THE PENINSULA

BOGOR, INDONESIA: Qatar head coach Bruno Pinheiro has called on Qatar to remain focused on winning the title despite enjoying the FIFA 2019 U-20 World Cup qualification as they face South Korea in the AFC U-19 semi-final today.

The Qatari youngsters made it to the semi-finals in Indonesia following a dom-inant 7-3 win over Thailand that also saw them book a spot at next year’s global spectacle which will be held in Poland.

“It is sometimes normal for a team to relax a little after qualifying for some-thing such as a World Cup,“ the Portu-guese tactician said yesterday.

“We will not be relaxing though. Of course, it was important for us to reach the World Cup so that we could pit our-selves against the planet’s best players and coaches, but this team has the potential to go even further (in this com-petition),” Pinheiro said ahead of today’s crunch tie.

“It is now a question of preparing the team both physically and mentally. We always want to win every game we play, and I am not expecting anything different from my team against Korea Republic,” he said.

High scoring games have been a feature of Qatar’s campaign thus far, with a 6-5 group stage defeat of Indonesia and a 7-3 win in the quarter-finals amongst their successes.

With the Qataris just two wins away from repeating their 2014 title success, Pinheiro is adamant however that his side’s approach will not change in the semi-finals where they will be without the suspended Ahmed Suhail.

“Korea Republic are a difficult team, and it will be a very tough game for us, but we will play our usual brand of football, which is to have the ball as much as possible and to make the most of our possession in the final third,” Pinheiro said.

“We are not about to change our approach. It really does not matter if you win 5-4 or if you win 1-0. The most important thing is to win.”

Meanwhile, South Korea’s head coach Chung Jung-yong has urged Korea Republic to take a confident approach into today’s semi-final.

Chung’s talented charges are set to face the West Asians after topping Group C and then seeing off Tajikistan in the quarter-finals – a win which guaranteed them a place at next year’s FIFA U-20 World Cup.

With Korea Republic’s initial target already achieved, Chung is hoping for even greater things from his side as they continue their hunt for what would be a

13th AFC U-19 Championship title.“My players have been under a lot of

pressure during this tournament, but I believe now is the time for them to approach the game with more confidence rather than be affected by any pressure,” he said ahead of the encounter at Bogor’s Pakansari Stadium.

“I think that the situation has told on us at times, and because of it we have not always played as well as we know we can. Nevertheless, we have reached the semi-finals, so I hope my team will forget about the pressure surrounding the game and do their very best against Qatar.

“The first goal for all the teams here was obviously to qualify for the World Cup. Now we have done that, the game

against Qatar is not only a crucial semi-final, but also the first step in our preparation for the World Cup.”

Korea Republic’s plans will not, however, include striker Oh Se-hun who is serving a one-match ban after picking up yellow cards against Vietnam and Tajikistan.

Despite the 19-year-old’s absence, Chung believes the Koreans have enough quality in reserve to cope, and is viewing the chance to utilise alter-native personnel as a distinct positive.

“Our players are still young, and they have been preparing for a long time for this competition both back home and here in Indonesia. We have some of the squad who are taking more time to recover after the last match, some who are carrying knocks and one who is suspended,” he explained.

“There are also, of course, players who have not had an opportunity to feature much, this is therefore a great opportunity for them to do just that.

“Indeed, when these players perform, and perform well, we can def-initely improve as a team.”

SPORT

Of course, it was important

for us to reach the World

Cup so that we could pit

ourselves against the

planet’s best players and

coaches, but this team

has the potential to go

even further (in this

competition): Pinheiro

Thursday 1 November 2018

PAGE | 28 PAGE | 30Lehmann says

players suffering after scandal

Barshim says Doha Worlds and Tokyo Games next targets

Infantino says 48 teams ‘feasible’ for Qatar 2022AFP

KUALA LUMPUR: FIFA Pres-ident Gianni Infantino said expanding the 2022 World Cup to 48 teams was “feasible” yesterday, as hosts Qatar pledged to come to a decision in the early part of next year.

Infantino said “Why not?” bring forward the expansion

from 32 teams to 48, which is currently due at the 2026

tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“We have

decided... to increase the number of teams participating in the World Cup final tournaments from 32 to 48,” Infantino told the Asian Football Confederation’s annual congress in Kuala Lumpur.

“It will happen in 2026. Will it happen in 2022? You know me. It is possible. It is possible. Why not?” he added.

Infantino said an expanded tournament would see Asia’s allocation rise from 4.5 places to 8.5, raising cheers from the delegates in the Malaysian capital.

“You will have (a bigger) chance. It is possible. It is fea-sible. We are discussing with our Qatari friends. We are discussing with many other friends in the region. We hope we have it happen. We always have to try,” he said.

The Secretary-General of the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) Hassan al Thawadi, told AFP that Qatar was studying the 48 teams pro-posal and would make a decision before qualifying gets under way.

“We are still looking at the

feasibility studies and we will be in a better position to provide a feedback in the future,” he said.

“But it will be decided before the qualifications... sometime in the first quarter of next year.”

He added that preparations remained on track despite the blockade, and that the budget of $200bn for the entire infra-structure, including metro and expressway, has not been affected.

“We are very happy and excited with the progress. It is on track. By 2020-2021 all our

(eight) stadiums will be ready,” Al Thawadi said.

“This is the first World Cup in the Middle East and is a perfect opportunity to bring people together and contribute to the process of healing,” he added.

Ahead of FIFA’s Presidential election next year, Infantino said 180 out of the 211 federations had given him their support.

“You know there is an election coming. I have announced I will be a (Presi-dential) candidate. I have received over 180 letters of support,” he said.

Pinheiro wants team to stay focused as Qatar eye berth in AFC U-19 final

AFP

KUALA Lident Giaexpandingto 48 teayesterdaypledged tothe early p

Infanbring forw

from 32curr

toUa

FIFA President Gianni Infantino

Qatari under-19 players in action during a practice session in Bogor, Indonesia yesterday, ahead of their AFC U-19 semi-final match against South Korea which will be played today.

QatarUnder-19

coach BrunoPinheiro

s a -o

in tionCup.”

public’s however,

er Oh Se-huna one-match ban

up yellow cards against Tajikistan.e 19-year-old’s absence, ves the Koreans havey in reserve to cope, and

e chance to utilise alter-onnel as a distinct

ers are still young, and en preparing for a longcompetition both back

re in Indonesia. We have uad who are taking more

ver after the last match, carrying knocks and one

nded,” he explained.e also, of course, playerst had an opportunity to , this is therefore a great or them to do just that.

when these players perform well, we can def-ve as a team.”

in Bogor, Indonesia gainst South Korea

QatarUnder-19

coach BrunoPinheiro

Pakistani cricketers celebrate after New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme was dismissed, during their first T20 cricket match yesterday.

AFP

ABU DHABI: Pakistan beat New Zealand by two runs in the first Twenty20 international in a last over thriller in Abu Dhabi yesterday to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

New Zealand needed a six off the last ball to tie the match but managed a boundary to finish at 146-6 in 20 overs.

Pakistan’s best bowler was Hasan Ali who finished with 3-35.

Pakistan made 148-6 with Mohammad Hafeez (45), Sarfraz Ahmed (34) and Asif Ali (24) main run getters after they won the toss and batted.

