FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Al Duhail clinched the QNB Stars League (QSL) 2019-2020 title after defeating Al Ahli 1-0 in their last round match at Al Janoub Stadium, yesterday.

Striker Paulo Edmilson scored their match-winning goal in the 24th minute off a free kick, giving the Red Knights a well deserved Falcon Shield in front of a limited number of fans, owing to COVID-19 pre-cautionary measures.

Al Rayyan, who entered the final round with a one-goal deficit to Al Duhail, finished second despite an emphatic 2-0 victory against Al Wakrah at Al Sadd Stadium. Both the Round 22 matches were played simultaneously.

Al Duhail were paid for their consistent performance throughout the season as they lost only two games, winning 16 games while drawing 4 matches. Al Rayyan finished with 14 wins, six draws and a defeat. Al Sadd, the 14-time champions, finished third in the 12-team event.

“I want to congratulate all those who are part of Al Duhail team. I am very happy with my first title here,” Walid Regragui, who replaced Rui Faria as Al Duhail head coach, said after

the title triumph. It was not an easy season because of the pan-demic and my team deserves all the credit for their hardwork. I would also like to congratulate Al Rayyan who kept us pushing throughout the last stage. The QSL also deserves a lot of praise for their efforts in completion of the league,” Regragui added.

The Al Duhail coach played a full strength side in striker Youssef Msakni absence as the winners came with a straight-forward plan of defeating Al Ahli.

With their captain and Qatar star Almoez Ali looking off colour yesterday, Edmilson rose on the occasion with a good performance as Al Duhail dominated the entire finale. They took charge and attacked the opposition right from the start but Mohammed Muntari’s goal in the fifth minute was ruled offside.

Al Ahli won their first corner kick of the match, three minutes later but was unable to pose much challenge to a solid Al Duhail defense.

Captain Almoez missed a golden opportunity, failing to connect the ball from a close range with goal almost open in the 13th minute. As Al Duhail continued to push for a goal, Al Ahli goalkeeper Ivanildo Rod-riguesdo was cautioned for a

handball outside circle as he tried to stop an attack, resulting in a free kick.

Edmilson took the free kick from just outside the circle and his strike took deflection of Al Ahli’s Abdulrasheed Umaru Ibrahiim and landed in goal in front of hapless Rodriguesdo, taking Al Duhail ahead.

The Red Knights created more chances and in one of those attacks, Muntari’s

powerful strike in 30th minute missed the top post by a few inches. Al Duhail’s another goal was disallowed due to offside, after VAR decision cut short Almoez’s celebration in a 41st minute attack.

Al Duhail went into the breather dominating the game with a 64 percent of ball possession.

Soon after the start of second half, Rodriguesdo

denied Edmilson his second goal with a diving save on his right. In 49th minute, Edmilson managed to defeat the Al Ahli goalkeeper but this time Al Ahli’s Jasem Mohamed Omer blocked his strike in an excellent effort, avoiding a two-goal deficit.

Almoez came close to scoring a few more times but did not succeed due to lack of execution. However, his attacks

kept Al Ahli defenders in check. Al Ahli’s first realistic chance of scoring came in 63rd minute but Navid Mohammad Dor-zadeh, who was positioned well near the goal was slow in his response after receiving a brilliant cross.

Almoez was called off in the 85th minute with sea-soned midfielder Ali Afif coming off the bench. He made his presence felt and produced a few more attacks before Al Duhail players and fans erupted in jubilation to celebrate a memorable title win.

Meanwhile, at Al Sadd Stadium, goals from feared striker Yaccine Brahimi and Argentinean Gabriel Mercado gave Al Rayyan 2-0 victory over Al Wakrah.

After a goalless first half that saw missed chances from both the sides, Brahimi put Al Rayyan ahead in the 59th minute with a fine strike from outside the circle - his 15th goal of the season. Mercado headed the ball into nets in a 71st minute corner.

Earlier, Al Arabi and Qatar SC played out a goalless draw in yesterday’s first match at Al Janoub Stadium. Al Arabi and Qatar SC finished their cam-paigns with 26 and 20 points respectively.

