27 Sports Thursday, September 27, 2018 Lahm-led Germany against Turkey in race to host Euro 2024 finals Germany has a clear advantage in terms of stadiums, transport

NYON: Having lifted the World Cup in 2014, Philipp matter for concern” under their President Recep Tayyip Lahm now hopes to bring Euro 2024 finals to Germany Erdogan. There are no such concerns in Angela today when UEFA announce the hosts for the European Merkel’s Germany, but accusations of “racism and dis- Championships. After retiring last year, ex-national respect” by Mesut Ozil in July harmed the DFB’s team captain Lahm, 34, is head of Germany’s bid to host (German Football Association) image of harmonious Euro 2024 against rivals Turkey, the only other nation integration. Arsenal star Ozil, born in Germany to seeking to host the event in six years time. Turkish parents, specifically took aim at DFB president The announcement is expected to be made at UEFA Reinhard Grindel when he retired from international headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, around 1300 GMT duty after Germany’s disastrous World Cup perform- today. “We are a football nation and our fans always ance. Undeterred by the saga, Lahm wants to see want to show their passion for football,” declared Germany host a football carnival for the first time since Lahm. Germany want to stage their first Euro as a uni- the 2006 World Cup-which Germans affectionately fied country, West Germany having hosted the event in dubbed ‘the summer fairytale’. 1988. Turkey are hoping to be awarded their first major Football-mad Germany became a month-long party football tournament after missing out to France by one as rival fans soaked up the action under blue skies, vote for the right to host Euro 2016. toasting success or drowning their sorrows in the nation’s packed beer gardens. GERMAN ADVANTAGES Nevertheless, Germany has a clear advantage in TARNISHED FAIRYTALE terms of stadiums and transport. Their official bid sees 10 existing stadia ready to host the 2024 finals, while However, the fairytale became a tarnished nightmare Turkey will need to rebuild and renovate two of their for the German FA in October 2015 when magazine Der proposed stadiums. Spiegel revealed 10 million Swiss francs (6.7 million While 2.29 million fans could watch the Euro 2024 euros of the time) had been used to buy votes from games in Turkey, based on maximum capacities, the FIFA officials. German bid can offer seats for 2.78m supporters. Some FIFA delegations suddenly switched their vote, STUTTGART: Stuttgart’s supporters display a giant banner reading “united by money, corrupt in the heart of That means more revenue from ticket sales and the allowing Germany to beat the South African bid by 12 Europe” to protest against Germany’s candidacy for the UEFA Euro 2024 on September 21, 2018 during the Germans also steal a march in terms of transport. votes to 11, when the decision was made in 2000. German first division Bundesliga football match VfB Stuttgart vs Fortuna Duesseldorf in Stuttgart. — AFP Germany offers a reliable road, rail and air network After Spiegel uncovered the scandal, a criminal ready to whisk visiting fans between host cities. investigation followed into the senior organisers, However, as the UEFA reports notes, in Turkey, “travel including German legend Franz Beckenbauer, which is German football. On Friday, Stuttgart funs unfurled unfazed. “We are a country which is prepared to put on relies on air transport and the scale of works to be still ongoing. In 2016, an external report by the law firm giant banners, stating “United by money - corrupt in special events,” he said. undertaken in the given time frame constitutes a risk”. Freshfields, commissioned by the DFB, reinforced the the heart of Europe” and “Good chance to buy another “We have all the infrastructure, maybe with just a lit- Human rights issues present the widest chasm doubt by concluding: “we have not found evidence of tournament”, during a Bundesliga game. tle reworking, but everything is in place. between the rivals. UEFA is unequivocal in bluntly stat- vote buying but we cannot exclude it”. The messages will have caused embarrassed glances “We are an extremely hospitable nation as we ing Turkey’s “lack of an action plan in human rights is a The accusations of the corruption still rankle in in the corridors of the DFB. Nevertheless, Lahm is showed in hosting the World Cup in 2006.” — AFP

second, along with partner Diego Costa. tier in Spain, beneath Fuenlabrada and Athletic Bilbao’s Griezmann on target Thomas Partey and Koke added numbers two and B team. Even when storming to the title, Simeone’s side three before the interval as Atleti climb to third. Huesca have hardly been famed for their style of play but their Match on TV drop to 18th. “The team is getting better with every opener here was a triumph for team fluidity. (Local Timings) as Atletico cruise game,” Simeone said. “Against Monaco was good, A sweeping spell of possession ended with Angel Getafe better, and today a strong first half allowed us to Correa slipping Costa through in the penalty area. He to victory over Huesca conserve energy.” pulled back for Griezmann to finish. If that was a goal SPANISH LEAGUE Griezmann and Costa jogging off with half an hour for precision, the next was about power. Partey collect- Deportivo