Mbappé ‘Outplays’ Messi As Job Will Be Offered to 56-Year-Old Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto
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ARAB TIMES, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021 SPORTS 14 Rural governor talks of canceling local Olympic torch relay Hashimoto will be offered job to head Tokyo Olympics TOKYO, Feb 17, (AP): The Tokyo Olympic organizing committee is about to get a new president - and it looks like it will be a woman. According to a report in Japan, the Mbappé ‘outplays’ Messi as job will be offered to 56-year-old Olympic Minister Seiko Hashimoto. Hashimoto, who could be named this week, would replace Yoshiro Mori, who was forced to resign last week after he made demeaning com- PSG thrash Barcelona in CL ments about women. He said, essen- tially, that women talk too much. Japan’s Kyodo news agency, cit- ing a unnamed person “familiar with Liverpool pounce on errors to earn 2-0 win against Leipzig the matter,” said a selection commit- tee will ask Hashimoto to take the job. The committee, headed by BARCELONA, Spain, Feb 85-year-old Fujio Mitarai of the In this Sept 19, 2019 file photo, 17, (AP): Kylian Mbappé camera company Canon, was sched- Japan’s Olympics Minister Seiko outplayed Lionel Messi as uled to meet again on Thursday. Hashimoto speaks during a press Hashimoto won a bronze medal in conference at the cabinet office in Paris Saint-Germain put speedskating at the 1992 Albertville Tokyo. (AP) Barcelona up against the Olympics. She also competed in cycling in the Summer Olympics. the Paralympics on Aug. 24 with ropes in the Champions 4,400 athletes. The plan is to keep League again. Naming a woman could be break- through in Japan, where females are the athletes in a “bubble” at the And with Mbappé in that kind of Athletes Village, at venues and at form, it’s hard to see Barcelona stag- under-represented in boardrooms and in politics. Japan ranks 121st out training areas. ing another epic comeback this time. of 153 countries on the World In addition to the athletes, tens of After Messi put Barcelona ahead thousands of officials, media, spon- from the penalty spot, Mbappé netted Economic Forum’s annual gender equality ranking. sors and broadcasters will also have a hat trick at the Camp Nou Stadium to to enter Japan. Many of them will give PSG a 4-1 win in the first leg of operate outside the “bubble.” their round-of-16 matchup. OLYMPICS Also on Wednesday, a governor in It was the team’s first meeting since a western Japanese prefecture threat- Barcelona erased a 4-0 deficit by win- ened to cancel the torch relay in his ning the second leg 6-1 at the same Mori, a former Japanese prime stage of the competition four years minister, offered the job last week to area. Gov. Tatsuya Maruyama of ago. But Ronald Koeman’s team was 84-year-old Saburo Kawabuchi, a Shimane prefecture said he was thoroughly outplayed at home, even former head of the country’s soccer unhappy with COVID-19 prevention with PSG missing Brazil star Neymar, federation. But reports of the behind- measures surrounding the relay. His and now has to attempt a comeback in closed-door deal were widely criti- prefecture has been largely Paris instead. cized by social media, on Japanese untouched by the pandemic but he talk shows, and in newspaper reports. fears that could change. Kawabuchi quickly withdrew “Tokyo has been the source of the SOCCER from further consideration. nationwide infections,” Maruyama Two other former Olympians were said in a briefing Wednesday. “This Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah challenges for the ball with Leipzig’s Lukas Klostermann during the Champions also reported to have been in the run- also affects Shimane.” “It was a very important match for League round of 16, first leg, soccer match between RB Leipzig and Liverpool at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium in ning: Yasuhiro Yamashita, the presi- He added it “may threaten our us,” Mbappé said. “We wanted to Budapest, Hungary, on Feb 16. (AP) daily life.” come here and win. We did that in dent of the Japanese Olympic Committee who won gold in judo in The relay is to pass through the style. Tonight was magnificent, but we empty Camp Nou. touch pass by Marco Verratti. small prefecture in May. haven’t won anything yet.” 1984, and Mikako Kotani, who won The second leg will be on March 10 PSG continued to play better and two bronze medals in synchronized The torch relay is to begin March Mbappé scored five minutes after in Paris. Liverpool defeated Leipzig Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Messi’s opener and added two second- swimming at the 1988 Seoul 25 in northeastern Japan