https://arab.news/g47wc
PARIS: Egypt’s Mohamed Hamza Dessouky was eliminated from the Olympics Games’ men’s foil competition on Monday after losing 15-9 in the quarterfinals to Italy’s Fillipo Macchi.
Dessouky had earlier defeated Poland’s Jan Jurkiewicz and Spain’s Carlos Llavador to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
On Monday morning, Egypt’s Abdel-Rahman Tolba was eliminated from the men’s foil.
Tolba fell short in the round of 16 against America’s Nick Atkin with a score of 15-8.
JEDDAH: Head coach Roberto Mancini is thinking only about victory as Saudi Arabia prepare for their third-round World Cup qualifying match against Indonesia tomorrow night.
But the Italian is expecting some stern opposition from his Southeast Asian opponents when the game kicks off at 9 p.m. at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah.
“Indonesia is a very difficult team and of course the first game is also difficult,” he told a press conference on Wednesday.
“Indonesia has developed its football and they have so many players playing in Europe and the United States and I think they are ready too. Our goal is clear — to win the match.”
Mancini said he was hoping the crowd would play its part.
“It’s a high-level match. I hope Jeddah’s supporters stand behind us, we really need their support which will have a positive impact on the performance of our players.”
The coach was also asked about Falcons defender Saud Abdulhamid’s recent move to AS Roma, making him the first Saudi Arabian to play in Serie A.
“Abdulhamid spoke with me about six months ago and showed his interest to play in Europe. I was clear with him and told him to go ahead and work on it,” he said.
“Later on, I received a call from Daniele De Rossi, the head coach of AS Roma, and (he) asked me about Abdulhamid. I told him clearly that he is a good player and has the ability and skills to play for any European club.
“I hope to see more players go abroad to experience true professionalism. It’s great to have a group of Saudi players competing in the top European leagues. This certainly strengthens our squad.”
Mancini was also asked what he thought about the rule allowing Saudi teams to recruit up to eight foreign players.
“Attracting numerous top-level players from European leagues is a good idea but not in such a big number,” he said.
“On the other hand, attracting numerous top-level players from the European league definitely will have a positive result because Saudi local players will learn from those players.”
Falcons Forward Fahad Al-Mwalid said he too was looking forward to tomorrow night’s game and felt confident the team could come out on top.
“As the coach said, it is always difficult when you play your first game. We have all the respect for the Indonesian team but we are confident to win while playing at home and in front of our fans.”
Indonesia’s head coach Shin Tae-yong said his players were expecting a tough match but were ready for the challenge.
“We are playing with very strong Asian teams in Group C, including Japan, Australia and Saudi Arabia, but will do our best,” he said. “We have to fight with determination to stand strong.”
Indonesia has never reached a World Cup finals and Shin is being realistic about his team’s chances.
“We don’t know what will happen in football,” he said. “The realistic goal is to reach the playoffs by ranking third in the third qualifying round. That’s our goal.”
Defender Jay Idzes said he expected the Indonesian team to “give our best possible performance.”
“We understand that the Saudi league has reached a very advanced level of professionalism and now we see the players playing in Europe. But we are aiming to win.
“This is a match that we know is difficult, but it is football and we will do everything we can to put the Indonesian team on the map.”
BERLIN: Germany striker Niclas Fuellkrug said Wednesday he hoped the retirement of several experienced players could be an advantage for the new-look side.
Germany face Hungary in Duesseldorf on Saturday, having said goodbye to 2014 World Cup winners Manuel Neuer, Thomas Mueller and Toni Kroos, while captain Ilkay Gundogan has also retired since the home Euros in the summer.
Joshua Kimmich was named Germany captain on Monday and Fuellkrug, who at 31 is now one of the more experienced members of the squad despite making his debut in 2022, said his side would be hungrier.
“We’ve lost players with an incredible amount of experience and success. As Jo (Kimmich) said yesterday, we’ve got no more world champions in the team.
“Of course it’s a disadvantage, but we want to turn it into an advantage. We want to be a troupe which may be inexperienced but we’re hungry, greedy for success.”
Fuellkrug said a team that had not won anything “wants success just a bit more than a group that has had it.”
Fuellkrug singled out Mueller’s absence, saying Germany was already missing one of the country’s best-known characters, both on and off the pitch.
“When he walks into the room he has a real presence. Since he left, of course, it’s been a bit quieter,” Fuellkrug said smiling. “But we still miss him.”
The center-forward has 13 goals from 21 games for Germany, coming off the bench in all but six of those matches.
Fuellkrug moved from Borussia Dortmund to Premier League side West Ham United in the summer, having spent his entire career in Germany.
He is yet to score or assist in four games in England, three of which he came from the bench.
“I still need a bit more time to settle in,” Fuellkrug said, adding that the Premier League was “more physical and dynamic, but less tactical” than the Bundesliga.