Adam Milne took 2 for 28. Pakistan, who had completed a 3-0 whitewash of Australia on Sunday, brought back left-

arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi in place of another fast bowler Usman Shinwari.

The remaining two matches will be played in Dubai tomorrow and on Sunday.

Brief Scores:Pakiatan: 148 for 6 (Asif

Ali 24, Mohammad Hafeez 45, Sarfraz Ahmed 34, Faheem Ashraf 10 n.o., Imad Wasim 14 n.o.; AY Patel 1 for 27, AF Milne 2 for 28, C de Grandhomme 1 for 24, IS Sodhi 1 for 24)

New Zealand: 146 for 6 (C Munro 58, GD Phillips 12, KS Williamson 11, LRPL Taylor 42 n.o.; Imad Wasim 1 for 26, Hasan Ali 3 for 35, Shadab Khan 1 for 26)

T20 against NZ: Pakistan draw first blood

Disgruntled Ganguly says he fears for Indian cricketAFP

NEW DELHI: Former captain Sourav Ganguly (pictured) expressed his “deep sense of fear” about the running of Indian cricket.

Ganguly, who heads Ben-gal’s state cricket association, criticised the functioning of the national board, the richest and most powerful cricket body in the world.

“I write this mail to you all with the deep sense of fear as to where Indian cricket administration is going,” Ganguly wrote to BCCI sec-retary Amitabh Choudhary, president CK Khanna and treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary, in a letter seen by news agencies.

“I don’t know how far it’s true, but the recent reports of harassment has really made the BCCI look very poorly... more so the way it has been handled,” he said.

Ganguly, 46, also criti-cised the board over last year’s appointment of national coach Ravi Shastri, after a selection process that sidelined his predecessor, Anil Kumble.

Ganguly, who was part of the advisory panel involved in the selection, along with Sachin Tendulkar and VVS Laxman, had recommended Kumble’s extension after the spin legend was given the job in June 2016.

But Kumble decided to resign, citing his “untenable” relationship with skipper Virat Kohli.

“My experience in the matter of coach selection was appalling (the less said the better),” Ganguly said.

“Indian cricket with its massive following has been built over the years of hard work from superb adminis-trators and greatest of crick-eters who have managed to bring thousands of fans to the ground... I at the present moment think it’s in danger.”

The BCCI plunged into crisis in January 2017 when Supreme Court judges ordered the dismissal of pres-ident Anurag Thakur over the failure to enact a series of rec-ommended reforms.

Cricket’s massive popu-larity in India has helped the BCCI become by far the wealthiest of all of the sport’s national boards, netting massive money from spon-sorship and TV deals.

But it has also been embroiled in a series of scandals, including accusa-tions of corruption and match-fixing that tarnished the Indian Premier League (IPL) -- the board’s lucrative Twenty20 competition.

Lehmann says players suffering after scandalREUTERS

MELBOURNE: Former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann (pictured) has revealed he remains emotionally damaged by the South Africa ball-tampering scandal and continues to have counselling more than seven months after his teary resignation in March.

Lehmann quit his role with more than a year remaining on his contract despite being cleared of wrongdoing in the Cape Town scandal in March. Justin Langer succeeded him in May.

“I saw people, and am still seeing people about it. That’s a work in progress,” the 48-year-old told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph newspaper yesterday.

“I don’t think people know how much it affects people behind the scenes, but that’s one of those things that you go through. The help of family and close friends got me through.”

The ball-tampering scandal resulted in year-long bans to former captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner, with batsman Cameron Bancroft sus-pended for nine months.

Lehmann, who is set for a commentary stint with a local radio station after coaching at

Cricket Australia’s ‘Centre of Excellence’ academy in Brisbane, said his former employers could have done more to support him in the wake of Cape Town.

“For me, it was okay. It was a tough time and you had bad days and good days and I’m sure all those other three blokes (players) had worse days,” he said.

“You just hope they get the right help, everyone gets the right help when they need it. There could have been more help but they certainly didn’t just leave us hanging either.”

Cricket Australia, led by

chairman David Peever, has been under fire fol-l o w i n g t h e delayed release of the Longstaff review which blamed the board in part for the ball-tampering incident and accused it of al lowing an “alpha male c u l t u r e ” t o flourish and harm the game.

L e h m a n n was criticised

heavily by media pundits in the wake of Cape Town for failing to sanction his players for on-field misconduct.

However, he denied one of the Longstaff review’s findings that players had abused their own staff on match days.

“That might have been before my time. I didn’t see that in my time,” he said. “They were always respectful and I didn’t have a problem with that.

“You’re a family travelling around,” he added. “Some of that has been hurtful saying the culture is not great, because it’s not too bad.” (Reporting by Ian Ransom;

The ball-tampering saga

SA slump to defeat in practice matchAFP

CANBERRA: George Bailey hit an unbeaten 51 to condemn a near full-strength South Africa to defeat in the opening game of their Australian tour against an inexperienced Prime Minister’s XI yesterday.

The veteran former Australian Twenty20 skipper kept his cool in a partnership of 77 with teenager Jason Sangha (38) to steer his young side to a four wicket one-day victory at Manuka Oval in Canberra.

The Proteas were earlier skittled for 173 off 42 overs with Jason Behrendorff and Usman Qadir taking three wickets each.

Bailey pounded seven fours as he steadied the ship after his team slipped to 87-5, built on the back of an impressive 57 from 21-year-old Josh Phillipe.

The Proteas brought virtually their strongest team into the game as they prepare for a three-match one-day series against Australia starting in Perth on Sunday.

While missing Hashim Amla (finger) and

JP Duminy (shoulder) for the tour, fast bowler Dale Steyn was back and joined Kagiso Rabada in a formidable attack.

But they struggled to break down Bailey and Sangha’s resistance, with Steyn ending with one for 41 off seven overs and Rabada two for 41 off 8.3.

The visitors won the toss and batted on a hot day against a team coached by former Test opener Chris Rogers. But they got off to the worst possible start when Quinton de Kock fell to the first ball he faced.

Lynn refuses to leap at chance of Test spotREUTERS

MELBOURNE: Chris Lynn has not given up on winning a berth in a rebuilding Australia Test side but the hard-hitting batsman will not risk injury to claim a place.

Lynn, one of the most potent sloggers in short-form cricket, has a history of serious shoulder injuries and dislocated his right one diving to field a ball in a Twenty20 international against New Zealand in February.

“It’s something not worth risking,” Lynn told reporters in Perth yesterday. “If the ball is touch and go, then I’m better off just letting it go for four or whatever it may be than potentially missing four to six months with a shoulder injury.

“I’ve been in that situation too many times now. Mentally it’s tiring. Obvi-ously, physically it is, but mentally it’s probably twice as hard.

“I don’t know how many times the shoulder can take it.”

The 28-year-old has been recalled in a new-look Australia one-day inter-national squad captained by Aaron Finch.

He has opted out of playing in the domestic Sheffield Shield competition, so will need to impress selectors with a pile of runs in three ODIs against South Africa starting in Perth on Sunday. Even then, the chances of breaking into Paine’s test side were slim, Lynn conceded.

