Football Legends Look Forward to Historic FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar
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Sport SATURDAY 1 MAY 2021 Title in sight butbu Guardiola focused only on Palace LetL me try to win at Crystal Palace... United is an extraor- ddinary team arriving in the last two months in their best form ofo the season and we need five points to be champions. All we ccan do now is recover as well as possible from the physically aand mentally tough game we played in Paris. ManchesterM City manager Sport | 15 PPep Guardiola IPL: Punjab Kings: 179/5 (KL Rahul 91*, C Gayle 46, K Jamieson 2/32); Royal Challengers Bangalore 145/8 (V Kohli 35, H Brar 3/19) Sport Football legends look forward to unites for social historic FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar media A view of THE PENINSULA – DOHA colossal first round match boycott FIFA Arab Cup between Egypt and Algeria – 2021 draw REUTERS – LONDON Football legends from across the two African champions that ceremony on Arab world took part in the draw have a tremendous history with Tuesday. for the FIFA Arab Cup 2021 at each other – I also look forward A British football-instigated Katara Opera House earlier this to seeing Saudi Arabia play boycott of the world’s biggest week. The tournament, set to Morocco. The more we see social media platforms by take place in Qatar later this intercontinental match-ups, the professional athletes, sports year, will see 23 teams from the better sense we will get of who teams, governing bodies and region vie for the highly antici- really deserves to lay claim to broadcasters got underway on pated title in what will be the the title of best team in the Arab Friday in response to continued final major tournament to take world,” said Gomaa, a former online racist abuse against a place in Qatar ahead of the FIFA Egyptian full-back and three- number of Black athletes. World Cup 2022. time winner of the African Cup The boycott, announced by Teams were drawn into four of Nations. England’s football authorities a groups, with the top nine nations “For fans, the Arab Cup will week ago and swiftly bolstered according to the FIFA World also kick off a year-long cele- by a number of other sports Rankings qualifying automati- bration in the build-up to Qatar bodies, is aimed at pressurising cally, and the remaining seven 2022. Seeing their teams in social media giants to take more joining after a series of one-off action against all forms of abuse qualification matches. on their platforms, and runs For Younis Mahmoud and from 1500 BST (1400 GMT) yes- Wael Gomaa, who are both terday to 2359 BST on Monday. Qatar Legacy Ambassadors and Manchester United said earlier considered legendary players on Friday its own analysis had from Iraq and Egypt respec- found that since September tively, the tournament promises 2019, there had been a 350% to deliver some classic match- increase in abuse directed ups that are sure to excite fans towards its players. across the Arab world. “By taking part in this “I was excited to see Qatar boycott this weekend, we, and Iraq drawn in the same alongside the rest of English group because the two teams football, want to shine a light have built a very nice rivalry that on the issue,” United’s group has seen results go both ways,” managing director Richard said Mahmoud, who led Iraq to Arnold said. Britain’s football AFC Asian Cup glory in 2007. clubs were joined by European He continued: “Both are Qatar Legacy soccer’s governing body UEFA, former Asian champions with Ambassador, British Cycling, the Rugby relatively young squads and Iraqi legend Football Union (RFU), the they will both be keen to show Younis Mahmoud England and Wales Cricket off their skills to a global picks Iraq during Board (ECB), and Formula One audience ahead of the first the FIFA Arab world champion Lewis Ham- World Cup in the region. Going Cup Draw Egyptian ilton among others, plus media through to the next round for legend companies including Sky each of the teams will not be Wael Gomaa Sports and BT Sport. easy, but doing so will mean Announcing it was joining facing some of the region’s best the boycott this week, BT Sport teams, mainly those from action in World Cup stadiums Legacy Ambassador, knows the world’s best players at World many of them will have in the said the “horrific cycle of online North Africa who boast players will be a treat, particularly for importance of big tournaments Cup stadiums will be the oppor- stands, will surely mean that we abuse had to end”. from Europe’s top leagues.” those smaller nations that