ZURICH: Ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Friday that a comeback was possible for his former ally Michel Platini, declining to hit back after the Frenchman savaged him in an interview last month.
Blatter said that Platini’s name may be cleared by “new elements” concerning the infamous two million Swiss franc payment ($2 million, €1.9 million) that triggered both men’s ouster from football.
“I think he should be back and I think it is not all over,” Blatter said, suggesting that former UEFA boss Platini could again take charge of the European confederation, or even FIFA.
Blatter is currently serving a six-year ban from football over the payment he authorized to Platini in 2011. Platini’s suspension was cut to four years on appeal.
The pair are united in claiming the transaction was legitimate, but bitter words have been swapped since details of the payment emerged in September 2015.
Blatter says he met with US Department of Justice officials and is not a suspect in their investigation of corruption linked to FIFA.
“I was never a person of interest or under scrutiny by the American justice. Never.”
Blatter’s most recent contact “with lawyers from the US Justice Department” was several months ago in Switzerland and was also attended by FIFA legal representatives, he says.
Blatter says: “I have been investigated in two or three matters but it’s no wrongdoing. So the only case which is pending for me is the Swiss case.”
Swiss federal prosecutors have also questioned Blatter, though he says “clarification” in their broader FIFA investigation and not related to a criminal proceedings opened against him in September 2015.
In an interview with French newspaper Le Monde last month, Platini called Blatter “the biggest egoist I’ve ever seen in my life.
“He always said I would be his last scalp,” the former Juventus star said of Blatter.
Platini, 61, claimed there was a campaign to “destroy” him waged by Blatter loyalists inside FIFA.
Blatter on Friday expressed confusion over Platini’s harsh tone.
“If he sees me as an egoist, I accept ... but I helped him become president of UEFA in 2007 and we had good relations, so I don’t understand his attitude. Saying I wanted to harm him doesn’t hold up,” Blatter, 81, told AFP.
Both claim the payment was compensation for consulting work Platini did for FIFA between 1998 and 2002.
There has been media speculation that Blatter approved the money a decade later to buy Platini’s support for his reelection as FIFA president.
There have also been suggestions that Marco Villiger, a close associate of Blatter and a FIFA legal director, leaked details of the controversial payment to Swiss prosecutors, who have ongoing criminal probe into the case.
Separately, Blatter took a jibe at the signature achievement of his successor Gianni Infantino, branding the new FIFA president’s 48-team World Cup a dangerous move.
Infantino eagerly wanted to expand the cash-cow tournament beyond its current 32-team format, and has secured support from FIFA’s powerful Council for a larger competition in 2026.
The council has endorsed a format of 16 groups, each with three teams.
“To play in groups by three is not recommendable,” Blatter said. “One team is always a spectator.”
When a nation has no chance of moving on, “arrangements… could be done,” Blatter continued.
Blatter’s FIFA tenure ended in spectacular disgrace, after US prosecutors opened corruption probes against dozens of his top allies in world football.
He remains the target of an investigation in his native Switzerland over criminal mismanagement.
Blatter says Platini could make comeback
Blatter says Platini could make comeback
India’s cup overflows after New Zealand win, but dominance could breed antipathy
- The Champions Trophy joins the T20 World Cup, earned in June 2024 when they beat South Africa by just 7 runs
When previewing the International Cricket Council’s 2025 Champions Trophy for Arab News, Azeem Rafiq felt that India started as slight favorites. As the tournament progressed, it became apparent that several factors underlined that initial assessment. India’s superiority and team cohesion was sufficient to achieve an unbeaten route to the final in which a tenacious New Zealand was narrowly beaten.
Understandably, the Indian team, officials, management and millions of fervent supporters were overjoyed. Their delight is enhanced as the Champions Trophy is now added to the T20 World Cup, secured in June 2024 when South Africa was beaten by the narrow margin of seven runs.
