FOOTBALL | Page 3 BASEBALL | Page 5 Mane could Dodgers open miss rest of new MLB the season, season with says Klopp a bang Wednesday, April 5, 2017 TENNIS Rajab 8, 1438 AH Missing Miami GULF TIMES was refreshing, says Djokovic SPORT Page 6 SPOTLIGHT Qatar in discussion to host Club World Cup AFP Qatar is spending almost $500 president Gianni Infantino said “all “We have to make sure there Doha million every week on major options were open” for Qatar to host will be some test events, test infrastructure projects for rehearsal tournaments but at the time matches organised here and the World Cup, the country’s said no specifi c discussions were tak- all the options are open at this atar is in discussion with Finance Minister, HE Ali Sherif ing place. moment in time,” he said FIFA to host several major al-Emadi said this year “We have to make sure there will be international tournaments some test events, test matches organ- lion every week on major infrastructure ahead of 2022 including the But unlike other recent World Cup ised here and all the options are open at projects for the World Cup, the coun- QClub World Cup currently held by Real hosts, Qatar will not have the advan- this moment in time,” he said. try’s Finance Minister, HE Ali Sherif al- Madrid, sources familiar with the mat- tage of staging the Confederations Cup, The Club World Cup is held annually, Emadi said this year. ter have told AFP. traditionally played 12 months before as and was most recently won by Real Ma- That eye-watering level of spend- Qatar could also be the venue for the a rehearsal for the main event. drid who beat Japan’s Kashima Antlers ing could continue until 2021 and cov- Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups. Concerns about Qatar’s fi ercely hot in the fi nal. ers not only stadiums but also huge Sources say all three tournament op- summers — which prompted FIFA to The tournament is traditionally played projects such as roads, a metro, new tions are currently being considered move the World Cup from June/July in December, the same time of the year airport and hospitals. by the Qatari authorities and football’s 2022, to November/December that the 2022 World Cup will be played. Qatar is building or comprehensively governing body, and all three could be year — also meant football’s governing The U-17 tournament is held every renovating at least eight stadiums — staged in the Gulf. body ruled out playing the 2021 Con- two years, the next event taking place in each uniquely — for the World Cup, Qatar is urgently looking for test federations Cup in Doha. India in October this year. with the fi rst of those due to be com- events to try out the multi-billion dol- No host has yet been chosen for 2021, The U-20 World Cup is also held bi- pleted later this year. lar infrastructure it is putting in place but the venue will be another country annually, and the next competition be- More than $200 billion (187bn euros) — and which is reshaping the country from the Asian Football Confederation. gins in South Korea in May. will be spent in total by the gas-rich — for the 2022 World Cup fi nals. Artist’s impression of the Khalifa Stadium, one of the venues for the 2022 WC. On a trip to Qatar in February, FIFA Qatar is spending almost $500 mil- Emirate in preparation for 2022. ABU DHABI DESERT CHALLENGE Al-Attiyah extends lead as Sunderland top in bikes ‘The car is working very well – a perfect stage for us. There is no advantage to coming here before. This Results & Standings is the desert. It is always changing. Two days to go, but we will drive at the same pace. It’s a good pace’ STAGE RESULTS Cars By Our Correspondent off the piste that you could see. You 1. Nasser al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Qasr Al Sarab, UAE could not see the track and we tried to Baumel (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive fi nd a better way. We are still second 2. Khalid al-Qassimi (ARE)/Khaled al- overall today and for the rally. The most Kendi (ARE) Peugeot 3008 DKR atar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah important thing for me is to gain the 3. Khalid al-Jafla (ARE)/Ahmed Malik stormed to a fourth succes- experience and the mileage and to ben- (ARE) Chevrolet Silverado sive stage victory in the car efi t more and more.” category at the Abu Dhabi Czech driver Martin Prokop is on Bikes DesertQ Challenge, as Dubai-based Sam course for a career-best cross-coun- 1. Sam Sunderland (GBR) KTM 450 Sunderland won the motorcycle special try rally fi nish. The