Last week FIFA released their latest world rankings and Tunisia, after a leap of nine places, now find themselves at No. 14, their highest ever, and indeed higher than any African or Arab team currently.
At No.13 sit England, the team they face in their opening match at the this summer’s World Cup in Russia.
Tunisia could now well be on the cusp of a new golden era, 12 years after their last participation at football’s biggest stage.
The improvement has been dramatic. Tunisian Nabil Maaloul took over in April last year after the sacking of Polish coach Henryk Kasperczak and went about uniting a fractured squad before leading his country to Russia 2018.
This will be Tunisia’s fifth time at the World Cup, a record for an Arab nation that they will be sharing with Saudi Arabia and Morocco.
And like neighbors Morocco and Algeria, they have considerable World Cup pedigree as well.
In 1978, Abdelmajid Chetali’s superb team went into the World Cup in Argentina having finished third at the African Cup of Nations earlier that year.
In their first match in Rosario, they beat Mexico 3-1 in a devastating display of counter-attacking football that their opponents, it was clear, were wholly unprepared for. It was the first ever victory by an African or Arab team at a World Cup.
And they had a new superstar in Tarak Dhiab, whose outstanding performances saw Tunisia unexpectedly draw with reigning champions West Germany before a narrow, heartbreaking defeat to a strong Poland team meant they exited the competition in the group stages. Still, theirs was a pioneering campaign, proving for the first time that African and Arab teams could compete at that level. Four years later, Algeria would follow in their footsteps with a famous 2-1 win over West Germany before the disgrace of Gijon — when West Germany and Austria seemingly conspired to eliminate the north Africans with a 1-0 scoreline — put an end to their dreams.
Subsequent Tunisian qualifications, however, have not reached those heights. In 1998 in France, Tunisia lost 2-0 to England and 1-0 to Colombia before drawing 1-1 with Romania.
Four years later, under the Tunisian Ammar Souayah, they mirrored their results in France, losing twice to Russia and Japan by 2-0, and drawing 1-1 with Belgium.
Under Roger Lemerre, Tunisia experienced a renaissance, winning the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations at home. His team then qualified for the World Cup for the third consecutive time, matching the previous record held by Saudi Arabia, who themselves reached their fourth tournament in a row.
In Germany, yet again, Tunisia managed only one point; losing 3-1 to Spain, 1-0 to the Ukraine, and drawing 2-2 with Saudi Arabia thanks to an injury time equalizer by Radhi Jaidi.
After the heroics of Argentina, it is fair to say Tunisia’s World Cup performances have been a major disappointment. In Russia, it is those heroes of 1978 that Tunisia will be looking to emulate, and Maaloul will already be plotting an escape route from what was always going to be a difficult group.
Belgium and England, regardless of their proximity in world ranking to Tunisia, are firm favorites to qualify to the knockout stages.
Tunisia kick off their World Cup campaign, as they did in 1998, against England, in Volgograd on June 18. Six days later they will face an even tougher task against in Belgium in Moscow.
While Tunisia cannot be discounted in either of those matches, it is perhaps a shame that they play Panama, a team they have a better chance of beating, in their last group fixture, by which point they could already be out of contention.
It is then vital that the Arab nation gets something out of their two earlier matches, and they will then have the added bonus of knowing how many goals may be required for progress into the last 16.
Tunisia suffered a major blow when a knee injury to Al-Duhail’s Youssef Msakni has almost certainly ruled him out of the World Cup.
However, with likes of Wahbi Khazri of Rennes, Taha Khenissi of Esperance, Mohamed Ben Amor of Al-Ahli, and a raft of players from across Europe and Tunisia, Maaloul will still feel confident his team can make a real impression in Russia, 40 years after their finest World Cup hour.
Whether they can surpass the Class of ‘78 remains to be seen.
Time for Tunisia to prove they are top 15 material
Time for Tunisia to prove they are top 15 material
- Tunisia up to No. 14 in latest FIFA world rankings
- Face tough task getting out of World Cup group in Russia
Promotional tour for Alvarez and Crawford’s ‘Fight of the Century’ gets underway in Riyadh
- The boxers will face off in Las Vegas in September for the unified super-middleweight title and a specially crafted Ring Magazine belt worth $188,000
RIYADH: Boxing superstars Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford shared the stage in Riyadh on Friday at the start of a promotional tour ahead of their highly anticipated bout in Las Vegas on Sept. 13.
The two champions, who will face off for the unified super-middleweight title and a specially crafted Ring Magazine belt valued at $188,000, appeared at a press conference in Boulevard City as part of Riyadh Season.
