NBA | Page 6 CRICKET | Page 9 LeBron and Dwayne Bravo To Advertise here Cavs’ defence says Windies Call: 444 11 300, 444 66 621 shut down board needs Boston Celtics shake up Thursday, December 17, 2015 FOOTBALL Rabia I 6, 1437 AH Alonso thunderbolt GULF TIMES puts Bayern into last 8 of German Cup SPORT Page 4 SPOTLIGHT FIFA ethics body nears verdict but Platini will miss hearing Michel Platini Prologue winner Jacob Tipper (in yellow) celebrates with second-placed Hamid Beikhormizi of Pisghaman Giant Team and third-paced Jeron Koss Kers (4.09s) of Wilton Cycling Team. Qatar Cycling Federation President Sheikh Klahid bin Ali al-Thani (second from left) and other off icials are also seen in the picture. At bottom, Tipper with Sheikh Khalid bin Ali al- Thani. CYCLING/ TOUR OF ZUBARAH DPA term that he would hand back his Berlin mandate at an extraordinary FIFA congress set for February 26. Platini, the UEFA boss since 2007, Briton Tipper oseph Blatter and Michel intends to run for his succession and Platini face what could be the has handed in the necessary docu- last chance to save their foot- ments but owing to the suspension ball careers, in hearings at the mandatory integrity check is yet JFIFA’s ethics committee adjudica- to be carried out. tory chamber today and tomorrow Blatter, 79, wants to end his role which only Blatter is set to attend. as a top man in world football after The ethics body chaired by Ger- more than three decades on his own surprises himself man judge Hans-Joachim Eckert terms by chairing the congress. The will determine the fate of the FIFA 60-year-old former France captain president Blatter and UEFA boss Platini meanwhile would cap his ca- Platini in connection with a “dis- reer as an official with the FIFA top loyal payment” of 2 million dollars job. Platini received in 2011 for work Blatter was Platini’s mentor in the done for FIFA between 1998 and past but the two have since fallen 2002. out, with Platini urging Blatter in with prologue win The investigatory chamber of the vain not to seek another term at the ethics committee submitted its re- May congress. ports including “requests for sanc- Both concede that no written tions” to Eckert’s body in late No- agreement was made about the pay- ‘It is my first outing in Qatar and I was hoping to finish the tour among the top-10’ vember. ment but that they had struck a ver- Eckert is expected to publish a bal agreement. verdict on Monday (December 21), An internal UEFA document from with Blatter and Platini reportedly 1998 allegedly mentions possible By Yash Mudgal PROLOGUE TOP-10 facing lengthy bans, if not life bans. work done for FIFA by Platini and a Doha Remarks from investigatory position of sports director but it re- chamber spokesman Andreas Ban- mains unclear why Platini received 1. Jacob Tipper (TGR Team Giant–RBS) 0:04:18 tel prompted Platini not to appear the money nine years later. acob Tipper admitted he surprised himself by 2. Hamid Beikkhormizi (PKY Pisghaman Giant himself before the committee be- Former UEFA president Lennart winning the prologue in the third edition of the Team) 0:04:26, +8 cause Bantel had shown “a disregard Johansson told yesterday’s edition Tour of Zubarah at Aspire Zone yesterday. 3. Koos Jeroen Kers (WIL Wilton Cycling Team) for the presumption of innocence” of Swedish paper Dagens Nyheter Team Giant RBS rider Tipper, who entered 0:04:26, +8 when he was quoted as saying in Johansson he has been asked to tes- Jthe tour with his eyes on a top 10-fi nish rather than an what he later named an unauthor- tify in the probe but has “no recol- 4. Andrea Palini (SKD Skydive Dubai) 0:04:28, +10 outright victory, clocked 4:18.3s after starting third last 5. Charlie Tanfield (ACH Achieve Northside Skin- ised interview that Blatter and lection” this was discussed in 1998. in a 3.3km individual time trial to beat Iran’s Hamid nergate) 0:04:29, +11 Platini can expect long bans. “I approached all who were Beikhormizi (4:08s) of Pisghaman Giant Team. 6. Abderrahmane Mansouri (SHA Sharjah Team) A statement from his lawyers yes- present. Blatter was in Stockholm The Netherlands Jeron Koss Kers (4.09s) of Wilton 0:04:30, +12 terday also spoke of Platini’s “out- but did not attend the UEFA execu- Cycling Team came third. 