and will 2-0 in the other round-of-16 match on Stegen had to make a few good saves crisscross the country with about half goals to become the first player to Tuesday. before Mbappé put his team ahead Olympics. score an away hat trick at the Camp Kotani is the sports director for the 10,000 runners. The relay ends in The defeat deals another tough blow from inside the area in the 65th. Tokyo. Nou in the Champions League since to Barcelona, which has been strug- Kean added to the lead five minutes Tokyo Olympic organizing commit- Andriy Shevchenko for Dynamo Kyiv tee. That committee’s leadership is In another event on Wednesday, gling financially and enduring political later with a header off a free kick, and local organizers, the International in a 4-0 win in 1997. turmoil since the embarrassing 8-2 Mbappé sealed the scoring by finishing dominated by men, who make up His dominance was epitomized by 80% of the executive board. Olympic Committee and the loss to Bayern Munich in last season’s off a quick counterattack by curling a first- International Paralympic Committee the image of Barcelona captain Gerard quarterfinals. time shot into the far corner in the 85th. Hashimoto would inherit a tough Pique - making his return from a long- Barcelona was in control early on The goals allowed Mbappé to pass job. Polls show about 80% of ended three days of virtual meetings term injury layoff - pulling at Japanese people want the Olympics centered on measures to deal with Mbappé’s shirt in an unsuccessful and opened the scoring with a 27th- Pauleta for third place on the club’s minute penalty after Frenkie de Jong all-time scoring list with 111 goals. canceled or postponed. They have COVID-19 during the Olympics. attempt at slowing down the France reacted to the risks around holding It was a followup to the rollout of star as he rushed forward in attack. fell in the area when his heel was PSG was also without Ángel Di Maria clipped by defender Layvin Kurzawa. because of an injury. Neymar was a the Olympics during a pandemic, and the so-called Playbooks two weeks “There’s no doubt that Kylian is one the soaring costs. The official cost is ago. The first edition of the Playbooks of the best players in the world, despite Messi fired a left-footed shot into the Barcelona player in the round-of-16 top corner for his 10th goal in the last PSG’s Kylian Mbappe celebrates match in 2017, when he led the team’s $15.4 billion, but government audits was vague, but the next two editions his young age,” said PSG coach after scoring his side’s second goal in April and June will give specific Mauricio Pochettino, who was in 10 matches. It was Messi’s record 28th comeback with a great performance and have suggested its more than $25 bil- during the Champions League lion. details about how the Olympics can charge of his first Champions League goal in 31 matches in the round of 16 of round of 16, first leg soccer match two goals after the first-leg loss in Paris. game with the French club, having led the Champions League, according to between FC Barcelona and Paris Barcelona also was depleted by Japan, which has controlled the happen during a pandemic. Tottenham to the final two years ago. UEFA. He has scored in the tournament Saint-Germain at the Camp Nou injuries but saw the return of Piqué coronavirus better than most devel- Christophe Dubi, the Olympic “He’s already done extraordinary for the 17th consecutive year - from stadium in Barcelona, Spain on after he was sidelined for nearly three oped countries, began to roll out Games executive director, called the things. But we have to stay humble.” 2005 to 2021 - to match Raúl González’s Feb 16. (AP) months because of a knee problem. vaccines on Wednesday. It is several first edition “a framework.” Moise Kean also scored in the sec- feat from 1995 to 2011. Also out were Philippe Coutinho and months behind Britain and the United “We now have to go much deeper ond half for PSG, last season’s finalist PSG immediately pressed forward area, with Mbappé controlling the ball Sergi Roberto, who scored the sixth States. into the details,” Dubi said, “down to which looked far more dangerous than and equalized five minutes later after a and shooting it into the top of the net goal five minutes into stoppage time to The Olympics are to open on July every specific area in every single the hosts throughout the match at the nice exchange of passes inside the from close range after a clever one- seal Barcelona’s comeback in 2017. 23 with 11,000 athletes, followed by venue for each of the stakeholders.” Norway win gold in world skiing team event CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb 17, (AP): season with knee injuries.