Alaves v Getafe 21:00 to spare was the dream scenario for Simeone, particu- ed the ball 30 yards out and without a challenge, shuf- beIN SPORTS HD 3 MADRID: Atletico Madrid are finally finding their larly given Real Madrid already have one day less rest fled forward, before unleashing low into the bottom Real Valladolid v Levante 21:00 groove in La Liga and just in time for a city derby ahead of Saturday’s grudge match at the Santiago corner. Two minutes later, it was three. Koke’s clipped beIN SPORTS HD 5 against Real Madrid after they strolled to a 3-0 win Bernabeu. ball over the top evaded both Correa’s foot and the dis- Girona v Real Betis 23:00 over newly-promoted Huesca on Tuesday. One victory Real’s assignment against Sevilla at the Ramon tracted goalkeeper Axel Werner on its way into the net. beIN SPORTS HD 3 from their opening four league games left Atletico sev- Sanchez Pizjuan on Wednesday is likely to be far more Initially ruled out for offside, the Video Assistant en points adrift of Barcelona a fortnight ago but three demanding too. Huesca’s fate in their debut campaign Referee showed Correa was level and the goal stood. on the spin have now steered Diego Simeone’s side in the top flight, will be decided against worse teams Griezmann went off in the 54th minute and Costa in ITALIAN CALCIO LEAGUE back on track. than Atleti, and probably at home, where their Estadio the 65th. Huesca might have had a consolation but Spal v US Sassuolo Calcio 20:00 This was as routine a three points as they come at El Alcoraz holds just over 7,000. Ezequiel Avila diverted over and Juan Aguilera’s finish beIN SPORTS HD 6 the Wanda Metropolitano, where Antoine Griezmann When Atletico won La Liga four years ago, Huesca struck the body of Jan Oblak. Atleti can start looking Empoli v AC Milan 22:00 scored early in the first half before going off early in the finished seventh in Group Two of Segunda B, the third ahead to Real. —AFP beIN SPORTS HD 4

Lampard’s Derby Qatar World Athletics knock Man Utd out countdown begins of League Cup, as fears surface City into last 16 DOHA: In the controversy surrounding Qatar’s 2022 foot- ball World Cup, it’s almost forgotten that in exactly one year Doha will host its biggest sporting event to date, the LONDON: Derby County manager piled World Athletics Championships. On September 27, 2019, more misery on his former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho as the planet’s best athletes will congregate in Qatar’s capital the Rams beat 10-man Manchester United 8-7 on penal- ties, while Manchester City cruised into the last 16 of the for 10 days for the premier track and field competition of League Cup on Tuesday. the season. Mourinho paid the price for making nine changes in a It will be the first time the event is held in the Middle thrilling 2-2 draw at before spot-kicks with East. For the athletes it represents a golden chance of glo- Paul Pogba rested on another day dominated by the MANCHESTER: Derby’s English goalkeeper Scott Carson (L) dives to save a penalty from Manchester United’s ry; for Qatar the championships are an opportunity to Frenchman’s frosty relationship with his manager. Phil English defender Phil Jones during the English League Cup third round football match between Manchester directly address its many critics to show it deserves to Jones finally missed from the spot after 15 successful United and Derby County at Old Trafford in Manchester. — AFP host global sporting events. penalties in a high quality shootout. “All the big pieces are in place,” International “The penalties come, somebody has to miss. I knew we Association of Athletics Federation vice-president-and were going to be in trouble with Jones,” said Mourinho in Liverpool striker Harry Wilson. Moments later, United “You feel like you’ve done your work when you come Qatari-Dahlan Al Hamad assured reporters this week. a barb at one of his own players. Mourinho also confirmed goalkeeper Sergio Romero saw red for handling another to Old Trafford and go against Jose Mourinho and world Qatar will hold a one-year-to-go event at the champi- Pogba has been stripped of the United vice-captaincy Wilson effort outside the area. class players. The feeling I got from it was immense, it’s an onships venue, the expensively refurbished and air-condi- after criticising the Portuguese’s tactics in a 1-1 draw at The visitors made the man advantage count when Jack incredible feeling for me.” tioned Khalifa International Stadium, today home to Wolves on Saturday. Mariott headed home five minutes from time, but City boss enjoyed a far more comfort- However, the omens are not good. Before a spike has “The only truth is I made the decision of Paul not to be Marouane Fellaini looked to have saved Mourinho’s blush- able evening despite also ringing the changes as England touched the track, Qatar has been widely criticised for the second captain anymore,” added Mourinho. Early on it es with a towering header deep into stoppage time. under-19 international shone in a 3-0 win at having the event shifted to late September and early seemed like the United boss would get a positive response However, substitute United ‘keeper Lee Grant failed to League One Oxford. October because of concerns over the desert state’s stop any of Derby’s penalties and Jones finally faltered to “I’ve dreamed of this moment, growing up as a City from his much-changed side as one of Lampard’s former weather. All previous nine world championships held this Chelsea team-mates Juan Mata slotted home the opener compound a bad start to the season for Mourinho’s men, supporter,” said Foden. “It’s a moment I’ll never forget.” century begun in August. Temperatures in Doha this week after just three minutes at the end of a fine team move. who already trail leaders Liverpool by The visitors dominated throughout but had just the one still reached highs of 43 degrees Celsius (109 Fahrenheit). However, an unchanged Derby side struck back after eight points. “It’s right up there,” said Lampard when goal to show for it before half-time as head- the break thanks to a wonderful free-kick from on-loan asked how the trumph compared to his highs as a player. ed home from close range.—AFP Accordingly, organisers have announced the marathons will be held at midnight and traditional morning sessions scrapped. this season-scoring four times so far and deputising as cap- not see eye-to-eye with Juan Mata, whom he now manages The earliest events are scheduled to start is 4:15pm Pogba v Mourinho: tain in the absence of Antonio Valencia. at Old Trafford. It looks increasingly likely that Mourinho will local time. Human rights concerns have again surfaced. But Mourinho appears to have lost his patience with his be unable to repair his relationship with Pogba, and it seems Roundly criticised for its labour practices since winning high-profile star after Pogba urged United to attack more to be more a question of who will be first to leave the club. the right to host the World Cup in 2010 — Amnesty Is this the end following a 1-1 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers at the The former United youth player may eventually get the move International published its latest damning report this weekend, implicitly criticising the cautious approach of his to Barcelona that was mooted in August, with the Daily Mail week-Qatar will not escape similar condemnation in the boss at a club famed for gung-ho football. yesterday reporting he has already told Mourinho he wants run up to the athletics. of the road at According to The Times, Mourinho informed Pogba of his to leave for Spain. Khalifa is also a venue for the football World Cup and it decision on the captaincy in front of his teammates on That may seem a relatively simple solution but executive is where British worker Zac Cox fell 39 metres (128 feet) to Manchester United? Tuesday, claiming the 25-year-old “doesn’t represent what a vice-chairman Ed Woodward is reportedly desperate not to his death while working on the stadium in January 2017. A captain is and Manchester United is bigger than anyone”. lose the biggest global star at the club. And despite Pogba’s subsequent inquest said conditions at the stadium during “The only truth is I made the decision of Paul not to be the griping and noise from his super agent, Mino Raiola, construction work were “downright dangerous”. second captain anymore,” said Mourinho after Tuesday’s Mourinho will not necessarily be seen as the bad guy in the Politics is also set to feature, with the potential threat of LONDON: Paul Pogba’s relationship with Jose Mourinho shock League Cup defeat against Derby County on penal- saga by United fans. Mourinho, who is again the favourite a boycott. Since June 2017, Qatar has been isolated by a appears to be fractured beyond repair after the Manchester ties, for which Pogba was rested. with one leading bookmaker to be the first Premier League group of former allied neighbouring countries, including The Portuguese said there would be “no fall-out at all, no manager sacked this season, said in his programme notes for United boss said the French World Cup star would never Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, who cut captain the side again. problem at all”. But it does not look that way to fans of Tuesday’s League Cup clash against second-tier Derby that all ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting Iran and Pogba, who returned to Manchester in 2016 for a then United, watching on helplessly as their side falls further “95 percent isn’t enough when others give 101 percent”. extremist groups. world-record fee of £89 million ($117 million) struggled behind great rivals Liverpool and Manchester City in the Whether or not that was a barb aimed at Pogba, sections towards the end of last season, left out of the starting line-up Premier League. The often-abrasive Mourinho has a history of United’s fans have been intensely frustrated with the mid- Fifteen months on, the crisis is as entrenched as ever. or substituted on a number of occasions. of falling out with high-profile players. fielder’s inconsistent performances for the club. Ironically, Qatar refutes all allegations, but the World Athletics Fresh from playing a pivotal role in France’s World Cup While at Real Madrid he demoted Spain goalkeeper Iker Pogba’s provocative remarks about United’s style came after Championships will be a significant global sporting and success, the midfielder has started to deliver on his price tag Casillas to the anger of the club’s fans and at Chelsea he did Mourinho had held out an olive branch.—AFP political test for the crisis and those involved.—AFP