Egypt in rare unity over love for Salah

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah injures his shoulder in a challenge with Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos. (REUTERS)
Updated 28 May 2018
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Egypt in rare unity over love for Salah

When Mohamed Salah went down clutching his left shoulder following a tangle with Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos less than 30 minutes into a dramatic Champions League final, the entire population of Egypt — 96 million people — had their hearts in their mouths.

Moments later, forced off by injury, the Liverpool star left the field in tears — and the Arab world cried with him.
Forget that Real Madrid won 3-1 and Gareth Bale scored the goal of a lifetime. Salah’s big night had lasted just 29 minutes and the fear was his World Cup might not even last that long. The initial diagnosis was poor. Salah’s participation in this summer’s tournament in Russia appeared to be in grave doubt.
“It’s a really serious injury,” said Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in the aftermath. “He is in hospital for an X-ray. It’s either the collarbone or the shoulder itself. It doesn’t look good.”
His left arm in a sling, Salah was seen after the game in the bowels of the stadium posing for a photograph with the celebrity chef Salt Bae. But the mild-mannered  superstar who has barely stopped smiling this season could barely manage a grin. His mind was elsewhere.
“Honestly, I think it’s a nightmare,” Egyptian football journalist Marwan Ahmed told the BBC. “There are no words to describe it. There was a minute of silence after we saw Salah go down. When he went down the second time, we knew it wasn’t good and that he would leave the pitch. No Egyptian wanted to see that happen. We’ve never had an Egyptian in the Champions League final. It’s sad — I can’t find the exact words to describe it. Some people were in tears.”
The Egyptian FA optimistically tweeted that Salah’s X-ray showed he had a “sprain in the shoulder ligaments” and that it was “optimistic” he would be fit for the Russia tournament, which starts on June 14.
Richard Collinge, a former head of medical at a Premier League club in the UK, believes Salah’s involvement in the World Cup will depend on whether he has sustained a fracture or a less severe injury. Collinge has watched the incident again and again.
“It’s not Ramos pulling the arm that causes the injury,” he said. “It’s the force of landing on the left shoulder, and possibly Ramos then landing on top of Salah, that is the problem. Potential structures injured could be the clavicle (collarbone) or shoulder joint itself (dislocation or temporary loss of joint congruence called a subluxation),” Collinge told Arab News.
“Looking at what he is pointing to and rubbing, the acromioclavicular (joint) could be the issue here. Depending on the amount of soft-tissue damage to the joint, surgery may be needed, but this decision could be made only after scanning the area,” he said
If there was no fracture, and damage to the joint and soft tissue was not too extensive, a pain management and strengthening program could ensure Salah still makes the World Cup.
“However, a fracture, dislocation or surgery will make playing highly unlikely,” Collinge said.
The news got better as the hours passed, the outlook more positive. The Egypt national team’s doctor, Mohamed Abou Al-Ela, “expressed his optimism that Salah would make it to the World Cup matches according to this diagnosis,” the Egypt Football Association said.
The Egyptian Sports Minister, Khaled Abd Elaziz, also sounded upbeat. “Mohamed Salah, god willing, will be on the national team’s final list for the World Cup, which is to be announced on June 4,” he said on Facebook.
Salah’s departure from the field in tears had echoes of the abiding image from the 1990 World Cup when Paul Gascoigne was inconsolable after picking up a yellow card that meant he would miss the final if England made it through their semi. Just as Gary Lineker consoled Gascoigne, Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to put a comforting arm around the disconsolate Salah. At least Gascoigne made it to the semifinal. Salah will be lucky to make the opening group game against Uruguay on June 15.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this. This Champions League final was to be the renaissance of Klopp’s Liverpool and the coronation of Salah’s swashbuckling season. He had grinned so broadly moments before kick-off. So had Klopp and strike partner Sadio Mane.
Salah shook Ronaldo’s hand and prayed. Immediately, Liverpool tried to accelerate away from the reigning European Champions. Within 25 seconds, Salah demonstrated his versatility. He turned provider for Mane, but Raphael Varane mopped up with a crucial intervention inside the Spanish box. Liverpool were endearingly excited about the final and Salah was no different.
The game had been billed as Salah versus Ronaldo, but that clash was now of secondary importance. Salah, an athlete at the top of his profession  — scaling new heights — had been denied the chance to shine and excel on Europe’s biggest stage. His breathtaking season ended in a nightmare. With Salah’s departure, the romance ebbed out of the final.
In Cairo, sadness and anger filled the cafes where Salah’s legion of fans gathered to watch the final. After injury forced him off the pitch, many began cheering for Real Madrid, saying they had been supporting Liverpool only for Salah.
“He is the son of our country, we are sad when anything happens to him,” Abdel-Aziz Abdel-Fattah, a 27-year-old engineer, told an AFP reporter.
“We were only supporting Liverpool for Salah,” said Mahmoud Saad, a 33-year-old director of a tourism company.
Such is the importance of Salah to Egypt’s World Cup hopes — he has scored 33 goals in 57 games — that the state of his left shoulder will dominate the nation’s news bulletins. Indeed, it says plenty about Salah’s global status that his injury has made worldwide headlines.
As well as the potential sporting ramifications for Egypt, there will be financial implications for blue-chip companies such as Vodafone and DHL, which are paying Salah handsomely to promote their products and brands. Ramy Abbas, Salah’s agent, and MS Commercial, Cayman, the company that owns Salah’s image rights, will also be counting the cost if he misses out on Russia 2018.
Egypt don’t have to name their 23-man squad until June 4, so they are likely to give Salah as much time as possible to recover.
The Kuwait coach, Radojko Avramovic, told Arab News earlier this week that Egypt are far from  a one-man team. “Salah is a great player, but Egypt didn’t qualify for the World Cup just because of him —  he is not superman. They have lots of good players.”
They do, but none who can change a game quite as dramatically or with such rare gifts.
Following David Beckham’s injury in 2002, a national newspaper in Britain called on its readers to place their hands on a picture of the England captain and pray for his speedy recovery.
Egyptians, you suspect, will be doing a similar thing up and down the land as they anxiously await medical bulletins on their national hero.