No doubt Indian eyes will now turn to planning victory in the 2026 T20 World Cup, to be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka from mid-February to mid-March. If it had not been for an inspired performance by Australia in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, the Indian men’s team would hold a full set of ICC trophies in the short formats.
It is difficult to escape the conclusion that India and its supporters want to win every tournament, befitting their status as cricket’s powerhouse in terms of revenue generation and levels of support. Dominance by one team in any sport tends to breed ennui and antipathy — just ask supporters of other English Premier League teams their views on the dominance displayed by the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool at various times. These feelings are exacerbated if accompanied by a sense of injustice or bias and there is a danger India’s most recent success could fall into that category.
The resurrection of the Champions Trophy by the ICC and its choosing Pakistan as hosts was designed to provide a boost for cricket in the country. It certainly provided grounds for optimism and, as Rafiq noted, Pakistan’s message to the world was: “We are back.” However, the vibes were dampened by disappointing cricket from the hosts, by three matches lost to rain and by the geo-politically induced decision to split the tournament between Pakistan and Dubai.
Much has been made of India playing all their matches in Dubai, of being based there and not having to travel, of being familiar with the pitches and tailoring team selection to include four spinners to take advantage of them. Naturally, the Indians have downplayed these alleged benefits, one coach saying that “you (still) have to play good cricket every day when you turn up.” Whilst this is self-evidently true and they were the best team, India avoided the farcical situation in which Australia and South Africa found themselves.
Having completed their group stage matches and qualified for the semifinals, both teams had to fly from Pakistan to Dubai where the result of the final group stage match between India and New Zealand would determine the semifinal pairings. India won, which meant Australia remained in Dubai and the South Africans ended an 18-hour stay by rushing back to Lahore to play New Zealand. The reason given for this bizarre decision was to allow the team playing the semifinal in Dubai maximum time to prepare. This feels like a tacit admission of the need to balance out India’s perceived advantage.
Pakistan’s disappointment in failing to reach the semifinal stage, thereby depriving the country of the global exposure which it craved, was made worse by losing the opportunity to host the final, because India reached it. Events at the presentation ceremony will not have eased Pakistan’s pain.
Legendary former Pakistan players Wasim Akram and Shoaib Akhtar were incredulous there was no representative from the Pakistan Cricket Board on the stage, which was populated by Indians. The president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Roger Binny, presented jackets to the Indian players and the former BCCI secretary, now ICC chair Jay Shah, presented the trophy to India’s captain.
It is understood the PCB’s chair, Mohsin Naqvi, could not attend the occasion due to prior commitments, but both the tournament director and PCB COO, Sumair Ahmed Syed, and Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla represented him at the match. Looking at the stage in Dubai, it was hard to believe the PCB was the tournament’s official host. The PCB interpreted this lack of representation as a deliberate snub and lodged an official complaint, which is unlikely to do more than further inflame tensions. The official line is that protocol allows only elected members or directors of a board to be on the podium.
The 2025 Champions Trophy provided a significant opportunity for Pakistan to re-establish itself as a viable host for future ICC events. This was partially achieved. The PCB’s investment in stadiums has gone largely unrewarded in terms of spectator numbers. Despite Naqvi’s fulsome praise for “the commitment and collective efforts of those who ensured the tournament’s seamless execution,” other factors dogged their efforts. India’s late decision not to travel cast a long shadow not only over the cricket but also the tournament’s organization. The schedule was released just eight weeks before the opening match and tickets were available only days beforehand.
None of this will matter to either the ICC, BCCI or India. The ICC continues to make money but is dependent upon India’s participation in its tournaments and on India v Pakistan to protect broadcasting rights. International cricket is over a barrel. No national board is prepared to take the risk of challenging the insanely rich BCCI — look what happened when Pakistan tried. Market forces have been allowed to dictate the future of the game, whilst the BCCI, hand in glove with the ICC, now seems to be able to influence schedules for its own benefit.