“My goal is always being in these kinds of fights: big fights,” Alvarez, the reigning undisputed champion with a record of 62 wins, 39 of them by knockout, told Arab News. “And I’m here again. So I feel grateful and excited.”
He added that the sport has developed and progressed in the Kingdom in recent years, adding: “Turki Alalshikh (chairperson of the General Entertainment Authority) has helped a lot. Right now we have boxing gyms here and they’re helping a lot of kids. So that’s very nice.”
Looking ahead to his showdown with Crawford, the Mexican fighter said: “I think this fight is going to be one of my best fights in my history, in my record. I’m very excited and motivated. This is what it’s all about. I want to make history.”
Asked for his thoughts on his opponent, Alvarez said: “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great fighter — but like I said, he’s not Canelo. He’s one of the top fighters I’m going to face in my career, for sure.”
Crawford, an American fighter who holds a record of 41 wins, with 31 knockouts, and is a four-division world champion, said: “This is my moment and I’m not letting Canelo take it away from me. It’s going to be an exciting day for boxing; history will be made.”
Alalshikh said the fight marks the beginning of a long-term partnership with Netflix, which will stream the bout to more than 300 million subscribers worldwide.
“We will do big things together and this is the beginning of a great relationship between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the GEA and Netflix,” he added.
Asked what he hopes to see from the fighters during their bout, Alalshikh said: “I’m sure they will deliver for me smashing face and blood.”
As for the decision to stage the fight in Las Vegas, he described the city as “the capital of boxing.”
The promotional tour will continue in New York City on June 22 and Las Vegas on June 27.
Benfica knock out Auckland in Club World Cup romp
- With the Portuguese side leading by a goal at half-time the match was suspended because of a storm
- Despite their eventual collapse, Auckland battled hard in the first half
ORLANDO: Benfica romped to a 6-0 win over Auckland City on Friday in a Club World Cup match in Orlando which suffered a long weather delay, with Angel Di Maria netting two penalties.
With the Portuguese side leading by a goal at half-time the match was suspended because of a storm, eventually resuming two hours later.
Auckland of New Zealand, the only Oceania Football Confederation representatives at the tournament, were thrashed 10-0 by Bayern Munich in their Group C opener and this defeat means they are eliminated.
Despite their eventual collapse, Auckland battled hard in the first half and almost made it to the break unscathed.
Auckland goalkeeper Nathan Garrow made several good saves to keep Benfica at bay and the Portuguese side grew frustrated.
Benfica took the lead deep into first half stoppage time when Gianluca Prestianni was clumsily felled in the area by Haris Zeb.
Di Maria, who converted a spot-kick in the opening 2-2 draw against Boca Juniors, sent Garrow the wrong way.
At half-time the match became the fourth in the last four days at the tournament to be impacted by a suspension for adverse conditions, with a storm arriving at the Inter&CO Stadium.
When play eventually resumed, Benfica came back out strongly.
Vangelis Pavlidis bundled his way through and smashed home to double Bruno Lage’s team’s lead in the 53rd minute, with Renato Sanches netting the third 10 minutes later from outside the box with a deflected effort.
Luxembourg midfielder Leandro Barreiro bagged a brace to expand Benfica’s lead, tucking home at the back post from Pavlidis’ cross for the fourth before netting from close range.
Nikko Boxall brought down Di Maria in stoppage time and the Argentine World Cup winner beat Garrow from the spot again to wrap up Benfica’s emphatic triumph.
Later Friday German giants Bayern Munich take on Argentine outfit Boca Juniors in the other Group C match.
Liverpool sign Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for huge fee that could climb to $156m
- “I feel very happy and very proud,” Wirtz told the official Liverpool website
- “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time”
LONDON: Liverpool delivered a huge statement of intent after winning the Premier League title by signing Germany star Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday.
The transfer fee could climb to 116 million pounds ($156 million), which would make the 22-year-old Wirtz the most expensive player in the history of British soccer.
“I feel very happy and very proud,” Wirtz told the official Liverpool website. “Finally it’s done and I was waiting for a long time.
“I’m really excited to have a new adventure in front of me. This was also a big point of my thoughts: that I want to have something completely new, to go out of the Bundesliga and to join the Premier League.
“I will see how I can perform there. I hope I can do my best. I spoke also with some players who played there and they told me that it’s perfect for me and every pitch is perfect, you can enjoy every game. I’m really looking forward to playing my first game.”
Liverpool, determined to keep moving forward despite securing a record-tying 20th English top-flight title, splashed out a club record to bring in not only one of the best players from Germany, but one of the top youngsters in the world.
