SPORT SPORT | 05 SPORT | 06 JoshuaJo could Al Khelaifi set for fifight without TCR Europe SIM fans in first Racing virtual ttitle defence challenge FRIDAY 1 MAY 2020 Qatar's World Cup stadiums taking shape A photograph shows an aerial view of the under- construction Lusail Stadium, the largest of the eight ultra- modern venues which will host matches during the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup. The 80,000-capacity venue will host the opening and final matches of the showpiece event. RIGHT: A general aerial view of the 40,000-seat Al Thumama Stadium. Inspired by the ‘gahfiya’ headpiece worn by men in Qatar and across the MENA region, the brand new stadium is the first venue designed solely by a Qatari architect, Ibrahim Mohammed Jaidah. PICTURES : TWITTER / @ROADTO2022 FINAL LIGUE 1 TABLE RK TEAM POINTS PSG crowned champions as 1 Paris Saint-Germain 68 2 Olympique de Marseille 56 3 Stade Rennais 50 4 Lille OSC 49 French season declared over 5 OGC Nice 41 AFP – PARIS 6 Stade de Reims 41 Brazilian defender Thiago Silva 7 Olympique Lyonnais 40 celebrates with the champion’s trophy Paris Saint-Germain were with team-mates after Paris Saint- 8 Montpellier HSC 40 named as Ligue 1 champions Germain won the French L1 title at the 9 AS Monaco 40 yesterday after France’s football We wish to dedicate this title Parc des Princes stadium in Paris in this league declared the corona- 10 RC Strasbourg Alsace 38 to all health workers and file photo taken on May 18, 2019. The virus-hit season over. football season in France was declared 11 Angers SCO 39 PSG led the table by 12 other everyday heroes whose over yesterday with Paris Saint- 12 Girondins de Bordeaux 37 points from Marseille when the commitment and self-sacrifice Germain being named as champions. 13 FC Nantes 37 season was suspended in mid- throughout these long weeks PSG topped the Ligue 1 table. March because of the Covid-19 deserve our admiration: PSG 14 Stade Brestois 34 outbreak, which has gone on to kill over 24,000 people in President Nasser Al Khelaifi 15 FC Metz 34 France. 16 Dijon FCO 30 The announcement by the 17 AS Saint-Etienne 30 LFP comes after Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on 18 Nîmes Olympique 27 Tuesday that “professional 19 Amiens SC 23 sports leagues, notably football, 20 Toulouse FC 13 cannot restart” because of the pandemic. “There is no ambiguity about this declaration. We needed to RECENT TITLE make a final decision about this WINNERS season. We acknowledge that 2019-20 Paris St Germain the 2019-20 season is over,” said LFP president Nathalie Boy de 2018-19 Paris St Germain la Tour, in a conference call with 2017-18 Paris St Germain reporters. 2016-17 Monaco France becomes the biggest 2015-16 Paris St Germain European league yet to end its season, just as its neighbours in with an average of 2 points and “We understand, respect champions, and Lens coming up Saint-Etienne in the French Cup 2014-15 Paris St Germain England, Germany, Italy and qualifying for the Champions and support the decisions taken from Ligue 2. final. If the games are eventually 2013-14 Paris St Germain Spain consider ways of League. by the French government to However, Toulouse have played, Lyon and Saint-Etienne 2012-13 Paris St Germain resuming matches. “We wish to dedicate this stop the season. Health, as the kept open the possibility that could qualify for the Europa Ruling out any possibility of title to all health workers and government has always said, they might now take legal action. League by winning. 2011-12 Montpellier copying the Netherlands, who other everyday heroes whose must be everyone’s priority,” The identity of the other Otherwise, Nice and Reims 2010-11 Lille voided their season without a commitment and self-sacrifice added Al Khelaifi, whose club European representatives would qualify by virtue of fin- 2009-10 Olympique de Marseille champion, relegation or pro- throughout these long weeks still hope to be able to continue depends on whether the finals ishing in fifth and sixth in the motion, the LFP arranged a final deserve our admiration,” said their Champions League cam- of the two domestic cups are league. 2008-09 Girondins Bordeaux table on the basis of average PSG President Nasser Al Khelaifi paign having reached the ever played. Lyon -- seventh in the table 2007-08 Olympique Lyon points per game. in a statement. quarter-finals before action If the French government when the season was stopped 2006-07 Olympique Lyon Ten rounds of matches It is PSG’s ninth French title, stopped. and UEFA accept, both finals -- would otherwise miss out on 2005-06 Olympique Lyon remained when the campaign the seventh in eight seasons for Rennes finish third and also could be staged in early August European qualification for the was halted, although PSG and the Qatar-owned club being qualify for the Champions with European places still up for first time in over two decades. 