DUBAI: FIFA President Gianni Infantino told European football leaders that his governing body was not the “enemy of football.”
He also said biennial World Cups were needed to keep youngsters interested in the sport at a time when they are increasingly “running after” other activities.
The Associated Press obtained a recording of Infantino speaking Tuesday during a meeting that was closed to the media, where UEFA member associations also voiced a stream of opposition to his plans to double the frequency of World Cups.
Infantino was challenged by presidents of national federations on the damage that would be caused to not only club competitions but also national teams if FIFA radically overhauls the international game despite European opposition.
But Infantino pitched the reshaping of world football as being necessary to safeguard the future of the sport.
“I believe as well that the enemy of football is not the World Cup or is not FIFA but it is other activities that young boys and young girls are running after today,” Infantino said in closing remarks to the meeting that lasted more than an hour. “And we need to see how jointly and together we can bring them back to be interested in football. And we want to, as far as I’m concerned, do this all together as we have always been doing in the last few years.”
Infantino did not specify what those “other activities” were. He did not respond to a phone call from the AP seeking comment and FIFA had no immediate comment expanding on the remarks ahead of a council meeting on Wednesday.
Keeping younger viewers interested in watching 90-minute matches has increasingly become a challenge, especially given the rise of gaming. Infantino’s comments come amid a dispute with EA Sports, the maker of the FIFA video game, over the future of the product but FIFA itself still embraces e-sports.
The International Olympic Committee also at the weekend denounced FIFA’s attempt to remodel the calendar which could result in having a men’s or women’s World Cup every year. The IOC has started to embrace sports seen as more appealing to youngsters, with skateboarding debuting at the recent Tokyo Olympics and the 2024 Paris Games introducing the break dance sport.
FIFA’s plans could have a significant impact on the Olympics where the women’s football competition features no age restrictions unlike the men’s event.
“I believe we can still find ways to develop football further,” Infantino told the meeting with UEFA. “The World Cup is huge. It’s a big, big competition that everyone benefits from the World Cup and that we need to be very careful on what we do with the World Cup.”
The Associated Press reported on Tuesday that more than a dozen European nations told UEFA they would consider quitting FIFA over biennial World Cups.
“I’m seriously asking you and FIFA not to push for a vote because that could have terrible consequences for football,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin told Infantino on the call.
“I don’t think it would be wise to go for a vote on a matter like that. Not just because there will be severe consequences that we will have to take but also because the stakeholders like clubs and leagues don’t have a voting right and this idea is detrimental to their existence.”
Leaders from the Finnish, Italian, Germany, Portuguese, Romanian, Scottish, Spanish and Swiss federations told Infantino they want to continue having the World Cup every four years.
They cited the impact on player welfare of having more frequent tournaments, the pitfalls of having only one block of qualifiers across October and November, and the potential damage caused to the growing profile of the women’s game by having more men’s competitions.
“We will not go ahead as far as I’m concerned with any proposal if anyone was to be harmed,” Infantino told the virtual meeting with UEFA.
But Infantino also said it wasn’t only the views of UEFA, which features 55 member associations, that counted. Infantino has been pushing to secure approval in December for holding World Cups every two years.
“We cannot just shape new proposals based on feedback from Europe,” he said. “We have to respect the opinions of everyone.”
Tiago Craveiro, the general secretary of the Portuguese federation, proposed that FIFA explores the possibility of not allowing teams to compete in consecutive editions if it pushed ahead with biennial World Cups.
“I welcome as well the idea of Thiago to say, well, we need more participation and maybe there is a way of doing that by having two World Cups, but not with the same teams participating,” Infantino said. “I don’t know. This is something that the technical people will study, but this is certainly something that we have to look into.”
At one point Ceferin pushed Infantino to answer specific questions directed at him.
No country spoke in favor of the plans during the call with Infantino, who was general secretary of UEFA before being elected FIFA president in 2016 in the fallout from the scandals that led to Sepp Blatter and his expected successor Michel Platini being banned from the sport.
“We trusted you to create an organization that transcends the divisions and brings unity,” Răzvan Burleanu, a Romanian member of the FIFA Council, said to Infantino.