The Champions Trophy 2025 has pulled back the curtain on the future of international cricket, in which India looks set to dominate not only off the field, but on it as well, at least in the short formats. It has taken eight years since the last Champions Trophy in 2017, when Pakistan handsomely beat India at the Oval, for this possibility to become reality.
Hafeet Sports Challenge set for jiu-jitsu competitions in Al-Ain
- Athletes will take part in the under 14, 16 and 18 age categories on Friday
ABU DHABI: The jiu-jitsu competitions of the Hafeet Sports Challenge will be held on Friday at the Al-Ain Jiu-Jitsu Club, and will feature athletes in the under 14, 16 and 18 categories from various clubs and academies.
The Hafeet Sports Challenge is aimed at encouraging healthy lifestyles, and includes a variety of sports disciplines and activities for athletes of all levels.
Abdullah Al-Zaabi, head of the events and activities section at the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation, said the organization is committed to organizing high-level championships “to ensure the continuous development of athletes.”
He added: “Youth and teen championships receive significant attention from the federation, as these categories represent the foundation for the future and the sustainable success of jiu-jitsu in the UAE.”
The championship will be held over a single day under the open belt system.
The event will help athletes prepare for upcoming competitions while allowing clubs and coaches to identify new talent.
Shai scores 34 as Thunder down Celtics, seal playoff berth
- Gilgeous-Alexander enhanced his credentials as favorite for the Most Valuable Player award with a superb performance to silence Boston’s TD Garden home crowd
- The Memphis Grizzlies improved to 42-24 and are third in the West after downing the hapless Utah Jazz (15-51) 122-115
LOS ANGELES: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 34 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder punched their ticket to the playoffs with an impressive 118-112 victory over the reigning champion Boston Celtics in a potential NBA Finals sneak preview on Wednesday.
Gilgeous-Alexander enhanced his credentials as favorite for the Most Valuable Player award with a superb performance to silence Boston’s TD Garden home crowd in an absorbing duel settled by a burst of fourth-quarter Thunder scoring.
The Canadian point guard shot 11-of-20 from the field to finish with five rebounds, seven assists and 34 points, including 10-of-11 from the free throw line.
The win lifted Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City to 54-12 and guaranteed their place in next month’s playoffs.
Wednesday’s win over a vastly more experienced Boston lineup marked another mature display from a Thunder side that is the youngest in the league.
Oklahoma City effectively sealed victory late in the fourth, pulling away to open up a double-digit lead with just under two minutes remaining after Cason Wallace nailed a superb 24-foot three-pointer followed by a driving reverse layup.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder’s defensive solidity amid a barrage of 63 attempted threes from Boston had provided the foundation for the win.
“We were able to get stops, and that’s been the trend for us recently,” he told ESPN.
“When you’re coming down the stretch against a good basketball team with good players, you’ve got to find a way, and we did so tonight and gave ourselves a chance.”
While Gilgeous-Alexander grabbed the scoring headlines, the towering Chet Holmgren caught the eye with a double-double of 23 points with 15 rebounds.
“We all know the player Chet Holmgren is,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of his 22-year-old teammate. “He’s a stud, and he’s going to be a stud for a very long time. He’ll continue to grow and continue to be special.”
Oklahoma City’s balanced offense meanwhile suggests that they are well-equipped to make a deep run in the postseason as they pursue the franchise’s first NBA title since 1979, when the club was the Seattle SuperSonics.
Despite missing Jaylin Williams from the lineup, the Thunder finished with seven players in double figures.
Boston’s scoring was led by Jayson Tatum with 33 points, while Derrick White had 22.
Jaylen Brown though had an off-night, shooting 5-of-15 from the field before fouling out in the fourth quarter with 3min 36 remaining.
Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said his team had failed to deal with Oklahoma City’s physicality.
“There were a lot of moments where we matched that and there were a few where we didn’t, and I think stuff like that’s the difference in the game,” he said.
