NFL | Page 7 GOLF | Page 11 Vikings put Arnold Palmer, brakes on the people’s To Advertise here Newton, end champion with Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 Panthers’ run aura of greatness Tuesday, September 27, 2016 FOOTBALL Dhul-Hijja 25, 1437 AH Rampant Dortmund GULF TIMES will put stuttering Real to test SPORT Page 3 AFC CHAMPIONS LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL AL AIN VS EL JAISH 5:50PM QATAR TIME Confi dent El Jaish take on Al Ain, aim to make history ‘We deserve to be here now and hopefully we can continue on our way towards the final of the competition. We face a strong team with good players but we have a good team as well and we are ready for the match’ AFC Al Ain l Jaish coach Sabri Lamouchi has stressed his side deserve to be in the semi-fi nals of the 2016 AFC Champions League Eas they prepare to take on former champions Al Ain in the fi rst leg of their last four encounter today evening. The Qatari side saw off Al Nasr from the United Arab Emirates in the quarter-fi nals in controversial circum- stances after being awarded a 3-0 win following the annulment of the fi rst leg due to the fi elding of an ineligible player. A 1-0 win in the second leg in Dubai secured the result for Lamouchi’s side and they are now setting their sights on reaching the fi nal for the fi rst time in the club’s history. “We deserve to be here now and hopefully we can continue on our way towards the fi nal of the competition,” said Lamouchi. “We face a strong team with good players but we have a good team as well and we are ready for the match.” The two teams have already met in this year’s competition, with El Jaish winning both encounters in the group stages as they started the tournament in impressive fashion with striker Ro- marinho in particularly stand-out form. El Jaish have since added former Barcelona midfi elder Seydou Keita to their line-up and Lamouchi will also have Lucas Mendes available for the fi rst leg after he missed the previous game against Al Nasr due to suspen- sion. Despite those win earlier in the com- petition, Lamouchi knows the results count for nothing as the two teams El Jaish coach Sabri Lamouchi (left). (Right) El Jaish team during their practice session at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain yesterday ahead of the first leg of their AFC Champions semi-final tie. prepare to battle it out for a place in the fi nal against either Jeonbuk Hyundai but things now will be harder because El Jaish saw off Al Nasr from the sides have a lot of ambition in the motiv Tashkent of Uzbekistan that was the second leg against Lokomotiv due Motors or FC Seoul, both of Korea Re- they now know how we play and things United Arab Emirates in the quarter- semi-fi nals as we both want to go to secured thanks to an impressive per- to suspension, does not believe those public. will not be easy. I’m very confi dent that fi nals with a 4-0 aggregate win earlier the fi nal. formance in the away leg following a matches will have any bearing on the “We know Al Ain very well and they our players will be able to get a positive in the month, and the Croatian coach “I hope that we will be lucky in the 0-0 draw on home soil. outcome of the last four meeting. have great history in the AFC Champi- result in the two matches.” is pleased his team will not have to face match tomorrow so that we can have Despite Dalic’s comments, the two “These two matches are very impor- ons League,’ said Lamouchi of the in- Al Ain’s rivals from Dubai in the semi- a good win that will help us before teams have met in the competition tant and we are meeting a strong side augural tournament winners. “I know ‘JAISH EASIER OPPONENT’ fi nals today evening. the second leg. We are now close to already this season, with El Jaish win- against whom we lost twice before,” he that we are a strong side and they have Meanwhile Zlatko Dalic believes his Al “The match against El Jaish will be achieving our target, but at the same ning both of their encounters in the said. “But things now should be diff er- never lost twice in the competition in Ain side will have a less troublesome very hard for us, but things would have time things will be tough if we don’t get group stages as Al Ain made a lacklus- ent because we are at a critical stage of the same week, which means that we route to the fi nal due to