LONDON: Just as the English Premier League grapples with a spike in coronavirus cases wiping out matches, an illegal gathering involving four players from Tottenham and West Ham for a Christmas party has been exposed.
It wasn’t just a breach of lockdown regulations and embarrassing for their clubs and league officials who have persuaded the government to allow games to continue as coronavirus infections surge to daily records in Britain.
There was a risk of contracting COVID-19 when Tottenham trio Erik Lamela, Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso, and West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini mingled indoors with family and friends. That potentially exposed teams and opponents to the coronavirus.
The image of the party — showing the group posing without any social distancing — was discovered on Instagram and published Saturday just as Tottenham was preparing to play Leeds.
“We are extremely disappointed and strongly condemn this image showing some of our players with family and friends together at Christmas particularly as we know the sacrifices everybody around the country made to stay safe over the festive period,” Tottenham said in a statement.
Tottenham’s last game against Fulham was postponed on Wednesday due a coronavirus outbreak at its London rival. Fulham’s game against Burnley on Sunday became the Premier League’s third fixture this week to be called off.
In another incident, a video emerged on social media on Saturday which appeared to show Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic and Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who are both Serbian, at a prohibited indoor New Year’s Eve party.
The restrictions imposed in the London area in response to a new transmissible variant of the virus prevent people from visiting another house, apart from someone in a support bubble.
Lamela, Reguilon and Lo Celso did not feature for Tottenham against Leeds, although Reguilon was an unused substitute.
“The rules are clear, there are no exceptions, and we regularly remind all our players and staff about the latest protocols and their responsibilities to adhere and set an example,” Tottenham said. “The matter will be dealt with internally.”
Lamela, one of Tottenham’s longest-serving players, said he now understands the seriousness of his indiscretion.
“I am truly thankful to everyone working hard to keep us safe and I feel ashamed knowing I’ve let people down,” Lamela said.
Fellow Argentine Lo Celso expressed regret and accepted his need to set a better example.
“I understand the great sacrifices people are making to keep themselves and loved ones safe and the frustration you have expressed toward me is justified,” he said.
Reguilon was the only one of the players to issue no apology on social media on Saturday. Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho was particularly annoyed with Reguilon, having bought the Spanish defender a Portuguese suckling pig as a present.
“I gave (it to) him because I was told he was going to spend Christmas on his own,” Mourinho said. “I had this thought about him. He was not alone as you could see and we the club of course feel disappointed because we give the players all the education, all the conditions. Of course we’re not happy. It was a negative surprise for us.”
West Ham expressed disappointment with Lanzini and said he had been “strongly reminded of his responsibilities” to following the protocols.
“I want to apologize for a bad mistake I made over Christmas and I take full responsibility for my actions,” Lanzini said.
The controversy comes amid questions about whether the Premier League should suspend the competition like last season during the pandemic. Britain on Saturday reported a daily record of more than 57,700 infections and another 445 deaths taking the national toll to 74,570.
Additional coronavirus infections were detected after further testing at Fulham, which led to the club asking the Premier League not to play Burnley on Sunday. The request was granted based on medical advice and the “exceptional circumstances of the ongoing outbreak,” the league said.
EPL woes deepen with lockdown party breach, another game off
https://arab.news/jf7gd
EPL woes deepen with lockdown party breach, another game off
- Tottenham trio Erik Lamela, Sergio Reguilon and Giovani Lo Celso, and West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini were found to have mingled indoors with family and friends, in violation of Covid-19 precautionary measures
Meet Rima Al-Harbi, the first Saudi female to win at the AlUla Camel Cup
ALULA: “Our dream, as athletes, is to be able to represent our country; and for me to live my dream for my country — in my country — is the ultimate triumph,” Rima Al-Harbi told Arab News after making history this week as the first Saudi woman to win at the AlUla Camel Cup.
At last year’s inaugural competition, Al-Harbi was the only woman to compete in a field full of male riders. This year, the event included a women’s category. Al-Harbi returned. And this time she won.
“Most of the women I competed against this year have way more experience than me; it was truly a difficult race, in general,” Al-Harbi said. “But somehow, thanks to Allah, I didn’t feel like anyone challenged me. From the moment we started to when we reached the finish line, I was in first place.”
The 22-year-old, who was raised in nearby Madinah, where she still resides, grew up around camels. Both her father and grandfather competed in camel racing and she has a fierce love for the animal and for the sport. She credits her grandfather for encouraging her to learn how to ride when she was just seven years old. Now, she trains with her camel, Auf, for about two hours every day. She is continuing the family tradition and breaking records along the way.
Al-Harbi said that three of her sisters also ride camels, but “as a hobby.” She is the only one of her siblings to compete professionally.
Al-Harbi has opened a small training club for local women who want to try their hand at camel racing. Her aim is to strengthen the community and to find fellow Saudi women to join her journey.
