and he will walk away from the sport for good either when that deal expires or at the end of any extension. The 63-year-old former Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Netherlands coach is enjoying his spell at United, but is keen to end his illustrious managerial career once his tenure is over, as he wants to spend time with his wife, Truus, in their holiday home on the Algarve. “I am old. This is my last job. For sure,” Van Gaal said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. “I have to pay attention to my kids, my grandchildren, but also to my wife. They deserve it. Now I cannot pay that attention. I was not at the birthday of my grandson, for example. I don’t like it. My wife wants to quit now, already! Five years ago! I have a paradise in Portugal. I want to quit to go there, play golf, eat fantastic food.”
COPA LIBERTADORES
Good week for Brazil
Cruzeiro rounded off a good week for Brazil in the Copa on Thursday with a 2-0 win over Mineros de Guayana, meaning that all five Brazilian clubs went unbeaten in this week’s matches. Cruzeiro’s win in Venezuela, which came after goals from Leandro Damiao and Marquinhos, was their first in three games, but it took them top of Group 3 alongside Club Deportivo Universitario of Bolivia. Atletico Mineiro got their first points on the board on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Independiente Santa Fe in Colombia. Sao Paulo and Corinthians both won in Group 2, with Corinthians beating Danubio of Montevideo 2-1 and a late goal from Michel Bastos enough to help Sao Paulo overcome holders San Lorenzo de Almagro. Internacional of Porto Alegre drew 1-1 at Emelec and are joint top of Group 4.
RECORD DEFEAT: The Shanghai-based ‘Oriental Sports Daily’ said the drubbing was so disastrous, and taste so bitter, that all that is left is ‘numbness’ Chinese soccer fans and media rounded on the national team yesterday after they experienced fresh humiliation in a 7-0 thrashing to rivals Japan in their opening Group C match in the third phase of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The humiliation in Saitama on Thursday against Asia’s top-ranked team was China’s worst defeat in World Cup qualifying and only a goal short of their record 8-0 loss to Brazil in 2012. Chinese President Xi Jinping once said he wanted China to host and even win the World Cup one day, but that ambition looked further away than ever after a
‘KHELIFMANIA’: In the weeks since the Algerian boxer won gold in Paris, national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women In the weeks since Algeria’s Imane Khelif won an Olympic gold medal in women’s boxing, athletes and coaches in the North African nation say national enthusiasm is inspiring newfound interest in the sport, particularly among women. Khelif’s image is practically everywhere, featured in advertisements at airports, on highway billboards and in boxing gyms. The 25-year-old welterweight’s success in Paris has vaulted her to national hero status, especially after Algerians rallied behind her in the face of uninformed speculation about her gender and eligibility to compete. Amateur boxer Zougar Amina, a medical student who has been practicing for a year, called Khelif an
Taiwanese badminton superstar Lee Yang broke down in tears after publicly retiring from the sport on Sunday. The two-time Olympic gold medalist held a retirement ceremony at the Taipei Arena after the final matches of the Taipei Open. Accompanied by friends, family and former badminton partners, Lee burst into tears while watching a video celebrating key moments in his professional sporting career that also featured messages from international players such as Malaysia’s Teo Ee Yi, Hong Kong’s Tang Chun-man, and Indonesia’s Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan. “I hope that in the future when the world thinks about me, they will
GOING GLOBAL: The regular season fixture is part of the football league’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the sport to international destinations The US National Football League (NFL) breaks new ground in its global expansion strategy tomorrow when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers face off in the first-ever grid-iron game staged in Brazil. For one night only, the land of Pele and ‘The Beautiful Game’ will get a rare glimpse into the bone-crunching world of American football as the Packers and Eagles collide at Sao Paulo’s Neo Quimica Arena, the 46,000-seat home of soccer club Corinthians. The regular season fixture is part of the NFL’s increasingly ambitious plans to spread the US’ most popular sport to new territories following previous international fixtures
RSS