Riyadh retains Chestertons polo title in Dubai

Updated 11 sec ago
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Riyadh retains Chestertons polo title in Dubai

  • Saudi team secures 6-5 victory over Egyptian opponents in final match

DUBAI: The Riyadh polo team have successfully defended their title as Chestertons MENA Polo in the Park champions for a second year after defeating their Cairo rivals in Dubai on Saturday.
The Saudi team secured a 6-5 victory over their Egyptian opponents in the final match, which was held at Dubai’s Desert Palm Polo Club.
Amr Zidan, chairman of the Saudi Polo Federation, awarded the championship trophy to Khalid Al-Omran, the Riyadh team captain.
Representing Riyadh alongside Al-Omran were Rayan Al-Ajaji, and professional players Santos Iriarte (Argentina) and Guillermo Li (Peru).
The tournament featured four teams: Riyadh, Cairo, London, and Dubai.
It was the second Chestersons Polo in the Park event to be held in the Middle East after having been held in London for over a decade.


Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic

Updated 43 min 51 sec ago
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Andy Murray to coach Novak Djokovic

  • “I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach,” Djokovic said
  • Murray said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change”

BELGRADE: Novak Djokovic announced on Saturday that his retired long-time rival Andy Murray is joining the 24-time Grand Slam-winning player’s coaching team, starting at the Australian Open in January.
“I’m thrilled to have one of my biggest rivals on the same side of the net with me, this time as my coach. I look forward to starting the season with Andy and having him by my side in Melbourne, where we’ve shared many exceptional moments throughout our careers,” Djokovic said in a statement.
Murray, a three-time Grand Slam champion who retired from competitive tennis in August, said: “I am very excited about this and look forward to being on the same side of the net for a change.
“I’m also grateful for the opportunity to help him achieve his goals for the upcoming year.”

