SUNDAY, MAY 3, 2015 SPORTS Palestine want Israel out of FIFA — president

MANAMA: Palestine will seek Israel’s “Enough is enough,” Rajoub said after any longer. Israel has humiliated all of election for a fifth term as president. having the proposal on the agenda expulsion from world soccer’s govern- attending the signing ceremony of a those trying to help the situation and Asked if Blatter would go to Israel even if some people would rather it was ing body at this month’s FIFA Congress, Memorandum of Understanding nothing has changed. before May 29 to attempt to ease the not.” It would need a three-quarter FA president Jibril Rajoub has told between the Asian Football “A year ago I agreed to drop the pro- situation, a FIFA spokesman told majority of FIFA’s 209 members for Reuters. Confederation (AFC) and Union of Arab posal, I will not do that again. The Reuters: “It is a possibility, not a certain- Palestine’s proposal to succeed and Last year Rajoub agreed to drop a Football Associations (UAFA) aimed at aggression towards our sportsmen and ty, but it is a problem the president Rajoub believes it will happen. resolution urging delegates to take building more co-operation between women in the West Bank and Gaza con- would like to see resolved”. Rajoub met “Don’t think just because Israel is in sanctions against Israel at FIFA’s the two organisations. tinues. It is hostile and racist and the Blatter in Manama during this week’s Europe that Europe will support Israel Congress in Sao Paulo but he said on “Last year we dropped the resolution time has come to take action.” Palestine AFC Congress and is keen for the Swiss any longer,” he said, referring to the Friday he would press ahead with the when Europe got involved and the has already tabled its motion and it is to seek a solution. However, he is not country’s footballing ties. same proposal in Zurich on May 29. Israelis promised to co-operate in on the Congress agenda. optimistic and is in no mood to back “I think (UEFA president) Michel He added he “would not make the improving the situation,” said the down again. Platini, who has backed Israel in the concessions” he made when withdraw- Palestine FA chief in the Bahrain capital RE-ELECTION BID “This is the third year in a row this past, has had enough. He sent us sports ing the proposal a year ago because Manama. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has tried has come up, first in Mauritius, then equipment which was held by Israel for nothing had improved in the way Israel “But one year on it is still behaving to resolve the crisis between the two Brazil and now again,” he explained. “I 16 months and we had to pay $32,000 “were persecuting Palestine footballers, like the neighborhood bully, or worse. neighbors. His best efforts have failed don’t think anything will change in the to get it. “Europe has had enough, athletes and the movement of sporting “There is now a feeling Europe cannot but he will not want the disharmony to next few weeks. We are close to cross- Africa, Asia and us. The time has come,” equipment”. sit back and ignore what Israel is doing blot Congress where he will seek re- ing the bridge and no-one can stop us added Rajoub. —Reuters Noble pushes Burnley to brink of relegation

West Ham 1

Burnley 0

LONDON: Mark Noble pushed Burnley to the brink of relegation from the Premier League as the West Ham midfielder’s penalty sealed a 1-0 win over the 10-man Clarets yesterday. Sean Dyche’s team had defender Michael Duff controversially sent off midway through the first half at Upton Park and Noble convert- ed the resulting spot-kick to condemn the vis- itors to their fourth successive defeat. Burnley remain rooted to the bottom of the table, eight points from safety with only three matches left, and look certain to suffer a quick return to the Championship just 12 months after their promotion. Their fate will be confirmed if they fail to win at Hull next weekend. Dyche recalled striker Ashley Barnes in place of Lukas FRANCE: Lyon’s French midfielder Nabil Fekir (left) vies with Evian’s French goalkeep- Jutkiewicz as he tried to add some firepower er Benjamin Leroy during the French L1 football match. —AFP to a team that kicked off having gone 10 hours and 39 minutes without a goal. West Ham were on a dismal run of one win Lyon reclaim top spot from their previous 12 league games and Burnley threatened twice in quick succession when Danny Ings’ shot from a tight angle PARIS: Lyon reclaimed top spot in Ligue degree when Clinton Njie limped off ear- flashed just wide before the striker headed 1 yesterday with a convincing 2-0 victory ly in the second half with what looked over from Matty Taylor’s cross. over strugglers Evian to put the pressure like a tweaked hamstring. But the Clarets’ failure