“I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but if I do happen to score runs in these next three games, then obviously I’d put my hand up for test selection, but I think that’s a little bit out of the equation,” he said.

England cricketer Keaton Jennings

plays a shot during the two-

day practice match against

Sri Lanka Board XI in Colombo

yesterday.

‘Too many matches’ on WTA tour, says tired WangAFP

ZHUHAI: China’a number one Wang Qiang has been left “really tired” at the end of a punishing season on the WTA tour and believes she has played “too many matches”.

The world number 22 has been on a spectacular run of form recently that has seen her leapfrog Zhang Shuai to become China’s top singles player.

But the gruelling schedule at the season’s climax has left the 26-year-old feeling fatigued -- mentally and physically.

“It’s really too much,” she told AFP at the WTA Elite Trophy in Zhuhai. “Too many tournaments for me, too many matches. Espe-cially the last two months.”

Wang won the Guangzhou Open in September, her second career title after beating compatriot Zheng Saisai at the Jiangxi Open in July. She made the semis at the Wuhan Open but had to retire with an injury.

And she impressed again in mid-October by staging an out-standing comeback to defeat former Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza to reach her first Hong Kong Open final.

Asked about her eye-catching 2018 season, the modest and softly-spoken Asian Games champion, who is playing in Zhuhai for the first time, said: “The top half of the year I didn’t feel so good, because my ranking went down to 91. But the last five months I felt really good and I won a lot of matches. So now my ranking is 22, so I came straight into this tournament. I’m so happy to be here and play this tournament. But now, mentally and my body is really tired, so after this one I will go on holiday.”

Chinese fans have warmed to Wang’s personality, praising her as steely on the court but good-natured and humble off it.

She grabbed headlines at the French Open with her straight sets demolition of Venus Williams, and overcame Karolina Pliskova in both Beijing and Wuhan.

And the right-hander from Tianjin has her sights set on a top-eight spot by the end of next season, when the WTA Finals tour-nament will take place in her home country.

“I want to play the WTA Finals in Shenzhen,” when asked about her ambitions for next year.

Wang, who has so far won $2.677m in prize money, has been touted by some as a potential successor to Chinese tennis icon Li Na. The former world No. 2, who triumphed at Roland Garros in 2011 and won the Australian Open in 2014 before retiring later that year, is one of Wang’s idols and spurred a generation of tennis fans in China.

“After Li Na, tennis in China is really better than before, and now more young kids play tennis and we have more tournaments, so it’s good for Chinese tennis,” Wang said.

And now China has three players in the top 50 -- Wang at 22, Zhang at 36 and Zheng at 47 -- she believes the future is bright for Chinese tennis.

“It’s a very good phenomenon that we have three Chinese players in the top 50, and actually there are lots of younger players who are playing better and better,” she said.

“I think there will be more Chinese players in the top 50 and top 100 in the future, and that is a very good developing status for China.

“I also think Chinese players will have more and more oppor-tunity to play at a global level, so I’m really happy with that.”

It is this experience on the international stage that Wang believes will give Chinese players the springboard to compete for Grand Slams and break into the top handful of players in the world, like Li.

“Only with that will they have a lot of opportunity to learn from the top players and then we will grow eventually,” she said.

Wang Qiang of China reacts during her first-round match against Daria Kasatkina of Russia in the Zhuhai Elite Trophy Tennis Tournament in Zhuhai, in south China’s Guangdong province, on Tuesday.

Kvitova, Pliskova to lead Czechs in Fed Cup final

PRAGUE: Petra Kvitova and Karolina Pliskova will lead the Czech Republic against defending champions the United States in the Fed Cup final in Prague on November 10-11, the team captain said yesterday.

The world number seven and eight, respectively, will team up with 31st-ranked Katerina Siniakova, the world number one in doubles, and 33rd-ranked Barbora Strycova, who is fifth in doubles.

The final pitting the two most successful nations in Fed Cup history -- the USA with 18 trophies and the Czech Republic with 10 including five as the former Czechoslovakia -- will be played on the hardcourt of the sold-out 15,000-capacity O2 Arena.

Holders the USA beat Belarus in Minsk last year after seeing off the Czechs in the semi-final. Led by Kvitova and Pliskova, the Czechs have won five of the last seven editions including all three finals they have played on Prague’s hardcourt.

In this year’s semi-finals, the Czechs beat Germany in Stuttgart while the United States edged France in Aix-en-Provence.

28 THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2018SPORT

29THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2018 SPORT

Conmebol takes off with Qatar AirwaysTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: South American football confederation Conmebol has agreed a new sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways.

The four-and-a-half year deal sees the Qatari flag carrier become the official airline of the body’s club competitions, including the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana.

The agreement was signed at a ceremony that took place in Doha yesterday at the Oryx Rotana hotel, attended by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, and the Sec-retary General from Conmebol , José Manuel Astigarraga, and Qatar Football Association Board Member Ahmed Al Buainain.

The agreement was made on the confederation’s behalf by FC Diez Media, a joint venture between IMG and Perform Group – now known as DAZN Group – formed to handle Conmebol’s commercial rights.

The multi-year agreement will provide Qatar Airways with maximum exposure in South America, while strengthening the airline’s global sponsorship port-folio. As part of the agreement, Qatar Airways will be the sponsor of Conmebol ’s profes-sional football club competitions across South America for the next 4.5 years, with immediate effect through 2022, including the Copa CONMEBOL Liberta-dores, South America’s most prestigious football competition, as well as the Copa CONMEBOL Sudamericana and the Conmebol Recopa.

Conmebol is the continental

governing body of football in South America and is one of FIFA’s six continental confederations.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is thrilled to partner with Conmebol , which is the oldest continental confederation

in the world. We are continually striving to boost our global sporting sponsorship portfolio, and this partnership is just one more example of our dedication to the sports sector. We are also excited to further expand our presence in South America, and look forward to supporting the

forthcoming Conmebol football competitions.”

Conmebol President, Domínguez, said: “We are proud to embark on this journey with Qatar Airways, one of the world’s most prestigious airlines, to drive football development in South A m e r i c a . C o n m e b o l ’ s

competitions have a rich heritage and offer some of the world’s most exciting and competitive professional football.

“Our tournaments are also among the world’s fastest growing. Naturally, we’re delighted to partner with Qatar Airways, the world’s fastest

growing airline, to bring our con-tinents closer together through sport and build a brighter future for all of South American football.”

Qatar Airways, the first-ever airline partner for Conmebol’s club competitions, will leverage high brand association and large audience visibility at all 260 matches in both year-long com-petitions across the South American continent, and will feature beginning with the Con-mebol L ibertadores semi-finals.

Qatar Airways holds an extensive global sports portfolio, sponsoring some of the biggest teams around the world. In addition to its existing partnership with the German football club giants FC Bayern München AG, for which it is a Platinum Partner, Qatar Airways also recently revealed multi-year sponsorship agreements with Italian football club AS Roma, for which it is the Official Jersey Sponsor, and with Argentinian football club Boca Juniors, for which it is the Official Jersey Sponsor.

Earlier this month, the airline announced that it is the Official Global Airline Partner of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and the team’s home, Barclays Center, the Brooklyn, New York venue that hosts many of the world’s most exciting entertainment and sporting events.