Djokovic posted a video on X of him and Murray during the Scotsman’s playing career, jokingly titled: “He never liked retirement anyway.”
The 37-year-old Serb has won the Australian Open a record 10 times, defeating Murray in four finals.
Djokovic failed to win a Grand Slam in 2024 and has slipped to seventh in the world, although he did land the Olympic singles title in Paris.


Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

Updated 23 November 2024
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Leipzig lose ground on Bayern, Dortmund and Leverkusen win

  • Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer
  • In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens

DORTMUND: RB Leipzig continued to lose ground on Bundesliga league leaders Bayern Munich with a 4-3 defeat at lowly Hoffenheim on Saturday, while Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen registered big wins.
Hoffenheim came from a goal down to equalize three times and hit the lead with four minutes remaining on a wild debut for new manager Christian Ilzer.
Hoffenheim’s Adam Hlozek collected a brace while Tom Bischof scored a clever free kick and Jakob Bruun Larsen was responsible for the winner in the 86th minute.
Leipzig’s efforts came through Willi Orban, Antonio Nusa and an own goal from Hoffenheim’s Stanley Nsoki.
Equal on points with Bayern just three matchdays ago, Leipzig have lost two and drawn one and now sit eight behind the league leaders.
Leipzig had only conceded five goals in the league season before Saturday’s outing.
Eintracht Frankfurt can leapfrog Leipzig into second place and close the gap on Bayern to six points when they host Werder Bremen later on Saturday.
In Dortmund, the home side won 4-0 over Freiburg thanks to goals from Maximilian Beier, Felix Nmecha, Julian Brandt and Jamie Gittens, while the visitors finished with nine men.
Under fire and sitting outside the European placings coming into the match, Dortmund’s one saving grace this league campaign has been their home form, with five wins from five.
The hosts got on track early, when Beier, who scored a double for Germany’s under-21s against France this week, opening the scoring seven minutes in.
Midfielder Nmecha, who scored for Germany’s senior side in their 1-1 draw in Hungary midweek, added a second with a superb long-range effort on the 40th-minute mark.
Freiburg’s hopes of a comeback were snuffed out after 63 minutes when Patrick Osterhage picked up a second yellow card for a rough tussle with Marcel Sabitzer.
From the ensuing free kick, Dortmund’s Brandt curled the ball home and England winger Gittens curled in a fourth to seal the match with 13 minutes remaining.
Freiburg’s Junior Adamu saw straight red for striking Dortmund’s Waldemar Anton in stoppage time, reducing his side to nine men.
Dortmund have now won their past six against Freiburg, scoring 24 and conceding five.
Defending champions Leverkusen came from two goals down to win 5-2 at home against Heidenheim thanks to a hat-trick from Patrick Schick.
Heidenheim, who host Chelsea in the Conference League on Thursday, were two goals up within 21 minutes, with Niklas Dorsch and Mathias Honsak taking advantage of some sleepy defense.
World Cup winner Exequiel Palacios pulled one back on the half-hour mark before Schick, in for the injured Victor Boniface, scored three unanswered goals to wrestle back control of the match before Granit Xhaka added a fifth with eight minutes remaining.
Last season’s runners-up Stuttgart scored two second-half goals through Chris Fuehrich and Justin Diehl to win 2-0 at home over last-placed Bochum, who have just one point from 11 games this season.
Elsewhere, Wolfsburg’s Ridle Baku scored the only goal as his side defeated Union Berlin 1-0 at home.


