SUNDAY, MARCH 2, 2014 SPORTS FIFA authorise wearing of veils and turbans during matches ZURICH: Football’s world governing cover their heads during matches, and ers had been banned until 2012, with Jordan played a part in the authorisa- (FFF) reacted to the announcement by body FIFA yesterday officially autho- Valcke added that male players will FIFA saying that they posed too great tion being introduced. saying they would continue to ban the rised the wearing of head covers for also be authorised to do so following a risk of injury to the head or neck. “It was a plus for them to have wearing of head covers out of respect religious purposes during matches. a request from the Sikh community of However, the IFAB then allowed for authorisation from the IFAB for to France’s status as a secular country. “It was decided that female players Canada. them to be tested out over a two-year women to be able to play (wearing In a statement sent to AFP yester- can cover their heads to play,” said “It was decided that male players period following a request from the head covers). It was a request from day, the FFF said they will maintain FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke can play with head cover too,” he said, Asian Football Confederation (AFC), a Muslim countries that said it would “the prohibition of the wearing of all at a meeting of the International although they will not be the same as trial which proved to be successful. help support women’s football there.” religious or confessional symbols”. This Football Association Board (IFAB), the those worn day to day. “It’s a worldwide authorisation,” However, it seems that not all coun- is due to the “constitutional and leg- sport’s lawmakers, in Zurich. “It will be a basic head cover and said Valcke, who confirmed that the tries will be supporting the IFAB’s islative principles of secularism that That will allow female Muslim play- the color should be the same as the hosting of the 2016 women’s under- decision. prevail in our country and figure in its ers who wear a veil in everyday life to team jersey.” The wearing of head cov- 17 World Cup by the Arab kingdom of The French Football Federation statutes.” —AFP Monaco stumble at in-form St Etienne PARIS: Monaco’s Ligue 1 title hopes suf- Champions League qualifying place, fered a severe blow as the big-spending although the latter are away to rock-bot- Principality outfit lost 2-0 at in-form Saint- tom Ajaccio today. Coach Christophe Etienne yseterday. Galtier said he wasn’t going to get too car- Monaco came into the game trailing ried away by their lofty position. champions Paris Saint-Germain by five “Obviously this gives us a lot of hope. points at the top of the table but this loss Until someone proves otherwise, we’ve could see them lose more ground before never said either that we want a podium the weekend is out. PSG host Marseille on (top three finish) or that we don’t want it. Sunday in the French ‘Classique’. “We’re well placed. Will we finish sev- Monaco coach Claudio Ranieri insisted enth, eighth or even third at the end of the this defeat had not ended his side’s cham- season, I don’t know. “We have to keep our pionship hopes-he said they never had any feet on the ground and tell ourselves that hope. “We haven’t lost (the title) because everything is possible. We need a lot of we’ve lost here. We need to do 130 percent humility.” In the first half, St Etienne earnt a to take the title and that’s not possible,” he deserved lead when a ball was half cleared said. “The title was promised to PSG from from a corner on 17 minutes and Lemoine the beginning of the season and it’s not hit a rasping, rising half-volley that swerved lost now.” away from Subasic and into the top corner. Midfielder Fabian Lemoine was the hero Later he broke into the box to meet for St Etienne in the first half as he scored a Brandao’s cushioned pass with a vicious wonder goal and cleared an effort from strike that Subasic did well to repel. In Nicolas Isimat-Mirin off the line. He also between, he had been in the right place at had another fine strike saved well by the right time on the line to clear the ball Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic. after Isimat-Mirin had prodded goalwards Romain Hamouma sealed the three past Stephane Ruffier as a corner caused points after beating three players in a run havoc in the home box. that began in his own half before shooting Midway through the second period home from distance, although the ball Hamouma set off on a run, ghosting