former WRC star Rally Factory to regain the advantage on two wheels clocked the fourth fastest time and 2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI) Husqvarna yesterday. holds third place. Emiratis Khalid al- 450 Rally Starting sixth on the road for the Jafl a and Ahmed al-Maqoodi produced 3. Matthias Walkner (AUT) KTM 450 288.73km passage along gatch tracks stunning performances to claim the Rally Factory and through the towering dunes of the third and fi fth fastest times in their UAE, Sunderland delivered another respective Chevrolet and Polaris RZR OVERALL POSITIONS stunning performance on his factory 1000, but Qatar’s Mohammed Abu Issa Cars Red Bull KTM 450 Rally and now holds got stuck, lost a jack and dropped to 1. Nasser al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu an advantage of 3min 06.7sec over fourth. Yayha al-Helai and Mark Powell Baumel (FRA) 11hr 07min Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla. were running well in an unoffi cial sev- 2. Khalid al-Qassimi (ARE)/Khaled Frenchman Pierre Alexandre Renet enth and eighth positions. al-Kendi (ARE) 11hr 46min knew it would never be easy to open the Russian Vladimir Vasilyev lost his 3. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Jan Tomanek road with such top class competition chance of maintaining a top fi ve placing (CZE) 12hr 51min and the Husqvarna rider fi nished the when he withdrew from the race at the 4. Mohammed Abu Issa (QAT)/Xavier Al-Ain Water-backed stage in fi fth and end of the second stage with a back inju- Panseri (FRA) 13hr 52min holds a similar position in the rankings ry. The Mini All4 Racing driver decided to 5. Ahmed al-Maqoodi (ARE)/Obaid behind the leading duo, KTM’s Mat- return to Russia, although his car devel- al-Kitbi (ARE) 14hr 41min thias Walkner and Honda’s Paolo Gon- oped engine issues the day before as well. calves. Emirati Mohammed Al-Balo- Poland’s Rafal Sonik stormed to the Bikes oshi climbed to seventh position. Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah continues his remarkable run of form at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. top of the quad rankings, despite ced- 1. Sam Sunderland (GBR) KTM 450 Sunderland said: “It was a good day. I ing the stage win to Dutchman Kees Rally Factory 11hr 41min started back in sixth and I caught all the know. I got to the refuel and I saw them and pieces, but it gives you no advan- We lost some time until we found the Koolen. The multiple world champion 2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI) Husqvarna guys before the refuel, which I was re- just before me. After that it was good tage because every dune is diff erent. I route. After passing the bivouac we leads the section by 2min 08.6sec on 450 Rally 11hr 44min ally happy about. At the start I couldn’t and I kind of cruised back. It was a bit feel happy. I felt fast this morning.” made a mistake when we took a diff er- his Honda TRX 700 from fellow coun- 3. Matthias Walkner (AUT) KTM 450 see everyone after the start and I start- windy out there. It all looks the same. Al-Attiyah and French co-driver ent line and we drove inside the fence. tryman Kamil Wisniewski. Kuwait’s Rally Factory 11hr 46min ed to feel a little nervous so see whether There are thousands of dunes. You rec- Matthieu Baumel stormed to the car We made another mistake about 50km Fahad al-Musallam is third. “We have I was catching them or not. You don’t ognise landmarks from before and bits stage win in cooler and windier condi- from the end. It was windy and we went had some problems and delays on the Quads tions in their Overdrive Racing Toyota 1. Rafal Sonik (POL) Honda TRX 700 Hilux. The Qatari now heads Abu Dhabi 14hr 46min Racing’s Sheikh Khalid al-Qassimi by 2. Kamil Wisniewski (POL) Yamaha 39min 38sec with two days remaining. Raptor 700 R 14hr 49min “Today, the same,” said al-Attiyah. 3. Fahad al-Musallam (KUW) “The car is working very well – a per- Yamaha Raptor 700R 14hr 54min fect stage for us. There is no advantage to coming here before. This is the desert. It is always changing. Saying that, it was rally and it was nice to have a good stage much cooler today in the car. We do not and a clean run,” said Sonik. have air conditioning. We saw 51 degrees “It’s been another dramatic day on yesterday. Today was better and it also the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge,” said gives more performance from the engine. event founder and ATCUAE President Two days to go, but we will drive at the Mohammed Ben Sulayem. same pace.