Wirtz has been a key first-team player for Leverkusen since he was 17. He was the outstanding attacking player in the team that won the Bundesliga and German Cup in 2023-24 without losing a game, and is a regular in Germany’s national team.
It’s why Liverpool were ready to pay a guaranteed 100 million pounds, plus 16 million pounds in potential add-ons. Wirtz had two years left on his contract, giving Leverkusen leverage in negotiations.
The Premier League record for an initial fee was set when Chelsea signed Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for 106.7 million pounds ($131.4 million at the time) in 2023, before the London club agreed to pay up to 115 million pounds ($146 million at the time) for midfielder Moises Caicedo from Brighton later that year.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot arrived last summer and signed just one outfield player — forward Federico Chiesa — for the 2024-25 season.
Chiesa barely played and the Reds won the league by 10 points, after which Slot and some of his players — including Virgil van Dijk — spoke about there being big plans for this transfer window.
Having already signed right wing back Jeremie Frimpong from Leverkusen for a reported 35 to 40 million euros ($39.7 million to $45.4 million), Liverpool have returned to the German club to take Wirtz, who rejected an opportunity to join Bayern Munich — a Bundesliga rival which have long pursued him.
One obstacle to that move was the size of the fee Leverkusen wanted. Another was concern over how Wirtz might fit into the same lineup as Jamal Musiala, Germany’s other standout young attacking midfielder.
Losing Wirtz leaves Leverkusen and their new coach, Erik ten Hag with an even bigger rebuild following the departure of Xabi Alonso for Real Madrid.
Just after his 17th birthday, Wirtz became the youngest player in Leverkusen’s history when he made his debut against Werder Bremen in May 2020, in an empty stadium at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A month later he was the youngest player to score in Bundesliga history, though that record has since been topped.
Wirtz’s versatile attacking midfield play was a vital ingredient in Alonso transforming Leverkusen into a team that could win the Bundesliga and German Cup without losing a game.
He and Alonso stayed for another sometimes-disappointing season which ended with second place to Bayern in the league and a loss to Bayern in the Champions League round of 16.
Wirtz showed he can deal with adversity when a cruciate ligament tear in his knee ruled him out for almost all of 2022 — including Alonso’s first games as coach — before he returned to power Leverkusen to their league and cup double in 2023-24.
Wirtz has become a vital player for the German national team with 29 caps. He played all five of their matches at Euro 2024 on home soil.
He’s also had to contend with hostility from fans of his boyhood club Cologne, which he left for nearby Leverkusen at 16. Liverpool and Bayern were reportedly interested then, too.
Cologne claimed that deal broke an agreement between the clubs not to pursue each other’s youth players. Leverkusen argued Wirtz was so talented that he counted as a first-team player despite his age.
Cologne and Leverkusen are barely 10 kilometers (6 miles) apart, so going to Liverpool will be the first time that Wirtz has moved away from his roots.
His parents Hans Wirtz and Karin Gross have played a big role in his career — they were also his agents until last year — and he’s close to his older sister Juliane, a professional player for Werder Bremen in the women’s Bundesliga.
Wirtz’s decision to turn down Bayern and the Bundesliga for Liverpool has caused some raised eyebrows in Germany.
“I wouldn’t have thought Florian would make this switch so early,” former Germany great Lothar Matthäus told broadcaster n-tv last month. “But he wants to get out of his comfort zone.”
Wirtz seems likely to slot in as the No. 10 at Liverpool, a more creative solution in that role compared to the hard-running Dominik Szoboszlai.
Whether Slot also now pushes for a new striker as an upgrade to current options Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez remains to be seen.
Szoboszlai could drop back into one of the two deeper midfield positions, competing with Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones.
Pakistan beat France 3-2 in penalty shootouts to reach FIH Hockey Nations Cup final
- PM Shehbaz Sharif congratulates team on their win, paying tribute to players and the management
- Pakistan boasts proud hockey legacy by winning three Olympic gold medals and four World Cup titles
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s national hockey team advanced to the FIH Men’s Nations Cup final in Malaysia after defeating France 3-2 in penalty shootouts, the International Hockey Federation said on Friday.
The FIH Men’s Nations Cup is being played in Kuala Lumpur from June 15 to 21 at the National Hockey Stadium that brought together eight top-ranked teams competing with each other.
“Pakistan edge France to make it to their first FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup final,” International Hockey Federation said in a post on X.
“Excellent goals in the second half followed by amazing goalkeeping in the shootout,” it continued, “This is Pakistan’s first FIH final in more than a decade.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised and congratulated the Pakistan hockey team on their victory, paying tribute to the players and team management.
