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FOOTBALL | Page 2 FFORMULAORMULA OONENE | Page 6 Wenger aims Hamilton to silence fastest as Mercs critics with dominate in Euro push Spain practice Saturday, May 13, 2017 TENNIS Sha’baan 17, 1438 AH Relentless Nadal GULF TIMES sets up semi-fi nal clash with Djokovic SPORT Page 4 FOOTBALL/ EMIR CUP-SEMI-FINAL (7PM AL SADD SPORTS CLUB) Last chance for Al Rayyan to salvage pride, season Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup: There’s no need for special motivation for my players. The regular season is done. The players know that they can focus on two more games and get a break. Hopefully we will be able to get to the final By Joe Koraith ‘This competition is amazing. Doha The teams play on a very high level. We’re playing a tough op- ponent and it will be an exciting he perfect script has been game. We won the trophy last written till this stage of the year and it’s always good to keep Emir Cup. The top four teams the trophy’ Tof Qatar have ended up in the semi-fi nals. This straight shoot-out Nam Tae-hee and Karim Boudiaf. between the nation’s best outfi ts prom- Lekhwiya, who won the Emir Cup ises to be an entertaining and competi- last year for the fi rst time, have the mo- tive aff air. The fi rst clash will take place mentum coming into this tie but coach today between Al Rayyan and Lekhwiya Djamel Belmadi was wary of his big- at the Jassim bin Hamad stadium (Al name opponents. Sadd Sports Club). “Rayyan are a big club. And big clubs Rayyan, the Qatar Stars League have to win every year. We won the Emir champions last season, will face the Cup last season when we were not hav- team who dominated them in 2017. ing a good season. Rayyan will put eve- After a blitzkrieg of a season last time rything in this match,” said Belmadi. around, Al Rayyan, under their new “The game will be tougher because coach Michael Laudrup, seem to be still they were the QSL champions last fi nding their rhythm. They fi nished in year. They lost the title. And they have third position in the League, 12 points also been ousted from the Champions off champions Lekhwiya. In the Qatar League. They will put all their hope in Cup, they lost to Al Sadd in the semi- this competition,” he added. fi nals. In the AFC Champions League, However, the high-profi le nature of they lost a close match to Saudi Arabia’s the clash and the competition itself will Al Hilal and were ousted from the com- inspire his players, believes Belmadi. petition. “Sometimes for these big games you The Emir Cup then presents a great don’t have to talk to the players a lot. opportunity for Al Rayyan to win sil- They know how amazing it is to win verware and end the season on a high. this competition. They won it for the This should act as added motivation fi rst time last season. It’s in our blood. when they take the fi eld today, with We want to win every match,” said the coach Laudrup saying his players were Algerian. extremely motivated for the game. Lekhiwya lost to El Jaish in the semi- “There’s no need for special motiva- fi nals of the Qatar Cup so they will be tion for my players. The regular season keen to win this tournament and bag is done. The players know that they an impressive double. And they will be can focus on two more games and get a looking to emulate Al Sadd who won break. Hopefully we will be able to get to back to back Emir Cup titles in 2014 and the fi nal,” said Laudrup during the pre- 2015. match press conference. “This competition is amazing. The Winning the Emir Cup is a matter of teams play on a very high level. We’re prestige and with the top four teams in Lekhwiya coach Djamel Belmadi speaks to the media at a press conference. playing a tough opponent and it will be the fray it will be a close fi ght for the Lekhwiya are chasing a treble after winning the Sheikh Jassim Cup and the Qatar an exciting game. We won the trophy trophy. “The Emir Cup is a big competi- Stars League earlier. last year and it’s always good to keep the tion here. And this season we have the trophy,” said Belmadi. top four teams in the semi-fi nals. We The two QSL games between these For Lekhiwya, things have clicked “It’s been a good season for us so far. have to win two big games. It will be a two rivals have ended in draws. And quite well this season. They won the And I hope this is a good season can be- tense aff air,” said the Dane. Laudrup believes that this will be an- QSL