to take their chances back on title rivals Paris Saint-Germain. Evian lost their 20th Ligue 1 game of once again came back to haunt them as the A superb free-kick from Clement the season and remain locked in 17th hosts went ahead in the 24th minute. Grenier after just 20 minutes and an place, just one point away from safety. Cheikhou Kouyate worked his way into the Alexandre Lacazette penalty seven min- On Friday, an Andre Pierre Gignac- Burnley penalty area and was sent tumbling utes from the break gave Lyon the three inspired Marseille boosted their to the turf by Duff’s trip as he prepared to points as they remain in the race for their prospects of competing in next season’s shoot. first French league title since 2008. Champions League win a 2-0 win over Referee Jonathan Moss harshly ruled that Lyon have the same 71 points as PSG relegation-bound Metz. Duff’s foul denied Kouyate a goal-scoring but lead on goal difference. However, the Gignac, out of contract at the end of LONDON: Burnley’s English midfielder David Jones (left) vies with West Ham United’s English opportunity and showed a red card before midfielder Mark Noble during the English Premier League football match. —AFP capital city club can restore their three- the season, celebrated his 100th goal in Noble drove in the spot-kick to compound point lead when they head to mid-table the French top flight as the first half was the defender’s misery. Nantes in Sunday’s late game. drawing to a close, and then made It took a fine save from Tom Heaton to stop EPL results/standings “We don’t want to have any regrets in inroads into his second century after the West Ham doubling their lead through Enner the end. There’s three matches to play. break. Valencia and the Burnley goalkeeper was Aston Villa 3 (Benteke 10, 45, Cleverley 64) Everton 2 (Lukaku 59-pen, Jagielka 90); Leicester 3 (Ulloa 1, 48-pen, Morgan 17) Newcastle 0; Liverpool 2 (Coutinho 19, Gerrard 87) QPR 1 (Fer 73); Manchester United 0 West Brom 1 We are going to get maximum points,” Marseille, who were desperate to put called into action again moments later to said Lyon defender Henri Bedimo. a stop to a four-match losing streak, (Olsson 64); Sunderland 2 (Gomez 21-pen, 55-pen) Southampton 1 (Mane 22); Swansea 2 (Montero 76, Ki 90) Stoke keep out Morgan Amalfitano’s half-volley 0; West Ham 1 (Noble 24-pen) Burnley 0. “PSG has maturity with players used moved provisionally above Saint-Etienne Barnes had a chance to equalise late in the Playing today Chelsea v Crystal Palace, Tottenham v Manchester City to playing at the highest level and they on goal difference into fourth on 60 first half, but his header from a Kieran Trippier are used to fighting for the title. “But points, two points shy of Monaco occu- Playing tomorrow cross was well saved by Adrian. A flicked effort Hull v Arsenal we’re not thinking about them. We are pying the third and final Champions from West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan went struggling a bit at the moment but the League spot. just wide in the opening stages of the second English Premier League table after yesterday’s matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): three points were the most important The Principality side host strugglers half. Chelsea 34 24 8 2 68 27 80 West Brom 35 10 10 15 33 46 40 thing today.” Toulouse on Sunday while Saint-Etienne, Ings couldn’t keep his low shot on target Man City 34 20 7 7 70 36 67 Aston Villa 35 9 8 18 29 50 35 “We believe in ourselves of course but in fourth, go to Corsica to face Bastia late and Taylor’s stinging strike was repelled by Arsenal 33 20 7 6 63 32 67 Newcastle 35 9 8 18 36 60 35 we also have to be realistic,” the yesterday. Adrian as Burnley tried to respond. Man Utd 35 19 8 8 59 35 65 Hull 34 8 10 16 32 45 34 Cameroon player added. “We’ll need a bit Today, Lille face local rivals Lens, who Liverpool 35 18 7 10 49 38 61 Leicester 35 9 7 19 39 54 34 Heaton then saved from Nolan and Tottenham 34 17 7 10 55 49 58 Sunderland 34 6 15 13 28 50 33 of help from another team but we will are rock bottom and must win and hope Valencia couldn’t convert the rebound, while have to do our job too.” other results go their way to put off a Southampton 35 17 6 12 48 28 57 QPR 35 7 6 22 39 61 27 Reece Burke’s goalbound effort was blocked Swansea 35 15 8 12 43 44 53 Burnley 35 5 11 19 26 53 26 Lyon’s victory was tarnished to a return to Ligue 2. —AFP by Trippier soon after. Burnley’s tiredness West Ham 35 12 11 12 43 42 47 Note: top four teams qualify for next season’s showed in the closing stages and only poor Stoke 35 13 8 14 39 44 47 Champions League; fifth-place team qualifies for Europa finishing from Valencia and Carlton Cole Everton 35 11 11 13 46 46 44 League; bottom three teams relegated to Crystal