Sam Bird eyes more Diriyah glory with NEOM McLaren Formula E Team

Sam Bird eyes more Diriyah glory with NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
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Sam Bird joined NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in August ahead of Season 10 start in January 2024. (NEOM McLaren)
Sam Bird eyes more Diriyah glory with NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
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Sam Bird joined NEOM McLaren Formula E Team in August ahead of Season 10 start in January 2024. (NEOM McLaren)
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Updated 15 November 2023
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Sam Bird eyes more Diriyah glory with NEOM McLaren Formula E Team

Sam Bird eyes more Diriyah glory with NEOM McLaren Formula E Team
  • British driver has 10 wins, 3rd-place championship finish in all-electric racing series

RIYADH: Few Formula E drivers will be looking forward to the Diriyah E-Prix double-header on Jan. 26 and 27 as much as Sam Bird.

The new NEOM McLaren Formula E Team driver has record at the Riyadh circuit that not many rivals can match on any track – two wins and podium in his illustrious career.

Bird, 36, is a veteran of all nine seasons of the electric car series and has quickly settled in at his new team ahead of the 10th campaign starting on Jan. 13 in Mexico.

He told Arab News: “Everything is going very, very well. I’m very impressed with the work ethic from everybody. That’s from comms team, to data engineers to engineers, great team boss, everybody is performing at a high level. And there’s no reason why this team can’t deliver straight out the box in Mexico.

“Obviously, I’m still learning about the car, about how the team operates and works. But it’s a great team. And I feel very much at home already.”

Since the launch of the first Formula E season in 2014, Bird has won 10 races and finished third in 2017-18 with DS Virgin Racing. From 2020 he raced for Jaguar until his move to NEOM McLaren in August.

He noted that the sport had come a long way since the early days.

Bird said: “In 2014, everybody had the same car. We had two cars for the race. At one point during season one, we didn’t know whether we would finish the championship. We thought the championship might be finished before it even started.

“But it’s just grown. Manufacturers got involved, they saw the unique opportunities that Formula E could give them in terms of marketing, in terms of software development, that would then go onto the production line.

“It’s worked so well, we’ve now got better teams, better drivers, more manufacturers. We’re now a bona fide World Championship racing series.

“The series has gone from strength to strength. It’s now nearly a decade old, but we’re still a very new racing series. But we have grown at a very quick rate in comparison to most other forms of sport. And I think that we as a championship should be very proud of this,” he added.

Season nine in 2023 saw the introduction of the Gen3 car, the fastest and most efficient Formula E model yet.

Bird said: “I actually found it fine to adjust to it. But whenever you get a new car, there are teething problems. And I think everybody experienced some small little issues last year.

“We also had a new tire and tire partner in Hankook. Now getting your head around the tire is a very important part of racing. So that took a bit of time as well, understanding where the sweet spot might be with this tire. And that’s kind of an ongoing process, I think for everybody.

“But everybody’s learned an awful lot from last year, everybody’s going to be coming out of the blocks this year thinking that they have more knowledge than last year. And everybody will do a better job this year. Everybody’s reliability, everybody’s performance, everybody’s tools and software will be at a higher level in season 10 than it was in season nine, that’s for sure,” he added.

As Formula E enters its 10th season, Bird pointed out that the series was staring to get the recognition it deserved.

“If I speak to people and they ask what I do, and I say I’m a racing driver, they then ask what series I do, and I say Formula E. Nine times out of 10 now people know of Formula E, have heard of Formula E, whereas that wasn’t the case four or five years ago.

“So, I do think that we are now quite a well-known series, the next step is to get a bigger fan base. And I think we’re doing a very strong job of that.

“We’re not even a decade old yet, so we have to realize that these things don’t happen overnight, it’s going to take time, and the team at Formula E and all the teams themselves have got strategies in order to try and improve our engagements and try and improve our fan base.

“But we have a great set of loyal fans, hundreds of thousands of them that tune in each weekend to watch us race. We normally pack out each race venue, which is awesome as well. And the reason for that is that it’s an entertaining, action-packed, thrilling race that a whole family can come and enjoy,” he said.

Bird’s most rewarding venue has been New York, where he took first place three times, but he now has a new favorite.

“Now that New York is no longer there, Diriyah is the next one where I’ve had the most wins. I’ve had two wins there and a podium there before. More points there than anybody else.