KARACHI: Pakistan cricket was reeling Wednesday after its first-ever Test defeats against Bangladesh, the latest in a string of poor performances which have seen the game hit rock bottom.
The cricket-mad nation was left in despair after losing the second Test in Rawalpindi by six wickets on Tuesday as Bangladesh swept the series 2-0.
It was the 10th winless home Test in a row for former powerhouses Pakistan and came hard on the heels of failing to get out of their groups at both the 50-over and T20 World Cups in the past year.
“It’s a huge setback and our cricket is at a crossroads,” former Pakistan captain and legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram told AFP.
“For a former player and captain, and a lover of the game, I was left embarrassed at the way they have lost from good positions. I simply don’t get it.
“We are losing consistently on home turf and that says a lot about the quality of our cricket,” added Akram, who played 104 Tests and 356 one-day internationals for Pakistan.
The defeat to Bangladesh comes hard on the heels of chastening losses against Afghanistan and the USA in the ODI and T20 World Cups respectively.
Pakistan also have a dismal record in Tests at home in the past three years — six defeats and four draws, including England’s first-ever 3-0 series sweep there in 2022.
Ominously, in-form England are Pakistan’s next visitors and will play three Tests beginning in Multan on October 7.
Pakistan are not faring any better away from home, they lost all three Tests in Australia earlier this year — their sixth successive whitewash there since 1999.
“People have started to hate cricket,” former international player and regional coach Basit Ali told AFP.
“Bangladesh has shown us the mirror of what we are at international level.
“It’s a cliche that wins and losses are part of the game, but this is a seismic shock.”
Ali, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan, echoed the consensus among fans and commentators that the international team seems disjointed on the field.
“Pakistan did not play as a unit and players looked scattered,” he said.
“It is sad and embarrassing to say that this is Pakistan’s team.”
The loss also saw the Pakistan side battered by the national press, which said disunity stemmed from problems at the very top.
“Pakistan team’s rapid downward spiral has been alarming, to say the least,” said the Express Tribune newspaper on Wednesday. The sequence of high-profile losses “makes the mind boggle,” it added.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is currently chaired by the country’s interior minister Mohsin Naqvi.
“Since 1998, hand-picked favorites of the respective ruling regimes in the country have taken turns as PCB chairmen to run the game in their own clueless manner, only to ruin it,” the Express Tribune said.
Other analysts also say frequent changes at the top of the PCB, which has had five chairmen in the past three years, have impeded progress.
“With the PCB’s top management changing with every change of guard at political level, there is has been no consistent framework,” said the Dawn newspaper.
There have also been constant switches of captains and coaching staff while the domestic system of tournaments has had countless overhauls.
PCB chairman Naqvi himself called for “surgery in the system” after the T20 World Cup exit.
“We need to fix our problems,” he said last month.
“But when we look at how to resolve them, we don’t have any solid data or player pool which we can draw from.”
Ex-skipper Akram echoed Naqvi’s analysis.
“The quality of our cricket has gone down with no grassroots activity, so we do not have proper back-ups,” he said.
“We have a lot to work on,” Akram said. “As a cricket nation we have to be patient, that’s the key.”
“Unfortunately, there is no quick fix.”
JEDDAH: The Saudi Sailing Federation and its partner the Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina have announced three major events and a new sporting team initiative to continue the growth of sailing in the Kingdom.
In addition to increasing development and participation in the sport, the partnerships will look to position Jeddah as a major global sailing destination.
The 2024 Women’s Match Racing World Championship, the 2024 Youth Match Racing World Championship and the Red Sea 600 will all take place from the Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina in November and December 2024.
The inaugural Red Sea 600 was created through the partnership between the Saudi Sailing Federation and the Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina as the first offshore race on the Red Sea. It starts on Nov. 23 and is open to yachts of up to 100 feet in length overall and catamarans up to 70 feet.
The World Sailing Youth Match Racing World Championship will be from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 and is open to competitors who will be under the age of 23 on Dec. 31, 2024. Crews consist of four or five members and include at least one female and one male sailor, with a total weight limit of 350 kg.
The Women’s Match Racing World Championship will be from Dec. 5-8.
Samia Bagdady, CEO of the Saudi Sailing Federation said: “We are growing on the successes we saw from the America’s Cup Pre-Regatta last year. These three new events and the collaboration with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will take place in the second half of 2024 and will again shine a spotlight on the sport of sailing in Saudi Arabia.
“We are committed to the continued rise of Saudi Arabia as a positive force in international sailing,” she added. “Notably, Saudi women will compete in the Women’s Match Racing World Championship, which is a historic milestone. Our young Saudi sailors will compete against the world’s best young sailors in the Youth Match Racing World Championship and will learn a tremendous amount from the experience. Furthermore, an exciting new offshore race, the Red Sea 600, will be open to all sailors, both local and international.”