Infantino says biennial WCups can bring youth back to soccer
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Infantino says biennial WCups can bring youth back to soccer
- Infantino said biennial World Cups were needed to keep youngsters interested in the sport at a time when they are increasingly “running after” other activities
- UEFA member associations also voiced a stream of opposition to his plans to double the frequency of World Cups
‘Ballistic’ Bairstow stars as Punjab pull off record T20 chase in IPL win over Kolkata Knight Riders
‘Ballistic’ Bairstow stars as Punjab pull off record T20 chase in IPL win over Kolkata Knight Riders
- Previous highest run chase in T20 history was scripted by South Africa who overhauled 258-5 made by the West Indies in 2023
- Shashank Singh also impressed with the bat, making 68 not out off 28 balls with eight sixes and two fours
KOLKATA: Jonny Bairstow smashed a “ballistic” unbeaten century as Punjab Kings recorded the highest successful run chase in Twenty20 cricket with an eight-wicket thrashing of Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
The England star clobbered nine sixes and eight fours in his 48-ball 108 to help Punjab overhaul Kolkata’s 261-6 with eight balls to spare in hot and humid conditions at the Eden Gardens.
“We got off to a good start and that was key. They got off to a flier themselves so we knew we had to go ballistic in the powerplay,” said Bairstow, named player of the match.
“When you’ve to chase 200-plus you’ve to take risks in the powerplay. Try and whack it as hard as possible.”
Shashank Singh also impressed with the bat, making 68 not out off 28 balls with eight sixes and two fours.
The previous highest run chase in T20 history was scripted by South Africa who overhauled 258-5 made by the West Indies in 2023.
“Shashank has done it all season, a lovely guy and special player. To have someone like him coming in and do that is unbelievable,” added Bairstow.
The match also saw the batsmen club 42 sixes — the most ever hit in a T20 game.
“Cricket has turned to baseball hasn’t it?” said Punjab captain Sam Curran.
“Guys can hit balls for long periods of time, the coaches, training, the dew, dot balls become wide after reviews and you get the extra ball. Stats are going out of the window.”
He added: “Really pleased for Jonny, he’s been on tour for a long time and was eager to score. Shashank, he was promoted to number four, he’s been our find of the season.”
Kolkata skipper Shreyas Iyer said his team will learn from the defeat.
“Both teams played tremendously. You have to go back to the drawing board and see where you went wrong,” said Iyer.
“Not defending hurts but it’s a great lesson for the players.”
Punjab registered only their third win from nine games and moved to eighth spot in the 10-team competition.
Kolkata, with five wins from eight games, remain in second place.
“From the dugout, I was watching the wicket. I felt the ball was coming on with good bounce,’ said Shashank.
“This match, the way Jonny batted was a huge positive. It was a great learning for me, we still have five more matches to go.”
Opening the Punjab innings, Bairstow put on 93 runs with impact sub Prabhsimran Singh (54) and another 85 runs with South Africa’s Rilee Rossouw (26).
Prabhsimran was run out by a direct throw from Sunil Narine who also chipped in with the wicket of Rossouw in the 13th over.
Despite the two dismissals, Shashank continued to unleash big shots, making sure Punjab did not lose their nerve while chasing the big total.
Earlier, Kolkata got off to a blistering start with Phil Salt and Narine sharing 138 runs off just 69 balls for the first wicket after being put in to bat.
Narine, dropped on 16, hammered four sixes and nine fours in his 32-ball 71 before holing out to Bairstow off leg spinner Rahul Chahar.
England’s Curran dismissed Salt who hit a 37-ball 75 studded with six sixes and six fours after being dropped twice by sloppy Punjab fielders.
Venkatesh Iyer chipped in with a cameo 39-run knock as Kolkata posted the highest IPL total ever at the Eden Gardens.
Kozuma shoots 63 to grab lead; Torque top team leaderboard
- Torque GC owns the team lead by shooting 20 under, the lowest first-round counting score by any team this year
- The Iron Heads are one shot back in second, while HyFlyers GC is third at 17 under
ADELAIDE, Australia: After shooting a bogey-free 9-under 63 to grab the first-round lead at LIV Golf Adelaide, Iron Heads GC’s Jinichiro Kozuma credited his putting prowess with helping him get through “some troubles here and there.”
His teammate and Friday playing partner Danny Lee, sitting next to Kozuma during the post-round press conference, was perplexed. “Trouble? What trouble?”
