San Francisco 49ers expand global reach with entry into UAE market
LONDON: American football team the San Francisco 49ers have secured marketing, fan-engagement and commercial rights in the UAE.
NBA Sport News
Jamie Osborne targeting a 2nd UAE Derby triumph with Heart Of Honor on Dubai World Cup night
LONDON: British trainer Jamie Osborne is eying another victory in the Group 2 UAE Derby as he prepares Heart Of Honor for the prestigious $1,000,000 race on Dubai World Cup night on Saturday.
Hyo Joo Kim tops Vu in playoff to win LPGA Ford Championship
LOS ANGELES: South Korea’s Hyo Joo Kim rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at the first playoff hole to win the LPGA Ford Championship on Sunday ahead of American Lilia Vu.
NBA ‘basketbrawl’: 5 players, 2 coaches ejected after Pistons-Timberwolves clash
MINNEAPOLIS: Five players and two coaches were ejected after a wild brawl broke out during the Minnesota Timberwolves’ clash with the Detroit Pistons in the NBA on Sunday.
Offensive Iraq-Palestine World Cup qualifier video ‘fabricated,’ says Jordan Football Association
AMMAN: The Jordanian Football Association expressed regret on Friday over a video widely shared on social media this week that appeared to show Jordanian fans chanting offensive slogans during a World Cup qualifier between Iraq and Palestine. The footage was fabricated, it said. The video, which claimed to show Jordanian fans directing insulting chants at the Iraqi players and supporters, began to spread online after Palestine defeated Iraq 2-1 in the match at the Amman International Stadium on Tuesday. It provoked heated exchanges online among the two sets of fans. The JFA said it regretted the fabricated video and affirmed the depth of the historical, deep-rooted ties between the Jordanian and Iraqi peoples, which it said could not be damaged by people who act in ways that do not reflect true sporting values, the Jordan News Agency reported on Friday. The association said it had verified the video was fake, and was dismayed that some individuals seem set on inciting conflict, extremism and hatred among sports fans.
Brazil fires coach Dorival Júnior after worst defeat in World Cup qualifying
SAO PAULO: Brazil coach Dorival Júnior was fired on Friday after 14 months amid poor results and disappointing performances from the national team. Júnior’s sacking by Brazilian Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues came three days after a 4-1 defeat to bitter rival Argentina in Buenos Aires, Brazil’s heaviest defeat in a World Cup qualifier. Júnior’s replacement has yet to be picked. Brazil are fifth in South American qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The top six qualify automatically. Under the 62-year-old Júnior, Brazil won seven matches, drew another seven, and lost two.
PSG ‘feel like champions’ as Ligue 1 title nears, says Luis Enrique
POISSY, France: Coach Luis Enrique said Paris Saint-Germain “can feel like champions” knowing they could seal the Ligue 1 title this weekend but warned his players not to let their level drop. The unbeaten league leaders go to second-bottom Saint-Etienne, where a win would secure an 11th French title in 13 seasons if Marseille lose away to Reims and Monaco draw with Nice on Saturday. “We’re never champions until it’s mathematically certain, but we can feel like champions, we’re the best team in Ligue 1,” Luis Enrique told reporters on Friday. “We’re going to use these last eight matches for other goals, to be competitive against all opponents... to be ready for the three months that remain. “There’s the French Cup and the Champions League, where we want to be right to the end.” PSG face second-tier Dunkerque in the semifinals of the French Cup in Lille next week before taking on Aston Villa in the last eight of the Champions League. Luis Enrique doesn’t believe the possibility of wrapping up a record-extending 13th Ligue 1 title on Saturday should have any effect on his team’s mindset. “It seems totally unimportant to me, there are eight games left in the league, we want to be competitive because that will prepare us in the best way for the other competitions,” said the Spaniard. “I feel almost the same as I did this time last year, we were almost champions, in the semifinals of the cup and quarter-finals of the Champions League, with young players who have a year’s more experience.” PSG will be without Lee Kang-in against Saint-Etienne after the South Korean picked up an ankle injury on international duty.
’We don’t deserve bonus’: Man City boss Guardiola
LONDON: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted he and his players do not deserve a bonus even if they salvage their dismal season by winning the Club World Cup. Guardiola’s side are languishing in fifth place in the Premier League and crashed out of the Champions League and League Cup. English champions for the previous four seasons, City could finish without a major trophy for the first time since Guardiola’s maiden season in charge in 2016/17. Their last hope of landing domestic silverware lies in the FA Cup, with a quarter-final tie at Bournemouth looming on Sunday. But even if they win the FA Cup or the Club World Cup in June and July, Guardiola believes City have underachieved so badly that they will not deserve a bonus from the big prize pot on offer at the post-season tournament in the United States. FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, confirmed this week that the Club World Cup winners will earn up to $125 million in prize money, with a total pot of $1 billion going to the 32 participating clubs. “We don’t deserve it this season. We don’t deserve a bonus this season.