“The national hockey team delivered an outstanding performance throughout the tournament,” he added. “The team has made the nation proud and won our hearts.”
Sharif said he would also pray for Pakistan’s victory in the final scheduled for June 21, expressing hope that the country will soon regain its lost glory in the field of hockey.
Pakistan will play the winner of the second semifinal between New Zealand and South Korea.
Hockey is Pakistan’s national sport.
The national team boasts a proud legacy with three Olympic gold medals in 1960, 1968 and 1984 along with four World Cup titles in 1971, 1978, 1982 and 1994.
Hockey in Pakistan has faced a sharp decline in recent decades due to administrative challenges, underinvestment and inadequate infrastructure.
Renewed efforts are underway to revive the game with increased government support, youth development initiatives and greater international engagement aimed at restoring Pakistan’s former glory in the sport.
Acclaim for Bounou, Al-Dawsari as world reacts to Al-Hilal’s performance against Real Madrid
- New coach Simone Inzaghi’s tactics praised after Saudi club’s impressive 1-1 draw in FIFA Club World Cup
- It was on social media, however, that the impact of Al-Hilal’s performance reverberated most
DUBAI: An impressive 1-1 draw by Al-Hilal against Spanish giants Real Madrid in the FIFA World Club Cup has drawn praise from football fans and media alike, with goalkeeper Yassine “Bono” Bounou and captain Salem Al-Dawsari receiving particular attention.
Al-Dawsari caused a stir among the media, who recalled his heroics in scoring Saudi Arabia’s winner against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, while Bounou was a key player for Morocco who reached the semifinals in the same tournament.
There was also recognition of the role played by Simone Inzaghi, the new Al-Hilal coach, who took over the reins following his departure from UEFA Champions League finalists Inter Milan.
“For Al-Hilal, many foreign players who now play for the club have experience at top teams and stages of tournaments, like Manchester City and World Cup semifinals,” wrote the Washington Post after the encounter at Hard Rock Stadium in Washington.
“Inzaghi has made a big step after guiding Inter Milan to two Champions League finals, now stepping out of his comfort zone.”
Al Jazeera said Real Madrid had labored to the 1-1 result draw against a spirited Al-Hilal and that “Simone Inzaghi’s men showed defensive grit and enough attacking intent to rattle their illustrious opponents.”
The BBC compared the Al-Hilal coach’s debut to that of opposite number Xabi Alonso, saying: “Inzaghi will likely be the more satisfied, with his unfancied Al-Hilal side impressing and threatening to deliver a remarkable result even without a prolific marksman of their own, given Aleksandar Mitrovic was ruled out through injury.”
It was on social media, however, that the impact of Al-Hilal’s performance reverberated most.
Many commenters highlighted the challenges posed by 33-year-old Al-Dawsari to Real Madrid debutant Trent Alexander Arnold, who was involved in one of the most high-profile transfers of the summer when he joined the Saudi club from Liverpool just weeks ago.
“I was raving about Salem Al-Dawsari during the Arabian Gulf Cup as one of the best players I have ever seen. An unbelievable talent and Real Madrid found that out for themselves,” journalist David Rhys Williams wrote on X.
Seb Stafford-Bloor of The Athletic echoed the sentiments in his own tweet: “Salem Al-Dawsari is a super player — and he’s had an excellent half. Causing all kinds of problems down Real’s right.”
One user said: “Trent getting dunked on by Salem Al-Dawsari,” while another commented: “Trent getting cooked by Al-Dawsari.” Others posted memes of the Al-Hilal player’s success in the head-to-head battle.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois praised Bounou after a stoppage-time penalty save against Frederico Valverde secured a precious point for Al-Hilal.
“Fede has a very strong shot but he does not look at the keeper. Bounou moved early and could reach it. Bounou is good at penalties,” said Courtois.
On X, @Medias24, with over 180,000 followers, said: “A world-renowned drill specialist, Yassine Bounou, once again demonstrated his instincts against Real Madrid. Marca praises him, FIFA celebrates him, and the numbers confirm: the Moroccan goalkeeper has become a global icon.”
Meanwhile Moroccan football account @MoroccanGrinta proudly tweeted: “Penalty in the 90th minute against Real Madrid? Not a problem when you have Yassine Bounou. The Atlas Lion delivers a masterclass and secures a crucial point for Al-Hilal.”
Sports News Africa posted a video of Bounou’s save and said: “We’ll let you watch yet another save from the best African goalkeeper in history against the GREAT Real Madrid. Yassine Bounou…”
