DUBAI: Sami Al-Jaber still gets goose bumps when he recalls his time as the first Saudi Arabian to play professional football in England.
The striker made only a handful of appearances for Wolverhampton Wanderers in the second tier of English football at the turn of the millennium, but the team’s army of fanatical supporters left him with memories he will never forget.
“They loved the club. The passion they had, you can’t believe. It gives you power and will make any player play their best,” he told Arab News.
“They always told me that they believed in me and knew I was good. I only played five games, but I could feel their passion every time I received the ball.”
Now retired, Al-Jaber is one of Saudi Arabia’s most celebrated footballers. Nicknamed “The Legend,” he helped the Kingdom reach its first-ever World Cup in 1994, scoring one goal and setting up two others in a thrilling 4-3 victory over Iran to help the Green Falcons qualify for the tournament.
He went on to represent his country at four World Cups, scoring in 1994, 1998 and 2006, with a tally of 46 goals in 156 appearances for the national team. In 1996, he was a member of the Saudi squad that beat the UAE on penalties to win the Asian Cup.
Al-Jaber joined Wolverhampton, popularly known as Wolves, in 2000, on loan from Al-Hilal. He was 27 and, nagged by injury, struggled to make an impact on the pitch.
But his move helped pave the way for future Arab stars, including Liverpool’s Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah and Leicester’s Algerian playmaker Riyad Mahrez, to light up the English game.
Al-Jaber’s one regret is that he failed to ply his trade in Europe earlier, giving himself time to adapt to the colder weather and higher standard of football.
“I really learned a lot of things in the eight months I was there, about discipline and professionalism. We were just getting started in this regard in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
Al-Jaber points to the stratospheric rise of Liverpool’s Salah as an example of the benefits Arab footballers can hope to gain by going to Europe early in their careers. The Egyptian has been one of the standout performers in this season’s Premier League, but even he took time to adapt to football outside his homeland.
Salah played for Basel in Switzerland and had an unsuccessful period at Chelsea in England before spells in Italy with Fiorentina and Roma that caught the eye of Liverpool. He is now in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and has scored 32 goals for his club in all competitions this season, winning praise for his pace and trickery.
“There are so many Salahs in the region, but he went as a young player to many clubs and then he gets the chance at Liverpool and he is ready, he already knows and has adapted to the European game. That would have been a better option for me,” said Al-Jaber.
Highlights:
-International debut in a 1-1 draw with Syria in 1992.
-Last international performance in a 0-1 defeat to Spain at the 2006 World Cup.
-International career lasted 13 years and 285 days.
-Among a small band of elite players to have scored in World Cups 12 years apart. Others to have achieved this feat include Pele, Maradona and Michael Laudrup.
-In January 2008, Al-Hilal held a testimonial for Al-Jaber against a Manchester United team featuring Cristiano Ronaldo. Al-Jaber scored a penalty in a 3-2 win.
Saudi legend Sami Al-Jaber urges young Arab players to follow in Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool footsteps
Saudi legend Sami Al-Jaber urges young Arab players to follow in Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool footsteps
NBA’s Celtics to be sold for record $6.1 billion to group led by private equity mogul Bill Chisholm
- If the deal is approved by the NBA’s board of governors this summer, the sale would top the $6.05 billion paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023
- The agreement calls for a two-part sale in which Chisholm would acquire at least 51 percent of the team upon approval by the NBA’s board of governors, which could come as soon as this summer
BOSTON: Private equity mogul William Chisholm agreed to buy the Boston Celtics on Thursday in a deal that values the NBA’s reigning champions and the most-decorated franchise in league history at a minimum of $6.1 billion — the largest price ever for American professional sports team.
If the deal is approved by the NBA’s board of governors this summer, the sale would top the $6.05 billion paid for the NFL’s Washington Commanders in 2023.
A Massachusetts native and graduate of Dartmouth College and Penn’s Wharton School of business, Chisholm is the managing partner of California-based Symphony Technology Group. The new ownership group also includes Boston businessmen Rob Hale, who is a current Celtics shareholder, and Bruce Beal Jr.
“Growing up on the North Shore and attending college in New England, I have been a die-hard Celtics fan my entire life,” Chisholm said in a statement. “I understand how important the Celtics are to the city of Boston — the role the team plays in the community is different than any other city in the country. I also understand that there is a responsibility as a leader of the organization to the people of Boston, and I am up for this challenge.”
Wyc Grousbeck, whose family leads the ownership group that bought the team in 2002 for $360 million, said Chisholm asked him to stay on as CEO and Governor for the next three seasons, “and I am glad to do so.”
“Bill is a terrific person and a true Celtics fan, born and raised here in the Boston area,” Grousbeck said. “His love for the team and the city of Boston, along with his chemistry with the rest of the Celtics leadership, make him a natural choice to be the next Governor and controlling owner of the team. I know he appreciates the importance of the Celtics and burns with a passion to win on the court while being totally committed to the community. Quite simply, he wants to be a great owner.”
