Al-Ahly and Wydad set for battle in all-Arab CAF Champions League final

Al-Ahly and Wydad set for battle in all-Arab CAF Champions League final
Short Url
Updated 03 June 2023
Follow

Al-Ahly and Wydad set for battle in all-Arab CAF Champions League final

Al-Ahly and Wydad set for battle in all-Arab CAF Champions League final
  • Egyptian and Moroccan giants will face off in first leg of Africa’s showpiece final in Cairo on Sunday

DUBAI: The only thing that can be said with certainty as Africa looks forward to its Champions League final is that the trophy will be won by an Arab team.

But, then, it usually is, as Al-Ahly of Egypt and Wydad AC of Morocco, who meet in Sunday’s first leg in Cairo, know better than most.

This will mark the third time in seven editions that these two giants of African and Arab football have met with the trophy sitting on the sidelines. They also locked horns in the semifinal of the 2020 edition when the Egyptians ran out comfortable winners.

There have been 16 Arab champions in the last 25 years, and in that time there was only 2009 when none from the region reached the final. Instead, TP Mazembe, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, defeated Nigeria’s Heartland.

We are in familiar territory for the two finalists, but the situation has changed since last year when Wydad ran out 2-0 winners in a single game on home soil. To start with, this is a home-and-away affair, with Egypt hosting on Sunday and the action moving to Morocco a week later.

Al-Ahly, who already hold the record for continental titles, with 10 trophies in the bank, are in a better place than they were in May last year. Then, in the dying days of the Pitso Mosimane regime, the Red Giants reached the final, but were struggling to cope with the demands of competing in the league, Africa and also the Club World Cup. Ahead of the last final, the league was slipping away and criticism was increasing.

This time, however, Al-Ahly also have lots of games in hand — they have played five games fewer than Pyramids in second — but are still a point clear.  Their league record has been amazing, with 19 wins, five draws and no defeats in the 24 games so far.

Under Swiss boss Marcel Koller, who replaced Mosimane’s short-lived successor Ricardo Soares in September, the Egyptians have been a winning machine. The league is almost in the bag. Adding the Champions League really will make it a perfect season.

The early stages of the African journey were rough and they only made it through in second, four points behind Mamelodi Sundowns, and ahead of Al-Hilal of Sudan only due to a better head-to-head record. 

The knockout stages have been more comfortable, however. Raja CA, Wydad’s Casablanca neighbors, were defeated 2-0 over two legs in the quarterfinals, while Esperance de Tunis were beaten 4-0. Take away the seven goals conceded in the group stage in two games against Mamelodi, then Al-Ahly have conceded just eight times in 32 league and Champions League games this season. The size of Wydad’s task is there for all to see.

Even after the 1-0 league win over Ceramica Cleopatra on Monday, Koller was still demanding more.

“After scoring, we lost our concentration and neglected defense, and we could have been punished since they got several chances to even the score,” the Swiss boss said. “I am saying it clearly: We need more determination and concentration in the Wydad game. If we repeat the same performance against Ceramica, we will not achieve our target.”

There is a boost for the club, which had been sweating on the fitness of all four goalkeepers, but first choice Mohamed El-Shenawy has recovered from a calf injury.

Al-Ahly may be glad that Wydad squeezed past Mamelodi on away goals in the semifinals, as the South Africans were impressive in the group stages. It also gives a chance for revenge for last year.

Wydad are going for a second successive championship and a fourth in total. That win in May started a great few months for Moroccan football. Not long after Walid Regragui led Wydad to the title, he left to take over the national team. It barely needs to be said again, but at the World Cup he took the Atlas Lions to the last four. Left-back Yahia Attiyah Allah and Yahya Jabrane both played their part in that magical run to the semifinals and will be in action against Al-Ahly.

After winning their group, they eliminated Tanzania’s Simba on penalties and then needed away goals to get past Mamelodi. With four games of the league season remaining, they are fighting for the title with FAR Rabat and are currently just a point behind.

There have been plenty of changes on the sidelines, with three successors to Regragui before Sven Vandenbroeck took over in May. The Belgian, who has extensive experience in Africa, was last seen in charge of Abha in Saudi Arabia, but now has the opportunity to be the first from his country to win the biggest club prize in African club football.

“I don’t feel a huge pressure. It is logical to play for all titles when you take the charge of a team that has a long history of winning trophies,” Vandenbroeck said. “Ahly will be seeking revenge for the last time. So, the most important thing for me is to remain calm and unified as a group.”

After Regragui, Vandenbroeck has big shoes to fill, but there are also unrelenting demands on Al-Ahly to keep winning. It is all set for a fascinating encounter.