In May 2017, Qatar Airways announced a groundbreaking sponsorship deal with FIFA, which saw the award-winning airline become the Official Partner and Official Airline of FIFA until 2022.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, and the Secretary General from Conmebol, José Manuel Astigarraga exchanging documents after signing an agreement in Doha yesterday.

Al Ahli duo wins QSL awardsTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: Mouhcine Moutouali of Al Ahli has been adjudged the QNB Stars League’s best player for the month of October while Milan Macala has been named as the best coach.

The Moroccan attacking midfielder played three matches, in Weeks 8, 9 and 10 with a total of 276.0 minutes on the pitch.

He scored two goals and played a crucial role in Al Ahli’s hat-trick of victories, against Al Shahania (2-1), Al Arabi (3-0) and Al Sadd (4-1), in that order.

Mouhcine, who gave two assists as well, is one of the most prominent players of Al Ahli ever since he joined The Brigadiers at the start of this season from Al Rayyan.

The technical analysis of Mouhcine released by STATS, the official statistics and figures pro-vider for the QNB Stars League, showed he made an average of 52.0 passes, of which 39.0 were successful. He scored both goals from inside the box.

The physical aspects revealed that the 32-year-old player covered a total distance of 9,877.0 metres with a high speed distance of 475.0 metres,

very high speed distance of 276.0 metres.

Meanwhile, Macala of Al Ahli has been named as the QNB Stars League’s best coach for the month of October, 2018.

Under Macala, Al Ahli played three games and won all of them during the month.

The Brigadiers completed a hat-trick of victories in Weeks 8, 9 and 10, against Al Shahania (2-1), Al Arabi (3-0) and Al Sadd

(4-1), in that order. The nine points from those three wins helped Al Ahli climb up to the sixth position in the standings with 15 points.

During the period, Al Ahli scored nine goals while con-ceding just two. They had 13 shots on target and 14 against.

At the start of this season, veteran Czech Macala returned to coach Al Ahli, where he was at the helm from 2012 to 2015.

Macala, has vast experience coaching in many countries. He was appointed coach of Czech-oslovakia in 1990.

He moved to Kuwait in 1994 to train Kazma and then won the 1996 Gulf Cup with the Kuwait national team.

Macala is perhaps the coach with most Gulf experience as he has also managed the national teams of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Bahrain.

Mouhcine Moutouali (left) and Milan Macala, both of Al Ahli, have been adjudged as QNB Stars League’s best player and coach respectively for the month of October.

Al Ahli aim to extend winning streakTHE PENINSULA

DOHA: It will be a keen battle for supremacy when Al Khor play Al Ahli in Week 11 of the QNB Stars League on Saturday. at the Al Khor Stadium.

As the tournament reaches its halfway mark, the teams go into the game against con-trasting backdrop.

Al Ahli are fresh from their 4-1 defeat of strong title con-tenders Al Sadd, whereas Al Khor suffered a 0-6 loss at the hands of Al Gharafa.

The Brigadiers thus com-pleted a hat-trick of victories, having also beaten Al Shahania and Al Arabi in the previous rounds.

Al Ahli are sixth in the QNB Stars League table with 15 points (five victories and as many defeats). They scored 18 goals and conceded 20 to have a goal difference of -2. Al Khor are placed 11th with eight points (two wins, five defeats and two draws) and will be desperate for points sooner rather than later. Goal difference is also not on

their side (-10, eight goals for and 18 against).

Al Khor have only Al Kharaitiyat below them in the standings, so they seriously face relegation threat.

Al Ahli have the likes of Omid Ibrahimi, who scored two goals against Al Sadd, Nigel de Jong, Mohsine Moutaouly, Mohammed Reza, Meshaal Abdulla, Ali Ferydoon and Abdulrahman Fahmy in their ranks.

Al Khor will mainly have the services of Wagner Ferreira,

Hilal Mohammed, Hamad Mansour and Naif Al Beriki.

Meanwhile, Qatar SC have their task cut out when they run into Al Rayyan on Saturday, at 17:15 at the Qatar SC Stadium.

Al Rayyan had made a big leap last week by jumping from fourth to second, behind Al Duhail, in the standings with 18 points following their 2-1 victory over Al Sailiya.

It was The Lions’ fifth win. They have also recorded three draws and two defeats to have a goal difference of 0 (10 goals for

and 10 against). Qatar SC, who beat Al Arabi 1-0 last week, also gained much ground with the win as The Kings are ninth with 11 points (three wins, two draws and five defeats). Their goal difference is -5, having scored 12 goals and conceded 17.

Qatar SC had started off the 2018-19 season with a bang, defeating Al Gharafa, but they went through a lean patch that resulted in them receiving a series of negative results and coach Abdulla Mubarak being dismissed. Then came

Argentina’s 1986 FIFA World Cup winner Sergio Batista at the helm and the team started pro-ducing good results.

Batista made The Kings an organised side, both offensively and defensively. That they have collected seven points from their last three games while conceding just one goal is proof of it. As far as Al Rayyan are concerned, they suddenly found their rhythm and are even nur-turing title hopes. So they would not want to drop points any more.

Wenger vows to return in 2019AFP

LONDON: Arsene Wenger has promised he will be back in football management at the start of 2019, but the Frenchman does not yet know at which club.

The 69-year-old veteran boss ended his 22-year reign at Premier League side Arsenal at the end of last season but insisted at the time he was not yet finished with football.

Asked when he would be back in management, Wenger told Sky Sports yesterday: “At the beginning of the year.

“It will seem odd to go some-where else but I can’t tell you (where) because I don’t know where I’ll be. I’ll be somewhere -- but I don’t know where.

“I have had a good rest and watched football a lot. I have many good memories, so I miss them.” Meanwhile Wenger, whose final seasons in charge of Arsenal saw the once mighty Gunners struggling to contend for the English title, was pleased by the north London giants’ start to this season.

Under new manager Unai

Emery, Arsenal are currently fourth in the table, just four points behind Premier League leaders and reigning champions Man-chester City, despite losing their first two league games this term.

“When Arsenal win I am happy,” said Wenger. “I felt I worked very hard and I think I left it (the club) in good shape.

“After that, I’m a supporter like anyone else -- I want them to win football games.” He added: “As a manager you have an influence, not only on the careers of players, the style of play and results but on the structure and impact you give to the club and overall that is very important - that the club can always continue at a very good level.” Wenger, in a sep-arate interview with talkSPORT radio, was asked if Arsenal could win the Premier League this season, having last been crowned champions of England under him in the 2003/04campaign.

“Why not?,” he replied. “When you look at last season at home we won 15, drew two and lost two -- it’s away we were not good enough.

30 THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2018SPORT

AFC chief urges ‘fair play’ in Presidential electionAFP

KUALA LUMPUR: Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (pictured) yesterday called for “fair play” in next year’s elections where he will seek a fresh, four-year term.

The Bahraini said he had the support of nearly 90 percent of the AFC’s 46 full members, but warned against “third-party interference” in the vote next April.

Sheikh Salman first took the reins in 2013 when the Asian body was still reeling from a corruption scandal which saw his predecessor, Mohamed bin Hammam, banned from football for life.

