Riyad Mahrez - players.bio

Preseason testing for Aramco F4 Saudi Arabian Championship wraps up in Bahrain

MANAMA: Preseason testing for the 2025 Aramco F4 Saudi Arabian Championship concluded on Friday at the Bahrain International Circuit, marking the final stage of preparations ahead of the opening race of the season this weekend. Both of the official testing sessions were marked by excitement and intense concentration, accompanied by close technical monitoring by the participating teams. In the first session, Jacob Micallef of Team Zahid recorded the fastest lap time of 2 minutes 8.238 seconds, with an average speed of 151.9 kph, just 0.004 seconds ahead of Scott Kin Lindblom from Team Red Bull, followed by Thibaut Ramaekers, also from Team Zahid. In the second session, driver Theo Palmer of Team JACO achieved the best time of 2 minutes 7.613 seconds, with an average speed of 152.6 kph, 0.002 seconds ahead of Kit Belofsky from Team PEAX, with Adam Alzahrani from Team Valvoline recording the third-best time. Testing is a key milestone in preseason preparations that enables teams to evaluate the performance of their second-generation Tatuus F4-T421 cars and refine setup before racing begins.

Match between Italy, Israel triggers high alert with pro-Palestinian march going ahead

ROME: The city of Udine has put extraordinary security measures in place ahead of Italy’s upcoming World Cup soccer qualifier with Israel, as a pro-Palestinian march will go ahead on the day of the game, even after Israel and Hamas agreed on a peace deal. The agreement, ratified by Israel’s government on Friday, includes a ceasefire and plan to free Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. March organizer Committee for Palestine-Udine opposes what it calls the “violence of the Israeli occupation in Palestinian territories,” and expects over 10,000 people to attend on Tuesday, hours before the game kicks off at the Stadio Friuli. “Our demands remain unchanged,” a group spokesperson told Reuters, calling the match a “game of shame.” “We stand alongside the Palestinian people, for their right to self-determination, their right of return, and their right to live a life free from occupation, in Gaza and throughout Palestine.” “Our pressure will cease only when the Palestinian people are fully free.” More than 67,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, launched after Hamas-led militants stormed through Israeli towns and a music festival on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and capturing 251 hostages.

Kluivert confident Indonesia can achieve victory against Iraq in Asian qualifier

JEDDAH: Indonesia manager Patrick Kluivert is confident his team can put aside the disappointment of their previous result against Saudi Arabia and show the ability to achieve victory against Iraq on Saturday in the Asian play-off for the 2026 World Cup. Kluivert told the press on Friday at the press conference ahead of the Iraq match that his team is fully prepared for their match against Iraq. He said: “We will take the field again tomorrow, aiming for a positive result after our previous defeat. “The team has prepared a strategy we believe is best against Iraq, which you’ll see on the pitch tomorrow,” he added. Indonesia are attempting to reach the World Cup for the first time and Iraq’s match on Saturday will determine their fate after a loss to Saudi Arabia. From his side, Iraq coach Graham Arnold emphasizes the importance of focusing on their upcoming match against Indonesia, avoiding any distractions to their game against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. “The players need to focus on what they have, and if they think about the refereeing, their focus on the match will be greatly reduced,” he said. Speaking to the press on Friday, Arnold added: “The players are 100 percent fit. The positive thing is that all of our players are playing regularly.

Dubai Basketball adds Australian guard Taran Armstrong to roster

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball has announced the signing of Australian point guard Taran Armstrong on a one-year contract, with a club option for a second year.

Power Slap returns to Abu Dhabi Showdown Week

ABU DHABI: Power Slap is set to return to the UAE capital as part of Abu Dhabi Showdown Week, which culminates with UFC 321: Aspinall vs Gane at Etihad Arena.

Lack of crowd noise a bit sad, says England’s Tuchel after win over Wales

LONDON: England head coach Thomas Tuchel has never been slow to speak his mind and the German turned his ire on the Wembley fans on Thursday, criticizing the home supporters for being too quiet in a comfortable 3-0 friendly win against Wales. The mood was buoyant enough as goals by Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka in the opening 20 minutes made England’s eighth successive win over the Welsh a formality. With the game petering out in the second half, many England fans opted to leave early, some launched paper aeroplanes and it was only the loud away contingent who created any noise. “We had one-and-a-half training days to prepare against a well-trained team and we did very well,” Tuchel said. “We had an excellent first half, we were 3-0 up very quickly, but we could have been 4-0 up at halftime. “Then we couldn’t score, the fourth one, the fifth one, the stadium was silent, we never got any energy back from the fans.

Spain’s La Liga plans to make its international match an annual event

NEW YORK: La Liga plans to make an international soccer match an annual event after announcing Barcelona and Villarreal will play outside Miami on Dec. 20, Spanish league president Javier Tebas said during an interview with The Associated Press. Becoming the first major European league to move a competitive match abroad, La Liga is following the model of the NFL, which has played in London since 2007, and this season also has games in Berlin, Dublin, Madrid and Sao Paulo. “The idea is to follow a similar model but with one difference: We will only play one match abroad,” Tebas said of future schedules.

Algeria qualify for the World Cup for first time since 2014 after Mahrez inspires win

BIR EL DJIR, Algeria: Algeria have become the fourth African country to qualify for the 2026 World Cup — and all of them are from the north of the continent. A 3-0 win over Somalia on Thursday guaranteed Algeria first place in Group G in African qualifying with a match to spare and a return to the World Cup for the first time since 2014. Algeria, captained by Riyad Mahrez and led by former Switzerland coach Vladimir Petkovic, joined neighboring nations Morocco and Tunisia as well as Mohamed Salah’s Egypt in securing a spot in next year’s expanded 48-team tournament being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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Riyad Mahrez Sport News

Preseason testing for Aramco F4 Saudi Arabian Championship wraps up in Bahrain

Match between Italy, Israel triggers high alert with pro-Palestinian march going ahead

Kluivert confident Indonesia can achieve victory against Iraq in Asian qualifier

Dubai Basketball adds Australian guard Taran Armstrong to roster

Power Slap returns to Abu Dhabi Showdown Week

Lack of crowd noise a bit sad, says England’s Tuchel after win over Wales

Spain’s La Liga plans to make its international match an annual event

Algeria qualify for the World Cup for first time since 2014 after Mahrez inspires win