SPORT | 14

Crawley's

maiden century

lifts England in

final Test

SPORTMessi’s silence

raises doubts

about future at

Barcelona

SPORT | 15

SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020

QFA officially submits bid to host 2027 AFC Asian CupQNA – DOHA

The Qatar Football Association (QFA) announced that it has officially submitted its bid to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, after the AFC announced that it would start receiving bid files from member associations wishing to host the tournament.

The Qatar Football Association sent an integrated file to the AFC, detailing how Qatar fulfills all the hosting requirements for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, a fact supported by the numerous tournaments hosted by the country at

the continental and global levels in the past, and also by the preparations for the events to come in the near future.

President of the QFA, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Thani said: “The submission of the bid file to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup undoubtedly shows our wise leadership’s desire for an optimal investment for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. It’s not just about holding the tournament and achieving the expected success; this will be a great addition to the reputation that Qatar enjoys when it comes to organ-izing major sports tournaments. We

must bear in mind that this is a constant endeavor for us, to continue organizing such big events at all levels like we have done before with great success, as wit-nessed by all.”

“Qatar will be ready to host the 19th edition of the Asian Cup, taking advantage of the country’s modern sports facilities that will host the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which will be a legacy for future generations of Asia, in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030,” the QFA President said.

“Winning the Asian Cup in its latest edition was a great achievement for us,

and the spirit of challenge that con-tributed to that triumph will lead us to other successes, in terms of hosting and organizing a tournament that Asia deserves, and we will be proud to have it here in Qatar once again. At the same time, we will not neglect the important role played by our cadres in Qatar’s series of successes. Qatar places the utmost importance on this, and we have people with great experience who have contributed effectively to the organi-zation of different sporting events, as a result of years of investment in human resource development, which is an

additional strength and pillar of the country’s bid file,” he said.

The Vice-President of the QFA, Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Mohannadi stated: “What we are looking forward to achieving by organizing the AFC Asian Cup 2027 is to strengthen the great part-nerships, and fruitful and constructive cooperation we share with the Asian Football Confederation at all levels. The QFA has been one of the main sup-porters of the AFC, through several projects and events that were organized both in the past, and those that are to be held in the near future.”

Red Knights are champs

Al Duhail clinch Falcon Shield RK CLUB M W L D GF GA GD PTS

1 Al Duhail 22 16 2 4 38 16 22 52

2 Al Rayyan 22 15 1 6 40 15 25 51

3 Al Sadd 22 14 5 3 51 29 22 454 Al Gharafa 22 10 6 6 34 29 5 365 Al Sailiya 22 8 9 5 22 25 -3 296 Al Wakrah 22 7 9 6 28 31 -3 277 Al Arabi 22 6 8 8 28 28 0 268 Qatar SC 22 4 10 8 18 26 -8 209 Al Ahli 22 5 12 5 24 36 -12 2010 Umm Salal 22 3 10 9 18 37 -19 1811 Al Khor 22 3 11 8 25 35 -10 17

12 Al Shahania 22 2 10 10 24 43 -19 16

* Qualification for AFC Champions League group stage

and FIFA Club World Cup first round

* Qualification for AFC Champions League play-off round

* Qualification for relegation play-off

* Relegation to Qatargas League

FINAL STANDINGSFINAL STANDINGS

Al Duhail's Karim Boudiaf and Almoez Ali holding the Falcon Shield as the players and officials celebrate after winning the QNB Stars League title at Al Janoub Stadium, yesterday.

Al Duhail coach Walid Regragui (second right) celebrating with

players.

14 SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020SPORT

IPL: Pandemic ‘bio bubbles’ will help thwart match-fixers, says Ajit SinghAFP — NEW DELHI

Shady match-fixers will find it harder to approach cricketers in the Indian Premier League’s coronavirus bubble, Indian cricket’s anti-corruption chief has said.

The world’s richest Twenty20 league will start September 19 in the United Arab Emirates after being moved because of the coronavirus crisis.

