LONDON: The scenes on the Saudi Arabia team bus as it left the Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium in Bekasi, Indonesia, on Monday night were those of pride and patriotism as the country’s Under-19s celebrated the execution of an ambitious plan. This month’s ultimate mission, however, is not yet complete.
The Kingdom’s Under-19 side had defeated Australia 3-1 in the quarterfinals of the age-group Asian Championships to confirm their place at next May’s U20 World Cup as one of the continent’s four best teams. On the journey back to the team hotel, players — with camera phones in hand — sang “We are all Salman” as they drummed their palms on whatever surfaces they could find.
It was a rare moment of release for a group of teenagers who had arrived in Jakarta with the weight of expectation to at least emulate the previous generation, which had qualified for the global championship by way of reaching the regional final. The convincing victory against the Young Socceroos allowed them to relax, but their focus must quickly return if they are to end a 26-year drought and bring the Asian trophy back to the Kingdom.
Hazem Al-Zahrani, the Al-Ittihad defender who was an unused substitute, said he and his teammates “strive to go to the World Cup as heroes,” while goalkeeper Abdulrahman Al-Shamrani said the feeling of qualification was “indescribable,” adding “we promise the masses to return to the country as heroes of Asia”.
Coach Khalid Al-Atawi, formerly of Al-Najoom, conceded his side had arrived with the objective of World Cup qualification. “We played to reach this goal, and we reached it,” he said. “I’m very happy that we will now participate in the World Cup. I congratulate the Saudi people and we are very fortunate to have the honor of representing the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Tomorrow’s semifinal opponents, however, are Japan, a country that is quickly becoming a thorn in the side of a Saudi Arabia team desperate for tangible success. In 2016, Sami Al-Najei and Abdulrahman Al-Yami shared the Golden Boot at the U19 Asian Championships, but it was the Japanese who lifted the trophy, beating the Young Falcons on penalties after a 120-minute stalemate in the final.
At August’s Asian Games, which is open to U23s, Saudi Arabia registered a squad made up entirely of players aged under-21. It is a tactic long adopted by Japan, who use the Asian Games as preparation for the U23 Asian Championships, which offer direct qualification to the Olympics. The Young Falcons impressed on route to the quarterfinals, yet it was the Blue Samurai again who ended their participation, beating them 2-1 in the last-eight.
Victory tomorrow would mean more than simply a place in the final.
Although South Korea and Qatar have also reached the semis, it is Japan and Saudi Arabia who are generally regarded as the two best teams at this month’s 16-nation tournament. Neither have dropped a point yet this month, recording a perfect record of four wins from four games, although free-scoring Japan’s goal difference is substantially more impressive. Al-Atawi nonetheless believes his team can go all the way.
“We are trying to do our best in every game,” he said. “In any game, we want to do more than the game before. In this competition, the team is improving from game to game, so we are looking forward to achieving the highest level we can. We are preparing these players for this competition. We hope we can perform well, and we are building step by step. The sky is our limit.”
The Young Falcons have reached the semifinals on four occasions since they beat South Korea 2-0 in the 1992 final, but have yet to claim the ultimate prize. This year’s squad have frightening pace and are technically excellent, with Al-Shabab’s Turki Al-Ammar in particular gaining attention with a series of eye-catching displays. Al-Atawi, however, refuses to single out players for praise, insisting instead on the importance of the collective.
“Turki is one of 23 players and I treat them all equally, but I think he will be a star in the future,” said Al-Atawi of the midfielder who opened the scoring against Australia to claim his second goal of the tournament. “I can guarantee though that we will see more stars come from these 23 players in the future.”
Young Falcons are only just getting started, says coach Khalid Al-Atawai as Saudi Arabia U-19s make World Cup
Young Falcons are only just getting started, says coach Khalid Al-Atawai as Saudi Arabia U-19s make World Cup
- Saudi Arabia U-19s beat young Socceroos to get to last four of U-19 Asian Championships.
- Young Falcons set to face Japan in last four on Thursday.
Potter named West Ham boss after Lopetegui sacking
- Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter was named West Ham’s new manager on Thursday on a two-and-a-half-year contract, the club said, a day after sacking Julen Lopetegui
Potter, 49, has been out of management since he was sacked by Chelsea in April 2023, just seven months into a five-year contract. He won 12 of his 31 matches in charge.
The Hammers are 14th in the Premier League, seven points above the relegation zone, after six wins in 20 league matches during former Spain and Real Madrid coach Lopetegui’s ill-fated tenure.
A 4-1 hammering at champions Manchester City on Saturday was the final straw for the London club.
“I am delighted to be here,” said Potter.
“It was important to me that I waited until a job came along that I felt was right for me, and equally that I was the right fit for the club I am joining.
“That is the feeling I have with West Ham United.”