“Diriyah stands out as somewhere that I go to and score big points and that’s certainly the plan again this year.

“I’m very much looking forward to some of the new venues as well, specifically Tokyo. I think that’s going to be really incredible and Formula E have done a mighty job on getting us to some of these new venues.

“So, I would say the one I’m looking forward to going to and trying to score big points is definitely Diriyah. But there’s no reason why we can’t try and do that every race,” Bird added.


Kane disappointed by England Nations League withdrawals

Kane disappointed by England Nations League withdrawals
Updated 42 sec ago
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Kane disappointed by England Nations League withdrawals

Kane disappointed by England Nations League withdrawals
The Bayern Munich forward said it was a “shame” that so many players had withdrawn
“It’s a tough period of the season and maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit”

LONDON: Harry Kane says he is disappointed by the high number of withdrawals from the England squad this week, insisting the national team must come first.
The Euro 2024 runners-up head to Greece for Thursday’s must-win Nations League match before a Wembley meeting with Ireland on Sunday.
But interim boss Lee Carsley’s final camp, before the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as the new manager, has been hit by an eye-watering eight pull-outs.
The situation has frustrated Kane, who will lead the side out at the Olympic Stadium in Athens knowing key players are absent for a match they must win to stand a chance of automatic promotion.
Asked if there was one thing former manager Gareth Southgate put in place that senior players need to ensure is not lost, the striker told ITV: “I think the joy to play for England. I think he brought that back.
“I think every camp people were excited to come, every camp people wanted to play for England and, yeah, that’s the most important thing.
“I think England comes before anything. England comes before club.”
The Bayern Munich forward said it was a “shame” that so many players had withdrawn.
“It’s a tough period of the season and maybe that’s been taken advantage of a little bit,” he said.
“I don’t really like it if I’m totally honest. I think England comes before anything, any club situation.”
Eight players withdrew from Carsley’s initial 26-man squad for the Nations League double-header including Declan Rice, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer.
Jarrad Branthwaite was among five players brought into the squad but the Everton center-back is a major doubt, having been unable to train with the group so far.

Alcaraz beats Rublev to open ATP Finals account

Alcaraz beats Rublev to open ATP Finals account
Updated 13 November 2024
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Alcaraz beats Rublev to open ATP Finals account

Alcaraz beats Rublev to open ATP Finals account
  • World number three Alcaraz comfortably defeated Rublev to lift himself off the bottom of the John Newcombe Group
  • “I could be better, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz on court after beating Rublev

TURIN: Carlos Alcaraz opened his account at the ATP Finals on Wednesday with an entertaining 6-3, 7-6 (10/8) win over Andrey Rublev which boosted his hopes of reaching the semifinals.
World number three Alcaraz comfortably defeated Rublev to lift himself off the bottom of the John Newcombe Group and looked in much better form despite struggling with fatigue and illness in the lead-up to the match.
There had been some doubt as to whether Alcaraz, who lost his opening match in straight sets to Casper Ruud, would continue in Turin after quickly ending his training session on Tuesday, with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero saying that he had trouble breathing.
“I could be better, I’m not going to lie,” said Alcaraz on court after beating Rublev.
“I’ve been struggling with my health the last week and today I thought I was going to feel better. I was OK to play, but thinking about the first match I was thinking a lot about that I was sick, that I couldn’t play.
“Today I really wanted to step on the court and just think about tennis, try to play a high level... When I played the first match I felt like I did not entertain the people, I did not play good tennis.”
Alcaraz, who has won the Wimbledon and French Open titles this season, cruised to the first set in 38 minutes, breaking Rublev in game seven and quickly winning the next two to go one set ahead.
And although the Spaniard had a harder time of it in the second set he delighted the spectators with a series of spectacular shots which suggested he might be approaching his best form.
Alcaraz winning in straight sets means that Ruud will reach the semifinals if he beats two-time Finals champion Alexander Zverev in the day’s late match.
Rublev meanwhile drops to last place after losing his sixth straight Finals match, although he put up a battle and had two opportunities to win the second set.
The Russian will be cheering on Zverev later as he will be eliminated should Ruud win and secure passage to the knockout stage.
On Thursday world number one Jannik Sinner will reach the last four if he claims a single set against Daniil Medvedev, and will top the Ilie Nastase Group with a third straight win.