Confining the eight teams to “bio-bubbles” will also help anti-corruption offi-cials “keeping a watch on people” said Ajit Singh, chief of the anti-corruption unit at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

“Controlling interaction between players and others will not be very difficult.”

Cricket has become a key battleground in the fight against spot-fixing -- illegal bets on a certain part of the action, such as how many runs are scored in an over.

Singh said he will assign two liaison officers to monitor each team during the 53-day tournament.

Players’ Twitter comments will also be watched for coded messages, he added.

The money-spinning IPL has been plagued by corruption and match-fixing con-troversy since it started in 2008.

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was suspended last year for failing to report corrupt approaches, one of them over the IPL.

A 2013 scandal caused the Chennai Super Kings, led by ex-India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and Rajasthan Royals to be sus-pended in 2015 for two seasons.

The scandal saw Shanthakumaran Sree-santh, a Rajasthan Royals bowler, being banned for life along with team-mates Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila over the illegal spot-fixing and betting scandal.

The three were arrested in 2013 with scores of bookies as part of a probe into alle-gations that players had underperformed in return for cash. Sreesanth’s ban was revoked by India’s top court last year.

The T20 league is a huge revenue earner for the BCCI. Before the virus it was estimated to generate more than $11bn for the Indian economy each year.

Teams have already started arriving in the UAE where players will be under a week’s isolation before they start training.

The games will only be played in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Dubai while a normal season in India sees more than 10 venues used.

AFP — SPIELBERG

KTM rider Pol Espargaro set the quickest time in yester-day’s opening Styrian MotoGP free practice sessions as Ducati continued their strong form after last weekend’s victory at the same Spielberg circuit.

Spaniard Espargaro, who failed to finish either of his past two races, shot to the top of the timesheets in the second session at the Red Bull Ring after Australian Jack Miller was fastest in the morning.

Espargaro was 0.221sec ahead of Ducati-Pramac rider Miller. Italian Andrea Dovizioso, the winner of the Austrian Grand Prix for the Ducati factory team five days ago, was a close third.

Portugal ’s Miguel Oliveira of the KTM team sat-ellite outfit, KTM-Red Bull-Tech 3, was fourth on the sta-ble’s home track, while championship leader Fabio

Quartararo could only manage 14th.

Quartararo has finished seventh and eighth since winning the opening two races of the coronavirus-hit campaign.

He holds an 11-point lead over Dovizioso.

Frenchman Johann Zarco, penalised Friday for his role in a crash with Franco Morbidelli last week, did not take part in the session after undergoing surgery on the wrist he injured in the collision.

Zarco was sanctioned for “irresponsible riding” and will start his next race from the pitlane as punishment. He is due to have a medical to assess his fitness to ride in today’s qualifying or tomor-row’s race.

Injured defending champion Marc Marquez will miss his fourth race in a row after breaking an arm. Francesco Bagnaia is also still sidelined.

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pol Espargaro rides his bike during the second training round of the Moto GP Styrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, yesterday.

MotoGP: Espargaro tops opening Styrian practice in Austria

FIM punishes Zarco for ‘irresponsible riding’AFP — SPIELBERG

Johann Zarco will start his next MotoGP race from the pitlane after he was sanctioned for “irre-sponsible riding” following a crash involving Franco Morbidelli last weekend in Austria, the International Motor-cycling Federation (FIM) said yesterday.

“After evaluation it was determined that there was evi-dence of irresponsible riding from Johann Zarco, which has resulted in a penalty. The Frenchman will start his next MotoGP race from pitlane,” the FIM said in a statement.

Ducati-Avintia rider Zarco collided with Italy’s Morbidelli at the Red Bull Ring last Sunday.

Both men came off, leaving their bikes to cartwheel at speeds of up to 300 km/h (187mph) back across the track.

Morbidelli’s machine flew right past the head of nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi leaving the Italian badly shaken and claiming the stray Yamaha “almost killed” him.

Zarco denied all responsi-bility for the crash in which he was, ultimately, the only cas-ualty, injuring his right wrist in the collision.