2004-05 Olympique Lyon Strasbourg both had a game in awarded in unique circum- League, while fourth-placed grabs. Ironically, they were still 2003-04 Olympique Lyon hand. stances and with many of their Lille will play in the Europa The LFP then hopes to begin involved in this season’s Cham- 2002-03 Olympique Lyon As a result, PSG are cham- foreign players -- including League. next season by August 23 “at the pions League when it was sus- pions with an average of 2.52 Neymar -- having returned to Toulouse and Amiens, the latest”. pended, leading Juventus 1-0 2001-02 Olympique Lyon points per game, with Andre their home countries with bottom two, are condemned to PSG were due to play Lyon after the first leg of their last-16 2000-01 Nantes Villas-Boas’s Marseille second France under strict lockdown. relegation, with Lorient, as in the League Cup final and tie. Djokovic finds it tough to adjust to uncertainty REUTERS – BELGRADE clear,” Djokovic told Sky Sport Djokovic was in imperious “Officially it (the restart) is the 2008 Australian Open. Italia. “Officially it is the 13th of form before the circuit came to a 13th of July but the WTA in “Against Juergen Melzerr World number one Novak July, many people say it is difficult halt. Canada (Rogers Cup) has already in Roland Garros, during thehe Djokovic said he initially we will start again on that day. The Serb lifted the ATP Cup been cancelled, although not the quarters, this defeat wasas Novak struggled to cope with the uncer- “For me it is important to with Serbia, won a record- men’s event,” Djokovic said. really difficult for me emo-o- Djokovic tainty surrounding when tennis have a routine, I cannot keep on extending eighth Australian Open “We need to see how the sit- tionally,” he said. can restart after its shutdown in waiting for that day. I train every title in Melbourne and then com- uation in the United States goes, “I cried a lot after thishis early March due to the novel day at the gym, I run at home, I pleted a fifth triumph at the Dubai because we are expected to go defeat because I had a coronavirus. play with my kids and this is also Tennis Championships, extending there in August. moment in my life, my career,reer, The sport is suspended till at hard work. his unbeaten run to 21. The steely-eyed Serb owns 17 when everything happeneded in least mid July due to the virus, “At the beginning I was men- The virus has forced the can- Grand Slam singles titles and is a fusion in which I really didid not which has infected more than 3.19 tally a bit empty and confused, cellation of this year’s Wimbledon just three behind Roger Federer’s see a reason to keep on playing,laying, million people and killed almost because (the timing) wasn’t clear. for the first time since World War record haul of 20 in men’s tennis. I wanted to quit tennis.” 227,000, according to a Reuters I talked with my team, I tried to Two while the French Open was Yet Djokovic said he considered Djokovic said the lossss to tally. train every day, even though I rescheduled for September 20 - quitting the sport in 2010 due to Melzer transformed him.. “For us tennis players it is didn’t follow the preparation October 4, shortly after the end the pressure of expectation, after “After that moment I feltelt important that the calendar is strictly.” of the US Open. winning his first major at the I was freed,” he said. FRIDAY 1 MAY 2020 SPORT 05 Inter Milan and Juventus players Colombian compete in an empty stadium due India football to the novel coronavirus outbreak league could during their Italian Serie A game in legend Chuni restart by Turin, in this March 8, 2020 file photo. Goswami August dies aged 82 REUTERS — LONDON AFP — NEW DELHI Professional football in Colombia could begin behind Indian football legend closed doors in August or Subimal ‘Chuni’ Goswami September if other countries (pictured below), who led have success in restarting their the country to an Asian own leagues, the country’s Games gold in 1962, died Sports Minister said yesterday. yesterday aged 82, the All Ernesto Lucena, who 24 India Football Federation hours before acknowledged said. the return of games played in Goswami -- who also front of fans was unlikely this played first-class cricket year, said officials were eager for Bengal -- died in his to get matches going again hometown Kolkata, once health and safety guar- according to the antees are met amid the federation.