Indeed, the 29-year-old Kozuma seemed to have almost no trouble during the first round at The Grange Golf Club. He was 8 under after his first 11 holes and never gave up the lead on a day of low scoring before enthusiastic jampacked crowds at The Grange.
Kozuma will take a one-shot advantage into Saturday’s second round over Lee and Torque GC’s Carlos Ortiz. Four players are tied for fourth, two shots back – Mito Pereira (Torque), Peter Uihlein (RangeGoats GC), Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers GC) and Anirban Lahiri (Crushers GC).
Torque GC owns the team lead by shooting 20 under, the lowest first-round counting score by any team this year. Besides the contributions from Ortiz and Pereira, captain Joaquin Niemann — who leads the Individual Championship standings this season thanks to two individual wins — contributed a 67.
The Iron Heads are one shot back in second, while HyFlyers GC is third at 17 under. Crushers GC, who lead the season-long team race, are in fourth at 16 under. The hometown favorites Ripper GC, captained by Cameron Smith, are fifth at 15 under.
Kozuma, who’s in his first full year in LIV Golf after earning a spot via the Promotions tournament during the offseason, is leading for the first time after any round in his nine LIV Golf starts. His family is attending its first LIV Golf tournament this week to watch him play.
“I wanted to play really well in front of my family and impress all the family,” said Kozuma, whose round was highlighted by a 40-foot eagle putt. “I guess I got to do that, and I’m really happy about that.”
Non-captain teammates played together in the same group on Friday, and Kozuma and Lee will be together again in Saturday’s second round. They hope it will lead to another day of feeding off
each other.
“Whatever I was doing today and whatever Jinny was doing today worked out pretty good,” said Lee, the winner last year in Tucson. “We’re going to just enjoy each other’s company and keep our head down, keep making putts.”
Ortiz and Pereira also excelled together in the all-Torque group.
“It was really nice playing with these guys,” Ortiz said. “They holed out two holes in a row, so it felt like we were getting some momentum our way. Really happy the way I played, and just get it going.”
Kozuma, Lee, Pereira and Ogletree are among eight individual players who have yet to produce points (top 24 finish) through the first five tournaments this season. That they posted strong opening rounds at Adelaide is an indication that better results may be on
the horizon.
“Not the start (to this season) that I would like,” said Pereira, who finished eighth in the season-long standings last year. “… But trying to work hard to get my game back where it was last year, or
even better.”
For Kozuma and Lee, the focus for the next two rounds is not on points but just playing well and building on the momentum of Friday’s hot start.
“You can’t get too caught up in that kind of stuff,” said Lee, who was slowed by offseason surgery on his wrist. “I feel like that’s only putting a lot of pressure on yourself, so you’ve just got to let it go and keep your head down and just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
Added Kozuma: “I don’t want to think too much about the points. I want to just enjoy where I’m at right now and play.”
Saudi Arabia exit 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, fail to reach Paris Olympics
- A 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan saw Saad Al-Shehri’s team depart at the quarterfinal stage of competition they won in 2022
DOHA: Saudi Arabia exited the 2024 AFC U-23 Asian Cup on Friday after a 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan at Khalifa International Stadium in Al-Rayyan.
The defeat means that the Green Falcons, winners of the the last edition of the tournament in 2022, cannot reach the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris — a bitter blow for coach Saad Al-Shehri who had led the team to the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
For Uzbekistan, the win brings a small measure of revenge having lost the last AFC U-23 Asian Cup final 2-0 to Saudi Arabia in Tashkent two years ago.
Uzbekistan took the lead through Khusayin Norchaev two minutes into first-half stoppage time, and Saudi Arabia’s task became harder when Ayman Yahya was sent off on 70 minutes.
Saudi’s 10 men could not find an equalizer, and Uzbekistan put the game to bed thanks to Umarali Rakhmonaliev’s goal on 84 minutes.
In Monday’s first semifinal at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Uzbekistan will face Indonesia, who beat South Korea 11-10 on penalties after their quarterfinal ended in a 2-2 draw.
In the other semifinal, Japan, who beat hosts Qatar 4-2 after extra time, will await the winner of the last-eight clash between Iraq and Vietnam.
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.
