World Muslim Body Lends Support to Qatar's Wcup
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Sports FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015 44 Brumbies look to Is it worth making enemies of bury the last Russia, Qatar over football? kick nightmare PARIS: The opportunity to score points by bashing FIFA, Russia and Qatar was too SYDNEY: Christian Lealiifano returns to the scene of his good for the parliamentarians to pass up. missed conversion nightmare as Australia’s ACT One by one, they lined up to take shots. It Brumbies bid to stay alive in the Super Rugby against was the political equivalent of shooting South Africa’s Western Stormers in this weekend’s play- fish in a barrel: easy. “FIFA is a sick organi- offs. Lealiifano plays his 100th game for the Brumbies in zation,” said one. “A many headed mon- Cape Town where he missed a potential match-winning ster,” “the rotting core of the once beauti- conversion in last month’s loss to the Stormers. In ful game,” said two others. And although Saturday’s other elimination game, the Otago representing countries flung far and wide Highlanders will bank on their home ground dominance - Estonia, France, Ireland, Germany, to knock out twice champions Waikato Chiefs in the all- Austria, et cetera - many of the speakers found common cause in the idea of strip- New Zealand showdown. The Brumbies missed out on ping the World Cup from Russia and crucial competition points when Lealiifano fluffed a sim- Qatar, especially if the 2018 and 2022 ple try conversion with eight minutes left as the hosts are found to have bribed FIFA vot- Stormers went on to win 25-24. ers. The South African media have this week been But this talk-fest in the European reminding the fly-half about his off-target kick. “I would- Parliament last week lacked a vital ingre- n’t say redemption. I haven’t thought about that kick dient: another side to the story. None of until you just asked me,” Lealiifano told reporters. “I’ve the more than 40 MEPs who spoke talked taken every game as if it’s going to be my last, so playing about the consequences, about how 100 games is a special time. I’m going to give the team Russia and Qatar could lash out against as much as I can and hopefully we can get the result.” such a humiliating body blow, if it ever Brumbies coach Stephen Larkham backed Lealiifano to comes to that. Might they retaliate by BERN: Swiss attorney General Michael Lauber attends a press conference in rise to the occasion and make amends for that miss. switching off gas and oil they supply to Bern. Swiss authorities are investigating the 2010 FIFA vote that awarded the “He’s working very hard at it and that’s what gives every- the world? Throw spanners into the works 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar. — AFP one confidence around him,” Larkham said. “Particularly of international diplomacy? Withhold since that miss, Christian has spent more time in training trade and investment? Here are possible Stephens at the Royal United Services are out to destroy us.’” practising his conversions and penalty kicks. repercussions to consider: Institute, a London think-tank. “They all “I think we saw a bit of a turnaround over the last hate each other behind closed doors: BUT MONEY TALKS month with his goal-kicking.” Wallaby flanker David PRICKLY PUTIN They squabble, they bitch, they fight. But Ultimately, trade and investment Pocock is on track to play for the Brumbies, but playmak- Stripping Russia would confirm if you come against one, you come would keep Russia, Qatar and the west er Matt Toomua remains in doubt. Pocock missed the President Vladimir Putin’s impression, against the collective.” “The relationship glued together. Russia might threaten to second half of last week’s loss to the Canterbury which many Russians share, that “the would be affected for the best part of a reduce energy exports, but is too depend- Crusaders after failing a concussion test. “He’s on track to West is out to get him,” says Tony decade,” he said. “It would take a lot of re- ent on that revenue to actually turn off play,” Larkham said. “He’ll certainly be available for selec- Brenton, a former British ambassador to engagement to fix. It would be very, very taps, at least for long. Same goes for tion at this stage.” Toomua pulled up sore following his Moscow. “They will blame the west, they damaging.” Qatar. Because it knows its massive gas stint off the bench against the Crusaders in just his sec- will view it as an American plot, essential- and oil reserves won’t last forever, Qatar is ond game in eight matches following