DOHA: Paris Saint-Germain’s latest bruising exit from the European football Champions League may have been particularly painful for two men watching among the almost 50,000-strong crowd at Parc des Princes.
High in the stands in the Paris stadium were Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and the former ruler, his father Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who together have helped bankroll the French team’s obsession with landing club football’s biggest prize: The European Cup.
Tuesday’s limp defeat, even if by Real Madrid, seems scant return for the more than €1 billion ($1.2 billion) poured into PSG since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) bought the French club in 2011.
This was meant to be the year the club — having signed Neymar and Kylian Mbappe for a combined €402 million — joined European football’s elite.
Instead, PSG has failed to realize its ambitions, crucially at a time when Qatar is at the center of a bitter political conflict with neighboring former allies in the Gulf.
Even more galling for Qatar and PSG is that one of the favorites this year is Abu Dhabi-owned Manchester City.
Those involved with PSG say there is no chance of Qatar turning its back on the club.
“The project is not stopping,” said a source close to the club.
“The investment has been huge and is continuing.”
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who simultaneously serves as chairman of QSI and president of PSG — in addition to being a tennis buddy of the current emir — spoke immediately after the humbling defeat about taking time to reflect, despite being “upset.”
“Short-term, the club’s Neymar-powered, Gulf feud-busting tactics would appear to be at an end,” said Simon Chadwick, a professor of Sports Enterprise at Britain’s Salford University and a member of a Qatari government sport think tank.
“Longer term, however, one senses it will be a case of keep calm and carry on.”
Success “requires sustained investment in talent acquisition and development,” he adds, not just the occasional big name signing.
Patience, though, is not a highly regarded virtue in modern-day football, even though the experience of “nouveau-riche” clubs such as England’s Chelsea and Manchester City demonstrate it takes time for a team to establish itself among Europe’s traditional elite.
For those directly involved with the day-to-day running of PSG, reflection on the Real defeat is likely to take the form of what to do with coach Unai Emery and Neymar.
Paris-based French football specialist Jonathan Johnson says the latest failure will see “heads roll” and even speculates that Khelaifi may be for “the chopping block.”
For Qatar, what to do next with PSG seems to be a matter of broader considerations, including international politics, diplomacy and finance.
The emirate has exploited sport to pursue a soft power approach to improving its global image.
This effort has reached its height in football, through PSG and the country’s winning bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
“Overall, there’s no doubt that Qatar’s six-year involvement with PSG has been a soft power success,” says Christopher Davidson, a professor in Middle East politics at Durham University.
Financing the PSG European dream though is key.
One billion euros may sound a lot but is equal only to a fortnight’s spending on World Cup preparations for Qatar.
And despite its vast gas riches, the boycott by its regional rivals has hit Doha’s economy.
“The economic blockade drags on and no real end is in sight,” Davidson said.
“Cutting through the extensive propaganda produced by both sides, there’s no doubt that the Qatari economy is feeling the squeeze.”
PSG no closer to joining European elite despite $1 billion investment by Qatar
PSG no closer to joining European elite despite $1 billion investment by Qatar
All smiles as Djokovic and Kyrgios treat crowd to flashy shots in doubles victory
- It was Kyrgios’ first match in 18 months due to wrist and knee injuries, while Djokovic missed the season-ending ATP Finals
BRISBANE: Exchanging smiles, laughs and flashy shots, Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios teamed up in doubles on Monday as they both returned to the court in preparation for the Australian Open.
The two former Wimbledon final opponents reached the second round of the Brisbane International with a 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-8 win against Alexander Erler and Andreas Mies.
It was Kyrgios’ first match in 18 months due to wrist and knee injuries, while Djokovic missed the season-ending ATP Finals last month with an unspecified injury.
They had the crowd on their feet several times at Pat Rafter Arena, including when Djokovic flicked an around-the-net backhand winner during the first set. Djokovic then turned to point at a grinning Kyrgios, who slapped Djokovic’s outstretched hand in celebration.
“That’s just an iconic Novak moment. The way the guy moves around the court, I’ve never moved like that in my life. I was just loving it,” said Krygios, who treated the crowd to some shot-making of his own.
When Kygrios won another point following another extravagant shot — playing the ball between his legs, known as a tweener — he jogged proudly around the court with a grinning Djokovic chasing after him.
Then, after Kyrgios sealed the win with an ace, the pair jumped in the air to chest-bump each other.
“We tried to get the crowd on our side,” Djokovic said. “Get that energy and just use it for some good tennis.”
Kyrgios lost to Djokovic in the 2022 Wimbledon final, but the 29-year-old Australian had not played tennis since June 2023.
“This injury has been brutal for me so I wasn’t taking any of this for granted,” Kyrgios said afterward in a courtside interview. “I don’t know how many Aussie summers I’ve got left so I was just looking around and loving the energy and just so happy to be back out here.”
The 37-year-old Djokovic has won the Australian Open singles title a record 10 times and counts a men’s record 24 majors. He owns 99 singles titles overall but only one in doubles.