Potter began his managerial career at Swedish club Ostersund and had successful spells with Swansea and Brighton before taking over at Stamford Bridge.
His first match will be when West Ham face Aston Villa in the FA Cup third round on Friday prior to Premier League matches against Fulham and Crystal Palace.
Lopetegui was the fifth Premier League manager to lose his job this season, following the sackings of Erik ten Hag (Manchester United), Steve Cooper (Leicester), Gary O’Neil (Wolves) and Russell Martin (Southampton).
West Ham were among the biggest spenders in the Premier League in the summer transfer window, splashing out around £125 million ($155 million) on players including Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug.
“My conversations with the chairman and the board have been very positive and constructive,” said Potter.
“We share the same values of hard work and high energy to create the solid foundations that can produce success.
“And we are on the same wavelength in terms of what is needed in the short term and then how we want to move the Club forward in the medium to long term.”
Four UAE teams among strong line-up for 24H Dubai race
- More than 70 teams are set to compete in the Jan. 11-12 event, which coincides with Dubai Autodrome’s 20th anniversary
DUBAI: Dubai Autodrome will welcome 70 race teams — including four UAE-based outfits — for this weekend’s milestone 20th Michelin 24H Dubai race.
The event, which will see some of the world’s top endurance drivers in action, coincides with Dubai Autodrome’s own 20th anniversary celebrations.
The season-opening 24HR Series will see its largest GT3 grids, with more than 30 teams taking to the track for the flagship competition on Jan. 11-12.
Among the UAE teams competing are Rabdan Motorsport, led by Emirati driver Saif Al-Ameri, who will be joined by teammates Fahad Al-Zaabi, Salem Al-Ketbi and Christopher Zoechling. Other UAE-based teams include Dragon Racing, Fulgenzi Racing and Duel Racing.
They will be part of a competitive grid which has attracted prominent names from the world of endurance motorsport. These include two-time World Rally Championship winner Kalle Rovanpera, former World Touring Car series champion Robert Huff and reigning Asian Le Mans Series GT winner Alex Malykhin. Also set to be behind the wheel are Oman’s Ahmad Al-Harthy, British Touring Car champion Jake Hill and Saudi Arabia’s first professional female racing driver Reema Juffali.
Indian actor Ajith Kumar, who has starred in more than 60 movies in the Tamil film industry, makes his return to motor racing with his own newly formed team, Ajith Kumar Racing.
Mixing with this elite field will be Dubai Autodrome’s very own Jamie Day, who has climbed through the ranks from karting to race in the GT3 category. The venue’s driving instructors, Axcil Jefferies (2021 edition champion), Mathieu Detry (GT AM 2024 champion) and Ramez Azzam are also set to line up on the track.
Since opening in 2004, the Dubai Autodrome has staged every edition of the 24H Dubai, with the event a key championship in the venue’s busy motorsport calendar.
General Manager Faisal Al-Sahlawi said: “This 2025 Michelin 24H Dubai event represents a significant moment as it is also part of Dubai Autodrome’s 20th anniversary celebrations. Since the lights first went out way back in 2006, this motorsport event has gone from strength to strength, creating wonderful memories to cherish. The fact we are staging the 20th edition of this flagship event, which has brought together some of the top names in motorsport, reaffirms how highly-regarded it is, both in the UAE and abroad.
“This competition has served as an important platform for UAE drivers and teams to get competitive experience against an international field that will help them in their development. In the past, we have seen many teams and drivers fly the UAE flag high by gaining podium finishes and we hope to see some of the participants follow in their footsteps.”
Off the track, the weekend includes a wide array of family entertainment and activities, including a cultural zone where visitors can explore the cultures of Africa, Asia, America and Australia, a kids’ zone and a car display.
Sinner, Djokovic in opposite halves at the Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st round
- The year’s first Grand Slam tournament begins on the hard courts of Melbourne Park on Sunday morning local time
MELBOURNE: Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal match.
Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals here last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title.
Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semifinal against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony on the steps of Margaret Court Arena holding their trophies.
Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women’s singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.
“I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it’s definitely something special,” Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. “I hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semifinal rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.
No. 2 Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina are on the other half of the draw.
The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST in the U.S.) and will run for 15 days.
Doping and the cases involving Sinner — which is still not fully resolved — and Swiatek was a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is still a talking point in Melbourne.
There's plenty else for fans to talk about.
Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn’t allowed to play.
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 U.S. Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev.
De Zerbi is improving fortunes at Marseille two months after he considered quitting the club
- That was back in November when, following home defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Auxerre, he said he was ready to leave
PARIS: Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi was so confounded by his team’s bad form that he considered quitting just months after arriving.
That was back in November when, following home defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Auxerre, he said he was ready to leave. The 45-year-old Italian soon backtracked and affirmed his commitment to stay and turn things around.