‘Like I never left this team,’ says Herve Renard ahead of first game back in charge of Saudi Arabia

‘Like I never left this team,’ says Herve Renard ahead of first game back in charge of Saudi Arabia
Updated 13 November 2024
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‘Like I never left this team,’ says Herve Renard ahead of first game back in charge of Saudi Arabia

‘Like I never left this team,’ says Herve Renard ahead of first game back in charge of Saudi Arabia
  • Herve Renard: ‘We are not in a very good position, but (also) not in a very bad situation as well. So we still have six games to look forward to qualify for the next World Cup, and this is our goal’
  • Green Falcons will have to confront the twin challenge of Australia and Indonesia without talisman Salem Al-Dawsari, who was ruled out with an injury suffered in Al-Hilal’s 3-1 win over Ettifaq

SYDNEY: For the first time in 18 months, Herve Renard strutted into a press conference wearing a tracksuit emblazoned with the distinctive logo of Saudi Arabia and all felt right with the world.

The revered Frenchman returns to Saudi Arabia following the dismissal of Roberto Mancini last month after the Green Falcons’ slow start to World Cup qualifying, with a 2-0 loss to Japan and 0-0 with Bahrain the final straw after a strained 14-month tenure for the decorated Italian manager.

In opting to return to Renard, who oversaw their transformation from a middling nation to one capable of beating Argentina on the biggest stage, Saudi Arabia are hoping the past 18 months can simply disappear as if they never existed and Renard can take over where he left off.

And while most in Saudi Arabia are delighted to see the 56-year-old return, the feeling is also mutual, with Renard telling reporters in Melbourne, where Saudi Arabia play a crunch qualifier against Australia on Thursday night, that he was overjoyed to be back.

“My comeback was a (special) sensation,” he said with a broad smile. “The feeling was like I never left this team. I knew three-quarter of these players. We had a fantastic World Cup qualifiers in 2022 and a very good World Cup as well.”

But while there was more than a whiff of nostalgia in the air as he spoke to the assembled media from both Australia and Saudi Arabia, he was also quick to point out that the past was the past and the mission now is to ensure qualification for 2026, which after four games is looking precarious, with just one win on the board.

The Green Falcons are third in Group C, equal on five points with Australia (second) and Bahrain (fourth), and face the tricky prospect of back-to-back away games against Australia on Thursday and then against Indonesia next Tuesday, who held Saudi Arabia to a 1-1 draw in their first encounter in Jeddah in September.

“We still have a very good memories together, but this is the past. Now we have to look forward for these qualifiers,” he said.

“We are not in a very good position, but (also) not in a very bad situation as well. So we still have six games to look forward to qualify for the next World Cup, and this is our goal.”

They will have to confront the twin challenge of Australia and Indonesia without talisman Salem Al-Dawsari, who was ruled out with an injury suffered in Al-Hilal’s 3-1 win over Ettifaq last weekend.

The timing of the injury to arguably their best and most important player could not have been worse given their struggles to find the back of the net this campaign, with just three goals in four matches — the equal worst record of any of the 18 sides left in this phase of qualifying.

One player who is likely to carry an additional attacking burden in Al-Dawsari’s absence is his former Al-Hilal teammate, Saleh Al-Shehri.

Now with Al-Ittihad, the 31-year-old arrives in camp on the back of impressive form in the Roshn Saudi League. Stepping up in the absence of captain and former Ballon d’Or winner Karim Benzema, Al-Shehri has scored twice in as many games and was confident he and his teammates can cover the absence of the former AFC Player of the Year.

“As a Saudi team, we always have a lot of players that can fill any shoes,” he said.

“So, I think either me or my other colleagues, we’re going to do our best to win this game. On the personal side, I think I’m going to have a good game and hopefully I’m going to score for my team tomorrow.”

With a sold-out crowd expected at Melbourne’s 30,000-capacity AAMI Park, the stakes could not be higher for both teams.

With Japan five points clear on top, Saudi Arabia and Australia are jostling for that second automatic position to guarantee qualification for the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico, and with both teams level on points, Thursday night’s match could be decisive in determining which nation ultimately progresses.

In football parlance, it is a classic “six-pointer,” a game that neither side can afford to lose.

“It’s a very important game,” Renard said, “but we don’t want to underrate Indonesia (and) Bahrain; (Bahrain) were able to win in Australia.

