Amid all the political distractions about the Russian World Cup, the concerns about racism and other issues the actual football has been overlooked. Only one World Cup host, South Africa in 2010, has ever failed to make it through the group stage, but Russia could easily become the second.
Guus Hiddink’s side were one of the revelations of Euro 2008, but their decline since has been precipitous, and there is a sense that Russia have not moved on in any way from that tournament.
Igor Akinfeev, a wonderful talent as a teenager who, partly because of injury, has never quite fulfilled his potential, is still in goal while, more remarkably, the center-back Sergei Ignashevich is in Stanislav Cherchesov’s provisional squad despite being 38. He and his CSKA teammates, the twins Aleksei and Vasili Berezutsky, now 35, had both retired after failing to qualify for Euro 2016, but a spate of injuries at the back have led Ignashevich to make himself available again.
Cherchesov, reviewing the wreckage of the 2016 qualifiers, when Leonid Slutsky was unable to inspire a recovery after a disastrous start under Fabio Capello, had no sooner announced he would abandon the back four for a back three when he began to lose central defenders. Georgy Dzhikiya and Viktor Vasin both tore knee ligaments, while Ruslan Kambolov withdrew from the squad earlier this month, seemingly because of a calf injury, although a doping investigation into him was dropped in April.
Another ghost of 2008 haunts the midfield. Back then, Igor Denisov was 24 and looked one of the best young holding players in the game. But his habit of falling out with managers and teammates saw him bounce from club to club and, although Capello made him captain, Cherchesov will not consider him following a major row while both were at Dynamo in 2015.
That leaves Russia without an obvious choice at the back of midfield. Cherchesov has tended to use Denis Glushakov there, although he is more of a box-to-box player. As his form declined in the spring, he is only on the provisional list anyway. That means the 25-year-old Zenit midfielder Daler Kuzyayev is likely to be used at the base of midfield, although he is far from a specialist.
Another injury has hampered Russia’s attacking preparations, with Dmitry Kombarov also ruled out with a cruciate injury. Fedor Smolov is an obvious selection, and his partner looks like being Artyem Dzyuba, with Cherchesov effectively forced into resolving his differences with the forward, on loan at Arsenal Tula from Zenit, because of a lack of other options.
The injuries, of course, have not helped, but the truth is that Russia’s problems run much deeper than that. Even if Kombarov, Dzhikiya and Vasin were available this not would be a squad that would intimidate anybody. Youth development has stalled and the optimism of 10 years ago has vanished. The downturn is reflected in club results as well: In 2008, Zenit won the Uefa Cup three years after CSKA had won the same competition. No Russia side has so much as made it beyond the quarterfinals since.
There has been nothing in recent friendlies to give reason for optimism. Perhaps home advantage will inspire them, but their problem then is the order of the games. There is huge pressure on that opening match against Saudi Arabia because if they do not get a win, it is hard to see how they could take sufficient points from games against Egypt and Uruguay to make it through.
South Africa at least had the joy of taking the lead in the opening game and hope after a draw against Mexico. Russia could effectively be out after 90 minutes.
Problems for Russia could bode well for Saudi Arabia at World Cup
Problems for Russia could bode well for Saudi Arabia at World Cup
Saudi Arabia a ‘pivotal force’ in reshaping world football and sport, says US expert
- Kristian Coates Ulrichsen speaking to SPA following release of his new book “Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer”
LONDON: Saudi Arabia is playing a central role in transforming global football and wider sport, according to Middle East expert Kristian Coates Ulrichsen of the Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.
Speaking to the Saudi Press Agency following the release of his new book “Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer,” Ulrichsen said the Kingdom’s rise in global sport is “not a temporary shift but a broad transformation with political, economic, social, and cultural dimensions.”
He continued: “The Kingdom has undergone profound changes and has quickly and decisively entered the global sports arena through club acquisitions, sponsorship of major tournaments, and hosting high-profile events, notably the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2034.”
Ulrichsen noted the country’s long footballing heritage, with top-tier clubs approaching their centenary milestones and the national team having reached five consecutive AFC Asian Cup finals.
He also highlighted Saudi clubs’ strong record in continental competitions since the early 2000s.
In the book, he stresses that sport, entertainment, and tourism form “integral pillars of Vision 2030 and (are) essential to positioning Saudi Arabia as a global destination” in the coming years.
“Saudi Arabia’s engagement with sports has generated global impact across football, boxing, Formula 1, and even cricket, tennis, and e-sports,” he added.
“These sectors are expected to dominate international discussions throughout the next decade leading up to 2034.”
Pakistan’s Babar Azam to make Big Bash debut with Sydney Sixers in Australia
- Former Pakistan skipper says playing first-ever BBL match will be ‘something special’
- BBL is a Twenty20 cricket competition that features Australia’s eight city-based teams
ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been picked by Sydney Sixers to debut in the upcoming 15th season of Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), the club announced on Friday.
