CRICKETRICKET | Page 7 Bottas, Arthur a Cool ‘Gutted’ Over Head in a Spot-Fi Xing Fi Ery Sport Scandal
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FORMULA 1 | Page 4 CCRICKETRICKET | Page 7 Bottas, Arthur a cool ‘gutted’ over head in a spot-fi xing fi ery sport scandal Wednesday, March 22, 2017 FOOTBALL Jumada II 23, 1438 AH Schweinsteiger GULF TIMES signs for Chicago Fire SPORT Page 3 QATAR SET FOR CRUCIAL QUALIFIER Tickets on sale he Qatar Football Associa- tion (QFA) has announced that tickets for the Asian World Cup qualifi er between Qatar Tand Iran will be sold on match day, March 23, starting from 4pm onwards. The highly-anticipated match will take place at Jassim Bin Hamad Sta- dium (Al Sadd Sports Club) and begin at 7pm tomorrow. Match tickets are priced at 50 Qa- tari Riyals for category 1 and category 2 tickets and at 100 Qatar Riyals for VIP. The ticket booth will be located near the VIP and general spectators’ park- ing outside the general spectators’ en- trance. Access to the VIP section will be through gates 1 and 10. Qatar fans can enter from gates 4 to 9, while Iran fans can enter through gate 2. A dedicated family section is also available which can be accessed through gate 3. The venue gates will open at 4pm and stadium gates will open at 5pm. Fans can enjoy the various activities Qatar Football Association president Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani speaks to national team coach Jorge Fossati as players (Sebastian Soria in front) go through their drills in Doha yesterday. organised at the Fan Zone located near Qatar will take on Iran in their group A World Cup qualifier tomorrow in a must-win match. Iran lead Group A with 11 points from five matches followed by South Korea (10), Uzbekistan (9), Syria (5), Qatar (4) the general spectators’ parking. The and China (2). Only the top two teams from the group will directly qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, while the third-placed team will have to play a play-off series with the third-placed team in Group B Fan Zone will open its’ doors to the with the winners taking on a South American team in another playoff series for qualification. general public from 4pm to 6:30pm. GYMNASTICS SPOTLIGHT Vardy reveals Veterans Ponor and death Chusovitina headline threats World Cup in Doha AFP The event, in which more than a 100 gymnasts are taking part, is part of a two-year FIG Individual London Apparatus World Cup circuit, which began in November last year and will conclude in March 2018. ngland and Leicester striker Jamie Vardy says his alleged By Sahan Bidappa bronze on Horizontal Bar in the last role in getting Claudio Ranieri Doha event. sacked after a terrible slump in In the Vault, Australian Chris Remkes is Eform placed the champions in danger of in fi ne form. After fi nishing second before relegation has earned him and his fam- host of World and Olympic Oksana Chusovitina his home crowd in Melbourne a month ily death threats. Champions will take centre of Uzbekistan. ago, Remkes fi nally got gold in Baku. The 30-year-old — whose goals last stage when the 10th Artistic Remkes will be in action in fl oor, season helped Leicester to the title and AGymnastics World Cup begins pommel horse and vault and will lead the one time non-league player a place at the Aspire Dome from today. a strong Australian contingent, with in the England team — added it was For the fi rst time in tournament’s other members being Mitchell Morgans barely credible the only punishment history, the event will be held over four (Parallel and Horizontal), Clay Stephens the perpetrators of the threats on Twit- days – with the fi rst two days reserved (Floor, Vault and Parallel Bars) and ter received was a slap on the wrist. “I for qualifi cation and the last two for Michael Tone (pommel horse and rings). read one story that said it (the meeting the fi nals. The championship is part of “It’s going to be an exciting World Cup between several senior players and the a two-year FIG Individual Apparatus in Doha. I hope to do well,” said Remkes, club owner over Ranieri) was straight World Cup circuit, which began in No- who was born in the Philippines, but after the Sevilla game (a 2-1 fi rst leg last vember last year and will conclude in moved to Australia at a young age. In the 16 Champions League defeat in Spain March 2018. women’s section, Australian challenge which saw the Italian sacked soon af- Based on their rankings at World will be held by Emily Little, who claimed ter). Cup stops, gymnasts gain points in the gold in fl oor, silver in