Saudi Arabia - players.bio

F1 title fight is increasingly focused on McLaren but Verstappen still hopeful

JEDDAH: Ahead of Sunday’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, this Formula 1 season is looking like McLaren vs. McLaren. Still, defending champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull says he hasn’t lost hope. McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are the only ones to consistently have the pace through the first four rounds of the championship. Norris has a three-point lead but admits he isn’t at his best — though he had the fastest time of the day in practice on Friday — while Piastri has momentum after winning in Bahrain last week. Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes have all had their moments but none has been a consistent challenger, as McLaren’s 58-point constructors’ championship lead shows. Friday practice Norris went fastest in the second practice session, while Yuki Tsunoda crashed to continue his difficult start with Red Bull.

Morocco ex-football club chair denies seizing villa in drug case

CASABLANCA: The former president of Morocco’s most successful football club maintained in court Friday that he legally acquired a villa he is accused of seizing from a convicted Malian drug trafficker dubbed the “Escobar of the Sahara.” Said Naciri, who was chairman of Casablanca club Wydad AC and president of the city’s prefectural council, is being tried alongside the head of a regional council in eastern Morocco, Abdennabi Bioui, in a vast drug trafficking case related to the jailed kingpin. Both defendants — former officials of the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM), a member of the country’s ruling coalition — have been in custody since the end of 2023, and face charges of “possession, marketing, and export of drugs,” as well as corruption and related offenses. Naciri was accused by the Malian trafficker, Ahmed Ben Brahim, of having wrongfully dispossessed him of a villa in an upscale Casablanca neighborhood, one of Naciri’s lawyers told AFP. But Naciri denied the allegation in court on Friday, saying he legally purchased the villa though a real estate company in 2017 before finalizing the acquisition in 2019. “I am taking advantage of my hearing before the court to refute the false allegations being made,” he told the court, presenting documents and testimony that he said supported his version of events. The trial is the first in Morocco to see prominent political figures accused in a drug trafficking case. It opened last May, and involves 25 people alleged to have played roles in the trafficking network of Ben Brahim, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence. Ben Brahim, whose complaint initiated the proceedings against Naciri and Bioui, accuses the pair of helping him smuggle drugs to elsewhere in

Horner says Verstappen will be at Red Bull in 2026

JEDDAH :Max Verstappen will be racing for Red Bull next season and there is no crisis at the Formula One team, principal Christian Horner said on Friday as speculation swirled about the champion's future.

Gasly puts Alpine on top in first Saudi F1 practice

JEDDAH :Pierre Gasly was surprise top of the timesheets for Renault-owned Alpine in first practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday.

Lyon needs Renard and Hegerberg to shine against Arsenal in women’s CL semis, Barca faces Chelsea

PARIS: When Wendie Renard scored in front of 14,000 fans in the women’s Champions League final 14 years ago, she helped Lyon win the trophy for the first time. Seven more titles and much bigger crowds have followed since for Renard and Lyon, along with a truck-load of domestic trophies. The 34-year-old Frenchwoman has scored more than 150 goals for the club in almost 500 appearances, a remarkable ratio for a central defender. Lyon teammate Ada Hegerberg — the first Ballon d’Or winner — is in her 11th season at the club and has won the competition six times. She scored a hat trick in the 4-1 rout of Barcelona in the 2019 final. They are among the most iconic names in women’s soccer and Lyon might need big performances from both to win a record-extending ninth European crown. Lyon’s last victory came three years ago and since then Barcelona have taken over as the leading team in the sport.

CAF fines its president’s club $100,000 after African Champions League fan disorder

CAIRO: CAF fined its president’s club $100,000 after violent fan clashes at an African Champions League game between two teams that are going to the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Mamelodi Sundowns, owned by Patrice Motsepe — a South African mining billionaire and FIFA vice president – breached safety and security rules hosting an April 1 game against Esperance of Tunisia, the Confederation of African Football said in a disciplinary ruling late Thursday. Motsepe has been president of African soccer’s governing body CAF for four years and was re-elected unopposed last month. The African soccer body said Sundowns “is required to strictly implement the safety and security measures specified in the CAF regulations, guidelines and directives, particularly in their upcoming matches.” Esperance was fined $150,000 for the fan misconduct, CAF said, related to clashes in the stands at the quarterfinal, first leg game. Sundowns won the first leg 1-0 in Pretoria and advanced to the semifinals after the return game ended 0-0 in Tunis one week later.

5 Bek dengan Gaji Termahal, Van Dijk Masuk

Liverpool - Virgil van Dijk, masuk dalam daftar 5 bek dengan gaji termahal di dunia. Ada dua bek yang main di Liga Arab Saudi.

Vowles says Verstappen would come with 'downsides' for Mercedes

JEDDAH :Signing Formula One champion Max Verstappen would come with "a lot of downsides" for Mercedes, who would be better off keeping their current drivers, Williams boss James Vowles said on Friday.

Contacts

Saudi Arabia Sport News

F1 title fight is increasingly focused on McLaren but Verstappen still hopeful

Morocco ex-football club chair denies seizing villa in drug case

Horner says Verstappen will be at Red Bull in 2026

Gasly puts Alpine on top in first Saudi F1 practice

Lyon needs Renard and Hegerberg to shine against Arsenal in women’s CL semis, Barca faces Chelsea

CAF fines its president’s club $100,000 after African Champions League fan disorder

5 Bek dengan Gaji Termahal, Van Dijk Masuk

Vowles says Verstappen would come with 'downsides' for Mercedes