The Pope with ‘two left feet’ who loved the ‘beautiful game’

Pope Francis holds a San Lorenzo football jersey after celebrating his first Easter Mass in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican on March 31, 2013. (AP file photo)
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Updated 22 April 2025
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The Pope with ‘two left feet’ who loved the ‘beautiful game’

  • Messi: A different Pope, close, Argentinian... Rest in peace, Pope Francis
  • His love of football was inseparable from his loyalty to the San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, where he went to watch matches with his father and brothers

VATICAN CITY: His predecessor loved Mozart, but Pope Francis’s passion was football — for him “the most beautiful game” and also a vehicle to educate and spread peace.

From Argentine compatriots Lionel Messi and the late Diego Maradona to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gianluigi Buffon, Francis received the greatest stars of football at the Vatican, signing dozens of shirts and balls from around the world.

And the admiration flowed both ways. Following news of the Pope’s death on Monday at the age of 88, Messi took to Instagram to pay tribute.

“A different Pope, close, Argentinian... Rest in peace, Pope Francis,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner posted. “Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you.”

Francis often recounted playing as a young boy on the streets of Buenos Aires, using a ball made of rags.

While admitting he was “not among the best” and that “he had two left feet,” he often played as goalkeeper, which he said was a good way of learning how to respond to “dangers that could arrive from anywhere.”

His love of football was inseparable from his loyalty to the San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, where he went to watch matches with his father and brothers.

“It was romantic football,” he recalled.

He maintained his membership even after becoming pope — and caused a minor uproar when he received a membership card from rivals Boca Juniors as part of a Vatican educational partnership.

Francis kept up to date with the club’s progress thanks to one of the Vatican’s Swiss Guards, who would leave results and league tables on his desk.

On Monday, San Lorenzo’s home page showed a large photo of a smiling pope under the club’s blue-and-red striped emblem, and the words: “Goodbye forever, Holy Father!”

Football is often compared to a religion for its fans, and Francis held numerous giant masses in football stadiums during trips abroad.

French Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard, the Vatican delegate for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, said he understood the crucial role played by football.

“Whether you are an amateur or professional footballer, whether you like to watch it on television, it makes no difference: this sport is part of people’s lives,” he said.

But it was not just an end in itself — Francis, a Jesuit, also saw football as a way of spreading peace and education, despite the money and corruption linked to the sport.

In 2014, the Olympic stadium in Rome hosted an “inter-religious match” for peace at his initiative.

“Many say that football is the most beautiful game in the world. I think so too,” Francis declared in 2019.

As early as 2013, addressing the Italian and Argentine teams, Francis reminded players of their “social responsibilities” and warned against the excesses of “business” football.

The pontiff’s love for the game inspired a scene in a film “The Two Popes,” in which former pope Benedict XVI and then-cardinal Jorge Bergoglio watch the 2014 World Cup final between their two countries, Germany and Argentina.

It was pure fiction, as the soon-to-be Francis gave up watching television in 1990 — the year West Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup final hosted by Italy — while his predecessor preferred classical music and reading.

His enthusiasm for football said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Monday bore “witness to a joyful spirit and his ability to connect with people through warmth and a sense of shared humanity.”

Francis never mentioned the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, which took place in the midst of a dictatorship when he was a provincial leader of the Jesuits.

But he dedicated an entire chapter of his 2024 autobiography to Maradona, whose infamous “hand of God” goal helped Argentina beat England in their 1986 World Cup quarterfinal clash.

“When, as pope, I received Maradona in the Vatican a few years ago... I asked him, jokingly, ‘So, which is the guilty hand?’” he said in 2024.

And asked once who was the game’s greatest player, Maradona or Lionel Messi, the pope hedged his bets.

“Maradona, as a player, was great. But as a man, he failed,” Francis said, referring to his addictions to cocaine and alcohol.

He described Messi as a “gentleman,” but added that he would choose a third, Pele, “a man of heart.”


Pakistan to face New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final today

Updated 9 sec ago
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Pakistan to face New Zealand in FIH Nations Cup final today

  • Pakistan defeated France 3-2 on penalty shootouts in the semifinal
  • Pakistani goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman blocked three French chances

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will face New Zealand today, Saturday, in the final of the Fédération Internationale de Hockey (FIH) Nations Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Spirited Pakistan defeated France 3-2 on penalty shootouts to qualify for the Nations Cup final at the National Hockey Stadium on Friday.