“We are always talking about Australia (or) Saudi Arabia, but I think it will be a big fight between three or four teams for the second position. So, of course, this game is very important.”

The jovial frivolities of the press conference quickly gave way to the hard reality of why Saudi Arabia were in the cold of southern Australia, with the team getting their first look at Melbourne’s AAMI Park under gray and gloomy skies.

Perhaps that was a portent of what was to come, with news emerging late on Wednesday evening that recalled veteran Salman Al-Faraj had been taken to a nearby hospital for scans after injuring his knee in what could be another blow for Renard after the forced withdrawal of Al-Dawsari.

Time will tell if he will be fit enough to play a part in Thursday’s must-win encounter, but with or without the veteran, you know that with Renard back on the touchline, this Saudi side will put up a fight.


South Africa football chief arrested on fraud, theft charges

South Africa football chief arrested on fraud, theft charges
Updated 13 November 2024
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South Africa football chief arrested on fraud, theft charges

South Africa football chief arrested on fraud, theft charges
  • Jordaan, who led South Africa’s successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, denied the charges in a Johannesburg court
  • He was accused of hiring a private security company for his own protection and a public relations company without authorization from the SAFA board

JOHANNESBURG: South African Football Association (SAFA) president Danny Jordaan was arrested and charged Wednesday with using the group’s resources for his own purposes in a fraud and theft case amounting to 1.3 million rand ($72,000), police said.
Jordaan, who led South Africa’s successful bid to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup, denied the charges in a Johannesburg court.
“The allegations are that between 2014 and 2018, the president of SAFA used the organization’s resources for his personal gain,” a police statement said.
He was accused of hiring a private security company for his own protection and a public relations company without authorization from the SAFA board, the statement added.
Jordaan, 73, is reported to have hired the public relations firm after his reputation took a knock when a South African singer and former lawmaker alleged in 2017 that he had sexually assaulted her 25 years previously. He denied the allegations.
He was arrested “following an intensive investigation by the Serious Commercial Crime Investigation based in Johannesburg into allegations of R1.3 million fraud and theft,” police said.
Jordaan has been SAFA president since 2013 and was elected for a third time in 2022.
He was arrested with SAFA chief financial officer Gronie Hluyo and businessman Trevor Neethling, head of the communications company cited in the charges, who also denied the accusations.
The court released the three on bail.


Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi reclaims number 1 spot in ODI bowler rankings

Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi reclaims number 1 spot in ODI bowler rankings
Updated 13 November 2024
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Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi reclaims number 1 spot in ODI bowler rankings

Pakistan’s Shaheen Afridi reclaims number 1 spot in ODI bowler rankings
  • Shaheen Afridi took eight wickets in three matches against Australia at 12.62 average this month
  • Pacer Haris Rauf rises to career-best number 13 as ex-captain Babar Azam remains top ODI-ranked batter

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s left arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi reclaimed his number one spot in the ICC ODI Bowler Rankings, the cricket governing body announced on Wednesday, after a successful tour against world champions Australia this year. 

Afridi regained his place as the top bowler in the 50-over cricket format after he took eight wickets across three matches against Australia in the ODI series that concluded last week. Afridi, who recorded an impressive average of 12.62 during the three matches, helped Pakistan secure a 2-1 series win against the 2023 world champions. This was Pakistan’s first series win against Australia since 2002. 

The achievement helped Afridi move up three places and take the premier position from South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj, who was pushed down two spots to number three while Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan remains in second place. 

“Pakistan have received a boost just months out from the start of next year’s ICC Champions Trophy with news that pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi has re-claimed the No.1 ranking on the latest ICC Men’s ODI Bowler Rankings,” the ICC said in a report. 

Afridi has previously first held the number one bowler ranking midway through last year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.

Meanwhile, fellow Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf improved 14 places to secure the number 13 spot, reaching a new career-high rating. Rauf was awarded Player of the Series against Australia after taking 10 wickets against the 2023 champions. 

“Afridi’s rise to the top means Pakistan now have the top-ranked player in both batting and bowling in ODI cricket, with former skipper Babar Azam increasing his lead at the top of the batter charts following 80 runs against Australia when dismissed just once,” the ICC said.

Pakistan will play their first of three T20I matches against Australia in Brisbane on Thursday.