Kyrgios won the won the 2022 Australian Open doubles title alongside Thanasi Kokkinakis, and said the timing was right to team up with Djokovic in Brisbane before the Australian Open starts next month.
“We promised that we were going to do this one more time before either he goes or I go, so I’m glad we’re still alive,” Kyrgios said.
Djokovic quickly agreed to the idea.
“He said the other day that it should be a pleasure to play with him, and it is. I’m glad to share the court with him on his comeback,” Djokovic said. “I haven’t played that many doubles matches in my life.”
They were given a wild-card entry into the doubles tournament and next face top-seeded pair Nikola Mektic and Michael Venus.
Saudi Pro League finalizes preparations for 2024-25 season winter transfer window
- Clubs will be able to sign new players between New Year’s Day and Jan. 30
- The league organized workshops for clubs to assess specific needs and help provide tailored support for them
RIYADH: The Saudi Pro League has finalized its preparations for the 2024-25 season’s winter transfer window, which runs from Jan. 1 to 30.
League authorities said they held a series of workshops with member clubs to assess specific needs and objectives for the transfer window and help provide tailored support for them, including the facilitation of transfers within the league.
During the 2024 summer transfer window, the 18 SPL clubs used 16 of the 36 available slots for foreign players under the age of 21; 13 clubs signed at least one U-21 player from another country, five did not make any signings in this category. The remaining slots are available to eligible clubs during the winter window.
All 18 teams utilized their maximum allowance of eight foreign players over the age of 21 during the summer transfer window. Any clubs planning new signings in this category will therefore have to terminate contracts, sell players or deregister members of their squads.
The SPL said it will also coordinate with clubs and the Financial Sustainability Committee to ensure compliance with league policies and regulations.
A total of 115 domestic players are registered for the 2024-25 SPL season, while 132 departed due to the end or termination of a contract, or sales to clubs in other leagues. Meanwhile, 101 foreign players joined the league this season, and 32 departed. The average player age of players in the league fell from 27.6 years old to 26.2.
The SPL said its preparations for the transfer window reflect its commitment to supporting clubs through the facilitation of transfers, improved governance and planning, efforts to ensure player welfare, and enhanced financial sustainability.
Naomi Osaka wins her first match of new season in a return from injury
- Naomi Osaka beats qualifier Lina Glushko 6-4, 6-4 in a tight contest in her first match since October
- Four-time Grand Slam champion had to deal with a swirling wind on center court and with delays in play
WELLINGTON: Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka made a winning return to the court after an almost three month absence Monday in the first round of the ASB tennis classic in Auckland, undeterred by protests outside the stadium against her Israeli opponent.
Osaka beat qualifier Lina Glushko 6-4, 6-4 in a tight contest in her first match since October when a back injury at the China Open ended her 2024 season.
All the hallmarks of Osaka’s game were present Monday: the powerful serve, forceful ground-strokes particularly from the forehand side and the aggression. She looked relaxed and comfortable on court with no sign of her recent injury.
Osaka had to deal with a swirling wind on center court and with delays in play caused by the chants of a small group of protesters which were clearly audible within the stadium. There was a longer break as Osaka was poised to serve out the first set when Glushko had to leave the court for treatment to a hip injury.
“I just heard a lot of shouting, and then people on the sidelines were telling me there was protests,” Osaka said.
“I had no idea what the score was most of the time. “I just kept trying to tell myself one point at a time and trying not to get discouraged.
“Thankfully it came out in my favor in the end.”
Osaka was supported at courtside by her new coach Patrick Mouratoglou who previously had a long-term association with Serena Williams.
She broke Glushko in the third game of the first set and held comfortably to win 6-4.
The second set was tighter. Osaka broke Glushko in the third game but Glushko converted her only break point of the match to level at 2-2.
Glushko held to love in the seventh game to lead 4-3 but Osaka seemed to step up at that point, held with two aces for 4-4, broke for 5-4 and held serve to love to clinch the win.
Her serve was solid throughout. She sent down seven aces and won 74 percent of first serve points. Her first serve averaged around 180kmh (111mph) and her slice around 140kmh (87mph).
“I think she’s a really amazing opponent. I’ve never played her before,” Osaka said. “It was good to have to scrap a little for the first round.”
Haliburton shines as Pacers avenge blowout loss to Celtics
- Cole Anthony drove for the game-winning layup as the Magic erased a 21-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-101
- Miami’s Tyler Herro scored a game-high 27 points before he was ejected in a bench-clearing brawl that saw six people tossed in the waning seconds of the Heat’s 104-100 victory over the Rockets
LOS ANGELES: Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton scored 31 points as the Pacers turned the tables on the NBA champion Celtics with a confident 123-114 victory in Boston on Sunday.
Two days after Jaylen Brown’s 44 points propelled the Celtics to a 142-105 blowout victory over the Pacers Indiana got their revenge.
Haliburton added six rebounds and seven assists without a turnover and six players scored in double figures for Indiana, whose lights-out shooting in the second quarter saw them seize a seven-point halftime lead that they would push to as many as 16.
Brown stayed hot, delivering 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting with six assists. Jayson Tatum added 22 points with nine rebounds and six assists.