Goalkeeper Muneeb-ur-Rehman blocked three French chances, while Rana Waheed Ashraf, Hannan Shahid and Afraz struck for Pakistan to clinch a highly-rewarding victory.

“Heartiest congratulations to our Green Shirts on reaching the Nations Cup final,” Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on X.

“The team turned the match around with courage, skill and determination — a proud moment for the entire nation.”

Hockey is Pakistan’s national sport. The national team boasts a proud legacy with three Olympic gold medals in 1960, 1968 and 1984, along with four World Cup titles in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994.

But the sport has faced a sharp decline in Pakistan in recent decades due to administrative challenges, underinvestment and inadequate infrastructure. Renewed efforts are underway to revive the game with increased

government support, youth development initiatives and greater international engagement aimed at restoring Pakistan’s former glory in the sport.

The winner of Saturday’s final will earn promotion to the elite FIH Hockey Pro League 2025–26 season.


Jeeno Thitikul extends lead to three at Women’s PGA

Updated 21 June 2025
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Jeeno Thitikul extends lead to three at Women’s PGA

  • The 22-year-old star from Thailand followed a first-round 68 with a 2-under par 70 on Friday to reach 6-under 138 at the Fields Ranch East course
  • Thitikul has five wins to her credit on the LPGA Tour and placed in the top 10 of seven majors

FRISCO, Texas: World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul is halfway home to her first major victory, as she will take a three-shot lead into the weekend at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship in Frisco, Texas.

The 22-year-old star from Thailand followed a first-round 68 with a 2-under par 70 on Friday to reach 6-under 138 at the Fields Ranch East course at PGA Frisco.

She has a comfortable edge over Australia’s Minjee Lee, who shot even-par 72, and Japan’s Rio Takeda, who birdied her final hole (No. 9) and four of her last six for a 71.

Lexi Thompson also posted a 70 in the second round and holds fourth place at 2 under.

The course played even tougher than the day before, and only one player managed to break 70. England’s Charley Hull posted a 3-under 69 to move to 3 over and ensure she’ll make the cut after an opening-round 78 set her back.

Thitikul entered the day with a one-shot lead and spent most of her round hovering around even par. After beginning on the back nine, she had two birdies and two bogeys through 16 holes before a birdie-birdie finish. Thitikul made a 12 1/2-foot putt at the par-3 eighth before two-putting from 59 feet at the par-5 ninth.

Thitikul has five wins to her credit on the LPGA Tour and placed in the top 10 of seven majors. Now she will get to play from ahead and defend her lead in a high-pressure situation.

“I think it’s depend on the wind,” Thitikul said of the weekend to come. “If you can be committing with the wind you see and then calculating really good and putting yourself like tee-to-green really well and then making par, I think it’s good enough.”

Thompson had a bogey-free round nearly in the bag before stumbling at No. 18 when her approach found a bunker.

Thompson, 30, stopped competing full-time after 2024, but she is making her seventh start of 2025 and is in great form, having tied for fourth last week at the Meijer LPGA Classic.

“When I’m home I’m grinding and practicing and still working on my game,” Thompson said. “Any time I tee it up — even saying I was stepping away from a full-time schedule, any time I tee it up I want to come out here and compete and win.”

A win this weekend would give Thompson her second career major title, 11 years after her first.

The only American in red figures besides Thompson is Auston Kim, who shot 72 Friday and is tied for fifth at 1 under with South Korea’s Somi Lee (73) and Japan’s Chizato Iwai (72).

Kim would be a major upset story if she were to win on Sunday. She is ranked No. 98 in the world, has never won on tour and never finished better than tied for 30th at a major.

“My mindset today was just staying in it,” Kim said of her two-birdie, two-bogey round. “I didn’t really feel like I had hit any superhuman shots. I didn’t want to. I didn’t have to chop it out of the rough today like I did (Thursday). I think that’s just a testament to how smart I was playing.”

World No. 1 Nelly Korda turned in a 2-over 74 to slide to 2 over for the tournament, tied for 16th.

The projected cut line was 7 over par, meaning Rose Zhang (79 Friday) will squeak in on the number. Notable names to miss the cut included Allizen Corpuz (8 over), South Korea’s A Lim Kim (8 over), defending champion Amy Yang of South Korea (9 over) and two-time major winner Lilia Vu (9 over).

Former World No. 1 Jin Young Ko of South Korea withdrew due to illness. She was on track to miss the cut after an opening-round 74.


