Category: Football

DOHA: Qatar announced its first arrests of World Cup ticket touts on Monday, with three foreign men detained outside official ticketing centres in Doha.

Six days from the start of the tournament, the interior ministry said “three people of different nationalities” were arrested and now face criminal proceedings.

The ministry released a statement on Twitter but did not specify the nationalities of those arrested, only stating the men were caught “reselling tickets” outside “official outlets”.

Queues form daily outside FIFA’s main ticketing centre in central Doha, with people hoping to purchase sought-after match tickets.

The statement said those arrested could face fines of up to 250,000 riyals ($68,000) for each ticket they were found to have sold.

FIFA and the Qatari government repeatedly warn about fake World Cup merchandise.

Last week, authorities reported the seizure of 144 counterfeit World Cup trophies.

Previously, car number plates illegally using World Cup imagery and counterfeit clothes using official logos have been targeted by authorities.

Last year a factory producing perfume bottles with World Cup branding was raided.

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LONDON: Leicester midfielder James Maddison has been rewarded with a call-up to England team as manager Gareth Southgate on Thursday named a 26-member squad for FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

England’s manager has picked a blend of youth and experience into the squad with 13 players set for their first FIFA World Cup while another three heading to their first major senior tournament.

Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson and Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling will be joining the illustrious list of England players to have featured in three World Cups.

Marcus Rashford of Manchester United, Callum Wilson of Newcastle, Kyle Walker of Manchester City, and Ben White of Arsenal have also been selected by Southgate.

Manchester City’s Kalvin Phillips has been included despite injury concerns while Harry Maguire, who was dropped by Manchester United this season, also managed to receive the national call.

England will face Iran in their opening game at Qatar on November 21 before facing the USA and Wales in Group B.

Complete Squad: 

Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Everton, loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal)

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City), Declan Rice (West Ham United),

Forwards: Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), James Maddison (Leicester City), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United)

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MADRID: Real Madrid suffered their first loss of the season on Monday night as Rayo Vallecano stunned the reigning champions 3-2 in LaLiga.

Following the upset defeat, the La Liga champions failed to reclaim the top spot from Barcelona in the standings after two successive games without a win.

The first half witnessed an intense exchange of goals between the two sides before Oscar Trejo netted a second-half penalty to give Rayo Vallecano an astonishing win at the Estadio de Vallecas in Madrid.

The hosts took the lead five minutes into the game when midfielder Santiago Comesana volleyed the ball from inside the box, but Real immediately bounced back and surged ahead with two goals in four minutes.

Luka Modric hit the first one in the 37th minute from the penalty spot for Madrid after Marco Asensio was fouled inside the area, and then Eder Militao put the visitors in front with a lovely header.

Rayo forward Alvaro Garcia, however, managed to claw in the equalizer just before half-time.

Rayo were then awarded a penalty in the 67th minute after a handball by the defender Dani Carvajal on the edge of the area. Thibaut Courtois blocked Trejo’s first effort, but the kick had to be retaken because the goalkeeper left his line too early. The Spaniard did not fail in his second attempt and took his side home.

“I wasn’t surprised because we all know how they play, they were better and more precise than us today and it’s a well deserved win for them,” said Real manager Ancelotti after the match.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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PARIS: Liverpool will have the chance to avenge last season’s Champions League final defeat at the hands of Real Madrid after Jurgen Klopp’s side were drawn on Monday to face the holders again in the last 16.

Meanwhile, the other standout tie saw Paris Saint-Germain drawn to play Bayern Munich in a repeat of the 2020 final which was won by the German club.

Liverpool won five of their six group games but missed out on top spot to Napoli after losing 4-1 when the sides met in Italy.

The Anfield club also lost the 2018 Champions League final to Real, who won their group ahead of RB Leipzig.

“They are two historic teams and the tie is going to be electric, fascinating for the fans,” said Emilio Butragueno, a great former Real player who is now the director of institutional relations for the 14-time European champions.

Current domestic form suggests Real should be favourites, with Carlo Ancelotti’s side unbeaten in La Liga while Liverpool are eighth in the Premier League despite winning away to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

However, both clubs will lose key players to the World Cup and Butragueno acknowledged much can change in the three months before the Champions League returns.

“The World Cup is going to condition the whole season. We will see how the players are when they return,” he said.

PSG only missed out on topping their group because Benfica scored more away goals across all matches after the sides remarkably finished level on points, goal difference, goals scored and head to head.

That left the Qatar-owned club exposed to a tough draw, a year on from their painful exit in the first knockout round at the hands of Real.

In terms of form they could not have got tougher than Bayern, who were the only side to win all six group matches, despite being in a section with Barcelona and Inter Milan.