“Since I have a deep love for the sport and have the opportunity and capability, why wouldn’t I want to help other women also get into the sport? These women want to try it as a hobby and we all have to start somewhere. I don’t take any funds for this; it is done out of pure passion. It is just about introducing the sport to women who are interested. I offer them guidance and advice, and we walk through the sport,” she said.
The four-day AlUla Camel Cup ends on Saturday. Al-Harbi did return the day after her victory to soak up the atmosphere and cheer on other riders, but don’t count on her being back for the final day.
“I will stay home to rest,” she told us with a laugh.
Saudi, UAE and Qatar secure wins on second day of AlUla Camel Cup
- Minister of Interior’s entry takes first race in the Hagayeg category
ALULA: Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar provided the big winners on Day 2 of the second annual AlUla Camel Cup.
Held in unseasonably hot conditions, Thursday’s competition consisted of two 5 km categories, the Hagayeg and the Lagaya, with two races run in each.
Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif won the first Hagayeg race, much to the delight of spectators.
The Prince’s camel, aptly named AlUla, won in a time of 5 minutes 59.3 seconds. In the second Hagayeg race of the day, Shart, owned by Emirati Mohammed Al-Kutbi, took first place in a time of 5:57.8.
The day’s total prize pool of $6.83 million was split equally between the two categories.
Winners in each of the races received $870,000, second-place finishers earned $266,666, and those in third place received $133,333. The balance of the prize pool was distributed among the other finishers.
The event was organized by the Royal Commission for AlUla as part of the AlUla Moments calendar, in partnership with the Saudi Camel Racing Federation.
The 2024 AlUla Camel Cup offers spectators and participants a new and more expansive experience after the inaugural edition in March last year.
This year, designated Year of the Camel by the UN and the Ministry of Culture, the event pays homage to the desert animal that is so integral to the Kingdom’s heritage.
“The AlUla Camel Cup attracts the best riders and the best camels throughout not just the region, but the world,” said Mahmoud AlBalawi, executive director of the SCRF. “Qualification for the AlUla Camel Cup is deliberately challenging, with 11 camel races taking place under the federation’s jurisdiction throughout the season to qualify for this illustrious competition.”
AlBalawi said that the Saudi Camel Racing Federation’s programs “target all corners of Saudi Arabia in a bid to continue to grow and improve the cherished sport of camel racing. There are more than 50 camel racing tracks across the country, including the elite AlUla venue where the AlUla Camel Cup takes place.”
RCU’s chief sports officer, Ziad Al-Suhaibani, praised the participants and said: “The AlUla Camel Cup reflects the importance of camel racing as a symbol of the Kingdom’s heritage and culture.”
While the heritage sport dates from the seventh century, the event this year includes a more contemporary setup that caters to all the family. There are opportunities to take camel selfies, sample camel smoothies or listen to live folk music by local performers.
The final races take place on Saturday.
Phil Foden to fore as Man City thrash Brighton 4-0 to stay on course for another Premier League title
- It’s 16 goals for the campaign and 24 in 48 games in all club competitions this season for Foden, who delivered another clinical display in front of England coach Gareth Southgate
- City have five games remaining — one more than Arsenal and Liverpool — and, on current form, are showing no sign of slipping up in the final stretch
BRIGHTON, England: Manchester City chalked up another big win in their pursuit of an unprecedented fourth straight Premier League title, with Phil Foden continuing his career-best scoring season with two goals in a 4-0 thrashing of Brighton on Thursday.
Foden’s first-half double came between goals by Kevin De Bruyne and Julian Alvarez as City extended their unbeaten run in the league to 18 games and trimmed the gap to leader Arsenal to one point. Liverpool are two points further back in third after their title chances were damaged by a 2-0 loss at Everton on Wednesday.
City have five games remaining — one more than Arsenal and Liverpool — and, on current form, are showing no sign of slipping up in the final stretch that still contains trips to Nottingham Forest, Fulham and Tottenham as well as home matches against Wolverhampton and West Ham.
Win all five of those games and City are the champion again. No team have ever won four successive top-flight titles in the history of English soccer.
“I trust my team,” De Bruyne said. “All respect to Arsenal and Liverpool, they are amazing ... but we need to do our job.
“We just need to keep going, not get ahead of ourselves, be humble and work hard.”
Since a 0-0 draw with Arsenal at home on March 31, City have won four straight league games and scored 17 goals in the process.
Pep Guardiola’s team kept up that hot streak without the injured Erling Haaland — the league’s joint-top scorer with 20 goals — and that allowed Foden to potentially join the race for the Golden Boot.
It’s 16 goals for the campaign and 24 in 48 games in all club competitions this season for Foden, who delivered another clinical display in front of England coach Gareth Southgate at Amex Stadium — seven weeks out from the start of the European Championship.