“In Asia and particularly here at the AFC, we have built a positive reputation and image in the last five years,” he told the AFC annual congress in Kuala Lumpur.

“We do not need nor do we want any third-party interference or influence in our elections. We need to be strong on this matter.”

The congress passed an amendment to an electoral rule which said candidates must be backed by their home country and two other federations. Any three nominations are now acceptable.

It also approved a proposal to for-mally recognise five regional associa-tions within the AFC.

At the AFC Congress in April, Sheikh

Salman could face a challenge from Saudi Arabia’s Adel Ezzat, head of a new regional bloc, the South West Asian Football Federation.

However, the sheikh said he had letters of support from 40 of the feder-ations in the AFC, which has influence as the world’s second biggest confederation behind Africa.

“All member associations must be free to exercise their rights for the good of the game. And this, we must remember, is the Asian football family. Our family must stick together,” he said.

“I can say is I won’t let you down,” added the sheikh.

Star Barshim recovering well, says Doha Worlds and Tokyo Games next targetsFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

DOHA: For any modern-day pro, getting sidelined for months due to an injury while being on the top is a painful experience.

Track and field star Mutaz Barshim is going through a similar phase where there’s little action on the field but the World Champion high jumper is making the most of a ‘rare vacation’ time following surgery in July.

Barshim, 27, tied the knot last week and the lanky athlete is only too pleased to be with his family.

“As I’ve got married recently, I (now) have time to be with the family,” Barshim told The Peninsula in an exclusive interview.

“I have time for my family. I don’t even remember when I had my last vacations as I was very young then,” the world’s top high jumper added.

Barshim said he is recovering from the ankle surgery he underwent in July while attempting to set a new world record height of 2.46 metres, after clearing a 2018 world-leading 2.40m in Hungary.

The injury had ruled him out of the remaining season which also included the Asian Games

2018 in August, where he looked certain to win a gold medal for Qatar.

“I missed competing because I love competing…..I love my job. I haven’t lost any competition (before injury), did 2.40 jumps, world lead, two three meeting records. The season was going too good. I wouldn’t go in if and buts everything happens for a reason.

“I am happy, I will just have to rethink and make schedule what I will have to do next,” said the 2017 IAAF’s World-Athlete-of-the-Year.

Not in a hurry to make a comeback

The 27-year-old said he was not in a hurry to make an inter-national return, terming next October’s IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha and 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games as his main targets.

“It’s a strong injury so it needs

time. Recovery is going fine but I don’t want to rush anything as they say ‘step by step’. For me the only targets are Doha Worlds and Tokyo Games. Small competition doesn’t matter because I need to take care of my health now.”

The Rio Olympics silver med-allist said he may hit the training gym in a month’s time.

“Right now my only training is walking. May be I will start light training next month. At the moment I will just have to listen to my body because we cannot plan anything.

“As long as I feel pain it’s dan-gerous. I can look forward to full training only after I get the right signal and doctors say it’s not dan-gerous anymore. Right now I have to be patient,” he said.

Asked whether he was con-fident to return to winning ways once he comes back, he said: “I cannot say about the future but when I will return I will try to be an improved athlete as I love to bring improvement.”

Barshim happy with Qatar’s rise in athletics

In Barshim’s absence, 400m hurdler Abderrahman Samba made Qatar proud throughout this season, recording world lead and staying unbeaten in nine finals

besides setting the world’s quickest time since 1992. Samba was also nominated for I A A F W o r l d Athlete-of-the-Year.

“Before there were not many (compatriots) alongside me. But now there’s Samba (Abdalelah) Haroun, there is Ashraf (Amgad Elseify). These guys are coming up. They are doing great stuff at international stage.

“I feel very proud and it gives a lot of pleasure to watch them and wish them the best,” Barshim said.

The gravity-defying high jumper also heaped praise on Qatari ath-letes Owaab Barrow and A b d e l a z i z Mohamed, who won gold medals in 110m (91.4cm) hurdles and 200m respec-tively at Youth Olympic Games in Argentina last month.

“They have showed they have a solid ground and they are on the right way. I hope we have much more people like them,” Barshim said.

Before there were not many (compatriots) alongside me. But now there’s Samba (Abdalelah) Haroun, there is Ashraf (Amgad Elseify). These guys are coming

up. They are doing great stuff at international stage:

Barshim

nngg ththee woworlrld’d ss ncncee 19199292. . SaSambbaa

minated for W o r l d

-Year. re were not riots) alongside there’s Sambaa

Harounn, there is d Ellseseifify)y). Theseini g upu . ThTheyey are

ufuff atat innterrnanatiionnal ufuff att innterrnanatiionnal

proud and it gives re to wwata ch ttheh mm m m the best,”

y-ddeffyingsoso h heaeapepedd ri ath-ab

dd z

wwhoho als inn hurdles

espep c-Youthh

esmemess inin mes inmonth.e showed d ground

on theon thehope we re people Barshim

manBeforee tt heh re weerre nott mBu(como patriotsts)) alongssiide mme. lahnoww there’s SSamba ((AAbdaalelgaHarooun, therre e e is Ashhrraf (AAm

minEElseifify). Thessee guys aare comff aupp. Thhey are ddooing grreeat sstuffageinntternatiioonal stahimBaarshimBaars

Barshim was injured while attempting to set a new world record height of 2.46 metres, after clearing a 2018 world-leading 2.40m in Hungary in July.

Mutaz Barshim

Merlo plays down sociopolitical factors as a hindrance for journalistsQSPC

DOHA: The AIPS President Gianni Merlo yesterday stressed that despite the sociopolitical or geographical roadblocks, a jour-nalist can still be independent or vociferous in his writing.

“Yes, if he wants. Yes he can be independent and I am one of them,” said Merlo. He was speaking to Qatar Sports Press Committee on the sidelines of the AIPS Executive Committee / Jury Meet yesterday.

“In many countries they live in a difficult situation, but this doesn’t mean we are judging anybody. We are only judging (the entries) from the journalistic point of view; it’s not the politics that is moving us.”

“So, we know how to judge and everybody here is free

minded. The problem is that there are a lot of journalists, who are doing a good job (and that makes our job difficult).”

He also pointed out that reg-ulation match reports have become redundant today. “Match report... who cares, now you have television , you can see the entire match there. The future of journalism are the con-tents of your article that are opinions or points or colour pieces that are completely new and you have to write them with photos and everything, so it is a different thing.”

“See most often the reader knows the result before he reads the newspaper also in most cases the result is written write at the top of the article so the reader is looking for an opinion,” he added.

Earlier, the AIPS President spoke about the criteria adopted for selecting the best entries.

“Here we are choosing the journalists that are going to the semi-finals, so nobody is a loser. So it is only a criteria; the criteria of journalism and so on... and we are very satisfied as the level of the entries is very good. No one is not accepted, it is only that if there is somebody that has more meaning, doesn’t mean that the other journalist is less. It depends on the articles that he has decided to submit. It may be pos-sible that the journalist may not have submitted his best piece,” Merlo said.

The primary objective of the Meet is to shortlist the candidates for the ‘AIPS Sport Media Awards’ scheduled for Lausanne, Swit-zerland, in January 2019.