7. Eugen KCP (Wacker, Kuwait Cycling Project) rage at a procedure he considers tive meeting. There was no mention 0:04:30, +12 only political to prevent him from that he (Platini) would get a position ‘We have a fairly new team and competing 8. Naser Rezavi (PKY Pisghaman Giant Team) running for the FIFA presidency.” as a sports director with FIFA.” with some of the very good teams here, but 0:04:31, +13 The adjudicatory chamber mean- The payment in 2011 came in the now I having a yellow jersey in the team puts 9. Mahdi Rajabikaboodcheshmeh (PKY Pisghaman while insisted that Platini would get same year of the FIFA presidential us in a good situation to defend it within the Giant Team) 0:04:32, +14 a fair trial even if he is only repre- elections in which Platini’s UEFA team for the coming days’ 10. Meher Hasnaoui (SKD Skydive Dubai) sented by his legal team tomorrow. backed Blatter against Mohammed 0:04:34,+16 Blatter, for his part, compared the bin Hammam who withdrew a few “It was defi nitely a pleasant surprise because it wasn’t probe to “the inqusition” in a letter days before the election and has something that I was expecting. But I knew it was a good he sent to all 209 FIFA member fed- since been banned for life. course for me -– it’s the kind of course that suits me and erations but is expected to appear Both men failed before the FIFA it’s of course great to win,” the 24-year-old British rider much windy today and I guess it will remain same for before the judges today. appeals committee to have the sus- said after the podium ceremony. couple of days to come,” he said. “I fi nished overall second in the Jelajah Malaysia tour Blatter and Platini were suspend- pension lifted, and Platini was also “It is my fi rst outing in Qatar and I was hoping to fi n- Talking about his team, he said: “We have a fairly new last week and hoping to for a podium fi nish here also,” ed by the ethics committee on Octo- turned down at the Court of Arbi- ish the tour among the top-10 as I knew the fi eld will be team and competing with some of the very good teams the 26-year-old rider riding for the fi rst time in Qatar, ber 8, after the Swiss Attorney Gen- tration for Sport (CAS) which how- very tough here. But with the yellow jersey on my back, here, but now I having a yellow jersey in the team puts said. eral two weeks earlier announced ever ordered FIFA not to extend the now I am confi dent of some good results in the coming us in a good situation to defend it within the team for the Sharjah Team’s Qatari rider Ahmed Bassam al- the opening of criminal proceedings suspension beyond the 90 days and stages. In fact whatever we will get in the coming days coming days.” Bourdainy, the winner of the third stage of the Qatar leg against Blatter. Platini was named January 5. will be a bonus for us,” he said after winning the tour’s One of the event’s favourites, Italian rider of Skydive of the 14th GCC Men’s Cycling Championship last Sat- “a person asked to provide informa- The CAS could become involved fi rst leader’s jersey. Dubai team Andrea Palin, clocked 4:10s to fi nish fourth. urday, came 22nd with a timing of 4:23s. Qatar National’ tion” by the authorities. again if Blatter and/or Platini are Tipper’s fi nished overall sixth in the Sharjah Interna- “I was hoping for a better result today. I have some Team’s Moosa Said fi nished 29th. Blatter has presided over FIFA banned by the ethics committee, tional Cycling Tour last month, his best result recently. problem at the start with my shoes, but overall it was a The fi rst stage of the tour will be held today — a since 1998 and said four days after meaning the case could continue “The conditions were really tough here. It was too good outing for me,” he said. 129.9km ride from Al Thakira to Madinat al-Shamal. his May 29 re-election for a fifth into 2016. Gulf Times 2 Thursday, December 17, 2015 FOOTBALL CLUB WORLD CUP FOCUS Pele, Zico, lead calls River Plate scrape into for Brazil federation fi nal with nervy win chief to Goalkeeper Barovero was real hero as he kept the Argentine side in the game with a flurry of saves resign Reuters AFP Osaka Sao Paulo outh American champions River razil legends Pele and Plate overcame their anxiety to Zico have signed an reach the Club World Cup fi - open letter calling for nal with a jittery 1-0 win over change in the Brazilian SSanfrecce Hiroshima yesterday, keep- BFootball Confederation (CBF), ing alive the dream of a meeting with starting with the departure of its Barcelona.