Sept. 17, 2020 Costly coronavirus The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to cost club football $14 billion this year worldwide, around one-third of its value, Olli Rehn, a leading official 11 at FIFA said, Reuters reported. Sports Late winner brings Reds’ An honor to have Wenger teaching ACL campaign back to life Iranian coaches: Federation official

Sports Desk

Mohammadmehdi Nabi, the secretary- general of Football Federation, praised massive turnout by Iranian football coaches to take part in legendary French manager Arsene Wenger’s coaching class. A knowledge enhancement webinar was held at the Iranian federation on Wednes- day, where some 5,000 Iranian coaches took lessons from the former Arsenal head coach, who serves as FIFA chief of global football development. “It’s a great honor to have Mr. Wenger – a high-status manager in the world – among us,” Nabi said, adding, “Iranian federation has been one of leading federa- tions in training football coaches as some 35,000 coaches have been introduced in recent years.” managers Amir Qalenoei, , and Yahya Golmohammdi, as well as Iran’s national team head coach Dragan Skocic were among attendees in the seminar. REUTERS

the-afc.com Former IAAF head Diack Persepolis defender Shoja Khalilzadeh (3) celebrates scoring a late winner against Saudi club Al Taawon in Doha, Qatar, on September 15, 2020. found guilty of corruption and jailed Sports Desk the 35th minute before producing an- Al Taawon still sits atop the group other brilliant save to keep out Cedric with six points, only leading Al Duhail Lamine Diack, the ex-head of athletics and the fight ersepolis defender Shoja Khalil- Amissi’s long-range strike. with on goal difference, with Persepo- of athletics’ governing against doping”. zadeh scored late as the Persian With Persepolis desperately digging lis sitting third on four points. body, was jailed after being Diack has been under PGulf Pro League champion beat in for a much-needed winner in the found guilty of corruption. house arrest in Paris since Saudi Arabia’s Al Taawon 1-0 at the second half, center-back Khalilzadeh Disappointing debut The Senegalese, 87, faced November 2015. AFC Champions League (ACL) in came to the rescue with seven minutes corruption and money-laun- Previously one of the Doha, Qatar. left on the clock as he put in a deflected Meanwhile, new manager Mo- dering charges linked to the most influential figures Tuesday’s victory saw Yahya Gol- corner kick with his left foot to seal the haram Navidkia had a debut to forget Russian doping scandal, in world sport, Diack was mohammadi’s almost reshuffled three points. as his team Sepahan fell to a 2-0 defeat BBC Sport reported. president of the Internation- side – which had five summer sign- “It’s just the beginning for us,” said against Saudi club Al Nassr in Group Diack was convicted of al Association of Athletics’ ings break into the starting eleven – Golmohammadi, whose side will again D. accepting bribes from ath- Federations (IAAF) – now cut the deficit to the Saudi Group C take on Al Taawon on Friday. Al Nassr skipper Abderazzaq Ham- letes suspected of doping to World Athletics – for 16 leader to two points with three games “Our new players need more support dallah scored in each half to send his cover up test results and let- years until he was replaced to spare. and time to fit in with the rest of the side two points clear of Qatari giant Al ting them continue compet- by Britain’s Lord Coe in Of the newcomers, goalkeeper team. We played a much better football Sadd on top of the table. ing, including in the 2012 August 2015. Hamed Lak surely played a massive in the second half as it was a one-way A six-goal thriller earlier in the day Olympics. AFP Diack’s son Papa Mas- role in Reds’ claiming a first victory in traffic after the interval,” added the Ira- saw Xavi’s men being held against He was sentenced to four called “unfair and inhu- thorities for four years over sata Diack – who was the group with an impressive first-half nian manager. Emirati side Al Ain. years in prison, two of them mane.” claims he took payments banned for life from athlet- performance. Elsewhere in the group, a sublime Trailing Al Nassr and Al Sadd by suspended. Diack, who was also of more than €3 million to ics in 2016 – was sentenced Former Mashinsazi keeper made a free-kick by ex-Persepolis fullback four and two points, Navidkia’s side Diack’s lawyers said he given a maximum fine of cover up cheating. to five years in prison and double save to deny Australian striker Ramin Rezaeian helped Qatari side Al will play a must-win fixture against Al would be appealing against €500,000 (£456,928), was The judge said his actions a given a €1-million fine Mitchell Duke’s point-blank efforts in Duhail beat the UAE’s Sharjah 2-1. Nassr again on Friday. the judgement, which they investigated by French au- had “undermined the values (£913,850). Rivals ponder how to break Tour de France champion Bernal Bayern Munich’s grip on withdraws from race with injury