The BBL is a professional Twenty20 cricket competition in Australia that features eight city-based teams.
Launched in 2011, the league is held during the summer and features a mix of local and international players.
“The SCG [Sydney Cricket Ground] has been home to many legends. Now it’s home to the [king]. Welcome, Babar Azam,” the Sydney Sixers said in a post on X.
Azam said he was “super pumped” to join the team, highlighting that his BBL debut “will be something special.”
“Cannot wait to share the dressing room with my favorite batter Steve Smith and world class bowler Josh Hazlewood,” he was quoted saying in a video posted by BBL on X.
“So really excited and looking forward to getting over there and meeting my craziest cricket fans.”
Azam has featured in several major franchise leagues around the world.
Apart from competing in the Pakistan Super League, Azam has played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, Sylhet Sixers and Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League, and Somerset in England’s T20 Blast.
Norway’s Warholm shatters own world best time in 300m hurdles
- KarstenWarholm delivers for home crowd at Oslo Diamond League
- Sweden’s Armand Duplantis cruises to pole vault victory
OSLO: Norwegian hurdling great Karsten Warholm destroyed his own world best time in the rarely run 300 meters hurdles at the Oslo Diamond League meeting on Thursday, chasing down American Rai Benjamin in a stunning finish.
Roared on by the home crowd, the 2020 Olympic champion came off the corner behind Benjamin but roared past the man who had beaten him for Olympic gold last year in Paris to finish in a blistering 32.67 seconds, breaking his previous mark of 33.05 set in April.
Warholm ripped off his shirt and spun it around his head in delight when his record time flashed on the Bislett Stadium screen.
“I never really went away of course, but it is good to be back for sure,” Warholm said. “I usually fade at the end of the 400, so the 300 suits me to some degree but I will be back strong in the 400 on Sunday (in Stockholm).
“The crowd was amazing as ever and the atmosphere was something else and I am just so happy that I could perform at my best in front of the support.”
Benjamin was second in 33.22, while Alison dos Santos of Brazil was third in 33.38.
World record holder Armand Duplantis of Sweden cruised to an easy victory in the pole vault, while Nico Young became the fastest American over 5,000 meters outdoors.
Julien Alfred opened her season with a win in the 100m to set the pace as the woman to beat at this year’s world championships in Tokyo.
Duplantis, a twice Olympic and world champion, cleared 6.15m and then called it a night rather than chase a world record attempt in chilly 14 C temperatures.
“It did get cooler so that was why I stopped jumping,” said Duplantis, who soared 6.27m in February to break the world mark for the 11th time.
“On Sunday in Stockholm it would be an absolute dream to break the world record, in fact I could retire if I do,” he said laughing.
“At the moment the forecast is good for Sunday and I am feeling good. I need to build on tonight and get ready now for the big one.”
“Crazy race“
Young outsprinted an excellent 5,000 field to win in 12 minutes 45.27 seconds in a race full of national records and personal bests.
While Young’s time was a US outdoor record, fellow American Grant Fisher clocked a world and national indoor record of 12:44.09 in February.
“It was a crazy race,” Young said. “This surprised me a little bit but I am really proud that I managed to stay on this pace all this time. The best is yet to come.”
Ethiopia’s Biniam Mehary and Kuma Girma crossed second and third respectively, while Englishman George Mills was fourth in 12.46.59 to obliterate the British record of 12:53.11 held by distance great Mo Farah.
Alfred, the first athlete from Saint Lucia to win an Olympic gold medal when she triumphed last year in Paris, enjoyed victory in the 100m in a time of 10.89 seconds.
“I was a little rusty but I got the win under my belt which is the main thing,” Alfred said. “As for my season I am Olympic champion so I am the one to beat but I really want to add world champion to my name as well.”
Paris Olympic champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi of Kenya raced to victory in the men’s 800m, holding off a fast-closing field over the final 100m to finish in 1:42.78.
“My body felt a little tired as I have come from Kenya so the travel has been long but I am happy with my performance against a strong field,” Wanyonyi said. “I am happy with the start to my season in this world championship year.”
Kenya’s Faith Cherotich won the women’s 3,000m steeplechase, outsprinting Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain in a neck-and-neck battle over the final 200m, clocking 9:02.60 to edge Yavi by 0.16 seconds.
Haruka Kitaguchi of Japan, women’s javelin gold medalist at the Paris Games, threw almost a meter more than the rest of the field to win in Oslo with a toss of 64.63m.