A performance partnership with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron will fast-track the development of a Saudi women’s team and a Saudi youth team, both of which will compete against the best in the world at the World Championships.
These new initiatives come on the back of the America’s Cup Pre-Regatta, which took place in Jeddah in December 2023 and saw 48,000 people gather at Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina and on the Corniche to witness the action.
Grant Dalton, CEO of America’s Cup Events, said: “The Pre-Regatta in Jeddah last year was an amazing event. We had fantastic racing on the Red Sea, the wind blew, the sun shone, the crowds were great, and we had a fantastic welcome from the Ministry of Sport and the Saudi Sailing Federation. Our plan was always to leave a positive sailing footprint in Saudi. Our aim was to use the Cup to inspire Saudis to get out on the water and to show the global sailing community what a great place it is to go sailing. These latest initiatives by the Saudi Sailing Federation and Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina are a clear demonstration of the positive impact the America's Cup has had on the region.”
Meanwhile, Alrayan Gadouri, head of venues at Sela, the organization behind Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina, commented on the collaboration with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron: “The fabulous facilities and great sailing conditions available at Jeddah Yacht Club and Marina are an obvious attraction to world-class event organizers. We will continue to show the world of sailing that Jeddah is a great place to host major regattas or hold high-performance training camps. The JYC Academy has world-class sailing facilities, and with mentoring and coaching through our new collaboration with the Royal New Zealand Yacht Club, we are confident that Saudi women and youth sailors will rapidly progress and compete at international level. Furthermore, we have created the Red Sea 600 race to allow local and international sailors to compete offshore along the stunning Red Sea coastline.”
David Graham, CEO of World Sailing, added: “World Sailing is responsible for the development of the sport around the world, and increasing participation and skill levels in new regions like Saudi is fundamental to our strategy.”
RIYADH: Futsal referee Reem Albishi is one step closer to her dream of being the first female Saudi referee at a FIFA World Cup, after she recently represented the Kingdom by officiating in the OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
At the tournament, the Oceania qualifier for the inaugural 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup, Albishi refereed four matches, including the final between New Zealand and Fiji.
During the tournament, Albishi was lead referee in the group stage match between Tonga and the Solomon Islands. She was also assistant referee in two other group stage matches: New Zealand v Tonga and New Zealand v Tahiti. Additionally, she was the assistant referee in the final between New Zealand and Fiji, where the “Football Ferns” secured their place in the 2025 FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup in the Philippines.
Lamia Bahaian, vice president of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation, said: “Reem’s dedication and determination have led her to this important stage in her career, and we couldn’t be prouder of what she’s achieved. She has consistently shown a strong commitment to her craft, and her involvement in such a significant tournament reflects her hard work and talent.
“We will be supporting her at every step of the way as she targets the 2025 FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup,” Bahaian said. “Her journey represents the opportunities we are working to create for female referees in Saudi Arabia, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see these efforts taking shape. We look forward to seeing her continue to thrive and inspire the next generation.”
Born and raised in Jeddah, Albishi, 27, is the youngest of four sisters and one brother. She began refereeing women’s football in 2018 and switched to futsal in 2020. Although her love for football has always been present, she did not initially set out to become a referee.
Albishi, said: “I was playing football and had to stop because of an injury. That’s when I turned to refereeing, and I’ve never looked back. My dream is to be the first Saudi female referee at a FIFA World Cup, starting with the 2025 FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup in the Philippines.
“I also aspire to one day officiate in men’s competitions at the international level. The sky is the limit, and I’m determined to reach that goal.”
Albishi’s rapid development as a referee has taken her to several international competitions. Earlier this year, she travelled to France and officiated a French final four futsal playoff qualification match between Kremlin-Bicetre and Paris Acasa, as well as matches in New Caledonia, for the Oceania Football Confederation Futsal Men’s Champions League. At the Futsal Week U-19 Summer Cup in Croatia further showed her abilities when she worked alongside 14 international colleagues, officiating in seven matches and receiving praise for her performances, especially during the knockout rounds and final.
Albishi’s accomplishments have led to her being selected as a FIFA-accredited referee, making her an emerging candidate to officiate at the 2025 FIFA Women’s Futsal World Cup. In August, she also completed the latest on-field assessment at the Asian Football Confederation’s Elite Futsal Referees seminar in Kuala Lumpur.
Albishi’s presence in international competitions highlights the efforts made by the SAFF to enhance the refereeing landscape through targeted initiatives under its ‘Tactics for Tomorrow’ transformation strategy. This strategy includes dedicated pathways for female referees under the “Women’s Football” pillar and comprehensive support and incentives under the “Workforce” pillar, aimed at developing referees at all levels of the game. These efforts have already shown results, with the number of female referees increasing by 26 percent in 2024 compared with 2023.
As the 2025 FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup in the Philippines approaches, Albishi’s performance at the OFC Futsal Women’s Nations Cup makes her a strong candidate for selection at the tournament.