Scheffler in 3-way tie for lead at Travelers with Fleetwood and Thomas

Updated 21 June 2025
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Scheffler in 3-way tie for lead at Travelers with Fleetwood and Thomas

  • All it took was the fate of the wind, good or bad, to shape the leaderboard going into the weekend at the TPC River Highlands, with 12 players separated by four shots
  • The average score was 70.7, nearly two shots harder than the opening round

CROMWELL, Connecticut: Scottie Scheffler provided hope with a late double bogey. Tommy Fleetwood charged through with two eagles in three holes, and so did Justin Thomas with five straight birdies. They wound up tied for the lead on a blustery Friday at the Travelers Championship.

All it took was the fate of the wind, good or bad, to shape the leaderboard going into the weekend at the TPC River Highlands, with 12 players separated by four shots.

Scheffler was comfortably in front when the left-to-right wind his tee shot had been riding laid down, sending his ball into the fairway bunker on the par-4 17th. He put the next one in the water, barely reached the green with his fourth shot and made double bogey. He wound up with a 1-under 69.

Fleetwood felt the wind going right-to-left, then slightly hurting, then slightly helping on the par-5 13th. He had 240 yards to at least cover the water, 264 yards to the hole, and he felt his 9-wood would at least reach the green.

So much depended on the fickle wind that fooled so many players.

“I just sort of caught the right moment,” said Fleetwood, who also chipped in for eagle on the reachable 15th and shot 65. “Came off perfect and then beautiful putt.”

Thomas wished he could have hit the ball a little better off the tee, but he stayed out of trouble, stayed patient and cashed in on the back nine with his five straight birdies, two of them from the 25-foot range, that led to a 64.

They were at 9-under 131, one shot ahead of Jason Day (66).

Rory McIlroy was 3 over through four holes in gusts that topped 30 mph, at one point falling eight shots behind Scheffler, a daunting prospect. But he kept in the game, found hope when Scheffler dropped back to 9 under, and got a little luck on his own.

His second shot from a bunker on the 17th was so think that he took one hand off the club and waited for the worse, mainly a splash. It founded the water at such a low trajectory that it skipped out onto the fairway.

He failed to get up-and-down, taking bogey, but felt it could have been worse — the shot, and his position going into the weekend He batted for a 71, leaving him only four back.

“The conditions today definitely bunched the entire field together and should make for an exciting weekend,” McIlroy said

The conditions — mainly the wind strong that was blowing hats off of heads and sending unoccupied chairs tumbling away — was everything in the second round.

The average score was 70.7, nearly two shots harder than the opening round. It was the highest scoring average for a single round at the Travelers since the second round in 2017.

The toughest part for players was figuring out which way it was blowing. Scheffler experienced that on the 17th.

“The tee shot, I hit exactly the way I wanted to,” Scheffler said. “Somehow the wind either stops or goes back because the way my ball was flying it should have basically gotten to the middle of the fairway and I end up in the left bunker.

“Then I catch it a hair fat, and all of a sudden I’m dropping and hitting my fourth shot, and I hit the shot exactly the way we wanted to, and as the ball is flying, you get a gust into the wind, and all of a sudden the ball is not on the green,” he said. “You can’t get every one correct. You just do your best to manage your way around the golf course.”

Day had his own version of a hat trick on the front nine — three pars, three birdies, three bogeys — until hitting all the right shots for a 31 on the back to get in the hunt.

Denny McCarthy (64) and Austin Eckroat (71) were at 7-under 133, followed by Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley 70) and Nick Taylor (68).

Patrick Cantlay had a 68 with a double bogey on the par-5 13th and joined the large group at 135 that included McIlroy.

If the wind wasn’t bad enough, Luke Clanton showed remarkable patience in his second tournament as a pro. He had been playing with Jordan Spieth, who had to withdraw with soreness in his upper back on Thursday. Clanton was a single in the middle of the field, behind Scheffler and US Open champion J.J. Spaun, in front of Andrew Novak and Jacob Bridgeman.

He waited on every shot and did well to post a 72, leaving him in the middle of the pack.


Alcaraz extends winning streak, Draper into semifinals at Queen’s

Updated 21 June 2025
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Alcaraz extends winning streak, Draper into semifinals at Queen’s

  • Alcaraz, who won the Wimbledon warm-up event in 2023, will face Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut in Saturday’s semifinals
  • The 23-year-old had twice lost in the last eight at Queen’s, but now he is just two wins away from joining Andy Murray as only the second British champion at the tournament in the Open area

LONDON: Carlos Alcaraz was relieved to overcome the challenge of Arthur Rinderknech in straight sets to reach the semifinals at Queen’s Club and extend his career-best winning streak to 16 matches on Friday.