AIPS President Gianni Merlo (centre) speaks during the AIPS Executive Committee / Jury Meet in Doha, yesterday.

Messi back in Barca trainingREUTERS

MADRID: Lionel Messi returned to training earlier than expected with Barcelona yesterday as the forward continues his recovery from an arm injury which kept him out of the team’s wins against Inter Milan and Real Madrid last week.

The Argentine forward was set to miss three weeks after breaking a bone in his right arm on Oct. 20 during a match against Sevilla, but reports in Spain suggest Messi may be available for first-team action quicker than forecast.

Messi, not included in the squad for Barcelona’s Copa del Rey game on Wednesday at Cultural Leonesa, is unlikely to feature on Saturday in the La Liga match against Rayo Vallecano. Barcelona face Inter in the Champions League on Nov. 9 then play Real Betis in La Liga on Nov. 11.

AFP

NEW YORK: Sweden’s Zlatan Ibra-himovic, England’s Wayne Rooney and Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez were among five finalists named yesterday for Major League Soccer’s (MLS) 2018 Most Valuable Player Award.

Hours before the North American league began its playoff champi-onship run, the league announced finalists for its season awards, topped by the MVP race, which also includes Mexico’s Carlos Vela and Paraguayan midfielder Miguel Almiron.

Zlatan scored 22 goals and added 10 assists -- only the fourth 20-and-10 season in MLS history -- but the Los Angeles Galaxy just missed out on a playoff berth.

Rooney revived DC United after his mid-season arrival, lifting the club from last place into a fourth-place finish in the Eastern Con-ference and a playoff spot. The former England and Manchester United star netted 12 goals and assisted on seven others in 18 matches.

Vela, a World Cup starter fior Mexico, scored 14 goals and added 13 assists to spark Los Angeles FC to the best season by any first-year expansion club in league history.

Rooney, Zlatan and Vela are also

the finalists for Newcomer of the Year, a pro player who made his MLS debut this year.

Martinez shattered the MLS record with 31 goals this season for Atlanta United while teammate Almiron, last year’s Newcomer of the Year, contributed 12 goals and 14 assists for Atlanta’s league-best scoring attack.

Zlatan is also in the last three for Comeback Player of the Year along with Cuban midfielder Osvaldo Alonso of the Seattle Sounders and American forward Gyasi Zardes of the Columbus Crew.

MLS Coach of the Year candi-dates included Americans Bob Bradley, who guided LAFC to an expansion-team record 57 points and Peter Vermes, who oversaw Sporting Kansas City to the Western Con-ference title, and Argentina’s Gerardo Martino, who managed Atlanta United’s second-place run in the Eastern Conference.

Goalkeeper of the Year finalists were Swiss Stefan Frei of Seattle and American Luis Robles of New York Red Bulls and Zack Steffen of Columbus.

Defender of the Year finalists were Americans Aaron Long of the New York Red Bulls, Chad Marshall of the Seattle Sounders and Michael Parkhurst of Atlanta United.

Zlatan, Rooney among MLS Most Valuable Player finalists

Lionel Messi

31THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2018 SPORT

Dalaloyan clinches gold in tie-breakerFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Russia, yesterday avenged their men’s team defeat to China as Artur Dalaloyan dethroned Xiao Ruoteng in tie-breaker to win his maiden all-around title at the 48th Artistic Gymnastics World Champion-ships Doha 2018.

At Aspire Dome, defending champion Ruoteng, needing 14.234 points in his last routine of horizontal bars to retain his title, managed 14.233 points only to tie score with the Russian, as both the gymnasts finished with 87.598 apiece bringing the tie-breaker rule into effect.

Four-time European champion Dalaloyan turned out to be the winner after the judges threw out each gymnast’s lowest score from the six routines. With the triumph, he became the first Russian man to clinch the all-around title since 1999.

“When I saw the results I immediately saw that 2 came next to (Xiao’s) name and, of course, I felt happy and amazing,” the Russian told reporters yesterday after winning the title.

With Ruoteng had to content with a silver medal, Dalaloyan’s team-mate Nikita Nagornyy took bronze for Russia with a score of 86.331. China’s Sun Wei (85.898) and America’s Sam Mikulak (85.273) finished on 4th and 5th positions respectively.

On the opening day of the finals at Doha Worlds on Monday, China snatched men’s team gold medal from Russia after edging their opponents by just 0.49 points, and it was an even close fight yesterday but this time Dalaloyan ensured his team is not deprived of the title.

The 22-year-old was superb in parallel bars – his penultimate routine, scoring 15.566 to take edge over Ruoteng heading into the decisive routine.

“It’s a super feeling to win gold after we fell to silver medal against China in team final,” said Dalaloyan.

“I had only one goal, and that was to perform my job from beginning to end without mis-takes. I was surprised and can’t say anything more. I’m just so happy. I feel good, excellent. I can’t believe it yet. I need to probably go to my hotel, take a deep breath and realise that yes, I won this championship,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ruoteng was dejected after he failed to defend

his crown in tie-breaker.“I feel pity about that but I

respect the judges and my rival. I basically want to be number one but anyway I am still happy with the result,” said the top Chinese gymnast.

“There was a little pressure (on being the last performer), but not so much, because I know how to adjust myself and give my best. I am satisfied with my per-formance.” He added he had a little idea about his target in the final routine.

“I don’t pay so much attention to that. I just wanted to be myself and try to do my best to perform my routine.” “When I return to training, I will try my best to improve and be stronger to perform better in future com-petitions.” Nagornyy’s consistent performance was the difference between him and Mikulak, who was on track for a podium finish but mistakes in horizontal bars

slipped the American to 5th spot with the Russian securing the bronze medal.

Meanwhile, Simone Biles – a ten-time World Championships and three-time Olympic gold medalist – is favourite to win women’s all-around title today.

Coming to Doha for Biles is not just about winning medals, it’s about making records.

If Biles, who is now tied with Gabby Douglas and Aly Raisman for the US record of four Olympic/world team titles, manages to win gold medal at

women’s all-around final today, she will become the first female to win the crown for fourth time, surpassing, Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina.

Moreover, if Biles claims two more wins in the individual apparatus later at the Doha Worlds, she will overtake Vitaly Scherbo’s mark of 12 for the most gold medals in Worlds history.

“I am very excited, let’s see how the finals go,” the American superstar said ahead of her final.

To claim the historic all-around triumph, Biles will have to overcome her team-mate and defending champion Morgan Hurd.

“Biles is greatest of all time,” Hurd said about her chances of retaining the title.

“We wish each other the best, it’s not like we compete against each other, it’s like competing with each other,” she added.

Artur Dalaloyan (centre) gold medal winner in the all-around category at the 48th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Doha 2018 poses for a picture along with silver medal winner Xiao Ruoteng (left) of China and Nikita Nagornyy of Russia at the Aspire Dome, yesterday. Bottom: Dalaloyan in action during the championships. PICTURES: SYED OMAR

Final Standings (Top 8)

1. Artur Dalaloyan (Russia) 87.598 2. Xiao Ruoteng (China) 87.598 3. Nikita Nagornyy (Russia) 86.331 4. Sun Wei (China) 85.898 5. Sam Mikulak (US) 85.273 6. Kazuma Kaya (Japan) 84.765 7. Kenzo Shirai (Japan) 84.531 8. James Hall(Britain) 84.298

RESULTS

Elias stuns Elshorbagy in Doha thrillerARMSTRONG VAS THE PENINSULA

DOHA: Eight-seed Diego Elias of Peru stunned World No. 1 Mohamed Elshorbagy to pull off the biggest upset of his PSA Tour career.