Pascal Siakam and Andrew Nembhard scored 17 points each for Indiana, Nembhard adding eight rebounds and eight assists as he returned after missing Friday’s game with left knee tendinitis.
Nembhard said maintaining their pace in the fourth quarter — when Boston cut an 11-point deficit to two with 7:38 to play, was key for Indiana.
“I think that was the biggest thing we did late in the game,” he said. “We kept pace in the game. We didn’t slow it down and worry about the score too much.”
In Orlando, Cole Anthony drove for the game-winning layup as the Magic erased a 21-point deficit to beat the Brooklyn Nets 102-101.
Tristan da Silva scored 21 points to lead the injury-ravaged Magic. Goga Bitadze added 19 and Anthony scored five of his 10 in the fourth quarter as Orlando closed the game on a 22-4 scoring run.
Cam Thomas, back after missing 13 games with a hamstring strain, came off the bench and led Brooklyn’s scoring with 25 points but missed a jump shot as time expired.
Anthony admitted that da Silva, who scored 13 points in the fourth quarter, was supposed to get the ball on the play that yielded his game winner.
When that failed to pan out, he said, “I’m like, alright, I’m gonna go get a layup!“
The Nets were without veteran Dorian Finney-Smith, who was traded along with Shake Milton to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday in a deal that sent D’Angelo Russell to Brooklyn.
Miami’s Tyler Herro scored a game-high 27 points before he was ejected in a bench-clearing brawl that saw six people tossed in the waning seconds of the Heat’s 104-100 victory over the Rockets in Houston.
The Heat were up 99-94 when Rockets reserve Amen Thompson flung Herro to the court with 35.7 seconds remaining.
Both players, who had been jostling for position before an inbounds pass, were ejected, along with Miami’s Terry Rozier and Houston guard Jalen Green, Rockets coach Ime Udoka and his assistant Ben Sullivan.
Houston’s Fred VanVleet had been ejected with 47 seconds remaining in an unrelated incident.
In a game that featured 13 lead changes, the Rockets led by seven with 8:10 to play.
Herro’s basket with 1:56 remaining put Miami up 95-94 and they pulled away to win amid the closing chaos.
In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 35 points to fire the Western Conference-leading Thunder to a 130-106 victory over the injury-hit Memphis Grizzlies.
Gilgeous-Alexander was an efficient 14 of 19 from the floor with six rebounds, seven assists and four blocked shots and with the game in hand sat out most of the fourth quarter.
Atlanta’s Trae Young posted a double-double of 34 points and 10 assists as the Hawks handed the Toronto Raptors a 10th straight defeat, 136-107.
Young made seven of the Hawks’ 18 three-pointers, his efforts from beyond the arc matching the Raptors’ total of three-pointers.
De’Andre Hunter added 22 points off the bench for the Hawks who won their fourth straight and spoiled the season debut of Toronto’s Bruce Brown after his recovery from arthroscopic knee surgery.
Pakistan announces squad for ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup in Malaysia
- Pakistan will play their opening match on January 18 against USA
- This will be followed by encounter against England on January 20
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has named a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup 2025, with wicketkeeper-batter Komal Khan leading the national side.
Zoofishan Ayyaz will be vice-captain of the Pakistan team during the 16-team tournament, which is set to be played in Malaysia from January 18 till February 2.
There are four groups in the tournament, with each group consisting of four teams each, according to the format. Pakistan are placed in Group B alongside England, Ireland and USA.
“Pakistan team, which recently featured in six-team ACC U19 Women’s Asia Cup in Malaysia, will undergo a training camp at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Center in Karachi from 31 December to 9 January,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement.
“The team will depart for Malaysia from Karachi via Dubai on 10 January.”
Pakistan will play their opening match on January 18 against USA. This will be followed by the encounter against England on January 20, while Pakistan’s last group match will be against Ireland on January 22, according to the PCB.
“All three matches will be staged at the JCA Oval, Johor in Malaysia,” the board said.
After the conclusion of the Group Stage fixtures, three teams from each group will qualify for the Super Six. The bottom-ranked sides from Groups A and D, and B and C will contest in last place play-off on 24 January.
The 12 teams, which will qualify for the Super Six stage will be divided into two groups. Group one will include the top three teams each from Group A and Group D while Group two will have top three teams each from Group B and Group C.
In the Super Six stage every team will carry forward their wins, points and Net Run-rate (NRR) which is secured against their fellow Super Six qualifying teams. Each team will play two games in the Super Six stage.
The top two sides from the two super six stage groups will qualify for the semifinals. The semifinals are set to take place on January 31, while the final of the tournament will be played at Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur on February 2.
Pakistan squad:
Komal Khan (captain), Zoofishan Ayyaz (vice-captain), Aleesa Mukhtiar, Areesha Ansari, Fatima Khan, Haniah Ahmer, Maham Anees, Mahnoor Zeb, Memoona Khalid, Minahil, Quratulain, Ravail Farhan, Shahar Bano, Tayyaba Imdad and Wasifa Hussain