ankle injuries. ly,” he said in an interview with The ARAB ANGER squirreling away vast wealth in nest-eggs “Coming back from a syndesmosis ... everything is Associated Press. A wounded Russia could Depriving the Middle East of its first overseas. Al-Khalifa, the former ambassa- cleared medically, it’s just whether he feels good, which I become even pricklier to negotiate with World Cup “will be seen by hundreds of dor, gave short shrift to the suggestion suspect he will,” Larkham said. on big issues, none football-related, millions of Arabs and more than a billion that Qatari investment funds could hit The Stormers are South Africa’s last hope for Super 15 including but not limited to: restoring Muslims and other west Asians as proof of back by withdrawing some of their bil- glory this season after topping the national conference peace to Ukraine and Syria, preventing the west’s bad faith,” says Qatar’s former lions from Europe and elsewhere. He also ambassador to Washington, Nasser bin brushed off any possibility of Qatar boot- by three points from the Golden Lions but with the least Iran from building a nuclear bomb and preserving fragile ecosystems. “Russia Hamad Al-Khalifa. But Muslim extremists ing out US military forces stationed in the competition points of all the six play-off teams. The Cape would probably take this more seriously will be delighted, citing this as evidence emirate. “Investment does not have emo- Town-based side have scored just 32 tries in 16 games than any imaginable event on the global that the west doesn’t respect Muslims or tions, political connotations. You invest and have only managed two four-try bonus points. But landscape,” says Jeremy Kinsman, a treat Muslim partners as equals. “They will because you want to make a return,” he they are stronger in defense, letting in just 35 tries and Canadian former ambassador to Moscow, be so happy if this happens,” al-Khalifa said. “We have to isolate the issue of 2022, remain a tough side to break down. Much depends on also speaking in an AP phone interview. told the AP. They’ll say, “‘You see what and the issue of taking it away or not, flanker Siya Kolisi in the absence of captain Duane “It would completely alienate Russians, they have done to you?’” In Russia, hard- from other issues. We should not mix Vermeulen, and he will have to compete strongly at the who are already totally alienated.” line nationalists who want “a much more them. We are very clear about this.” breakdown against Pocock. closed economy, to have less to do with GULF BRIDGED the west, to build up (Russian) armed BOTTOM LINE Very smart team Qatar and its Persian Gulf neighbors forces” would be strengthened, said Qatar and Russia deny having corrupt- The Highlanders, the second-best Kiwi team behind don’t always see eye-to-eye. But they’d Brenton, the former British ambassador. ed FIFA voters. US and Swiss investigators tearaway leaders Wellington Hurricanes, are strength- likely unite if the 2022 tournament is “Every effort would be made to exploit are digging to see if that’s true. If wrong- ened by the return from injury of No.8 Nasi Manu, All moved, opening a rupture between the any such decision ...,” agrees James F doing is proved, taking away World Cups Blacks centre Malakai Fekitoa and lock Mark Reddish. west and its suppliers of energy. Collins, a former US ambassador, “to would be the nuclear option. Those call- “Nasi’s a real spiritual leader for us,” scrum-half Aaron “Ultimately this would be seen as an strengthen the case that, ‘You see, we’ve ing for that button to be pressed should Smith said. “He does a lot of key talking to the big boys attack on the entire Gulf,” says Michael told you we’re under siege, that people give the toxic fallout some thought.— AP especially. “He sets the mood with the way he plays, he’s a pretty easy man to follow.” The Highlanders spanked the Chiefs 36-9 in Invercargill three weeks ago, scoring four unanswered tries. World Muslim body lends Otago snatched a late 20-17 win over the Chiefs in their other meeting in Hamilton in March through two penalties after the Chiefs had dominated possession and support to Qatar’s WCup territory. “They’re a very smart team and they’ve also got a real good culture down there. It looks like they play for DUBAI: The world’s largest Muslim organi- the Organization of Islamic Cooperation bined population of some 1.5 billion peo- each other so it’s going to be a hell of game,” Chiefs skip- zation has thrown its weight behind (OIC) criticized what it said was “Western ple said in the statement on Wednesday. per Liam Messam said.