Yesterday at the Qatar Classic 2018 the Peruvian won the five- game thriller to set up a semi-final clash with Ger-many’s Simon Rosner.

Yesterday at the Khalifa Interna-tional Tennis and Squash Complex, world champion and defending champion Elshorbagy’s dream of winning a fourth Qatar Classic title was dealt a painful blow with Elias clinching the 76-minute tussle for supremacy 11-8, 11-13, 13-11, 10-12, 11-7 and book a place in the semi-finals.

The Egyptian, who was a hot favourite heading into the tournament, having reached the final for the last five consecutive events could not live up to his billing with Elias outsmarting him.

The first four games could have gone either way, but it was all Elias in the fifth, even though Elshorbagy saved three match balls before finally succumbing. Speaking to journalists after the match Elias said the turning point was the mental approach.

“I’m really happy, I was very close to beating a few top players in the past. Today was my day,” said Elias. “The dif-ference is that i believe in me that I can

beat those top guys. At the British Open, I was 2-0 up against him (Elshorbagy), but I just never believed I could do it. Now I do believe. I am injury free, my fitness is good, I didn’t do anything

special, I just believe I am good enough to do it.”

The other quarter-final was also a tense affairs, with Rosner coming from a game down to beat New Zealand’s Paul

Coll in a match that looked destined to go to a fifth.

“We always play long matches. It’s so tough to score against him. So after the first game, I just made sure I reduced

my errors as I did 5 or 6 in that opener, and I just cannot do that against a player such as Paul. I’m happy I fought my way back into the match, and got my head straight after the loss of the first where I was struggling a bit mentally,” Rosner said. In the other quarter-finals matches, second seed Ali Farag won the all-Egyptian clash with Karim Abdel Gawad in straight games 11-9, 11-7, 11-8 .

“I’m trying to improve constantly and put in everything that I can. I have good memories from here last year, it’s good to be back at the semis and it’s time to prepare for a really tough battle in semis,” the German added.

A disappointed Coll said: “I just never found the right balance between being too relaxed and being too stressed. I was not thinking enough about my shots, they didn’t have any purpose, and I need to be thinking more about what I’m doing instead of just reacting to what he is doing.”

In the other quarter-finals, an Egyptian finalist was guaranteed as second seed Ali Farag continued his winning run over Karim Abdel Gawad, winning in three close games, while Tarek Momen, last year’s finalist, finally ended the run of unseeded Joel Makin. The Welshman took the lead, and had game ball to go ahead again in the third, but once Momen had averted that danger he took control in the fourth.

Diego Elias of Peru returns the ball to Mohamed Elshorbagy of Egypt during the quarter-final clash of the Qatar Classic 2018 at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha yesterday.

LGCT

DOHA: With just over a week before the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) finals get underway in Doha, Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani reveals the pressure to perform on home soil and his dream is to “make my country proud and inspire the next generation.”

With LGCT Doha hitting Al Shaqab from November 8 to 10, all eyes will be on the very best horses and riders in the sport as they battle for supremacy in the world’s premier show jumping series.

Ahead of the Doha spectacle, the Qatari rider said: “What moti-vates me every day is to be suc-cessful. I work hard, I train, I go to the gym before riding, I have a programme and a plan of where I want to be. But success to me is defined as making my country proud. To bring home medals for Qatar and to represent my country against the best of the best. My dream is to win a LGCT Grand Prix, and to bring an Olympic medal home for Qatar, particularly as a team.”

Competing internationally around the world, Sheikh Ali has been flying the Qatari flag for show jumping, consistently jumping at the highest level against the top ranked riders in the world.

But as LGCT and GCL look to Al Shaqab - a member of the Qatar Foundation - in Doha, after a global circuit including cities such as Miami Beach, Shanghai, Paris, Rome and London, com-peting at home is different, as Sheikh Ali explains: “There is more pressure for us at the event in Doha. We are motivated, you have the crowd, your family,

everyone watching and you need to do well. We want to show our country what we are doing and how we are improving.”

“Every year there is a Qatari rider in the top 10, and it was perfect last year that Bassem (Hassan Mohammed) won. The facilities are top (at Al Shaqab) - I can’t talk too much about it as I am from there! But the feeling is we want to do our very best for our country and show our people and country that our team are working hard in Europe and heading in the right direction,” Sheikh Ali said.

Taking a step back from the competition itself, Sheikh Ali reflected on the significance of having LGCT hosted by his country.

“Qatar has a big vision for sport, not just equestrian. So in every sport Qatar is choosing the best. For example in equestrian they are bringing the best Tour that has ever happened - the Longines Global Champions Tour is the best there is in show jumping. If you see also in other sport we are looking to the 2022 World Cup in football, the handball final has already been

hosted here, and the athletics championships run in our country,” the local show jumping hero said.

However a big part of this drive towards hosting premium sporting events is to inspire and engage a future generation. Sheikh Ali points to the tre-mendous work Al Shaqab is doing within the country’s realm of show jumping, in particular with the Riding Academy aimed at motivating young riders.

“We have also started a new education system in Qatar, and we try to inspire the next gener-ation. This is how it should be. Al Shaqab are doing a really good job of educating young riders, and prepare them to move to Europe for the start of a professional career,” he said.

A n d w h e n asked how Sheikh Ali deals per-sonally with being a leading sporting figure, he replied: “I really love to inspire. I am from the Royal Family so there is attention on my name, so I have to prove that we are working hard and anyone can achieve great things. I love the sport that I do - but it all started with a love of horses. I loved horses before I loved the sport.”

With his Rio Olympic horse First Devision - where the pair

took sixth individually, the highest result for any Qatari show jumper in history - California, Vienna Olympic and new rising star, the 9 year old Sirocco who will take part at the Doha event all part of his string, Sheikh Ali has serious horsepower behind him.

However, he is riding the wave of innovation and evolution when it comes to show jumping, and welcomes the development

in the sport. “The sport is changing. And

Jan (Tops) is a visionary - he sees this and helps to grow it in the best way. Every year something on the LGCT and GCL is changing. Now we have the GC Playoffs. Before that we had no teams, and now we have the GCL for three years,” he said.

And the future looks bright for show jumping in Qatar, with the 2020 Olympics clearly in the mind of Sheikh Ali and his team-mates. For the third year, they form the Doha Fursan Qatar GCL team, powered by partner Lusail, with the experienced team bat-

tling against 18 others this year in the prestigious team

championship. “We are working

towards a pro-gramme for Tokyo for the Qatari show

jumping team so we have had

to slow

down a little and it’s one of the reasons we decided to put (British rider) Michael Whitaker in our Doha Fursan Qatar GCL team as he has many of his own fantastic horses,” the Qatari rider said.

Competing at the highest level in the 16-event LGCT and GCL global circuit in multiple environ-ments is a true test of the best for Sheikh Ali and his Qatari teammates.