European champion Bayern Munich thrashing of Spanish giant Barcelona and playing at international level, to club’s bosses must quickly resolve begins the hunt for a ninth-straight in the Champions League’s quarter- develop our players to the max, but the future of defender Bundesliga title on Friday, but while finals. Bayern would still be hard to catch,” and midfielder Thiago Alcantara. its rivals ponder how to break its “The current team of Leipzig’s head coach Julian Nagels- Both are stalling over signing con- iron grip on the German league, the is perhaps the best Bayern team mann told newspaper Mitteldeutsche tract extensions. Bavarian giant has pressing issues to ever,” Hans-Joachim Watzke, chief Zeitung on Wednesday. resolve on the eve of the new season. executive of arch rival Borussia Bayern’s impressive run is down ‘Money-hungry piranha’ Bayern hosts Schalke at the Alli- Dortmund, declared last month. to the irresistible form of stars like anz Arena to kick off the Bundesliga “They no longer beat their oppo- Thomas Mueller and Robert Lewan- “I don’t know who is going to season just 26 days after lifting the nents – they destroy them.” dowski. leave us and who is going to arrive Champions League trophy in Lisbon again. It’s not the best way to pre- to complete the treble, AFP reported. pare,” Flick has admitted. The German giant stands to play Alcantara has been heavily linked 57 games in a 2020/21 fixture list to a move to clubs condensed by the knock-on effects Liverpool and Manchester United. of the coronavirus pandemic, but at Alaba is said to want a big pay least on Friday, Bayern will be able rise. to play in front of a small number of A war of words broke out over GETTY IMAGES fans for the first time since March. the Austrian defender at the week- Colombia’s Egan Bernal arrives at the finish line of the 13th stage of the Tour de France However, it has already lost three end after former club chairman Uli between Chatel-Guyon and Puy Mary in France, on September 11, 2020. of the Champions League-winning Hoeness branded Alaba’s agent squad. Pini Zahavi a “money-hungry pira- Egan Bernal withdrew from the Tour de is a true champion who loves to race, but Ivan Perisic, Philippe Coutinho nha”. France five days short of Paris after injury he is also a young rider, with many Tours and Alvaro Odriozola have returned More diplomatically, Alaba hopes wrecked his title defense. ahead of him and at this point, on balance, to Inter Milan, Barcelona and Real a solution can be found soon “so that The 23-year-old Colombian had re- we feel it is wiser for him to stop racing.” Madrid respectively after their loan the club, my teammates, but also the mained in contention until Sunday’s “This is obviously not how I wanted my deals expired. fans know where they stand”. stage on the Grand Colombier, when he Tour de France to end, but I agree that it is “We have to make up for it,” head On Tuesday, midfielder Leon shipped more than seven minutes on the the right decision for me in the circumstanc- coach Hansi Flick admitted with Goretzka said the squad can “block unforgiving gradients to tumble out of the es,” Bernal said. “I have the greatest respect Bayern facing Sevilla in the UEFA REUTERS out” off-field mud-slinging. top 10 in the general classification, the for this race and I am already looking for- Super Cup and “We are all professionals enough Guardian reported. ward to coming back in the years ahead.” for the German Super Cup in the Bayern’s last loss was at the hands Mueller managed a league-record and strong as a community”. After Monday’s rest day, Bernal suf- Bernal began the Tour still suffering coming fortnight. of Moenchengldbach in December. 21 assists, making a mockery of However, the central midfielder fered again on Tuesday’s stage to Villard- with a back injury that forced him to with- Bayern wants to sign a new winger Watzke refuses to make any state- Joachim Loew’s decision to end his called for fresh signings alongside de-Lans, though indicated afterward he draw from the Critérium du Dauphiné last with Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi ments about Dortmund denying the Germany career in March 2019. winger Leroy Sane, goalkeeper hoped to ride to Paris out of respect for month, but had played down the problem again on their radar. The German gi- Bavarians a ninth-straight Bundes- Lewandowski netted 55 goals in Alexander Nuebel and defender the race. But on the morning of Wednes- until his collapse. After Tuesday’s stage, ant also wants a defender. liga title in 2020/21. 47 games last season, leaving him Tanguy Nianzou from Paris Saint- day’s queen stage to the Col de la Loze he told reporters the pain had spread to The message was similarly bleak as the top-scorer in both the Bundes- Germain. above Méribel, the Ineos Grenadiers an- his knee and it seemed clear there was ‘They destroy them’ from Champions League semifinal- liga, where he hit 34 goals, and the “We have a top squad, but I do nounced Bernal was out of the race. little point in him continuing. ist RB Leipzig which finished third Champions League, where he scored believe that at least every position Ineos team principal Sir Dave Brails- Ineos said Bernal will now have a pe- Flick’s star-studded squad finished in the Bundesliga behind Bayern and 15 times in 10 games. should be filled twice,” said the ford said, “We have taken this decision riod of recovery before resetting his goals last season on an all-conquering 21- runner-up Dortmund. However, to preserve the harmony 25-year-old with one eye on this sea- with Egan’s best interests at heart. Egan for the rest of the season. game winning run, including the 8-2 “We need two years of training in the dressing room, Flick and the son’s dense fixture list.