In other games on Wednesday, the Phoenix Suns’ slipped further away from play-in contention after losing 111-104 to the Houston Rockets. The Suns are 11th in the West on 30-36 with the Dallas Mavericks 10th on 33-34. The Mavericks lost 126-116 in San Antonio.
The Memphis Grizzlies improved to 42-24 and are third in the West after downing the hapless Utah Jazz (15-51) 122-115.
In Denver, Nikola Jokic finished with 34 points but could not prevent the Nuggets crashing to a 115-95 defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves, who romped to a wire-to-wire victory on the back of 29 points from Anthony Edwards and 25 points from Julius Randle.
Alcaraz blows past Dimitrov into Indian Wells quarters, Keys battles through
- Britain’s Jack Draper delivered a masterclass to stun 2022 champion Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4
- World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus got past an early hiccup, dropping her serve in the opening game before rolling to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over British lucky loser Sonay Kartal
INDIAN WELLS, California: Two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz blew past Grigor Dimitrov 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday to reach the Indian Wells quarterfinals, keeping his bid for a rare three-peat on course.
The world No. 3 from Spain defied the difficult windy conditions on Stadium Court to deliver a dominant performance against a player who had won their past two encounters — including in the quarterfinals at the Miami Open last year.
Alcaraz took another step in his bid to join Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win three straight Indian Wells titles.
Alcaraz appeared largely untroubled by the gusty winds that had ball kids scampering after blowing trash and changed the trajectories of some shots.
“Today with the conditions, it was really tough for both,” he said. “I had to survive. I always say in these conditions, you have to survive no matter what. I’m very happy that I was able to play long rallies. I got a good rhythm, even with the conditions.”
Alcaraz didn’t face a break point until the fifth game of the second set, and worked his way out of that jam with an ace on Dimitrov’s third break chance.
Alcaraz polished it off in style, giving himself a match point with his sixth ace of the match and sealing the win with a forehand winner.
He will play Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo for a place in the semifinals. Cerundolo beat world No. 10 Alex de Minaur of Australia 7-5, 6-3.
Britain’s Jack Draper delivered a masterclass to stun 2022 champion Taylor Fritz 7-5, 6-4.
Draper won seven straight games to seize a 7-5, 4-0 lead over the world number four. Fritz gave him some tense moments with a late break of serve before Draper served it out on his second opportunity.
“It is the best match I have played here so far in the three years I have been here,” Draper said.
Draper next faces Ben Shelton, who became the only American man in the quarterfinals with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 victory over compatriot Brandon Nakashima.
The only US woman in the last eight is Australian Open champion Madison Keys, who battled past Donna Vekic 4-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-3 to book a meeting with resurgent Belinda Bencic, who ousted third-ranked American Coco Gauff 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
On the back foot early, Keys failed to convert a set point in the 10th game of the second set and was two points from defeat in the tiebreaker when Vekic took a 5-3 lead.
Keys gutted out the breaker and gave herself some breathing room when she broke the Croatian to open the third.
“At some point, I just felt like it was ‘do or die,’ probably five-all in the second-set tiebreaker,” Keys said.
“I kind of just decided that I was going to go for a little bit more, and (I’m) really happy to be able to get that match and get that win and play another match here.”
Bencic also had to rally to reach her first WTA 1000 quarterfinal since becoming a mother last year.
She dominated Gauff to avenge a fourth-round loss to the American at the Australian Open this year.
Bencic, who was unranked when she returned to the tour in October, claimed her ninth career title in Abu Dhabi last month and has risen to 58th in the world.
She said her improving fitness was a factor in her ability to best Gauff in three sets this time, when she couldn’t back in January.
“What changed is that I just kept on working also on the physical side,” Bencic said. “The body is holding up much better, almost like it was before.”
World No.1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus got past an early hiccup, dropping her serve in the opening game before rolling to a 6-1, 6-2 victory over British lucky loser Sonay Kartal.
