FFOOTBALLOOTBALL | Page 2 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 6 Juventus host Anderson Milan as Italian grateful for West season fi nally Indies’ decision resumes to tour England Friday, June 12, 2020 TENNIS Shawwal 20, 1441 AH US Open protocols GULF TIMES won’t work for Halep: coach Cahill SPORT Page 5 FOOTBALL Qatar maintains 55th position in FIFA rankings The Qatari national football team maintained its 55th position in the FIFA monthly rankings issued yesterday for men’s teams. The ranking didn’t witness any change, due to the lack of matches in the previous period due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Belgium main- Premier League’s tained the first position with 1,765 points, followed by France and Brazil in the second and third places respectively. The Qatari team came in the 55th position with 1,396 points, behind Greece in the 54th spot with 1,409 points, and ahead of Mali in 56th place with 1,389 points. The Qatari team ranked fifth in Asia, as Japan topped Asian teams, after it ranked 28th in the world with 1,500 points, followed by Iran in the 33rd place, then South Korea in 40th spot restart hamstrung and Australia came fourth in Asia and the 42nd globally. MOTORCYCLING by injury fears Shortened MotoGP A deluge of matches is expected to take a toll on players hit by the combination of season to start July a long layoff , little contact training, fixture congestion and less hands-on treatment 19 at Jerez AFP London, United Kingdom AFP headers are also booked in at Paris, France Aragon and in Valencia for Octo- ber and November respectively. he Premier League will The Czech Grand Prix will be return after a 100-day he 2020 MotoGP sea- the third race of the campaign Tstoppage on June 17, son will start on July 19 on August 9, before two races at cramming the remain- Tin Spain following the Austria’s Red Bull Ring and two ing 92 games of the season into coronavirus lockdown, more in Italy, at the track used for just fi ve-and-a-half weeks. with back-to-back races to be the San Marino Grand Prix. A deluge of football may be held at the Jerez circuit, organis- Le Mans will host the French welcomed by fans starved of live ers announced yesterday. Grand Prix on October 11. action for three months. There will be a minimum of Possible races in the United But it is expected to take a 13 races in the season, all in Eu- States, Thailand, Argentina and heavy toll on players hit by the rope between July and Novem- Malaysia will be confi rmed by combination of a long layoff , ber, with “possibly four more” July 31. little contact training, fi xture outside the continent later in the “We (want) to fi nish the season congestion and less hands-on year. by December 13... so we need to treatment. Whether or not fans can at- decide which of the races we will “We are expecting more in- tend races will depend on each have outside Europe,” said Dorna juries at this time,” Newcastle host country’s coronavirus regu- CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. club doctor Paul Catterson told lations. “We need to wait because as the BBC. “All dates, events and “We have had players asking the eventual attend- if they can have ice baths after ance of spectators are training and they can’t at the subject to the evolu- moment — all we can do is give tion of the pandemic them ice to take home. It’s like and the approval of the going back 15 years.” corresponding govern- The injury risk is of particular ments and authorities,” concern for those players who MotoGP said in a state- are out of contract at the end of ment. the season and fearing for their On Wednesday, the future. Italian Grand Prix at Mugello had we’ve commented before, to do Championship side Charlton become the eighth race of the the races outside Europe it’s nec- will be without top scorer Lyle season to be cancelled due to the essary to do it with spectators. Taylor for their battle against Covid-19 outbreak. “We are waiting to see the de- relegation as the 30-year-old The season was originally velopment of health measures has decided not to play and put In this February 23, 2020, picture, Manchester United’s David de Gea holds the match ball during the Premier League match against Watford scheduled to start on March 8 in in other countries, in the States, a lucrative move at risk. at Old Traff ord in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Reuters) Qatar, but only the Moto2 and Argentina, Malaysia and Thai- “It makes me think what Moto3 events were raced. land, and then we will see what would happen if I had an injury “I’ll admit that