Club World Cup marks ‘new era’ for football: Infantino
- The 32-team competition, with clubs from all continents, gets under way with Inter Miami facing Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium
- The Swiss official, who was general secretary of European body UEFA before taking the helm at FIFA in 2016, said that the club tournament also offered chances to players from over 80 countries
MIAMI: FIFA President Gianni Infantino says the Club World Cup, which kicks off on Saturday, marks a historic “new era” for the game, comparing it to the first World Cup held in 1930.
In an interview with AFP, Infantino also took aim at critics of FIFA’s ticketing policy and said that skeptics who had questioned the need for the tournament would quickly change their minds.
The 32-team competition, with clubs from all continents, gets under way with Inter Miami facing Egyptian club Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium.
“It starts a new era of football, a new era of club football. A little bit like when, in 1930, the first World Cup, right, started,” Infantino told AFP.
“Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That’s why it’s also, this World Cup here is historic.”
The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 and Infantino noted that only European and South American teams took part, adding that the Club World Cup would give a chance to clubs from outside of football’s traditional heartlands to play on the global stage.
“We want to be inclusive. We want to give opportunities to clubs from all over the world,” he said.
“It’s really to globalize football, to make it truly, truly global. Because when you scratch the surface, we say it’s the number one sport in the world, and it is but then the elite is very concentrated in very few clubs, in very few countries,” he said.
The Swiss official, who was general secretary of European body UEFA before taking the helm at FIFA in 2016, said that the club tournament also offered chances to players from over 80 countries.
“Countries who would never have a chance to play in a World Cup are suddenly part of a World Cup and they feel to be part of it, the fans of these players and of these clubs,” added Infantino, who noted several great players of the past who never played in a World Cup,
“A very good friend of mine is George Weah...former legend, great player, Ballon d’Or winner, only African player who ever won the Ballon d’Or, by the way. He never played in a World Cup. He would have been playing in a Club World Cup and made not only his club and also his country proud,” he added.
Infantino dismissed concerns that the tournament added to fixture congestion but acknowledged that some fans were yet to be sure of the value of the tournament, saying though that would quickly change.
“I believe, I’m convinced that, you know, as soon as the ball starts rolling, the whole world will realize what is happening here. It’s something special,” he said.
Reports of low uptake of tickets for same games has led to criticism of FIFA’s ticketing policy with ‘dynamic pricing’, increasingly common in the United States, allowing for prices to rise and fall according to demand.
But Infantino defended the approach and the decision to offer heavy discounts to students in Miami.
“I’m a positive person generally, but they criticize FIFA if the prices are too high, then they criticize FIFA if the prices are too low.
“Then they criticize FIFA if we make ticketing promotions with students. Students! I mean, when I was a student and I didn’t have money, I would have loved FIFA to come to me and say, you want to come and watch a World Cup match?”
“We don’t want to see empty stadiums. I believe the stadiums will be pretty full,” he said.
The FIFA president said that the tournament, which secured a global broadcasting deal with DAZN reported to be worth $1 billion, was already an economic success and stressed that all the money generated from commercial deals would be plowed back into the game.
Asked how he would judge whether the tournament had been a success, Infantino said he would feel it in his ‘heart’ but said he was confident.
“In terms of inclusivity, in terms of economy, in terms of fan interest, you take all of these criteria, we’ll speak again at the end of the club World Cup, but already now, I (feel positive), when I look at the number of tickets sold, and I look at the TV rights,” he said, noting that the games were available on DAZN’s streams for free.
“Tell me one top competition today, where you can watch football for free?” he asked.
The Club World Cup has also been caught up in the US’s fierce debates over immigration control with games being held near Los Angeles, scenes of violent clashes between protesters and immigration officers.
“Security for me and for us is a top priority, always. So when something is happening, like in Los Angeles we are obviously monitoring the situation, we are in constant contact with the authorities, we want fans to go in games in a safe environment,” he said.
J.J. Spaun leads US Open at Oakmont on a wild day of great shots and shockers
- Spaun played bogey-free and finished with 10 straight pars for a 4-under 66 on America’s toughest course hosting the major known as the toughest test in golf
- Patrick Reed made the first albatross in 11 years at the US Open when he holed out a 3-wood from 286 yards on the par-5 fourth
OAKMONT, Pennsylvania: J.J. Spaun is still new enough to the US Open, and a newcomer to the brute that is Oakmont, that he was prepared for anything Thursday. He wound up with a clean card and a one-shot lead on an opening day that delivered just about everything.
Scottie Scheffler had more bogeys in one round than he had the entire tournament when he won the Memorial. He shot a 73, his highest start ever in a US Open, four shots worse than when he made his Open debut at Oakmont as a 19-year-old at Texas.
Patrick Reed made the first albatross in 11 years at the US Open when he holed out a 3-wood from 286 yards on the par-5 fourth. He finished with a triple bogey.