The agreement calls for a two-part sale in which Chisholm would acquire at least 51 percent of the team upon approval by the NBA’s board of governors, which could come as soon as this summer. Current owners would have the option to retain the remainder of their shares until 2028, when they would be sold at a price that could be up to 20 percent higher, based on a formula determined by league revenue growth.
That would value the team at $7.3 billion. Chisholm outbid at least two other groups; one was led by current Celtics minority partner Steve Pagliuca, who said he put together a record, fully guaranteed bid with deep resources and no debt to “ensure we can always compete for championships, luxury taxes be damned.”
“It is a bid of true fans, deeply connected to Boston’s community, and we’ve been saddened to find out that we have not been selected,” he said in a statement. “I will never stop being a Celtic, and if the announced transaction does not end up being finalized, my partners and I are ready to check back into the game and bring it home, to help continue what the Celtics do best — win.”
Sportico and ESPN were among those first reporting the sale agreement.
The record price for an NBA team was the $4 billion mortgage firm owner Mat Ishbia paid for the Phoenix Suns in 2023. But the Celtics are one of the league’s flagship franchises, winning their unprecedented 18th NBA title last June and among the favorites to win again this season with young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown — successors to a tradition of championship-winning Hall of Famers running from Bob Cousy to Bill Russell to Larry Bird to Paul Pierce.
Shortly after beating the Dallas Mavericks for the NBA title last summer, Grousbeck announced that the team would be put up for sale.
“My partners and I have immense respect for Wyc, the entire Grousbeck family and their indelible contributions to the Celtics organization over the last 23 years,” Chisholm said. “We look forward to learning from Wyc and partnering with Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla and the talented team and staff to build upon their success as we work to bring more championships home to Boston.”
Spain salvage streak with last-ditch Netherlands draw in Nations League
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: European champions Spain salvaged their two-year unbeaten streak in the dying minutes of Thursday’s Nations League quarter-final first leg, denying 10-man Netherlands a famous victory with a 2-2 draw.
Mikel Merino broke Dutch hearts in the third minute of added time, to maintain an unbeaten run that now stretches to 22 competitive games.
The two powerhouses of world football meet again in Valencia on Sunday, with the winner of the tie to face France or Croatia in the semifinal.
The omens were good for the hosts, who had never lost to Spain on home soil, and could count on raucous support from a sold-out De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam.
But Spain also had good memories of the stadium, the scene of their 2023 Nations League triumph, where they beat Croatia 5-4 on penalties.
The visitors struck first, benefitting from some defensive fraility and deft footwork from star winger Nico Williams.
Barcelona’s 17-year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal dispossessed Jorrel Hato on the right side, finding club-mate Pedri who slotted into Williams in the box.
Williams effortlessly turned Lutsharel Geertruida and slid his shot past Bart Verbruggen in the Dutch goal to silence the orange hordes.
The hosts rallied strongly and got their reward on 27 minutes, the ball breaking for Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo who beat Unai Simon at his near post.
The equalizer galvanized the Dutch, who enjoyed possession and pressure, knocking the ball around with confidence and creating several chances.
The best of these fell to Memphis Depay, recalled after a spell in the wilderness and he found himself unmarked in the Spanish box but struck his shot straight at Simon.
An acrobatic strike from AC Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders grazed the Spain bar and it was the Dutch who went into half-time in the ascendancy after a free-flowing first period.
The Oranje took the lead less than a minute into the second half, Jeremie Frimpong breaking swiftly down the right and squaring accurately to Reijnders, who swept his shot into the left corner.
Gakpo came close to stretching the lead even further in the 59th minute but Simon got down to his stinging shot along the ground.
Spain manager Luis De la Fuente made three substitutions in a bid to exert some pressure on the Dutch, but Verbruggen was untroubled until the 70th minute when he had to react smartly to a ball deflected off his own defender.
La Rioja pushed for the equalizer with some intricate passing around the penalty box but lacked real penetration.
As pressure built, players on both sides became increasingly scratchy, culminating in a red card for Hato, who lunged at Robin Le Normand, catching his ankle.
That sparked a nervous last few minutes for the Dutch and the pressure eventually told.
Williams again harassed the Dutch defense, cutting inside from the left and releasing a shot that Verbruggen could only parry into the path of Merino for a tap-in.
Perisic stars as Croatia stun France in Nations League
SPLIT, Croatia: Ivan Perisic scored one goal and made another as Croatia beat France 2-0 on Thursday to seize the upper hand in the first leg of their UEFA Nations League quarter-final tie.
Perisic crossed for Ante Budimir to head in the opener at the Stadion Poljud in Split after the home side had squandered an early penalty.
With France out of sorts, Perisic made it 2-0 before the break and a Croatia side captained by Luka Modric saw out the victory to take to Paris for the return match on Sunday.
It was not a good night for France as captain Kylian Mbappe made his comeback having not featured in either of the last two international windows, in October and November.
Mbappe did have chances, notably seeing a deflected second-half shot from Ousmane Dembele’s cutback kept out by a fine Dominik Livakovic save.
The Real Madrid superstar has now failed to find the net in his last six appearances for his country, since scoring a penalty in a 1-1 draw with Poland at Euro 2024.