Abdullah Al-Qahtani hopes for Saudi fans’ support in his PFL journey

Updated 23 November 2024
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Abdullah Al-Qahtani hopes for Saudi fans’ support in his PFL journey

  • Al-Qahtani gets shot at featherweight title after Egyptian fighter Islam Reda’s injury
  • To win belt, he must overcome the man who beat him in September’s semifinal

RIYADH:  With just days to go before his PFL MENA Featherweight Championship bout on Nov. 29, Saudi mixed martial arts fighter Abdullah Al-Qahtani is hoping his fans’ support will spur him on to victory in Riyadh.

Al-Qahtani said: “Fighting on home soil with the Saudi crowd behind me will be a strong support as I aim to secure the belt. We’ve set the right plans for the final.”

Al-Qahtani will face Jordan’s Abdullah ‘The Cobra’ Alhyasat, the man who defeated him in September’s semifinal. An injury to the other semifinal winner — Egypt’s Islam Reda — gave Al-Qahtani another shot at beating Alhyasat.

The 27-year-old Saudi, whose record currently stands at nine wins and two losses, said he is not disheartened by that semifinal failure.

“Abdelrahman has five victories in his professional career and won the semifinal by unanimous decision. This hasn’t put pressure on me or affected my morale,” Al-Qahtani said. “Since replacing Islam Reda, I’ve been training intensively to prepare … to give my best, avenge the semifinal loss, and claim the title. Together with my coaching team, I’ve analyzed the mistakes I made in the semifinal and focused on the positive aspects of my performance. God willing, (I) will be the one to crack Alhyasat’s code, win, and bring joy to the Saudi audience.”

Alhyasat insisted he is unfazed by the prospect of a partisan crowd supporting Al-Qahtani.

“I would have preferred to face a different fighter in the final, but I’m comfortable with this matchup; it will be as easy as the semifinal,” he said. “Fighting on his home turf won’t be a source of stress for me. I will repeat my victory over Al-Qahtani.

“I expect Al-Qahtani to change his fighting style for the final. That’s why, during my training camp in Thailand, we studied all possibilities (so I can) adapt to the flow of the fight,” he continued.

The showdown is just one bout on a night that also includes the PFL World Championships, which are being held outside of the US for the first time, at King Saud University in Riyadh.

Headlining is the unbeaten Russian fighter, Timur “Imam” Khizriev, who takes on the UK’s Brendan Loughnane for the World Featherweight Championship.

In the Women’s Flyweight Championship co-main event, Dakota Ditcheva will put her 13-0 record on the line when the English-Bulgarian MMA and former Muay Thai fighter goes head-to-head with Brazil’s Taila Santos.

In addition to the championship fights, the undefeated Saudi Arabian PFL star Hattan Alsaif – who made history when she became the first Saudi female to sign a contract with a major MMA promoter — takes on Algeria’s Lilia Osmani.


Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health

Updated 23 November 2024
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Ancelotti says ‘ugly’ to speculate about Mbappe mental health

  • Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions
  • “What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said

MALAGA: Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said Saturday it was “ugly” to speculate about the mental health of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe.
Mbappe has scored just one goal in his last seven Madrid games across all competitions and is also involved in a multi-million euro pay dispute with former club Paris Saint-Germain.
Ancelotti was asked at his weekly press conference if the striker was struggling with pressure.
“What a question — I don’t have the impression that he has any mental health problems,” Ancelotti said.
“I see him as happy to be here, if he is, he doesn’t show it, but I think speculating about problems of this type is a bit ugly.”
The forward was left out of France’s squad for recent Nations League matches for the second time in two months, and was linked to a rape investigation in Sweden, which Mbappe has denied.
France coach Didier Deschamps did not select the 25-year-old for matches against Israel and Italy, saying “it was better that way.”
Ancelotti said he was confident Mbappe, who joined Madrid this summer at the end of his PSG deal, would find the net at the weekend away at minnows Leganes.
“There are always bad moments, all the great strikers have been through them, but he’s motivated and happy, and that’s all I can see,” continued Ancelotti.
“I’m convinced that he’s going to play a great match tomorrow and that all this will come to an end.
“He has extraordinary qualities, it’s just a matter of time.”