Whatever he told the players at that time clearly worked, as did an arduous four-day camp. There were daily 5 a.m. wake-up calls for jogs on an empty stomach, followed by twice-daily training sessions.
Marseille is looking much sharper and fitter as a result.
The 1993 Champions League winner has won five of its six matches since the Auxerre loss and drawn the other against Lille — a decent result considering Lille is undefeated in all competitions since mid-September.
Marseille has rediscovered its touch, too, scoring 17 goals during that period, and has moved into second place in Ligue 1 behind leader Paris Saint-Germain, which is seven points ahead after 16 rounds.
Marseille travels to play Rennes on Saturday and PSG hosts lowly Saint-Etienne on Sunday.
De Zerbi has tightened things up tactically and is starting to work Marseille into a more streamlined side.
During his time with Brighton in the English Premier League, he earned a reputation as a shrewd tactician capable of beating bigger teams. He left Brighton after two seasons, having raised the team to its highest ever top-flight finish of sixth, and into the last 16 of the Europa League.
De Zerbi’s decision to join Marseille, which has passionate but impatient fans, surprised many observers. Even before his time at Brighton, De Zerbi had earned good reviews in Italy with Benevento and Sassuolo. He was widely praised for guiding Sassuolo to back-to-back eighth-place finishes in Serie A and touted as one of the best young coaches in Europe.
He had bigger clubs than Marseille calling for him last summer, but perhaps he saw the depth of Marseille’s potential — which is the only French club to win the Champions League and has a 67,000-capacity stadium.
De Zerbi has instilled a healthy competition for places within his squad and strengthened it further on Tuesday by signing central defender Luiz Felipe, who made over 100 appearances for Lazio in Serie A from 2017-22.
Felipe’s arrival comes after De Zerbi reproached his players for conceding too many goals — 19 in the league so far, compared with 14 for PSG and 16 for third-place Monaco and fourth-place Lille.
“We need so start thinking that 5-0 and 5-1 are not the same thing,” he said after Sunday’s 5-1 home rout of Le Havre at Stade Velodrome. “We need to make other teams understand that scoring a goal against us is difficult.”
Felipe said the possibility of playing under De Zerbi was “fundamental” in his decision to join.
“I have known De Zerbi since he was Sassuolo, it was always difficult to play against him,” Felipe said.
Key players have emerged into leadership roles, such as Argentina goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot.
Playing in a role higher up the field allows Rabiot to make more dangerous use of his excellent passing range and eye for long-distance shooting.
Signing the 29-year-old Rabiot was seen as something of a coup of Marseille, considering that he is entering his prime years and his wealth of experience with Italian giant Juventus (212 matches overall) and France (50 caps).
“We need two, three, four or five Rabiots,” De Zerbi said recently.
Then he added, jokingly: “I asked him if he has any brothers, but unfortunately they don’t play football.”
UAE jiu-jitsu team to compete in 9 championships during 2025
- Emirati male and female fighters will take part in regional, continental and international competitions across various categories
ABU DHABI: The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation has announced that the country’s national team will take part in nine championships in 2025.
Sponsored by Mubadala Investment Co., Emirati male and female fighters will compete from February to November, spanning regional, continental and international events across various age groups, the UAEJJF stated recently.
The continental season kicks off with the Asian Youth Championships in Thailand from Feb. 13 to 15, featuring competitions in categories falling under the ages of 14, 16 and 18.
The team will then head to Jordan for the ninth Jiu-Jitsu Asian Championship from May 23 to 25, for adults and under-21 athletes, where they aim to uphold their continental supremacy.
The UAE will also compete in the JJAU Regional Championship for West Asia in Bahrain on July 24 and 25, which includes the 14, 16, 18, 21 and adult categories. Additionally, the team will take part in the third Asian Youth Games from Oct. 22 to 31, focusing on the under-18 category.
Internationally, the team will participate in the Grand Prix Paris Open for adults in France on April 26 and 27, followed by the Grand Prix Thailand Open in Bangkok from June 19 to 21. The Grand Prix events are crucial for the UAE’s global ranking and positioning for the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship draw.
On the global stage, the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, China, from Aug. 10 to 12, will be a highlight for the adult category. The team aim to replicate their impressive performance from the 2022 World Games in Birmingham, Alabama, where they earned five medals, including two historic golds.
The season concludes with the Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in Thailand from Nov. 1 to 15, which encompasses all age groups — 14, 16, 18, 21 and seniors — followed by the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 17 and 18.
Fahad Ali Al-Shamsi, secretary-general of the UAEJJF, said the athletes are expected to do well across all competitions.
“The year 2025, with its high-profile championships, will build on our national team’s legacy of achievements and inspire future generations of athletes.
“We are fortunate to have the limitless support of our wise leadership, which provides our athletes with all the resources needed for success and has helped them achieve top global rankings.”
