JEDDAH, 20 November 2004 — League leaders Al-Shabab and Al-Ittihad played out a pulsating 1-1 draw in the King Fahd Cup Soccer Tournament at the Prince Faisal ibn Fahd Stadium in Riyadh.

Much was expected of this match after Shabab had whisked the King Fahd Cup away from Ittihad last season by riding out a Muhammad Manga goal.

And when Manga struck in the second minute of the game for his eighth goal in 11 games, Shabab must have had visions of a repeat victory, especially after their sustained dominance for the first 30 minutes. But Ittihad slowly clawed their way back into the game by slowing the tempo, and concentrating on building their attacks. They soon restored parity in the 44th minute with Chico striking true from the spot.

The second half saw Ittihad maintaining their attacking flow and this led to a series of tough tackles. Two red cards in the space of 16 minutes saw the expulsion of Shabab’s Faisal Al-Obaili and Ittihad’s Rida Takur. Faisal was sent off first in the ninth minute of the session.

The game then deteriorated into a midfield struggle with neither teams wanting to expose their defense.

Shabab still stay top with 21 points while Ittihad, with a game in hand, are in third place with 18 points. Al-Hilal, who beat Ohud 3-1, jump to second place. Sabir Hussian struck first for Ohud and then a brace by Da Silva and another by Mohammad Al-Shalhoub clinched Hilal’s victory. The day’s biggest winner was Al-Ahli of Jeddah who defeated Al-Ansar 6-1. Brazilian Ruggerio sealed an hat trick with Walid Al-Jizani (2) and Hussein Abdul Ghani notching in the other three for Ahli. Costa reduced the margin.

Spanish FA Send Letter

of Apology Over Racists

In London, the English Football Association said yesterday it had received a letter of apology from the Spanish Football Association after home fans racially abused England players during a friendly match in Madrid on Wednesday.

The FA’s website said the letter, from General Secretary Jorge P. Arias, categorically condemned the fans’ behavior.

“The FA welcomes the response and now looks forward to receiving details from FIFA on its investigation initiated yesterday,” a statement said.

The Spanish FA was responding to a letter of complaint from the FA after sections of the Bernabeu crowd made monkey noises at England players Ashley Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips during the 1-0 defeat.

Racial abuse also marred the under-21 clash between the two countries on Tuesday. FIFA could fine the Spanish FA or order Spain to play a match behind closed doors.