In his first tournament since winning the French Open in remarkable fashion against Jannik Sinner, the world No. 2 had been forced to come through a grueling three-set battle against Jaume Munar in Thursday’s second round.

But Alcaraz was ruthless with his opportunities against world No. 80 Rinderknech as the Spaniard took his only two break point chances for a 7-5, 6-4 win inside 90 minutes on court.

“I thought I was going to feel much worse, but we are tennis players, we have to do whatever we have to do to feel good,” said Alcaraz after his three-and-a-half-hour battle against Munar.

“I’m glad that today was one hour and 20 minutes, a bit more like grass.”

Alcaraz, who won the Wimbledon warm-up event in 2023, will face Spanish compatriot Roberto Bautista Agut in Saturday’s semifinals after he beat fourth seed Holger Rune 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-2.

“I’m feeling great, and I’m just happy to play at such a good level today. It was a big challenge today, but I’m happy with the way I played and felt today,” added Alcaraz.

Jack Draper, who ended Alcaraz’s defense at Queen’s last year, reached the semifinals for the first time and secured a top-four seed at Wimbledon with a tense 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 win over American Brandon Nakashima.

The 23-year-old had twice lost in the last eight at Queen’s, but now he is just two wins away from joining Andy Murray as only the second British champion at the tournament in the Open area.

Draper will move above Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz in the world rankings next week to a career-high of four.

That means at Wimbledon, which starts on June 30, Draper will avoid defending champion Alcaraz and world No. 1 Sinner until the semifinals.

“Last year I went there ranked 40th and now I’m fourth. To get to that position is an incredible feeling,” Draper said.

“It is testament to the work me and my team have done and I’m proud of that.”

Draper will face Jiri Lehecka in the last four on Saturday after the Czech world No. 30 beat beat British No. 2 Jacob Fearnley 7-5, 6-2.


Promotional tour for Alvarez and Crawford’s ‘Fight of the Century’ gets underway in Riyadh

Updated 21 June 2025
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Promotional tour for Alvarez and Crawford’s ‘Fight of the Century’ gets underway in Riyadh

  • The boxers will face off in Las Vegas in September for the unified super-middleweight title and a specially crafted Ring Magazine belt worth $188,000

RIYADH: Boxing superstars Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford shared the stage in Riyadh on Friday at the start of a promotional tour ahead of their highly anticipated bout in Las Vegas on Sept. 13.

The two champions, who will face off for the unified super-middleweight title and a specially crafted Ring Magazine belt valued at $188,000, appeared at a press conference in Boulevard City as part of Riyadh Season.

“My goal is always being in these kinds of fights: big fights,” Alvarez, the reigning undisputed champion with a record of 62 wins, 39 of them by knockout, told Arab News. “And I’m here again. So I feel grateful and excited.”

He added that the sport has developed and progressed in the Kingdom in recent years, adding: “Turki Alalshikh (chairperson of the General Entertainment Authority) has helped a lot. Right now we have boxing gyms here and they’re helping a lot of kids. So that’s very nice.”

Looking ahead to his showdown with Crawford, the Mexican fighter said: “I think this fight is going to be one of my best fights in my history, in my record. I’m very excited and motivated. This is what it’s all about. I want to make history.”

 

Asked for his thoughts on his opponent, Alvarez said: “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great fighter — but like I said, he’s not Canelo. He’s one of the top fighters I’m going to face in my career, for sure.”

Crawford, an American fighter who holds a record of 41 wins, with 31 knockouts, and is a four-division world champion, said: “This is my moment and I’m not letting Canelo take it away from me. It’s going to be an exciting day for boxing; history will be made.”

Alalshikh said the fight marks the beginning of a long-term partnership with Netflix, which will stream the bout to more than 300 million subscribers worldwide.

“We will do big things together and this is the beginning of a great relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the GEA and Netflix,” he added.

Asked what he hopes to see from the fighters during their bout, Alalshikh said: “I’m sure they will deliver for me smashing face and blood.”

As for the decision to stage the fight in Las Vegas, he described the city as “the capital of boxing.”

The promotional tour will continue in New York City on June 22 and Las Vegas on June 27.