Les Bleus will now have to find a way of overturning the deficit at the Stade de France on Sunday, otherwise Croatia will be heading to the final four of the Nations League.
The semifinals and final will take place in June and will be hosted by either Italy or Germany, depending on which of those sides emerges victorious from their last-eight encounter.
France won the Nations League in 2021 but suffered a first ever defeat against Croatia in the group stage of the following year’s edition.
This latest repeat of the 2018 World Cup final, won 4-2 by the French in Moscow, saw Croatia win a spot-kick just five minutes in.
Liverpool center-back Ibrahima Konate was penalized for a blatant handball inside the area, but Mike Maignan saved Andrej Kramaric’s penalty after a long delay due to the goalkeeper having a laser pen shone in his eyes.
However, Croatia did get the breakthrough on 26 minutes as Budimir, who has 15 goals in La Liga this season for Osasuna, got in front of William Saliba to connect with a Perisic cross from the left.
Budimir’e header was blocked by Maignan, but the ball still spun into the net in cruel fashion for the goalkeeper.
It was 2-0 in first-half stoppage time as Saliba blocked a shot by Martin Baturina, only for the ball to fall for PSV Eindhoven veteran Perisic to fire in.
France made changes, sending on Dayot Upamecano for Konate at the restart and later bringing on Bradley Barcola for Randal Kolo Muani and Michael Olize for Dembele.
The latter spent more time on the right flank after the break having previously been deployed more centrally.
However, they could not get a goal back and now face a daunting task in trying to recover the tie.
Saudi Arabia back on track for World Cup after victory over 10-man China
- Salem Al-Dawsari’s goal early in the second half moved Herve Renard’s men into 3rd spot in their qualifying group, a point behind 2nd-place Australia
- The Aussies’ 5-1 win over Indonesia earlier in the day put more pressure on the Saudis, who had picked up only 2 points from their past 4 games
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia defeated 10-man China 1-0 in Riyadh on Thursday to get their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign back on track.
Salem Al-Dawsari’s goal early in the second half moved Herve Renard’s men into third place in Group C, a point behind Australia in the battle for the second automatic qualification spot, and three clear of Indonesia, Bahrain and China.
Japan defeated Bahrain 2-0 to remain nine points clear at the top of the group with three games to play, and become the first nation to clinch qualification for the tournament.
Australia’s 5-1 win over Indonesia earlier in the day had piled more pressure on the Saudis, who knew that after collecting just two points from their past four qualification games, and with a trip to a dominant Japan coming up on Tuesday, only a victory would do.
As expected, the Green Falcons made most of the running, and midway through the first half they came within millimeters of taking the lead. Al-Dawsari slipped the ball to Nawaf Boushal on the left side of the area and the Al-Nassr star curled a shot that bounced back off the underside of the crossbar.
Eight minutes before the break the home team came even closer. In fact, midfielder Faisal Al-Ghamdi had the ball in the back of the net after bundling a Musab Al-Juwayr cross home from close range. However, the celebrations were cut short as the video assistant referee had spotted a handball by Al-Ghamdi.
China were reduced to 10 men in first-half added time when Lin Liangming was red-carded for a tackle on Hassan Kadesh that resulted in the defender, the two-goal hero of Saudi Arabia’s victory over China in September, being carried from the pitch.
Five minutes after the break, Al-Dawsari broke the deadlock when he scored the team’s first goal for 410 minutes in the qualification campaign. It came after Ayman Yahya’s shot from the left-hand side of the area was palmed away by Wang Dalei only as far as Saud Abdulhamid, who squared the ball to Al-Dawsari. The Al-Hilal star made no mistake as he swept it home from close range.
The home team continued to pour forward in search of a second goal that would surely have killed off the tie. They failed to get it but in the end it did not matter.
The top two teams in the six-team group qualify automatically for the World Cup, while the teams in third and fourth will progress to a play-off phase.
Coventry vote not ‘women versus men’, says outgoing IOC chief Bach
Bach insisted he had “no preferred candidate“
COSTA NAVARINO, Greece: Outgoing International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said the election of Kirsty Coventry as his successor should not be reduced to a gender battle of “women versus men.”
Bach played down the importance of the 41-year-old from Zimbabwe, an Olympic gold medallist in swimming, becoming the first woman to be elected head of international sport’s wealthiest organization, defeating six other candidates, all men.
“I don’t think we should reduce this election to the fact that there were six men and one woman. I don’t think it was a vote on women versus men or vice versa,” he said.
The German said the victory in the very first round of voting with 49 of the 97 votes gave Coventry “a very strong mandate” and was “a great signal of unity,” adding: “She can count on the support of the membership.”
Bach insisted he had “no preferred candidate” but recalled that he had said during last year’s Paris Olympics it was time for a new leader who reflected a new era.
He will remain in office until June to oversee the hand-over to Coventry, a process he said would start on Friday when he will have breakfast with her to discuss the transition.
Coventry garnered 21 more votes than second-placed Juan Antonio Samaranch Junior while Sebastian Coe, the double 1,500m Olympic champion and head of World Athletics, received just eight.