“This year I’ve moved inside and it’s helped my game massively,” Foden said of a positional tweak that sees him often play centrally rather out on the wing. “I feel I can get a lot of goals there.”
De Bruyne scored his first-ever headed goal in the Premier League when he met Kyle Walker’s right-wing cross to give City the lead in the 17th and Foden made it 2-0 in the 26th when his shot from a free kick deflected in off the back of Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross.
Foden added a third in the 34th by curling home a low finish from just inside the area after Brighton lost possession attempting to play out from the back.
Alvarez, starting up front in place of Haaland, slotted in for 4-0 in the 62nd after Walker was given space to roam down the right wing and cut inside before sliding in to challenge goalkeeper Jason Steele and get the ball across to the Argentina striker.
The Premier League is the only one of Europe’s top five leagues where the title race is still realistically up for grabs. Bayer Leverkusen have won the German league, Inter Milan have clinched the Italian title, while Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have 11-point leads in Spain and France, respectively.
“Many things can happen,” Guardiola said about the title race. “What happened with Liverpool (losing recently) against Crystal Palace and Everton can happen to us. It can happen to Arsenal. No one is safe.”
Brazil’s Romario returns to training at age 58, scores twice and keeps sharp tongue
- Romario: My biggest goal here is to have the chance to play with my son
- America will play their first league match on May 18. Romario became its president in 2023, aiming to get the club back in the state’s first division
SAO PAULO: Brazilian soccer hero Romario returned to training on Thursday at age 58, almost two decades after he retired from the sport, and needed just a few minutes to show he remains a prolific scorer.
The 1994 World Cup winner turned politician netted two goals as he practiced with much younger players at struggling Rio de Janeiro club America, of which he is the president.
America will play in Rio state’s second division championship this year. Romarinho, one of the sons of the former Barcelona star, is in its squad.
“My biggest goal here is to have the chance to play with my son,” an exhausted Romario told journalists after the training. “Many athletes have that objective. LeBron James wants to play with his son next year (in the NBA). Rivaldo also had that chance. I want that too.”
Also famous for his sharp tongue, which has Pele, Zico and Mario Zagallo among its victims, Romario chose himself as a target this time.
“I am very tired. I will soon need a stretcher to pick me up,” he said. “For a man who has not trained for 16 years, in general, I managed to run a little. But I want to make one thing very clear — I will not play the entire championship. My idea is to play for a few minutes in some matches. What matters the most in this competition is America.”
America will play their first league match on May 18. Romario became its president in 2023, aiming to get the club back in the state’s first division with local giants Flamengo, Fluminense, Vasco da Gama and Botafogo.
Both goals Romario scored came in a reduced pitch section of the practice, both in his old style; sharp finishes from close range in the penalty box.
Famously not a fan of penalty kicks, Romario has apparently changed his mind for his return to the sport.
“If there is a penalty, our club president will ask to take it,” Romario jokingly said. “If the coach says no, he will be fired and the club president will take the penalty anyway.”
Indonesia and Japan advance at U23 Asian Cup. South Korea out of contention for Paris Olympics
- Indonesia reached the last four by winning the shootout 11-10 against South Korea after the score remained tied 2-2 through extra time
- Japan knocked out hosts Qatar 4-2 after extra time to stay on course for an eighth straight Olympic appearance
- On Friday, defending champions Saudi Arabia face Uzbekistan, while Iraq meet Vietnam
DOHA: South Korea will miss the men’s soccer tournament at the Olympics for the first time since 1984 after losing a penalty shootout to Indonesia at the Under-23 Asian Cup quarterfinals on Thursday.
The top three teams will qualify for the Paris Games, and Indonesia reached the last four by winning the shootout 11-10 after the score remained tied 2-2 through extra time.
Rafael Struick put Indonesia ahead after 15 minutes only for Komang Teguh’s own goal to level the scoreline after 45 minutes. There was still time before the break, however, for Struick to score again.
Jeong Sang-bin equalized with 14 minutes remaining despite Korea being reduced to 10 men minutes earlier when Lee Young-jun was shown a red card.
Lee Kang-hee missed in the shootout, leaving Pratama Arhan to score the winner.
Earlier, Japan knocked out hosts Qatar 4-2 after extra time to stay on course for an eighth straight Olympic appearance.
Fuki Yamada scored early for Japan but Ahmed Al-Rawi and Jassem Gaber netted to put Qatar ahead.
Seiji Kimura made it 2-2 midway through the second half and after the tie went into extra-time, Mao Hosoya put Japan ahead once more and Kotaro Uchino scored after 113 minutes to secure the win for Japan.
On Friday, defending champions Saudi Arabia face Uzbekistan, while Iraq meet Vietnam.
The team that finish fourth will face Guinea in a playoff in May with a place in Paris at stake.