if I could have returned on May 16, is that an the boundaries of the typically the health of players at stake.” The British race at Silverstone, is possible to include in the cal- now that threatened the rest of more care and treatment to look increase in injuries is almost in- observed injury rates,” Mason “I am convinced the players the German Grand Prix at the endar.” my career,” Taylor told Sky. “I’ll after my body, it would be bet- evitable. wrote in a blog post. sense the danger, but they are in Sachsenring and races in Japan, Spanish star Marc Marquez be honest with you, it scared the ter,” he said. According to sports science Conditioning expert Ray- a diffi cult and dependent posi- Australia, Finland and the Neth- will be bidding for his fi fth life out of me.” specialist Joel Mason, Bundes- mond Verheijen has been a tion,” Verheijen told the Mirror. erlands were all scrapped. straight top-class title and sev- Olivier Giroud was also out of ‘RUSSIAN ROULETTE’ liga injuries went from a pre- consistent critic of the grind There is so much still to play MotoGP organisers Dorna enth in total. contract at the end of the cam- To help lighten the load on play- lockdown average of 0.27 per Premier League players are put for at both ends of the Premier had been waiting for the Span- “Revised 2020 calendar! Eager paign when coronavirus hit, but ers, the Premier League has game to 0.88 in the fi rst round under even without the compli- League that players can ill af- ish government to give the green to come back to the circuits and has been handed an extra year on not only adopted a temporary of fi xtures after the competition cating factor of coronavirus. ford to bed themselves back into light for the races in Jerez to go start the action!” said Marquez his deal at Chelsea. change to allow fi ve substitutes resumed. The Dutchman, who served as rhythm. ahead before releasing the re- on social media. But at 33, the French World per side, but also increased the “The early indications from part of Guus Hiddink’s coaching The battle for survival or Eu- vised schedule. The Moto 2 and Moto 3 sea- Cup winner is feeling the eff ects size of a matchday squad from both training and matches con- staff and has worked with Bar- ropean qualifi cation could come Spain will host seven races in sons will resume with the same of pre-season-style training 18 to 20. tinue to point in one direction celona, Chelsea and Manchester down to those lucky enough to total, with the Catalunya Grand calendar, while there will be without the help of physios to However, the lesson from — that post-lockdown injury City in the past described the have their stars on the pitch and Prix to go ahead in Barcelona seven MotoE races, including in aid his recovery. Germany’s Bundesliga, which rates are comfortably outside return as “Russian roulette with not the treatment table. on September 27, while double- France for the fi rst time. HORSE RACING Al Wasmiyah Farm’s Kadupul excels on debut at Yarmouth Agencies nal 300m, they began racing and Yarmouth, United Kingdom Kadupul came up from outside to Al Shaqab to participate in Menton Horse Championship in France chase the John Gosden-trained Willabell, who was running QNA championships of Purebred seeks to appear as the champion adupul, a two-year-old strongly. Doha Arabian horses in 2020. in the upcoming championship. fi lly, was a winner on These two fi llies pulled clear This is the first international Commenting on Al Shaqab par- Kher racecourse debut from the others and Kadupul championship for Purebred ticipation in the championship, in the British Stallion battled back inch by inch to the l Shaqab, a member of Arabians since the global Sheikh Hamad said that the Studs EBF Maiden Fillies’ Stakes line to snatch victory by a short Athe Qatar Foundation, outbreak of Covid-19, which horses were shipped to Europe at Yarmouth for owner-breeder head from her Frankie Dettori- will participate in the led to the cessation of various some time ago. Al Wasmiyah Farm on Wednes- ridden rival. 2020 Menton Horse Champion- sports activities, but Al Shaqab He said that Al Shaqab will day. By speedy sire Dark Angel, ship in France on July 4 and received confirmation from the compete in the Menton cham- Trained by William Haggas, Kadupul is out of Cup Cake, the 5, which is a qualifier for the organising committee of the pionship with 15 horses in one- she was a little green coming out dam of multiple Group scorer Arabian Horse World Champion- Menton championship that the year foals, one-year-old fillies, of the stalls, losing some ground Suedois.