might like the Arab Cup for younger tunity of a lifetime,” said Khalil, see an upset or two,” Khalil The International Tennis Gomaa believes the tour- not qualify for the World Cup players, especially those from a former goalkeeper who turned added. Federation (ITF) was one of the nament will finally confirm the next year,” added Gomaa. lesser known teams. out for Qatar Stars League side Set to take place at six Qatar bodies to join yesterday. best Arab football nation – a As a former Qatari player “For the smaller teams from Al Arabi SC. 2022 stadiums, the tournament “The level of abuse indi- debate regularly aired in coffee who was part of the famous side the region, this tournament will “I know how much this tour- will be the final major milestone viduals are forced to endure is shops and social media forums that made it to the quarter- be their big chance to show off nament will mean for those prior to the country’s hosting of completely unacceptable, across the region. finals of the 1992 Olympics in their footballing merit to the rest teams, and the passion that they the World Cup, which will be which is why we are... calling “Although most fans will Barcelona, Ahmed Khalil, who of the world. Having the oppor- will bring on to the field. Their held from 21 November to 18 on social media companies to rightfully look forward to the is also a Qatar tunity to play against the Arab skill, along with the support December 2022. act now to protect individuals who are merely doing their jobs,” ITF president David Hag- gerty said. FIVB World Tour: In response to the boycott, Twitter said that since the Cancun Hub 3rd Event English soccer season started in September it had removed Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan 7,000 of the 30 million Tweets in action against Poland’s Piotr Kantor and in the UK about soccer. Bartosz Losiak during the Third Cancun “Racist behaviour, abuse Hub event of the FIVB World Tour, in and harassment have abso- Cancún, Mexico, yesterday. The Polish lutely no place on our service duo defeated Cherif and Tijan 2-0 (21- and alongside our partners in 23, 20-22) to take the lead in Pool C. The football, we condemn racism Qataris who beat Italy’s Tiziano Andreatta in all its forms,” a Twitter and Andrea Abbiati 2-0 (21-16, 21-18) in spokesperson said. their first match on Thursday, will take Britain’s seven-times on Mexicans Miguel Sarabia Delgado and Formula One world champion Raymond Stephens Zamora in today’s Hamilton has switched off his Main Draw - Round 1 match. social media channels in a show of support. Hamilton back on top as Mercedes set pace in Portuguese GP practice REUTERS – PORTIMÃO, PORTUGAL The start of the afternoon practice soft tyres and was third in the second “What a joke, mate. I can’t even Ferrari to Aston Martin, stopped at the was delayed by 10 minutes as mar- session. see where I’m going, there’s so wrong garage when he came into the Mercedes set the pace in Portuguese shals fixed a loose drain cover. Hamilton, only fifth in that much vibration,” he said over the pits during first practice. Grand Prix practice yesterday with Bottas, his car rebuilt after a big opening hour, lapped in 1:19.837 in the radio. “Sorry for that. It had to happen Valtteri Bottas quickest in the morning collision with Williams driver George afternoon. “I’ll just visit the dentist after the at some point,” chuckled the German before seven times world champion Russell at Imola on April 18, clocked The Briton leads Verstappen by a weekend.” Red Bull’s Sergio Perez was over the radio. “I was wondering why Lewis Hamilton led the way in the a best time of one minute 19.648 single point going into a weekend at third and 0.198 off the pace after nobody was there.” afternoon. seconds on a track where last October he won spending the early part of the opening Ferrari-backed Briton Callum Ilott Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, from pole and set the fastest lap. session in the garage. He was 10th in took Antonio Giovinazzi’s place at Alfa Hamilton’s closest rival in the Verstappen was 0.025 slower than the later stint. Romeo for his practice debut after Formula One championship Bottas and 0.143 behind George Russell, who collided with being appointed as their second after two races, was second Hamilton. The Dutch Bottas at Imola, was seventh fastest reserve earlier in the week. He was in both sessions at the youngster complained for Williams in another eye-catching 17th fastest, with team mate Kimi Algarve circuit. in the morning that the morning performance by the Raikkonen 15th. car was “impossible to youngster.