Bryson DeChambeau was 39 yards away from the hole at the par-5 12th and took four shots from the rough to get to the green.
Si Woo Kim shot a 68 and had no idea how.
“Honestly, I don’t even know what I’m doing on the course,” Kim said. “Kind of hitting good but feel like this course is too hard for me.”
Through it all, Spaun played a steady hand in only his second US Open. He played bogey-free and finished with 10 straight pars for a 4-under 66 on America’s toughest course hosting the major known as the toughest test in golf.
He matched the low opening round in US Opens at Oakmont — Andrew Landry also shot 66 the last time here in 2016 — and it was no mystery. Good putting never fails at any US Open, and Spaun holed five par putts ranging from 7 feet to 16 feet to go along with four birdies.
“I didn’t really feel like I’m going to show a bogey-free round 4 under. I didn’t really know what to expect especially since I’ve never played here,” said Spaun, playing in only his second US Open. “But yeah, maybe sometimes not having expectations is the best thing, so I’ll take it.”
Oakmont lived up to its reputation with a scoring average of about 74.6 despite a course still relatively soft from rain and moderate wind that didn’t stick around for long.
And oh, that rough.
Just ask Rory McIlroy, although he chose not to speak for the fifth straight competitive round at a major since his Masters victory. He had to hack out three times on the fourth hole to get it back to the fairway, and then he holed a 30-foot putt for a most unlikely bogey. He shot 74.
“Even for a guy like me, I can’t get out of it some of the times, depending on the lie,” DeChambeau said after a 73. “It was tough. It was a brutal test of golf.”
The start of the round included Maxwell Moldovan holing out for eagle on the 484-yard opening hole. Toward the end, Tony Finau hit an approach just over the green, off a sprinkler head and into the grandstand, his Titleist marked by green paint of the sprinkler. He saved par.
When the first round ended more than 13 hours after it started, only 10 players managed to break par. That’s one fewer than the opening round in 2016.
Scheffler, the heavy favorite as the No. 1 player in the world who had won three of his last four tournaments by a combined 17 shots, made a 6-foot birdie putt on his second hole. Then he found the Church Pew bunkers on the third and fourth holes, made bogey on both and was never under the rest of the day.
“I made some silly mistakes out there, but at the same time, I made some key putts and some good momentum saves in my round,” Scheffler said. “But overall just need to be a little sharper.”
Spaun, who started his round by chipping in from ankle-deep rough just right of the 10th green, was walking down the 18th fairway when a spectator looked at the group’s scoreboard and said, “J.J. Spaun. He’s 4 under?”
The emphasis was on the number, not the name.
But some of the names were surprising, starting with Spaun. He lost in a playoff at The Players Championship to McIlroy that helped move him to No. 25 in the world, meaning he didn’t have to go through US Open qualifying for the first time.
Thriston Lawrence of South Africa, who contended at Royal Troon last summer, had six birdies in a round of 67.
And perhaps Brooks Koepka can count as a surprise because the five-time major champion has not contended in a major since winning the PGA Championship in 2023, and he missed the cut in the Masters and PGA Championship this year.
He looked like the Koepka of old, muscling his way around Oakmont, limiting mistakes and closing with two birdies for a 68 that left him in a group with the South Korea duo of Si Woo Kim and Sungjae Im.
“It’s nice to put a good round together. It’s been a while,” Koepka said. “It’s been so far off ... but now it’s starting to click. Unfortunately, we’re about halfway through the season, so that’s not ideal, but we’re learning.”
Another shot back at 69 was a group that included two-time major champion Jon Rahm, who went 11 holes before making a birdie, and followed that with an eagle.
“I played some incredible golf to shoot 1 under, which we don’t usually say, right?” Rahm said.
The course allowed plenty of birdies, plenty of excitement, and doled out plenty of punishment.
McIlroy also was bogey-free, at least on his opening nine. Then he three-putted for bogey on No. 1 and wound up with a 41 on the front nine for a 74. Sam Burns was one shot out of the lead until playing the last four holes in 5 over for a 72 that felt a lot worse.
Spaun was not immune from this. He just made everything, particularly five par putts from 7 feet or longer.
“I think today was one of my best maybe putting days I’ve had maybe all year,” Spaun said. “Converting those putts ... that’s huge for momentum and keeping a round going, and that’s kind of what happens here at US Opens.”
Spaun wouldn’t know that from experience. This is only his second US Open, and his ninth major since his first one in 2018. He didn’t have to qualify, moving to No. 25 in the world on the strength of his playoff loss to McIlroy at The Players Championship.
“I haven’t played in too many,” Spaun said “I knew it was going to be tough. I did my best just to grind through it all.”
It was every bit of a grind, from the rough and on the fast greens. Three more days.
