SUNDAY, JULY 31, 2016 SPORTS Five facts about football at the Rio Olympics RIO DE JANEIRO: Five things to know A gold in the men’s football tournament ons Germany and eternal rivals 2008 and Cristiano Ronaldo represented Although not considered the peak of about football at the Olympics in Rio: in the final at the historic Maracana sta- Argentina. Portugal in Athens in 2004. However, the sport, men’s football has been in The men’s football tournament runs dium is one of Brazil’s most wanted as it * Neymar will be one of three players the restrictions only apply to the men’s every Olympics bar 1896 and 1932. The from August 4-20 with the 16 nations hosts the games for the first time. over the age of 23 each side is allowed tournament. The women’s competition first appearance at the Olympics dates split into four groups of four. * Having won five World Cups and the select. The restriction introduced for is contested between full international back to before the first World Cup and * The top two teams from each group being crowned champions of South the 1992 Barcelona Olympics was a sides. Following on from the success of changing regulations throughout the go into the knockout stages. There are America eight times, Olympic gold is the compromise reached between football’s taking football round the country at the decades has allowed for a far greater only 12 teams in the women’s tourna- only major honour to escape the governing body FIFA and the London games four years ago, many sta- variety of winners. A total of 18 coun- ment forming three groups of four Selecao. They have won the silver International Olympic Committee (IOC) diums that hosted World Cup fixtures tries have landed gold with Hungary which starts on August 3. That allows medal three times with even the likes of to allow professional players to play two years ago will be used for both men and Great Britain leading the way with the two best third-placed teams to Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and previously without rivalling FIFA’s prize asset the and women’s tournaments. As well as three wins each. progress to the last eight before quar- Neymar missing out. Barcelona star World Cup. Despite that Neymar is far the Maracana-which will host both Football was introduced to the ter-finals and semi-finals will determine Neymar-who sat out the Copa America from the only world class talent to have finals-and the Olympic stadium, games women’s programme in 1996 and has the gold medal matchup on August 19. in June to take part — returns to spear- carried the hopes of his nation in the will be held in Sao Paulo, Brasilia, since been dominated by world champi- * There is a third-placed playoff head a strong squad with Brazil heavy Olympics. Salvador, Belo Horizonte and as far away ons the United States, who have won between the two semi-final losers for favourites to finally break their duck * Lionel Messi won his only honour as the Manaus, nearly 3,000 kilometres four golds and a silver in the five games the bronze medal in both competitions. despite the presence of world champi- with Argentina at the Beijing games in away from Rio in the Amazonian jungle. since. — AFP 50th anniversary leaves English football with mixed feelings LONDON: Fifty years on from the greatest ever at a World Cup. Being knocked out of day in the history of English football, pes- Euro 2016 by Iceland was particularly simists fear that the prospect of becoming humiliating and offered no encouragement world champions again is as remote as it towards former Football Association chair- has ever been. man Greg Dyke’s stated aim three years On that day, Saturday, July 30 1966, the ago of winning the 2022 World Cup. nation came together in a manner rarely “We should have won a tournament in seen since the end of the Second World the last 50 years,” he said more recently. War as Alf Ramsey’s England side defeated “We haven’t. But we will win in the next 50 West Germany 4-2 after extra time to win years, hopefully long before.” Others are the World Cup for the only time. In the less convinced. intervening years, the event has come to “We are blinded by the Premier League,” be seen as an important part of British pop- former striker Alan Shearer told the BBC. ular culture, exemplified in a book pub- “We think it’s the best in the world for lished last year titled “1966: The Year the talent. It’s not. We are totally reliant on for- Decade Exploded”. eign players and managers for excitement. As part of the anniversary celebrations, We are not as good as we think we are.” In British media are devoting acres of the circumstances it is hardly surprising newsprint to the triumph and BBC Radio 5 that the reputation of the boys of ‘66 grows Live is broadcasting almost 12 hours of pro- stronger with every passing year and each gramming based on it. tournament failure. That will include a 90-minute phone-in, A number of the surviving team mem- in which football fans can be relied upon to bers are suffering from ill-health, adding offer unfavourable observations about the further poignancy to memories of their present state of the national team and World Cup victory. most of its predecessors. Nine of them survive, although at least Sam Allardyce has just been appointed half a dozen have suffered from either can- as the 12th full-time manager since Ramsey cer or serious memory loss. Skipper Bobby was sacked in 1974. The best any of the Moore died of cancer in 1993 aged 51, fol- other 11 achieved was losing on penalties lowed by manager Ramsey in 1999 and in the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup midfielder Alan Ball eight years later. (Bobby Robson) and Euro 96 (Terry “As a team we remain great friends and LOS ANGELES: Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Grzegorz Hrychowiak, (L), defender Thomas Meaner (R), and coach Unai Emery pose with their Venables). Germany, taking ample revenge have kept in touch, but it is getting harder jerseys after a press conference before their International Champions Cup (ICC) game against Leicester City F.C., at StubHub Center in Carson, for 1966, won each of those matches and to meet up with some of the guys now California on Friday. The two teams will meet at StubHub Center today. — AFP went on to take the trophy. In the last two because they are not well,” goalkeeper tournaments, England under Roy Hodgson Gordon Banks said this year. The consola- won only one game out of seven in total, tion is retaining their unique place in the the 2014 performance being their worst country’s sporting history. — Reuters PSG’s Krychowiak eyes Allegri says absence of Champions League glory star names ‘positive’ LOS ANGELES: Poland international midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak said on Friday he had HONG KONG: Juventus manager been a very positive addition to the moved to Paris Saint-Germain to power the Ibrahimovic delighted Massimiliano Allegri believes the absence squad.” The second goal came from 21- French giant to an elusive first Champions of the club’s marquee names from their year-old Lorenzo Rosseti, another of Juve’s League trophy. The Qatar-backed club domi- pre-season tour of Asia might prove a young guns to impress their manager nates at home, having won four consecutive to make United debut blessing in disguise as he prepares the while their more seasoned teammates Ligue 1 titles, but has never progressed beyond Turin giants for a tilt at an unprecedented were back home. the quarter-finals of Europe’s elite competition. MANCHESTER: Veteran Swedish star Zlatan game and, at the same time, we are in the sixth straight Serie A title. “It has given “PSG is one of the biggest clubs in Europe,” Ibrahimovic said he is delighted his compatri- preparation. “We need to keep focused, to young players their chance,” Allegri said MERGING THE SQUADS said Krychowiak, who was in Los Angeles with ots will get to see the moment ‘everyone has build up the physical part and the condition- Saturday as the Juventus tour came to a Allegri flew out of Hong Kong on his new teammates for the pre-season been waiting for’, namely his debut for new ing part but we will give them what they close. “From what we have learned we will Saturday night-no doubt hoping he would International Champions Cup (ICC). club Manchester United in his homeland yes- want.” Ibrahimovic, 34, who retired from go back to Italy now and some will stay arrive to hear the 100 million euro saga of “Coming here gives you the opportunity not terday. Ibrahimovic will lead United’s front- international football following a disappoint- and some will move on to get experience midfielder Paul Pogba’s “will he or won’t only to play in the Champions League but also line in the pre-season friendly with Turkish ing Euro 2016 campaign in France, said he from other teams. So it has been very pos- he” transfer to Manchester United had the opportunity to win it. And that motivates the side Galatasaray in Gothenburg, Sweden, had been impressed with the first few days of itive.” This summer’s European been put to bed. The 48-year-old had player, makes you want to come here and be after missing the club’s trip to China.