Sports Tuesday, August 25, 2020 15 Al Kharaitiyat crowned second division football champions TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK moted to the Second Division DOHA last season following a lengthy stint at the top flight, but the AL Kharaitiyat were official- club dominated this season ly crowned Second Division’s from the early stages and se- champions after sharing a cured the promotion with 1-1 draw with Muaither at three rounds to spare. the Grand Hamad Stadium Meanwhile, at the Suhaim on Sunday. bin Hamad Stadium, Al Markh- Ayoub Widrasi opened iya got the better of Mesaimeer the score for Muaither against 3-2 in a keenly contested match the run of play on 16 min- which secured them second utes, while Rashid Teberk- place and the chance to return enin maintained his blazing to the QNB Stars League. hot form by equalising for the Al Markhiya are now poised champions just five minutes to face Al Khor in a one match inside the second half. promotion playoff scheduled The result propelled Al for Friday, 28 August. Kharaitiyat’s tally to 37 points, The Qatar Football Asso- Al Markhiya ended as the runners-up. They will now play Al Khor in a meanwhile Muaither finished ciation (QFA) regulations stip- one-match promotion playoff on August 28. their season with 25 points in ulate that the club coming in fifth place. last position in First Division while the club ranked 11th in against the club ranked second Al Kharaitiyat players celebrate with the second division Qatar Football Association shield at the Grand Al Kharaitiyat were de- will join the Second Division, the First Division will play in Second Division. Hamad Stadium on Sunday. Suazo: Honduras have quality, real match-winners VAR set to make AFC Champions ‘The Panther’ on his qualifying experiences and the road to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 member of one of the another key factor was hav- Coito, will do a really good job, League debut finest generations of ing a coaching team that had because he’s got a very prom- Aplayers Honduras has worked with us for four years. ising squad of players. There AFC ever produced, David Suazo There was nothing improvised are a lot of youngsters but KUALA LUMPUR knows better than anyone just about it and it helped Rueda to they’ve got quality. how hard and how satisfying get to know the players well, to THE Asian Football Confeder- it is to reach the FIFA World pick out a captain like Amado Who do you think are the ation’s (AFC) commitment to Cup™. The former front man, Guevara and to blend home- key players in the squad? ensure Asian refereeing con- who ran out for the likes of grown players with those of us The experience of Maynor tinues to set new benchmarks Inter Milan and Benfica in playing abroad. It all helped Figueroa and Emilio Izaguirre was further underlined after his playing days, was on hand create a very strong team. is going to help and the Hon- it confirmed the implemen- as an assistant at this week’s duras forward line has a lot of tation of the Video Assistant Concacaf Preliminary Draw David Suazo starred in Honduras’ FIFA World Cup return in 2010. What was it like to play promise about it too: Anthony Referee (VAR) system from for the FIFA World Cup Qa- at the World Cup after so Lozano, who plays in Spain; the Quarter-final stage of the tar 2022™, which gave fifa. have to make the most of your duran. It was an incredible at- many years of waiting? Alberth Elis, who plays for 2020 AFC Champions League com the opportunity to ask home matches, and we lost mosphere. I ended my national team Houston Dynamo; and Romell – the first time that VAR will him about the qualifiers and just one of them, to USA, and We won but the USA-Cos- career on a high because going Quioto (Montreal Impact). All be introduced in the AFC’s his favourites to represent the won all the rest. ta Rica game was still going to and playing at the World Cup three of them are match-win- Club Competitions. region at the big event. We had a really good gen- on when our match finished. is what every player aspires to. I ners. I hope they believe it too, Asian football history was eration of players, with a lot of You can imagine what those thank God that I was able to do because they’ve got all the mak- made in 2019 when VAR made strengthen the AFC’s capabili- You took part in three guys playing in Europe. And five minutes were like for us: that with a great team. We also ings of being match-winners. its debut from