appeared to go straight through Subasic, between two players and then veering who should have done much better. wide of a third before pulling the trigger, St Etienne, who have lost only once in but quite how Subasic failed to keep the their last 11 league encounters, moved ball out, perhaps only the Croatia stopper above Lille into third and the final himself knows. —AFP GERMANY: Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Armenia (right) fails to score against Nuremberg goalkeeper Raphael Schaefer during the German First Division Bundesliga soccer match. —AP Dortmund go second as Leverkusen crash again BERLIN: Borussia Dortmund built on their mid- ond goal in four days seven minutes from time. eight games. week Champions League victory over Zenit St Leverkusen’s dreadful form continued with Braunschweig gifted Gladbach a first-half lead Petersburg by going second in the Bundesliga their fourth straight home defeat as Mainz moved when Iran goalkeeper Daniel Davari turned the yesterday with a 3-0 win over Nuremberg. up to sixth with their fifth win in eight games. ball into his own net with half an hour to go. Jurgen Klopp’s side backed up Tuesday’s 4-2 Ex-Liverpool star Sami Hyypia is facing a crisis But Ter Stegen, who has been linked with a last 16, first-leg win in Russia to leap-frog Bayer as his Leverkusen side last won on February 1 and move to Barcelona next season, could only watch Leverkusen, who crashed 1-0 at home to Mainz, were also routed 4-0 at home to Paris Saint- in horror as the ball spun into his own net after he their fifth straight defeat and eighth loss in 10 Germain in the Champions League. failed to control a back pass from captain Filip games. “The team operated at a high level, which “My boys had tried to fight, but the belief and Daems. was necessary as Nuremberg began well and they the ease was missing from our game,” said the 40- There was trouble before Werder Bremen’s 1-0 had their chances,” enthused Dortmund boss year-old. “If you don’t score goals, it’s hard to win win over Hamburg in the north German derby as Klopp. a game.” the visitors’ bus was pelted by Bremen fans, “The game has clearly answered all your ques- Cameroon striker Eric Choupo-Moting breaking a window. tions,” he added when waiting reporters failed to slammed home the winner past Leverkusen goal- Police used water cannons to separate rival pose a single question. keeper Bernd Leno on 37 minutes after being set fans outside Bremen’s Weser Stadion and eight Dortmund’s Germany defender Mats up by Stefan Bell. supporters were arrested. After enjoying a win- Hummels celebrated his first game in four weeks Run-away league leaders Bayern Munich can ning debut in last Saturday’s shock 3-0 win at after a foot injury by netting the opener at go 20 points clear if they beat Schalke 04 at home home against Borussia Dortmund, which broke Borussia’s Westfalenstadion. late yesterday. Fourth-placed Schalke face the Hamburg’s eight-match losing streak, new coach Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin fired in a free-kick toughest test imaginable as they look to bounce Mirko Slomka suffered his first defeat as his side and after Robert Lewandowski’s header was back from their 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Real remain third from bottom. saved, Hummels tapped home the rebound just Madrid on Wednesday in the Champions League. Bremen grabbed an early winner when Austria after the break. A horrendous error by Germany goalkeeper midfielder Zlatko Junuzovic fired home after a Poland star Lewandowski then scored his 15th Marc-Andre ter Stegen cost Borussia spectacular back heel from team-mate Aaron league goal of the season by converting a superb Moenchengladbach their place in the top six fol- Hunt. Hanover’s Senegal striker Mame Diouf pass from Henrikh Mkhitaryan on 64 minutes lowing a 1-1 draw at bottom side Eintracht scored his first goal for a month in his side’s 1-1 before the Armenia international netted his sec- Braunschweig and left them winless in their last draw at Augsburg. —AFP Griffiths powers Celtic to victory GLASGOW: Leigh Griffiths scored his three yards out to fire the hosts ahead. first hat-trick for Celtic since joining Celtic didn’t have long to wait for a FRANCE: Monaco’s Geoffrey Kondogbia (front) is challenged by Saint- them in January as they thrashed second though with Griffiths this time Etienne’s Brandao during their French League One soccer match in Saint- Inverness Caledonian Thistle 5-0 at turning provider in the 22nd minute.