“There should be no sanc-tions because I did not do any-thing crazy,” he said after the hearing.

“You can’t do this sport if you don’t want to take risks.”

The 30-year-old Zarco underwent wrist surgery on Wednesday. He missed yester-day’s opening practice for the Styrian Grand Prix, also at the Red Bull Ring. Under MotoGP rules he was due to have a medical later in the day to assess his fitness to ride today's quali-fying or tomorrow’s race.

Dorilton takeover marks end of an era for Williams

REUTERS — LONDON

Former Formula One cham-pions Williams announced their sale to US-based private investment firm Dorilton Capital yesterday, a deal that marked the end of an era for the struggling family-owned team.

They will continue to race under the Williams brand and remain at their Grove head-quarters in England, the statement added.

It said the deal for Williams Racing was supported unani-mously by the board, including 78-year-old co-founder Frank Williams, and would secure the long-term success of the strug-gling team.

“This may be the end of an era for Williams as a family owned team, but we know it is in good hands,” said deputy principal Claire Williams, Frank’s daughter.

“The sale ensures the team’s survival but most importantly will provide a path to success.”

Williams, whose current drivers are Britain’s George Russell and Canadian Nicholas Latifi, had announced in May they were considering selling the team as part of a strategic review.

There were no financial details given and a spokes-woman could not confirm the team’s future management structure.

Dorilton’s website says, however, that it partners with companies “that are led by strong management teams and have a successful history and culture.

“We firmly believe in our companies continuing with the elements that have made them successful,” it added.

Williams will be the second US-owned team, after Haas, in a sport that sees North America as a key growth area under commercial rights holders Liberty Media, who are head-quartered in Colorado.

They are the third oldest and most successful con-structor in the sport’s history, with 114 wins and 16 titles, but have not won a race since 2012 and their last championship was with Canadian Jacques Villeneuve in 1997.

Founded in 1977 as Wil-liams Grand Prix Engineering, the team were at their peak in the 1980s and 90s with cham-pions Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Villeneuve.

The team finished last overall in 2019, despite using the same engines as champions Mercedes, and are currently last this year after six races without points.

The team’s finances have suffered as a result of poor track performance and the

COVID-19 pandemic that led to a spate of race cancellations and a season that did not start until last month.

The future looks brighter, however, with all 10 teams signing up to a new Concorde Agreement that promises a fairer share of the revenues and a more level playing field between the big teams and smaller private ones.

“The new Concorde Agreement is set to transform the sport and will help address the historical challenges that Williams has faced as an inde-pendent constructor,” the team statement said.

D o r i l t o n c h a i r m a n Matthew Savage looked forward to working with Wil-liams “in carrying out a detailed review of the business to determine in which areas new investment should be directed.

“We also recognise the world class facilities at Grove and confirm that there are no plans to relocate,” the chairman added.

Williams’ Roy Nissany in action during the Spanish Grand Prix practice at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Barcelona, in this August 14, 2020 file photo.

Crawley’s maiden century lifts England in final Test AFP — SOUTHAMPTON

Zak Crawley struck his maiden Test century as England established a strong position on the opening day of their series finale against Pakistan at Southampton yesterday.

Crawley’s commanding 171 not out was the centre-piece of England’s 332-4 at stumps after captain Joe Root won the toss.

Jos Buttler (87 not out) proved a fine, free-scoring ally to Crawley during an unbroken stand of 205.

Crawley came in with England struggling at 12-1 following the loss of Rory Burns.

But the 22-year-old Kent batsman, in just his eighth Test, got off the mark with a boundary and rarely looked troubled during what was just the fourth first-class century, and highest score, of his career.

England, 1-0 up in a three-match contest, will win their first Test series against Pakistan in 10 years if they avoid defeat at the Ageas Bowl.

With Pakistan playing just four frontline bowlers, there was pressure on leg-spinner Yasir Shah to give captain Azhar Ali a degree of control, even though a first-day pitch rarely favours slow bowlers.

At tea, Yasir had fine figures of 2-60 from 19 overs.