Palace 34 11 9 14 42 47 42 Championship. Celtic crowned saved them from a heavier defeat. —AFP Scotland champions Gomez gives Sunderland hope GLASGOW: Celtic have been crowned However, a run of 15 wins from 17 champions of Scotland for the 46th time league games in 2015 has seen Celtic tucked home the chance after Romanian goalkeep- ted home the penalty. Sunderland manager Dick after Aberdeen’s loss to Dundee United wrap up the title with three games to er Costel Pantilimon spilled the ball. Advocaat rang the changes as the game entered Sunderland 2 The hosts went close to restoring their lead the final 10 minutes and sent on Adam Johnson for gave them an unassailable lead at the spare, although Deila’s side don’t have a before the end of the first-half but Kelvin Davis Defoe-his first appearance since being charged top of the table. chance to claim a treble after Inverness pulled off a superb fingertip save from Jermain with three counts of sexual activity with a 15-year- Celtic opened up an 11 point lead Caledonian Thistle defeated them in Defoe’s header. old girl. with three games remaining when they their Scottish Cup semi-final clash. Southampton 1 Sunderland’s hopes of taking all the points However, it was the visitors who finished the thrashed Dundee 5-0 on Friday night The Celtic boss heard the news of his received a huge boost nine minutes into the sec- stronger despite being a man down and meaning the Dons had to defeat side’s league triumph while back on a ond-half as James Ward-Prowse brought down Pantilimon more than made up for his error earlier Dundee United to set up a title show- short visit to his native Norway follow- Defoe in the penalty area and referee Mike Jones on as he produced a stunning reaction save to down at Pittodrie next Sunday. ing his side’s Friday night victory over SUNDERLAND: Two penalties by Jordi Gomez didn’t hesitate in flourishing a red card. deny Graziano Pelle only his second goal away However, Aberdeen failed to recover Dundee and he says he is already plan- gave Sunderland’s hopes of retaining their Premier Gomez once again showed no nerves as he slot- from home this season. —AFP after going behind to Robbie ning for next season. “We have achieved League status a boost on Saturday as they beat 10- Muirhead’s 13th minute goal as Dundee a big thing - winning the league for the man Southampton 2-1. United secured a 1-0 victory to hand the fourth time - and hopefully there will be Sunderland’s win-only their second in their last title to Celtic. more and more,” Deila told the official 11 Premier League games didn’t see them climb It’s a fourth successive league cham- Celtic website. out of the bottom three but they are just a point pionship for the Glasgow giants to go “Defensively we have been unbeliev- behind Hull and fourth from bottom Leicester, who with the League Cup they won earlier in able the whole season and we have thrashed Newcastle 3-0, and with a game in hand the season. It caps a successful first sea- hardly conceded a goal. Offensively we on the latter. The signs weren’t good for the hosts at the out- son in charge for Ronny Deila, who took have been getting better and we scored set as home fans didn’t pile in to support their ail- over from former boss Neil Lennon last five beautiful goals against Dundee on ing team, with plenty of spaces in the stands testa- summer. Friday night. “We have worked so hard ment to their dissatisfaction with yet another rele- The Norwegian endured a stuttering for this and finally we are there and can gation battle. Those that were there went deathly start to life in the Celtic Park dugout as start thinking of next season. There is silent early on when news filtered through that fel- Celtic picked up just six wins from their always high pressure here and I put low strugglers Aston Villa had taken the lead opening 14 competitive matches. high demands on myself as well. against Everton. They were cheering in the 20th The Scottish Champions stumbled “Today we just have to enjoy it and minute, though, as former Wigan star Gomez con- out of the Champions League in qualify- be happy that we are champions. I’m verted a penalty to give them a 1-0 lead after the ing and suffered defeats to Inverness happy with a lot of the work we have lively Danny Graham was unceremoniously bun- Caledonian Thistle, Hamilton, Dundee done and we are going to enjoy this dled to the ground by Jose Fonte. United and St Johnstone in the Scottish night and show we are champions next However, the home fans cheers were barely out SUNDERLAND: Southampton’s Portuguese defender Jose Fonte (left) vies with Sunderland’s Premiership. Sunday.”—AFP of their mouths before Sadio Mane levelled as he English striker Conor Wickham during the English Premier League football match. —AFP