Former England captain Hussain names four players he would pay to watch PAGE 13 MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2020 Xavi joins Haydos, others in taking pay cut Roma players, coach to forgo TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK as players, in order to stand remainder of season’s pay DOHA with everyone during the cur- rent ordeal. AFP AL Sadd Sports Club’s head Abdulaziz Hatim, Qatar ROME coach Xavi Hernandez has be- national team and Al Rayyan come the latest star in Qatar player, said that the reduction ROMA players and coach to join the list of a number of comes as an initiative from Paulo Fonseca have agreed players and coaches in taking him, and stems from his feel- to go without pay for the a pay cut to support the fight ing of responsibility looking at rest of the season to help the against the novel coronavirus the requirements of the current club’s finances during the (COVID-19) pandemic. situation, and his appreciation coronavirus pandemic, the Just two days ago, Qatar’s of the officials and those in Serie A outfit said on Sun- football stars stepped forward charge of sport, hoping that day. and announced that they would this pandemic will disappear The deal means the play- be taking pay cuts as a gesture Al Sadd coach and soon and the football activity ers, Fonseca and his coach- of solidarity in dealing with the former Barcelona will return in various countries ing staff will give up their coronavirus crisis, the former legend Xavi of the world. salaries for March, April, Barcelona legend Xavi has now Hernandez. Also, Abdul Karim Hassan May and June, although done so. stressed that this is a duty that Roma said that should the Qatar’s national team and everyone must fulfill, out of a current campaign end up Al Sadd captain Hassan al Hay- sense of responsibility towards being completed “an incen- Roma thanked captain Edin Dzeko and the other players for agreeing dos, 2018 AFC Player of the Al Sadd player and captain Players Association to take the a country that has given us so tive plan to be paid subject to go without pay. (AFP) Year Abdelkarim Hassan, and of the first Qatari team Haydos necessary measures to reach an much, adding, “I have informed to the achievement of cer- defender Bassem al Rawi, who said that everyone knows the agreement in this regard.” the Qatar Players Association tain sporting objectives” had stands for and we also thank ished come the end of Italy’s plays for Al Duhail in the Qatar great ordeal that the country He added that what he did of my decision, and I hope that been agreed. them all for their superb ges- COVID-19 lockdown, cur- Stars League, and Assem Madi- and the whole world are going could not be compared to the everyone is fine, and the situa- They had also agreed to ture towards the employees rently scheduled for May 4. bo and Almoez Ali, are among through during the current pe- sacrifices made by the official tion will pass quickly.” “collectively pay the differ- at this club,” said CEO Guido Earlier this month, Serie the star players who have an- riod with the spread of the coro- cadres in the State, especially Rawi, stressing the impor- ence” to ensure that employ- Fienga. A clubs unanimously agreed nounced their decisions. navirus. the medical ones, “as they stand tance of solidarity among all, ees who have been placed Italy has suffered more to cut the salaries of players, The others following suit “Out of my sense of respon- in the first ranks to fight this said, “I have the honour to join on a partial unemployment than 23,000 coronavirus coaches and staff, with the include the national team and sibility towards my dear coun- scourge, which I hope Allah will this initiative, and agree to re- scheme will receive their deaths, second only to the exception of Juventus, who Al Sadd goalkeeper Saad al try, I announce waiving part of end it soon.” duce my salary.” regular salary, the club add- United States, and all organ- had already hammered out a Sheeb, Al Duhail SC midfielder my salary to express through Dosari, while praising the Fathi announced joining the ed. ised sport has been suspend- deal with their own players. Assim Madibo and Al Gharafa this my support to all the efforts step of his colleague Haydos, initiative and said, “I consider “(Captain) Edin Dzeko, ed since March 9. Each club’s squad will defender Almahdi Ali, and Al that are being made announced that he will waive this initiative a duty as everyone all the players and Paulo The Italian Football Fed- have to agree to waive be- Arabi player Ahmed Fathi be- to address this pandemic, part of his salary, considering needs to come together to over- have demonstrated they eration (FIGC) has said that tween two and four months’ sides many others. and I have informed the Qatar that an obligatory step for them come the current conditions.” understand what this club it wants the season to be fin- salary. Wuhan football team makes emotional return Staff and members of the armed forces prepare for the opening of a new testing facility for COVID-19 for NHS workers at the AMEX Stadium (AFP) to virus ground zero in Brighton, East Sussex on Saturday. AFP “They are not walking virus- Brighton’s stadium to SHANGHAI es, they are athletes,” Gonzalez told Spanish media at the time, become testing centre WUHAN Zall, the Chinese pleading for his players not to Super League team from the be demonised. AFP ecutive Paul Barber. epicentre of the coronavirus But when the virus began LONDON “We have committed to pandemic, made an emotional taking hold in Spain in March, do everything we can to assist return to their home city after Zall made arrangements to fly BRIGHTOn’s Amex stadium the NHS and other key work- more than three months torn back to China, where the num- is the latest British sports ers in this crisis. from their families. ber of infections was slowing venue to be turned into a “We have already opened Zall endured a turbulent markedly. coronavirus testing centre, up the doors of the training 104 days on the road -- includ- Wuhan was still sealed off the Premier League club con- ground, as well as the sta- ing being stranded in Spain -- so the squad, via a prolonged firmed on Sunday. dium, to be used by the NHS, because Wuhan was sealed off transit in Germany, flew to Chi- The Tottenham Hotspur emergency services and local in January when the virus killed na’s southern city of Shenzhen stadium and the home of authority for training, storage and infected thousands there. on March 16. English rugby, Twickenham, or whatever they feel it can be The city is now emerging They went into three weeks have also been converted used for in the fight against from its weeks-long lockdown of quarantine, followed by train- into drive-through testing this pandemic.” and hundreds of chanting fans ing in the nearby city of Foshan, facilities as part of the Brit- The UK government has met the Zall players when they before taking a high-speed train ish government’s effort to come under increasing pres- arrived at Wuhan’s train station from Guangzhou to Wuhan on increase testing for thou- sure to ramp up its testing late Saturday, state media said. Saturday evening. sands more National Health capability to help control the Wearing masks, the players Wuhan Zall football team fans welcoming the team members home at the railway station in Wuhan, in Zall are preparing for a sea- Service (NHS) staff and oth- spread of COVID-19. had bouquets of flowers thrust China’s central Hubei province on Saturday. (AFP) son that still has no start date. er key workers. The official death toll in into their hands as supporters The CSL was supposed to begin “The centre was sched- Britain soared by 888 on Sat- clad in the team’s orange col- Spanish coach Jose Gonzalez, the top-flight CSL. nitely, in early January in the on February 22 but could now uled to see more than 50 NHS urday to 15,464. ours held banners and sang. will now spend a few days at “The club is very grateful for southern city of Guangzhou. kick off in late June, according frontline workers on Satur- Premier League matches “After more than three home before resuming training the support and understanding They flew to Malaga, Spain to latest reports. day afternoon, and they will have been suspended indefi- months of wandering, the on Wednesday. of the players’ families.” towards the end of January, China’s government says have the results of their tests nitely due to the virus. homesick Wuhan Zall team “The local players will be The squad’s return home is by which time the city of Wu- it has curbed coronavirus at within 48 hours. Within a few Even when games do re- members finally set foot in their reunited with their families, the final chapter in a long saga. han and its 11 million people home, but on Friday admitted days, the site should reach its turn they are likely to be behind hometown,” the team said on having not seen them for more They began training for were under harsh restrictions errors in tallying the death toll capacity of up to 1,000 tests a closed doors due to guidelines the Twitter-like Weibo.