But Buttler counter-attacked by lofting Yasir for two sixes in three balls and at stumps his figures were 2-107 from 28 overs.

Crawley reverse-swept Yasir for four on the way to a third fifty in just 62 balls.

After Root won the toss on a blustery morning, with the sun trying to break

through, Burns (six) nicked a fine delivery from Shaheen Afridi that moved away late low to Shan Masood at fourth slip.

Crawley, fresh from his 53 in the drawn second Test at Southampton, a match marred by bad weather, cut Yasir for four and glanced fast bowler Naseem Shah for another boundary.

But a second-wicket partnership of 61 ended when Dom Sibley was lbw to Yasir for 22.

Crawley brought up an 80-ball fifty off the last ball of the session when, tempted to drive after Pakistan reinforced the slip cordon, he struck left-arm

quick Afridi to the long-off rope for a stylish four .

England, however, lost two wickets early in the second session to be 127-4.

There was little Root could do on 29 when a full-length delivery from teenage paceman Naseem seamed away late to take the outside edge, with wick-etkeeper Mohammad Rizwan holding a fine diving catch. Ollie Pope was then once again undone by Yasir’s quicker delivery when clean bowled for three hanging back in the crease.

Crawley, whose pre-vious Test-best was the 76 he made against the West

Indies at Southampton last month, had to spend the 20-minute tea interval on 97 not out.

But if there were any nerves they did not show, with Crawley having said during the second Test: “I think about scoring a hundred in my room at night. I massively want it for England. But I don’t want to put myself under pressure. That could create too much pressure as I get closer.”

Two controlled twos off paceman Mohammad Abbas saw Crawley to a 171-ball hundred, including 11 fours.

His team-mates, in a season of Tests being played behind closed doors

because of the coronavirus pandemic, tried to com-pensate for the lack of any fans at the Ageas Bowl with enthusiastic applause from the dressing room.

He followed fellow 22-year-old Pope and the 24-year-old Sibley as the latest young England batsman to have made a Test century.

Buttler completed an 85-ball fifty featuring six fours and two sixes.

Pakistan took the new ball with England 288-4 off 80 overs before Buttler’s cover-driven four off Naseem in Yesterday’s last over raised a 200 stand with Crawley.

ENGLAND, 1st innings Rory Burns c S Masood b S Afridi ................. 6 Dominic Sibley lbw Y Shah ..........................22 Zak Crawley Not Out ................................... 171 Joe Root c M Rizwan b N Shah ....................29 Ollie Pope b Y Shah...........................................3 Jos Buttler Not Out ....................................... 87Extras (11lb, 3nb) ........................................... 14Total (90.0 overs) ...........................332-4Fall of Wickets : 1-12 Burns, 2-73 Sibley, 3-114 Root, 4-127 PopeTo Bat : Woakes, Bess, Archer, Broad, AndersonBowling: Shaheen Afridi 18-2-71-1, Moham-mad Abbas 21-3-52-0, Yasir Shah 28-3-107-2, Naseem Shah 17-4-66-1, Fawad Alam 6-0-25-0

SCOREBOARD

England’s Zak Crawley reacts as he walks off at the end of play yesterday.

REUTERS – LISBON

If any player has felt perfectly at home during the unique circumstances surrounding the climax to this year’s Champions League, it is Paris St Germain’s Argentine winger Angel Di Maria.

As soon as UEFA decided that Por-tuguese capital Lisbon would host the quarter-finals onwards in a mini-tour-nament, in light of the COVID-19 pan-demic, Di Maria felt good vibes.

After PSG scrambled past Atalanta in a dramatic comeback, the 32-year-old was then instrumental as the Parisians outclassed RB Leipzig in the semi-finals to set up a meeting with Bayern Munich at the home of Benfica tomorrow.

It is the ground at which Di Maria played for three seasons while with the Portuguese club and the one which he returned to in 2014 to help inspire Real Madrid to an emphatic victory in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid.

Di Maria was man of the match in that clash and now has the perfect stage to help PSG realise their ambition of winning Europe’s most-coveted club crown for the first time.