Victory for Saudi handball team in Asian Games as tennis duo, fencers bow out

Victory for Saudi handball team in Asian Games as tennis duo, fencers bow out
Updated 26 September 2023
Follow

Victory for Saudi handball team in Asian Games as tennis duo, fencers bow out

Victory for Saudi handball team in Asian Games as tennis duo, fencers bow out
  • In Boxing, the Kingdom’s Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi qualified for the round of 16 in the 51kg category

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s mens handball team were victorious in their second game at the Asian Games on Monday, beating Mongolian 45-15.
Saudi Arabia were seeking to revive their tournament after loosing to Japan in the opening game. They are now in joint second place in Group D alongside Iran, who they play on Wednesday.
In Boxing, the Kingdom’s Abdulaziz Al-Otaibi qualified for the round of 16 in the 51kg category, while teammate Raghad Al-Naimi bowed out after losing to Kazakhstan’s Natalia Bogdanova in the 66kg weight class. 


Saudi rower Haia Al-Mami finished 12th in the overall standings of the W1x competition with a time of 8.84 minutes on Monday. 


In the taekwondo competition, it was the end of the road for Dania Abu Talibn after losing to China’s Guo Qing, who won the silver medal in the 2022 World Championships, by a round to nil in the sub-49kg weight category for women. 


Also heading out of the games were fencers Adel Al-Mutairi and Mohammed Al-Omar in the saber competition. Al-Mutairi defeated Jordan’s Osama Al-Masri 15-12 before losing 6-15 in the round of 16 to South Korea’s Oh Sang-uk, who won gold at 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And Al-Omar lost in the round of 32 to Japan’s Yoshida Kento. 


The Saudi shooting team, Misfer Al-Ammari, Bader Al-Otaibi, and Hussein Al-Harbi, finished their participation in the 10m air rifle competition. Al-Ammari ranked 12th with 624.5 points, Al-Otaibi ranked 24th with 615.8 points, and Al-Harbi ranked 50th with 614.5 points. As a team, they finished 12th with a total of 1854.8 points. 


Saudi tennis duo, Ammar and Yara Al-Hogbani, also bowed out of the games after a loss in the doubles competition. 

 


90 UAE cricketers to feature in ILT20 Development Tournament

90 UAE cricketers to feature in ILT20 Development Tournament
Updated 25 September 2023
Follow

90 UAE cricketers to feature in ILT20 Development Tournament

90 UAE cricketers to feature in ILT20 Development Tournament
  • ILT20 Blitzers, ILT20 Braves, ILT20 Dynamos, ILT20 Marvels, ILT20 Pearls and ILT20 Thunderbolts to compete in the 18-match competition

DUBAI: UAE captain Muhammad Waseem will lead the ILT20 Marvels in the inaugural ILT20 Development Tournament that begins at the ICC Academy Grounds, Dubai from Saturday, Sept. 30.

A total of 90 players (15 per side) made it to the six squads via a player draft held earlier this week.

The tournament will provide an opportunity to UAE’s domestic players as well as those who have played internationals (ODIs and T20Is) to showcase their talent and impress the DP World ILT20 franchises for selection in the squads for Season 2.

Ali Abid will captain the ILT20 Blitzers, Muhammad Usman will skipper the ILT20 Braves, Karthik Meiyappan will lead ILT20 Dynamos while seasoned UAE batter Rohan Mustafa will be in charge of the ILT20 Thunderbolts.

Each team will play five matches in the group stage, with the top-four sides at the end of the group stage progressing to the semifinals. The final will be played on Tuesday, Oct. 10.

The six squads were chosen by their respective head coaches and support staff.

The head coaches include Rizwan Arshad (Braves), Sandeep Dhuri (Blitzers), Jared Davids (Dynamos), Rejith Arjun (Marvels), Shahzada Saleem (Pearls) and Khurram Khan (Thunderbolts). Tournament Director of the ILT20 Development Tournament Andy Russell oversaw the selection process.

Six franchises of DP World ILT20 have retained 11 UAE players as part of their squads for Season 2. This means 13 spots are still up for grabs (franchises need to have at least four UAE players in their squads).

Out of the 11 retained players from Season 1, the following eight will participate in the ILT20 Development Tournament: Aayan Afzal Khan (Gulf Giants), Junaid Siddique (Sharjah Warriors), Matiullah (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), Mohammad Waseem (MI Emirates), Muhammad Jawadullah (Sharjah Warriors), Rohan Mustafa (Desert Vipers), Sanchit Sharma (Gulf Giants) and Zahoor Khan (MI Emirates).