“Bassem for example is already doing extremely well in the Globals - he won two Grand Prix, the last being in Doha - and has been on the podium a few times. This is what we are trying to do, put Qatar ahead in the sport,” Sheikh Ali pointed out.

And putting Qatar at the sharp end of the sporting grid is the mission for Sheikh Ali, and is something he is extremely pas-sionate about.

“I’m really looking forward to building our team for Qatar. This is really my mission. But to do this we have to train now, and we have to prove we can do it. We did this already at the 2016 Olympics in Rio - it was the first time we were one point away from the final, and we had an individual rider finish sixth which is a big result for Qatar. We know we can do it, now it is not just about showing Qatar in a good way, it’s about bringing home some medals.”

And looking ahead to the forthcoming LGCT and GCL finals in Al Shaqab, Doha, Sheikh Ali is immensely proud: “Al Shaqab really has the best facilities and everything needed for the top riders and horses in the world. Even when I go there still, I catch

my breath and think ‘wow’. There’s something really special about it.”

THE PENINSULA

ARIFJAN, KUWAIT: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah will be aiming to match one of the longest-standing records in world motor sport when he heads an international field of competitors from eight nations into Kuwait’s exciting return to the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) at Kuwait Motor Town today.

While Kuwait celebrates its own milestone of hosting a first international FIA-sanctioned event at its new FIA grade one race circuit facility, south of Kuwait City, Al Attiyah is focusing on claiming outright victory in the three-day event with his Autotek-run Ford Fiesta R5.

This result would net the multi-talented star a record-equalling 14th regional rally title and put him alongside Dubai’s Mohammed Ben Sulayem in the history books.

Al Attiyah already has the record for the greatest number of successes in the history of the Kuwait Rally with six wins (2009, 2011 and 2013-2016) to Ben Sulayem’s four (1985, 1988, 1989 and 2006).

He will also be chasing his 68th MERC win, while victory for navigator Matthieu Baumel would be his 17th in MERC history and would move the Frenchman ahead of John Spiller into equal third in the regional Hall of Fame behind Ronan Morgan (41 wins) and a tying Giovanni Bernacchini and Chris Patterson (25 wins apiece).

“This is an important rally for several reasons. Obviously the record is important, but the Kuwait Rally is always chal-lenging and it would be nice to

wrap up the championship before the final round in Qatar in two-weeks’ time,” Al Attiyah.

“We had a look at some of the stages on Tuesday and the rest on Wednesday,” said Al Attiyah’s navigator Baumel.

“There is a brand new stage – KMT – and that will be the second and fifth special and the first one on Friday. It is sandier than we may have expected, but that is easier on the car and we run less risk of punctures or damage.”

Czech driver Vojtech Stajf is attempting to become the first Arab driver ever to win the regional rally series and Ladislav KuCera has replaced Marketa Skacelova as his navigator in the Skoda Fabia R5.

Stajf trails Al Attiyah by 32 points in the title race after rallies in Jordan, Lebanon and Cyprus, but there are two rounds to go and a possible 39 points available

to the winner of each race with 30 potentially on offer to the Czech if he can shadow his Qatari rival to the finish and complete all the special stages. That would not be sufficient for Stajf to prevent Al Attiyah from retaining the title, however, and Al Attiyah’s challenger will need to push hard over the opening stages to try and gain the upper hand on leg one.

While the leading duo swap seconds for supremacy at the top of the leader board, a fascinating tussle is sure to develop in MERC 2 for Group N cars such as the Subaru Impreza and derivatives of the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.

Local driver Meshari Al Thefiri stands on the verge of claiming another showroom title with Qatari navigator Nasser Al Kuwari, but competition is sure to be fierce from a host of Jor-danian, Omani, Qatari and Kuwaiti rivals.

Khaled Juma leads the way for the Hashemite Kingdom and still has a chance to win the title, while fellow countrymen Ihab Al Shorafa and Shadi Shaban will be challenging hard.

Abdullah Al Rawahi flies the flag in the category for the Sul-tanate of Oman and there are further Group N entries for Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah

and Rashed Al Nuami and Kuwaiti drivers Jassim Al Muqahwi, Mubarak Al Thefiri and Fahad Al Mutairi.

Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah returns to active competition after a long absence working in a senior role within both the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the FIA. He teams up with the experienced Italian nav-igator Nicola Arena, who won the regional title with the late Misfer Al Marri in 2010.

This year’s event is being organised by the Basil Salem Al Sabah Motor Racing Club (BMRC) under the chairmanship of Sheikh Athbi Nayef Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah and in conjunction with the General Authority for Sport and the Kuwait International Auto-mobile Club (KIAC). Zain Kuwait is the main sponsor on this occasion.

Action gets underway with a timed special stage of 2.3km at

Kuwait Motor Town Race Circuit from 4.00pm today, but the desert action is split into two loops of six different loose surface stages tomorrow and on Sat-urday. In a total route of 587.80km, 198.62km will be timed against the clock.

SPORT 27THURSDAY 1 NOVEMBER 2018

We want to do our very best for

our country and show our peo-

ple and country that our team

are working hard in Europe and

heading in the right direction

Sheikh Ali bin

Khalid Al Thani

This is an important rally for several reasons. Obviously the record is important, but the Kuwait Rally is always challenging and it would be nice to wrap up the championship before the final round in Qatar in two-weeks’ time: Al Attiyah.

Success to me is defined as making my country proud. To bring home medals for Qatar and to represent my country against the best of the best. My dream is to win a LGCT Grand Prix, and to bring an Olympic medal home for Qatar, particularly as a team: Sheikh Ali

Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (right) and his navigator Matthieu Baumel celebrate after winning an earlier stage of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship in Jordan in this file photo. LEFT: Al Attiyah driving his Ford Fiesta R5.

MERC: Al Attiyah eyes record win in Kuwait

2018 FIA MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPPOSITIONS AFTER ROUND 3:

1. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAT) 107pts 2. Vojtech Stajf (CZE) 75pts3. Roger Feghali (LBN) 38pts 4. Meshari Al Thefiri (KWT) 30pts5. Christos Demostheous (CYP) 25pts

2018 FIA MERC 2POSITIONS AFTER ROUND 3:

1. Meshari Al Thefiri (KWT) 78pts2. Savvas Savva (CYP) 37pts3. Khaled Juma (JOR) 30pts 3. Costas Zenonos (CYP) 30pts5. Ahmed Shaban (JOR) 25pts

2018 FIA MERC 3PPOSITIONS AFTER ROUND 3:

1. Henry Kahy (LBN) 88pts2. Rony Kanaan (LBN) 39pts3. Panayiotis Xenophontos (CYP) 37pts4. Asem Aref (JOR) 30pts4. Matthias Njeim (LBN) 30pts4. Constantinos Televantos (CYP) 30pts

Sheikh Ali dreaming big ahead of LGCT Doha

Qatar Classic continues at the Khalifa International

Tennis and Squash Complex

48th FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championshipsat the Aspire Dome

SQUASH GYMNASTICS

TO

DAY

’SA

CTIO

N

Sheikh Ali bin Khalid Al Thani guides Sirocco over a hurdle during the 2018 Asian Games in this file photo.