the Quarter-fi- ties in the VAR system appli- qualifying competitions we also have to thank USA the longest of my whole ca- showed the way forward be- nal stage of the AFC Asian Cup cation in the AFC Champions and finally made it to South too because they helped us go reer (laughs)! We stayed on cause Honduras went and qual- Who are your favourites in the United Arab Emirates League, a virtual AFC VAR In- Africa 2010 in the third. through by scoring in the last the pitch waiting for the match ified for the next World Cup, to claim Concacaf’s 3.5 before the system was suc- formation Officer (VIO) Work- What did you make of the minute against Costa Rica. to end. We thought we were which helped all these young- qualification places? cessfully implemented across shop 2020 will be organised whole qualifying process? What are your memories out and then USA scored very sters believe that we could be in These preliminaries will all 32 matches at the AFC U23 on August 26 to ensure VIOs Honduras made it back to of that last day of the quali- late on, which meant another the regional elite. show us what the standard is Championship Thailand 2020 are well informed on the latest the World Cup after 28 long fiers, when Honduras beat El celebration. We couldn’t have like in Concacaf. In the end, in January. VAR developments. years of trying, which just goes Salvador with a Carlos Pavon been happier. After missing out on Rus- though, I think Mexico, USA, Having organised numer- The VAR system, which to show how difficult it is to goal that you set up and USA sia 2018, Honduras are Honduras and Costa Rica are ous VAR courses and semi- aims to provide minimum qualify, because you come up drew 2-2 with Costa Rica? Coached by Reinaldo about to have another the favourites to make it to Qa- nars since March 2017, the interference with maximum against really strong teams Our match was amazing. Rueda, what was special crack at World Cup quali- tar. It’s going to be tough be- AFC has a proven track record benefit, is limited to four like Costa Rica, USA and Mex- We were away but it was the about the team that made fication. How do you rate cause it’s a very long road, but in the implementation of the game-changing decisions or ico. They’re very tough sides to first time ever that Honduras history by qualifying for their chances of making it I reckon those four teams will VAR system which has been incidents, specifically – goal or play in their own backyards. played ‘at home’ in a foreign South Africa? to Qatar? be fighting it out for the quali- endorsed by both FIFA and no goal, penalty-kicks, direct We did really well in 2010 country. I reckon at least half Aside from the European It’s a very young side and fication places. They’ve got the the IFAB. red cards and mistaken iden- though. In the qualifiers you the 40,000 crowd were Hon- experience that a lot of us had, I know that the coach, Fabian quality to do it. Additionally, to further tity decisions. Zamalek claim Cairo 5th IOC World Conference on Prevention of Injury & Illness in Sport bragging rights Aspetar experts to share insights on AFP instead of letting players return JOHANNESBURG to their homes. Raja have 45 points as they AL Ahly may be on course for seek to become champions for illness, injury-prevention for athletes a record-extending 42nd Egyp- the first time since 2013, five tian Premier League title, but points more than Wydad Casa- TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK paediatric athlete, prevent- the bragging rights in Cairo on blanca, Mouloudia Oujda and DOHA ing overuse injuries in team Monday belonged to fierce rivals Renaissance Berkane. sports, how to prevent ham- Zamalek. SOUTH AFRICA: Close en- ASPETAR experts will be play- string injuries and one of the The White Knights defeated counters have been a feature ing key roles in the world’s most interesting topics ahead the Red Devils 3-1 at the week- of the South African Absa Pre- premier sports medicine of the Games, presented by end thanks to goals from Mosta- miership since the season re- event, the IOC World Confer- Prof. Sebastien Racinais, Head fa Mohamed and Osama Faisal started this month after being ence on Prevention of Injury of Research entitled ‘Tropical after Yassir Ibrahim of Ahly suspended in March due to the & Illness in Sport. The event paradise or danger zone? Beat had cancelled an Ahmed Sayed COVID-19 outbreak. is intended for individuals and the heat to protect athletes in a strike.