All participating players (other than the 11 retained) will be eligible for selection in DP World ILT20 Season 2. The 13 vacant spots for UAE players across the six franchises will be filled via a DP World ILT20 organized Player Draft that will take place after the ILT20 Development Tournament.

Chief Executive Officer DP World ILT20 David White: “We are delighted to launch the ILT20 Development Tournament. We have been very clear in our approach from the beginning and want to reiterate that the DP World ILT20 is all about developing the game in the UAE.

“The DP World ILT20 Season 1 provided a world-class platform to our players, besides our established stars, youngsters like Aayan Afzal Khan, Sanchit Sharma and Ali Naseer learned a great deal by rubbing shoulders with the best in the world and their progress since the last edition is a testament to the success of the league especially from a development point of view.

“I am sure that we will see some new stars emerge from the ILT20 Development Tournament this year and their performances will provide some fantastic selection options for our six DP World ILT20 franchises.”


How Saudi Arabia’s foreign players embraced the traditional style thobe

Al-Ittihad’s French striker Karim Benzema. (@Benzema)
Al-Ittihad’s French striker Karim Benzema. (@Benzema)
Updated 25 September 2023
Follow

How Saudi Arabia’s foreign players embraced the traditional style thobe

Al-Ittihad’s French striker Karim Benzema. (@Benzema)
  • Led by Ronaldo, the SPL’s growing number of overseas players and coaches have embraced their new culture
  • Al-Ittihad’s French striker Karim Benzema also appeared in the national dress at the FIFA Club World Cup draw in Jeddah

JEDDAH: As usual, Cristiano Ronaldo led the way, with the likes of Neymar, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Fowler not far behind.

Amid the celebrations of Saudi National Day on Sept. 23, a number of foreign players and coaches from the Saudi Professional League celebrated the occasion by donning the Kingdom’s traditional thobe in videos and photos that quickly went viral on social media.

Ronaldo and teammate Sadio Mane appeared in a video posted on Al-Nassr’s official account on X and similarly, former England captain and Ettifaq coach Gerrard showcased the Saudi look in a clip posted by his club.

But it’s not the first time that foreign players have shown their support in this way.

Ronaldo first wore the traditional attire during the celebration of the Saudi Founding Day on Feb. 22, posing in a navy blue and gold daqlah, which is designed to be worn over a thobe.

Al-Ittihad’s French striker Karim Benzema also appeared in the national dress at the official draw of FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023 held recently in Jeddah, when he called the Saudi thobe “an elegant attire.”

In recent weeks, international players who joined the SPL during an unprecedented summer transfer window seem to have increasingly embraced their new lifestyle and local culture, providing their fans all over the world with photos while wearing the Saudi traditional dress: a long-sleeve shirt and ankle-length robe worn along with a headscarf, known as the shemagh, that has a ring around it, called aqal.

Online platforms have been flooded with images of Riyad Mahrez, Edouard Mendy, Roberto Firmino, Allan Saint-Maximin, Igor Coronado, Romarinho, Marcelo Grohe, Roger Ibanez, former Al-Hilal striker Bafetimbi Gomis, former Saudi national team coach Herve Renard and Al-Ittihad’s Portuguese coach Nuno Santo sporting the look.

Al-Nassr fan Suliman Al-Otaibi said: “Seeing Ronaldo walking on our streets in our attire sends a positive message to his vast follower base, which runs in the hundreds of millions. Who knows, the Saudi dress might even become a trend in Europe.”

Amer Helabi echoed those sentiments, saying: “Respect to all those players for respecting the culture of the country.”

Another fan said: “The thobe suits them. I hope they wear it occasionally.”

Another poster on X said the scores of international players wearing the Saudi national dress did not bother him in the least, and that in fact, he found the trend “endearing.”

Homoud Al-Bugami posted: “National Day is a good opportunity for those big names in football to learn about the history of Saudi Arabia and the motifs they see around them.”

Saudi football player Hussain Al-Qahtani praised Ronaldo, Benzema and other players for indulging in Saudi cultural activities, promoting their tradition and rich historical origin.

“It is so great to see such famous players wearing our traditional thobe,” he said.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr. Jamal Al-Tarqi told Arab News that foreign players in the SPL wearing the Saudi uniform is a sign of dedication to the work they do as professional players, stressing that they are showing their adaptation to the culture of the Kingdom.

“When such big names in football wear the Saudi traditional thobe, they are indeed getting accustomed to the Saudi culture and they are showing love and loyalty to this country,” he said.


FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets

FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets
Updated 25 September 2023
Follow

FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets

FIFA announce sale of Club World Cup 2023 match tickets
  • Seven clubs, including Saudi’s Al-Ittihad, will contest the continental championship from Dec. 12th to Dec. 22nd
  • 20th edition of the global club tournament will feature a debut appearance from European champions Man. City

RIYADH: Club World Cup 2023 match tickets will be available for purchase from Tuesday Sept. 26th at FIFA.com/tickets.

Seven clubs will contest the continental championship in Saudi Arabia from Dec. 12th to Dec. 22nd.

Al-Ittihad, winners of the Roshn Saudi League (RSL) 2022-2023, will represent hosts Saudi Arabia.

The 20th edition of the global club tournament will feature a debut appearance from European champions Manchester City.

It will also feature Concacaf champions Club Leon of Mexico, Japan’s Urawa Reds, Egypt’s Al Ahly and New Zealand’s Auckland City.

The line-up will be completed by the yet-to-be determined Copa Libertadores winners.


LIV Golf Jeddah, presented by ROSHN, to stage momentous regular season finale

LIV Golf Jeddah, presented by ROSHN, to stage momentous regular season finale
Updated 25 September 2023
Follow

LIV Golf Jeddah, presented by ROSHN, to stage momentous regular season finale

LIV Golf Jeddah, presented by ROSHN, to stage momentous regular season finale
  • Individual champion, team championship seeds, and securing 2024 league spots all on the line for LIV Golf’s return to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club, Oct. 13-15
  • Following an exciting final round at LIV Golf Chicago — the 12th event of the season — Cameron Smith currently leads the individual standings with 170 points

JEDDAH: LIV Golf makes its highly anticipated return to Royal Greens Golf & Country Club for LIV Golf Jeddah, presented by ROSHN, October 13-15, when the league’s 2023 regular season will reach its epic conclusion and set the stage for the Team Championship — and the future for many LIV golfers.

The event marks the thirteenth tournament of the league’s first full season. Superstar names among the list of 13 major winners who will compete in King Addullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia include 2023 PGA Championship winner and 2023 US Ryder Cup Team selection Brooks Koepka, 2022 Open Champion Cameron Smith, World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson, 2020 US Open Champion Bryson DeChambeau, and two-time major winners Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson and Martin Kaymer.

There will be much to play for among those atop the individual standings — a star-studded list competing for the season-ending individual title. Those further down the standings face a battle to secure their future, with those players ranked 45 and below in the standings’ “Drop Zone” at season’s end facing relegation and the reality of losing their LIV Golf status for next year.

Following an exciting final round at LIV Golf Chicago — the 12th event of the season — Smith currently leads the individual standings with 170 points after victories in London and Bedminster. In-form American Talor Gooch, a three-time individual champion this season, is in hot pursuit of the Australian with 162 points. Last week’s LIV Golf Chicago champion and ‘Mr. 58,’ Bryson DeChambeau, occupies the third place in the standings with 146 points. Other players in contention of a top three finishing spot include 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed, 2022 LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah winner Koepka and 4Aces GC captain Johnson, among others.

As the final opportunity to secure points in the individual standings, the pressure to play well in Jeddah intensifies. Those who finish in the top 24 in the overall standings will lock-in their position in the LIV Golf League for the next season. Players finishing in the “Open Zone” (positions 25-44), however, may face trade or release by their respective teams. Meanwhile, those finishing in positions 45 and below sitting in the “Drop Zone” will be relegated and will automatically qualify for the League’s promotional tournament, where they will have the opportunity to earn their spot back for the 2024 season.

Aside from the individual standings race, each player in the 48-man field has good reason to make their scores count, as the final team standings following LIV Golf Jeddah will determine seeds 1-12 for the LIV Golf Team Championship in Miami the following week, with the top four teams receiving first-round byes. Through 12 events, 4Aces GC — featuring Johnson, Reed, Peter Uihlein, and Pat Perez — sits atop the team standings with 188 points after team victories in Adelaide and London.

DeChambeau’s Crushers GC (178 points), which includes Paul Casey, Charles Howell III, and Anirban Lahiri, made significant gains thanks to their victory last week in Chicago, giving them a seven-point lead in second place over Torque GC. Torque GC features Chilean stars Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira, Colombian Sebastian Muñoz, and Spanish rookie David Puig, who closely trail Crushers GC with 171 total points following wins in Orlando, DC, Andalucía, and Greenbrier.

The all-South African Stinger GC, featuring major champions Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace, and Dean Burmester, currently sits in fourth place with 157 points. RangeGoats GC (155 points) occupies fifth place, thanks to five top-three finishes this season, driven by standout performances by Gooch, Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters, and captain Watson.