The 2020 final was played behind closed doors in Lisbon at the height of the pandemic, with Bayern triumphing 1-0. PSG gained revenge the following season by beating the Bavarians in the quarter-finals.

Like PSG, Manchester City have never won the trophy but are also one of the leading contenders to do so this season.

Pep Guardiola’s side will be expected to dispose of Leipzig, who they faced in the group stage a year ago and beat 6-3 at home before a 2-1 defeat in Germany, by which time they had already secured first place in the section.

Chelsea, who defeated City in the 2021 Champions League final, also drew German opposition in the shape of Borussia Dortmund, with the clubs set to meet for the very first time in a competitive game in the first leg at the Signal Iduna Park.

After topping their group thanks to a last-gasp winner away to Marseille last week, Tottenham Hotspur were given a tough draw against Italian champions AC Milan.

They have met at this stage of the competition before, with Spurs winning 1-0 on aggregate in 2010/11 thanks to a solitary goal at San Siro by Peter Crouch.

Inter will play Porto and last season’s Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt take on Napoli, while Benfica’s reward for winning their group was a tie against tournament outsiders Club Brugge of Belgium.

The first legs of all last-16 ties will be played in February with the return matches in March.

The final of this season’s Champions League will be held in Istanbul on June 10 next year.

The Turkish city was supposed to host the final in 2020 and again 2021, only for the game to be moved on each occasion to Portugal due to the pandemic.

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MADRID: Joao Felix came off the bench to save a point for Atletico Madrid against 10-man Espanyol in a 1-1 draw at the Metropolitano on Sunday.

The home side had a chance to cut their deficit to six points on Real Madrid, which will take on Rayo Vallecano today, but eventually finished in third with 10 points behind table-topper Barcelona.

The game had begun with some jeers from the crowd following Atletico’s exit from the Champions League, and the mood did not ameliorate as the side struggled to take down the visitors.

Leandro Cabrera’s send-off in the first half appeared to be a perfect set-up for the hosts, yet they fell behind despite having an extra man after Sergio Darder volleyed past Jan Oblak in the 62nd minute.

Joao Felix arrived to score the equalizer with a little over 10 minutes remaining, but a draw still proved to be a disappointing outcome for Atletico’s coach Diego Simeone in the circumstances.

Meanwhile, in the second fixture on Sunday, Samuel Lino denied Real Sociedad a home win as Valencia finished in a 1-1 draw at Anoeta Stadium.

Mallorca, on the other hand, sealed a sensational 2-0 win over Villareal thanks to the superb strikes by Vedat Muriqi and Amath.

Whereas, at Estadio Benito Villamarín, visitors Sevilla held off Real Betis with a late equalizer by Nemanja Gudelj after the home side was down to nine-man.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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BARCELONA: Barcelona legend Gerard Pique bid an emotional farewell in front of the biggest crowd of the season at Camp Nou on Sunday following a dominant 2-0 win by Catalans over Almeria which took them two points clear of Real Madrid at the top LaLiga  

Pique received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was substituted in the 84th minute and broke into tears as he fervently hugged his teammates, coach Xavi and the entire Barca bench.

After the final whistle, he was lifted into the air by his companions and performed a lap of honour, blowing kisses to the crowd and waving as they chanted his name.

The 35-year-old defender broke into tears midway through his farewell speech after the game, saying:  “I was born here and I will die here.”

“Sometimes you have to leave behind the things you love. The relationship between Barcelona and me has been so loving and so passionate, I thought that maybe we needed a little bit of space. I’m sure that I’ll be back here again in the future” he said.

The retiring player was paid several tributes on his farewell night in the home game as he was named captain of the team and entered the pitch with his two sons.

Pique called time on his stellar career after appearing in 616 games across 15 seasons and won 30 trophies for the Catalan giants

Barcelona were awarded an early penalty and the fans started to chant his name to take it but the Spaniard offered it to Robert Lewandowski, who missed the opportunity and hit the post.

Meanwhile, in another matchday 13 fixture on Saturday, Osasuna held off home team Celta Vigo 2-1 with a brilliant first-half brace from Ezequiel Lavezzi.

At Estadio Jose Zorrilla, home team Valladolid edged past bottom-placed Elche 2-1 thanks to the brilliant strikes by Javi Sanchez and Roque Mesa.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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MADRID: LaLiga President Javier Tebas has expressed his wish to see Lionel Messi back to Barcelona as he took a dig at Ligue 1, claiming that the Argentinian superstar is not getting the same exposure at Paris Saint Germain that he used to get at Barcelona. 

Speaking in an interview with the Argentine publication Ole, Tebas said that the former Barcelona star was not only missed by his previous club but the whole football world was feeling his absence from the forefront.