the Qatari club’s been harder for us had Al Nasr quali- a positive result.” tre start to the competition. the competition and we should avoid should be expecting a tough match. unfamiliarity with the two-time fi nalists fi ed for the semi-fi nals because they Al Ain qualifi ed for the semi-fi nals But the coach, who will welcome any mistakes if we want to qualify for “We have previously defeated them from the United Arab Emirates. know us very well,” said Dalic. “Both with a 1-0 aggregate win over Loko- back Mohammed Fayez after he missed the fi nal.” QATAR STARS LEAGUE Laudrup returns to Qatar as Rayyan coach Agencies Laudrup, previously the coach at quarter-fi nals where they lost to Sau- “The board of Al Rayyan football Doha English Premier League team Swansea di’s Al Hilal 6-3 over a two-legged tie. club have reached an agreement City, beat off competition from former With the appointment of Laudrup, with Denmark’s Michael Laudrup Tottenham manager Christian Gross, Rayyan have found an able replacement to be the manager of the club,” ig-name manager Michael according to another statement on the for Fossati. The Uruguayan had deliv- read a statement on the club’s Laudrup will take over the reins club’s website posted earlier in the day. ered the title in emphatic fashion last website. of Qatar Stars League champi- With Rayyan returning to the Cham- season, winning their fi rst QSL crown ons Al Rayyan, the club’s man- pions League for this season, Laudrup’s in over 20 years, fi nishing 14 points record so far. Bagement announced yesterday. experience with Lekhiwya was seen as ahead of second-placed El Jaish. Of course, it’s ridiculously early in Former Barcelona and Real Madrid vital by the club management. After that blazing run to the title, the season to be making any sort of in- star Laudrup will replace Jorge Fossati, The 52-year-old had a successful Rayyan seem to be suff ering a slump in ference but with the league title seem- who was appointed as coach of Qatar’s outing with Lekhwiya in his previ- form and didn’t go on to claim all the ingly a four-horse race all the way to national team over the weekend. ous stint as a QSL manager. He guided silverware available last season, as was the fi nish, Laudrup will have little or no “The board of Al Rayyan football the Red Knights to the QSL title in expected of them. This season they won time getting the defending champions club have reached an agreement with the 2014-15 season where Lekhwiya their fi rst match comfortably against running like a champion mare. Denmark’s Michael Laudrup to be the wrapped up the title with one match newly-promoted Shahania. But they Rayyan fans are a demanding lot and manager of the club,” read a statement day to spare. They fi nished fi ve points were held to a goalless draw against after having made a dramatic re-entry on the club’s website. ahead of second-placed Al Sadd and Umm Salal. Two matches and they fi nd to the QSL last season, they will be ex- “It is expected that Laudrup will ar- also fi nished with an impressive goal themselves two points adrift of the pecting a second title and even a strong rive in Doha within the next few hours diff erence of 34. In the AFC Champions other title contenders – Lekhwiya, El run in the Asian Champions League to offi cially sign the contract.” File picture of Michael Laudrup during his days as Lekhwiya coach. League, Laudrup’s boys reached the Jaish and Al Sadd, who have a perfect which will begin in February 2017. Gulf Times 2 Tuesday, September 27, 2016 FOOTBALL FOCUS SPOTLIGHT FIFA racism task force achieved its Totti still magic as goal, says Samoura AFP Manchester, United Kingdom othing sinister Roma icon turns 40 should be read into the disbanding of the FIFA task force ‘He’s one of the best ever. It’s amazing to see what he can still do with a ball’ Non racism as it had simply achieved its goals, FIFA secre- tary-general Fatma Samoura said yesterday. The 54-year-old Senegalese FIFA’s secretary-general Fatma — recruited to some surprise Samoura speaks during the from the United Nations in Soccerex Global Convention May and the fi rst woman and 2016 in Manchester. (AFP) non-European to serve on the FIFA executive — added FIFA ing the 2018 World Cup as their could live with the perception fans are notorious for their racist by many that it was too soon to chants and attacks.