vault and bronze “It said I was personally involved in Individual standings. A gymnast with medal in balance at the Melbourne leg of a meeting when I was actually sat in the highest points at the end of the se- the FIG World Cup. anti-doping for three hours,” said Var- ries is crowned World Cup champion in Little will lead a four-member Aus- dy, who was speaking at the England their discipline. The Qatar Gymnastics tralian women’s team that also includes training camp ahead of today’s friendly Federation has hosted the annual event Qatari gymnasts Ahmed Georgia-Rose Brown, Rianna Mizzen with Germany. Vardy, whose vigour and from 2008. The 10th edition has at- al-Dayani (top) and Jana Elkiki. and Emma Nedov. Last month form have returned since Craig Shake- tracted 111 gymnasts – 80 men and 31 Meanwhile, two young Qatari gym- speare replaced Ranieri, said he could women – from 31 countries, and is just a nasts Ahmed Mosa and Jana Elkiki will handle threats to himself but attacking glimpse of what Doha can off er, with the make their senior debut. Mosa and El- his family was another matter. city hosting the World championships in kiki will join Ahmed al-Dayani, who has “Then of course the story is out there October 2018. been regular at the World Cup for the and people pick it up and jump on it and Gymnasts are coming off after par- last few years. you’re getting death threats about your ticipating in Baku, Azerbaijan last week. Qatar Gymnastics Federation (QGF) family, kids, everything,” he said.“On And once again all eyes will be on fi ve- president Ali al-Hitmi believes it will be social media, you name it — walking time Olympic medallist Catalina Ponor a good opportunity for the local gym- down the street. To be honest I get them in Doha. At 29, the Romanian veteran is nasts to rub shoulders with the interna- every week. not showing any signs of slowing down. tional athletes and gain some valuable “Football fans don’t seem to like me. After a disappointing Rio Olympics, experience. I just get on with it but when people are where she failed to get into the podium, held in her home country Romania for The 1992 Olympic team gold med- Weng Hao last week. Though Hao “This will be a great event for our trying to cut your missus up while she’s Ponor has begun 2017 in splendid fash- the fi rst time in 60 years and the gym- allist topped the Vault event with a will not be in action in Doha, Berki gymnasts. The Qatar squad has been driving along, with the kids in the back ion. She won the gold in both the Bal- nast is upbeat about her chances. solid performance in Baku, even if will be attempting to make amends preparing well and we expect them to of the car, it’s not the best. It’s happened ance Beam and Floor Exercise in Baku Interestingly, Ponor is not the oldest she didn’t attempt the uber-diffi cult for his second place fi nish in Baku. shine at the home event. We will be plenty of times. and will be hoping to repeat the same gymnast to take centre stage in Doha. Produnova vault that she showed last Lithuania’s Tomas Kuzmickas is an- hosting the 10th edition of the event and “It is terrifying. All that can happen is this week. With a record seven Olympic Games un- summer in Rio. In the men’s, 2012 other one to watch out for, having every year we fi eld our own gymnasts. they get banned on Twitter. People get Ponor is preparing for next month’s der her belt, 41-year-old Oksana Chuso- Olympic champion Krisztian Berki qualifi ed for three event fi nals and We have made signifi cant progress over cut up but if there’s no cameras you’re European Championships, which will be vitina of Uzbekistan is still going strong. lost out on Pommel Horse to China’s winning a gold on Floor Exercise and the years,” al-Hitmi said. screwed.” Gulf Times 2 Wednesday, March 22, 2017 FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT PLAN Germany, England to blood youngsters Southgate looks to in glamour friendly steer England into calmer waters ‘Now there’s an opportunity to put down things I think are important. We’ve got a clear longer-term vision of how we want to work as a group of staff ...’ England players during a training session. AFP Germans were disappointed to Dortmund “only” go as far as the semi-fi - nals. But Germany are chasing a orld champions fi rst win over their old rivals on Germany host Eng- home soil since 1987 and need land in a prestige no reminding of the 5-1 maul- friendly in Dort- ing their team took in Munich in Wmund today with both coaches 2001, when Michael Owen hit a primed to give youth its head for hat-trick.