“When they changed the venue to Lisbon, I had a strange feeling in my body that reminded me of the old times when I lived here for three years and how happy I was in Lisbon during those years,” Di Maria told UEFA’s website.

“To be able to get to a final and make history with a club like Paris -- reaching their first final -- and because

I won it in 2014 with Real Madrid in the same stadium...

“And to also have the chance to play the quarters and semis at the Estadio da Luz, as well as the final... It’s been a great combination for me, it’s felt really great.”

PSG manager Thomas Tuchel has shown a lot of faith in Di Maria and has been rewarded. But he will need another big performance from the Argentine to help them ruffle a Bayern

side who obliterated Barcelona 8-2 in the quarter-finals.

“They’re tough, they’re a really well-organised team, and I think this will be their 11th European Cup final,” Di Maria said.

“We know they have amazing players, players in incredible form, but we also have good players, our own system, our own way of playing, and I think we have a group that deserves to win the Champions League.”

When Real won the 2014 title it was their 10th, a special moment in their history. Di Maria says helping PSG to a first would be just as big a milestone.

“Winning that tenth title was something amazing for Madrid and I became part of the club’s history,” he said. “Winning a first title here would be unforgettable for me personally, because that’s been my goal since I joined.”

15SATURDAY 22 AUGUST 2020 SPORT

Di Maria feeling good vibes on ‘home’ ground ahead of final

AP – BARCELONA

For every day that goes by without a word from Lionel Messi, a new rumour surfaces about his future with Barcelona.

Messi hasn’t made any public statement since Barcelona’s 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals last week, putting in doubt his permanence with the struggling Catalan club. He had already shown his discontent earlier in the season, and the humiliation in Lisbon only made it worse.

Messi, who has been with the Catalan club for nearly two decades, has a contract with Barcelona until the end of the 2020-21 season.

There’s been speculation about Messi’s future from the moment the final whistle blew against Bayern. The doubts increased after a Catalan radio station, RAC1, claimed on Thursday that the Argentina great met with new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman and

said he sees himself “more out than in” the club at the moment. Messi allegedly told Koeman that his future was not clear and that he was not happy with the current situation in Barcelona. Barcelona is enduring one of its worst crises, coming off its first trophyless season since 2007-08 and dealing with uncertainty about its own future. It went through a coaching change midseason and players - especially Messi - were out-spoken about their dissatisfaction with club directors and their recent decisions.

The radio station report made headlines across Spain. Barcelona admitted that the meeting was scheduled to happen but it did not release any details about the discussions.

Club President Josep Bartomeu said he had only spoken with Messi’s father, who told him his son was frus-trated and disappointed. The pres-ident downplayed the situation,

though, saying he was not too con-cerned. Bartomeu has said all along he is confident that Messi will end his career with Barcelona, and that Messi himself has said this is his wish.

But Koeman’s words during his official introduction weren’t so reas-suring. The Dutchman said he “hoped” that Messi would stay, and that he wanted to hear directly from the player to know what was in his mind.

“I want him to tell me what he is thinking,” Koeman said. “I don’t think I have to convince him. It would be won-derful to work with him because he wins you games.”

Bartomeu had said Koeman’s project with the club was based on having Messi in the team.

Farah to be pacemaker at London MarathonREUTERS – LONDON

If you need a pacemaker to help you pursue an Olympic qualifying time in the marathon, they couldn’t come much better-qualified than Britain’s most celebrated track and field athlete, Mo Farah.

That’s the happy scenario for some of Britain’s lesser lights who will have the 37-year-old leading them out around the streets of the capital in October’s London Marathon.

Farah, who has abandoned his decision to focus on the marathon and instead seek yet more gold on the track in Tokyo next year, confirmed his role as ‘helper’.

“The London Marathon has been so

important to me since I was a schoolboy and when they asked me to do this I thought it would be great to help,” British marathon record holder Farah, who finished third and fifth in 2018 and 2019 respectively, said.

“I am in good shape, I’ll be in London that week, and it fits in with my training,” he said in a statement from the organisers.