title and have dominated their AFC come a great season,” he added. “We’re playing the QSL champions. other close aff air. “The two games that Champions League group to progress to Now to see which team have the fi re They have had a good season. But I we played in the QSL were very tight the Round of 16. Their striker Youssef within them to put that extra eff ort to Al Rayyan coach Michael Laudrup in a confident mood ahead of today’s Emir know that my players will do everything games. I predict that this one will be el-Arabi has scored the most goals in win the tie and get closer to winning the Cup semi-final against Lekhwiya. they can to win this game,” he added. more of the same.” the QSL. They have a strong midfi eld in elegant trophy. FOCUS BOTTOMLINE Bahrain FA chief: We will ensure ‘Why wait for ’28?’ say LA bid bosses 2022 World Cup in Qatar is a success AFP rights to the losing bid. the games, and US track and field Los Angeles Neither Paris nor Los Angeles star Allyson Felix was on hand to has indicated a willingness to ac- greet delegates. or Shaikh Ali bin Khalifa al- ness and outstanding capabilities of played an active role in its success as cept 2028 as an alternative, and Los “Even though I wasn’t born at Khalifah, President of the staging all types of mega events.” well as all the international stakehold- os Angeles 2024 bid leaders Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti said the time of the ’84 games, I grew Bahrain Football Association, He added: “The fi rst ever tourna- ers who attended the event.” rebuffed suggestions they Thursday there was no softening of up hearing stories from my parents, Fthe 27th AFC Congress held ment in the Middle East region will He ended by explaining how he be- were ready to wait until the city’s position. coaches, other athletes just how in- in Bahrain this week, has been a great feel for us, in the Arab and GCC coun- lieves the region has become instru- L 2028 to host the Olympics “We believe LA offers the greatest credible it was,” Felix told AFP. success. tries, like a home World Cup, and we mental in the overall success of foot- yesterday as a team of Internation- benefit to the Olympic movement “That history is here and we want The President – who was speaking will spare no eff ort to ensure its suc- ball. al Olympic Committee delegates in 2024 — why wait until 2028 to to repeat that and have it again,” at the gathering in Manama – said the cess.” Looking ahead, after the AFC Con- toured proposed venues. experience that?” Garcetti said at added Felix, the only female track Congress had brought together the Sheikh Ali bin Khalifa al-Khalifah gress and FIFA Congress hosted by The second day of the IOC Evalu- a sunset press conference at Santa and field athlete in Olympic history entire Asian football family to renew has played a key role in ensuring the Bahrain, preparations are already un- ation Commission’s visit to the Monica beach. to win six gold medals. their vows of unity and solidarity, and success of the AFC Congress and that derway for the forthcoming major Californian metropolis saw iconic “I’d love to go to Paris in 2028 to Felix’s testimony made an im- to explore the potential for further Bahrain, despite its small size, pos- events to be held in the region, as UAE venues from across Los Angeles’s see my friends there — it will be a pression on the IOC’s Evaluation football development in Asia. sesses outstanding ability to organise will be hosting the FIFA Club World sporting skyline take centre stage. great Olympics.” Commission chairman Patrick Bau- In an exclusive interview with www. major events – but he also took the Cup. IOC delegates will head to rival Garcetti’s remarks came after a mann sc.qa, he also commented on the sig- opportunity to credit the AFC Presi- This will be followed by the AFC bidder Paris next week for a simi- day in which IOC delegates were “What struck me is how many of nifi cance of Bahrain hosting the AFC dent for its success. Asian Cup in 2019 and – of course lar mission before releasing their shown a range of existing venues the athletes we met had a connec- Congress on a date that coincided “I would like to congratulate Shaikh – the highly-anticipated 2022 FIFA assessments of the trips later this likely to host Olympic sport, from tion with the LA 1984 Games either with the 2022-day countdown mark to Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifah, on World Cup Qatar.