Sabalenka will next face 24th-ranked Russian Liudmila Samsonova, who surprised world No. 6 Jasmine Paolini of Italy 6-0, 6-4.
Algerian girls take up boxing after Khelif’s Olympic gold
- Khelif’s victory generated newfound interest among Algerian girls and women in the male-dominated sport
- In Bejaia, further east of Algiers, clubs such as Dream Team and Sidi Ayad Boxing Club have also welcomed more women and girls
AZAZGA, Algeria: In a gym in northern Algeria’s Kabylia, 15-year-old Cerine Kessal was driving her fists into a punching bag. The two-time national champion was dreaming of greater feats after Algerian Imane Khelif won Olympic gold last year.
Khelif’s victory generated newfound interest among Algerian girls and women in the male-dominated sport, with gyms across the North African country witnessing a surge in memberships.
She had emerged from the Paris Olympics as a trailblazer for aspiring women athletes in Algeria, despite a gender controversy over her eligibility.
“I want to compete in African and world championships,” Kessal said, speaking in a blend of Arabic, French and Tamazight, the language of the Amazigh people, also known as Berbers.
Her coach, Djaafar Ourhoun, said Khelif had become “a role model for the other boxers at the gym,” after winning her local club, Jeunesse Sportive Azazga, its only medal at a recent national championship.
The small gym, refashioned from a former municipal slaughterhouse with the help of local families, now trains 20 women boxers, said Ourhoun.
The young girls’ “hunger for results” has often sparked “competitiveness, even jealousy, among their male counterparts,” he said.
“I want to be like Imane Khelif and win an Olympic gold medal,” said Kessal.
In 2023, the International Boxing Association barred Khelif from its world championships after it said she had failed gender eligibility tests for carrying XY chromosomes.
The 25-year-old champion denounced the IBA’s “false and offensive” allegations and vowed last month to keep fighting “in the ring” and “in the courts.”
“I have seen adversity before,” she said in a statement, “but I have never stayed down.”
In Bejaia, further east of Algiers, clubs such as Dream Team and Sidi Ayad Boxing Club have also welcomed more women and girls.
Lina Debbou, a former boxer and now sports adviser, said this momentum started right after the Olympics.
“Imane Khelif brought so much to women’s boxing,” she said. “More girls are joining the sport thanks to her.”
Even in relatively more conservative parts of the country, like Djelfa in the Saharan Atlas range some 300 kilometers south of Algiers, more women are said to have taken up the sport.
“We first tried introducing women’s boxing in 2006, but it was not successful due to the region being conservative,” Mohamed Benyacoub, the director of local club Ennasr, said.
Now, “the women’s sports movement began to revive,” he said, adding that Khelif had “shattered the taboo that women can’t box.”
Nacim Touami, a boxing referee whose wife is also a professional boxer, said parents are playing a pivotal role in this “real obsession with boxing now.”
“Parents used to prefer volleyball or swimming for their daughters,” he said. “But after Khelif’s gold medal, we’ve seen a real shift.”
Manel Berkache, a former national champion who also coaches at JSA, said it was mothers, in particular, who were driving the change.
“Mothers are now the ones who register their daughters and attend training and matches, and this is a beautiful thing,” she said.
Hocine Oucherif, vice president of the Algerian Boxing Federation, called this “the Imane Khelif phenomenon.”
“She is the locomotive of women’s boxing in Algeria,” he said. “She gave us a strong momentum.”
He said over 100 junior girl boxers had turned up at this year’s national championship — more than double the number from last year.
It was at this competition that Kessal won gold, sparring against athletes from clubs including the Tiaret Civil Protection Club where Khelif debuted.
Like Kessal, 14-year-old Hayat Berouali, who picked up boxing less than a month ago, dreams of becoming a champion, too.
“I liked boxing after watching fights at the Olympic Games, especially those of Imane Khelif, and my parents encouraged me,” she said, smiling.