After spending his entire career at Camp Nou, the 35-year-old left Barca last year as the club was unable to renew his contract due to financial constraints.

Messi joined PSG following his departure from the Spanish League, signing a two-year contract, which will terminate at the end of the ongoing campaign.

With Argentina’s captain poised to become a free agent this summer, a possible return to Barcelona has been hotly discussed. Tebas, however, did not shy away from admitting that he wanted to see Messi return to Spanish football.

“I hope he comes back. Above all, it would also be good for him to return to Spanish football, especially to the team that saw him born.” he expressed during the Ole Sports Summit. 

Meanwhile, La Liga president took a swipe at PSG and Ligue 1, asserting that the number of fans tuning in to watch Messi play in the French top league is considerably lower than what it used to be when he was at Barcelona.

“I think that Messi is not only missed in La Liga, but he is also missed in football, because the French league is what it is, right?” he said. “I think that no matter how much he is at PSG, he is followed much less than when he was at Futbol Club Barcelona.”

“Therefore, football misses Lionel Messi and we hope he has a great World Cup, because there we will all be able to see him again. I don’t see all the fans watching PSG against Nantes, I don’t see it. With Barça, within a league, I did see him much more often,” he added.

Furthermore, Tebas claimed that Messi’s decision to part ways with Barcelona was a misstep. He said, “I think it was a mistake even for him, in my opinion, to break that marriage, that alliance since he was born in football, because it would have helped him a lot with continuity, like the Messi-Barca brand, which is very important for a player.”

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MUMBAI: Defending champions Spain successfully lifted the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup title for the second time in a row with a 1-0 victory over first-time finalists Colombia.

Colombia, who had enjoyed a dream run in the mega event; making their way into the final, have had a heartbreaking end to their expedition as an own goal from their defender Ana María Guzmán Zapata in the 82nd minute granted Spain an easy victory.

Consequently, Spain eked out a solitary goal to retain the title they claimed in 2018.

Cristina’s goal, which came off the rebound after the Colombian goalkeeper had initially stopped it, gave Spain the lead two minutes into the second half.

The goal, however, was overturned by a VAR review, thus the score remained 0-0. Cristina was found to have touched the ball with her hand.

It is pertinent to mention that Spain and Colombia also came face to face in the group stages with the former emerging victorious 1-0.

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MARGAO: Defending champions Spain edged past Germany in a hard-fought second semi-final, while Colombia downed Nigeria 6-5 on penalties as the two sides set to collide in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup summit clash on Sunday.

The exciting semifinal between the two teams remained equally balanced in regulation time despite some close attempts from both ends.

Spain came close to scoring in the 10th minute when Vicky Lopez broke clear down the left and fired in a magnificent cross that Cristina Libran headed against the crossbar.

The enthralling semifinal remained evenly balanced in the second half as well and it seemed to have entered the shootout before Spain broke the deadlock.

Lucia Corrales scored the match-winning goal in the 90th minute, poking the ball in from close range to power her team to the final on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Colombia beat Nigeria 6-5 on penalties after full-time ended goalless, in the semi-final earlier here.

Comfort Folorunsho botched her sudden death penalty, giving Colombia the victory in a game in which the Flamingos couldn’t string three passes together.

Following their respective semifinal triumphs, Spain and Colombia will lock horns in the FIFA U17 Women’s World Cup final on Sunday.

The action-filled tournament is being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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BARCELONA: Ousmane Dembele shone with an opener and three assists as Barcelona outclassed Athletic Club 4-0 in a home game on Sunday to stay three points behind table leaders Real Madrid in LaLiga.

Barcelona retains the second position with 28 points while Madrid tops the standing with 31 points after they beat Sevilla 3-1 on Saturday.

Barcelona dominated the visiting side right from the start as they netted the ball thrice in 10 minutes in the first half, starting with Dembele’s header in the 12th minute after Lewandoski’s assist.

Dembele then went on to assist Sergi Roberto who doubled the lead in the 18th minute before France forward put a brilliant cross to Lewandowski who made a powerful shot to make it 3-0 four minutes later. Dembele set up a late fourth as Ferran Torres also joined the action.

Meanwhile, in another matchday 11 fixture on Sunday, Villareal edged past Almeria 2-1 thanks to a late strike by Nicolas Jackson.

Antonio Griezmann, however, scored a brace to put Atletico Madrid 2-1 up against home side Real Betis.

The action-filled matches of LaLiga 2022-23 are being telecasted live on Pakistan’s first HD Sports channel – A Sports and is simultaneously streamed on the digital platform of ARY Digital Network – ARY ZAP in crystal clear HD quality.

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