Football academies help create not only better players but also better human beings, said Jamaal Asad Al Tunisi, former president of Al Wahda Sports Club in Makkah.
He made this comment while inaugurating a training camp of Jeddah Sports Club’s Football Academy at Dunk grounds near Ikea showroom here recently.
Sports academies kick away laziness, the habit of time wasting on computer games and develop good personalities, he said. Tunisi was president of Al Wahda for more than 10 years.
The Makkah club has basketball, handball, volleyball, karate and swimming teams apart from a football team.
He said Al Wahda had contributed several reputed players to the Saudi national team including Osama Hawsawi, the central defender who is now playing for RSC Anderlecht in Belgium. Nasser Al Shamrani, Essa Al Mahyani, Mohammed Assiri and Salman Marshadi were other famous Saudi players who honed their skills at Al Wahda.
JSC president Kannur Abdul Rafeeq welcomed the chief guest and other participants. Saleem gave an introduction of JSC Academy, which has completed two years of operation. The program began with a recitation from the Holy Qur’an by trainee Amir Safarullah. E.V. Ashraf thanked Al Tunisi and other participants for making the event a big success. Coaches Rafeeq, Saleem, Iqbal and Haneefa supervised the selection of new trainees.
JSC Football Academy training camp opens
JSC Football Academy training camp opens
Rampant Sabalenka sweeps past Jovic into Australian Open semifinals
MELBOURNE: Relentless top seed Aryna Sabalenka muscled past American teenager Iva Jovic and into the Australian Open semifinals Tuesday to accelerate her bid for a third Melbourne title.
The Belarusian powered home 6-3, 6-0 in blazing heat to set up a clash with either third seed Coco Gauff or 12th seed Elina Svitolina.
It booked the 27-year-old a 14th career Grand Slam semifinal and fourth in a row at the season-opening major.
Sabalenka has won twice in Melbourne, in 2023 and 2024, and seemed destined for another crown last year but was upset in the final by Madison Keys.
Keys’ title defense is over, beaten in the fourth round by Jessica Pegula.
“These teenagers have been testing me in the last couple of rounds,” said Sabalenka, who is on a 10-match win streak after victory at the lead-up Brisbane International.
“It was a tough match. Don’t look at the score, it wasn’t easy at all. She played incredible tennis. Pushed me to to one step better level. And I’m super happy with the win.”
The match was played under an open roof on Rod Laver Arena with the tournament Heat Stress Scale yet to reach the level where it could be closed.
Temperatures are forecast to hit a blistering 45C with a peak of 38C reached during the match.
Defeat brought an end to a breakthrough tournament for 18-year-old Jovic, the youngest player in the women’s top 100 and seeded 29.
She stunned seventh seed and two-time Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini and blitzed past experienced Yulia Putintseva for the loss of just one game to announce herself to the world.
But Sabalenka was a bridge too far.
The world number one safely held serve to lay down a marker, blasting an ace to set up game point and an unreturnable serve to win it.
Jovic made some early errors and sent the ball long on break point to surrender her serve and fall 2-0 behind.
Sabalenka held to pile on the pressure before Jovic fended off a break point on her next serve to get on the scoreboard.
But despite some long rallies as she got into the match and three break points as Sabalenka served for the set, the top seed’s brute force proved too much.
Sabalenka then broke her immediately to assert control of set two and Jovic was spent, with another break for 3-0 then a double fault to slump 5-0 down, signalling the end.