“I know just how special it is just to compete for your country at an Olympic Games, and it would be great to help other athletes achieve this.”

Farah won the 5,000m and 10,000m double at London and Rio de Janeiro and is focused on retaining his 10,000m crown at next year’s delayed Tokyo Games.

Only two British athletes, Callum

Hawkins and Jonny Mellor, other than Farah have run inside the qualifying time for Tokyo.

The London Marathon, postponed from its original date in the Spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic, will take place on Oct. 4 and will feature a stellar line-up.

The elite men’s race will be head-lined by Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, winner in 2019, and Ethiopian trio Kenenisa Bekele, Mosinet Geremew and Mule Wasihun. Last year’s women’s winner and world record holder Brigid Kosgei is also confirmed, as is world champion Ruth Chepngetich.

LGCL: Doha Falcons set to take part in Dutch round

LGCL D h

QNA – VALKENSWAARD,

Doha Falcons team will participate in Longines Global Champions League (LGCL) at the Tops Interna-tional Equestrian Arena in the Dutch city of Valkenswaard from September 10 to 13.

The Valkenswaard Tour is the first event organised at the inter-national level after the inaugural tour of the season that was held at Al Shaqab -member of Qatar Foun-dation- at the beginning of last March. Tops International Eques-trian Arena will give priority during competitions to preventive measures against the coronavirus (COVID-19) to ensure the safety of all participants and horses, as well as organisers and guests.

The Doha Falcons team is par-ticipating in the teams’ competition, which is held at a height of 155cm in two rounds, one of which includes prize money of €600,000.

Clijsters pullsout of US Open warm-up event with injuryAFP – NEW YORK

Kim Clijsters suffered a US Open setback yesterday when she withdrew from the warm-up Western and Southern Open with an abdominal injury, just 10 days before the Grand Slam event gets underway.

The 37-year-old, a three-time US Open champion, had been granted a wild card into the tournament.

It is usually staged in Cincinnati but has been moved to the bio-secure Billie Jean King Tennis Centre in New York -- also the site of the US Open -- due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“I have great memories from playing in Cincinnati and was looking forward to being a part of the event this year,” said the Belgian star, a four-time major winner and former world number one.

“It’s disappointing to have to withdraw but after discussions with medical and my team, I need a little more recovery time.

“I’m grateful to be able to stay in the ‘bubble’ and continue to

prepare with my team here at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.”

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Messi’s silence raises doubts about future at Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain’s Argentine midfielder Angel Di Maria (left) celebrates with team-mate Neymar after scoring against Leipzig during their Champions League semi-final at the Luz Stadium in Lisbon, on Tuesday.

Chess: Champion Carlsen to participate in Katara TournamentTHE PENINSULA – DOHA

Norwegian Grand Master Magnus Carlsen (pictured), a seven-time world chess champion, has announced his intention to partic-ipate in the Katara International Chess Tournament organised by Qatar Chess Association (QCA) in cooperation with the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara, which is going to kick off on August 24. The tournament is scheduled to be played in two phases at three different time

zones so that the players can join and participate in any time zone they prefer, knowing that the Organizing Committee has allo-cated large cash prizes for the winners, amounting to ten thousand US dollars.

For his part, Qatar Chess Asso-ciation President, Mohammed Al Modahka has expressed his delight about the World Champion participation alongside large number of chess stars and inter-national titled players, stressing that the number of participants

reached more than 1,000 partic-ipant since the first days to open the door of registration, noting that there are expectations of reaching 5,000 participants in this tournament.

Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, General Manager of the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara, said that Katara is keen to support sports activities and spread the culture of sports by organising and hosting a number of important sporting events, whether local or international,

including the Katara International Chess Tournament. This year is a special one, as it will be organised remotely in line with the precau-tionary measures taken by the country to combat COVID-19.

He added that the tournament has succeeded in gaining a high-level international attention, which makes it able to attract a larger audience to this game with a long history. He praised the fruitful relationship between the Cultural Village Foundation - Katara and the QCA.