Ryder Cup legend Garcia has Saudi International in his sights

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Sergio Garcia birdied the first hole of a sudden-death playoff to defeat Justin Rose at Augusta National and claim the 2017 Masters. (Getty Images)
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Sergio Garcia has 35 worldwide wins to his name including a maiden major at the 2017 Masters. (Supplied)
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Sergio Garcia has 35 worldwide wins to his name including a maiden major at the 2017 Masters. (Supplied)
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Updated 21 January 2020
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Ryder Cup legend Garcia has Saudi International in his sights

  • ‘Since I have been married and had my daughter Azalea, I have felt much more relaxed in life, both on and off the course’
  • ‘Whenever I am on the course, I am always trying to play my best golf with the aim of winning the event, wherever I am playing’

JEDDAH: Spanish superstar golfer Sergio Garcia, known as El Niño, will be back in the Kingdom next week to once again tee it up against the world’s best at the Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers (January 30 – February 2).

Garcia is one of Europe’s finest golfers with a stellar career of 35 worldwide wins including a maiden major triumph at the 2017 Masters at the iconic Augusta.

Garcia wrote his name into the history books at the 2018 Ryder Cup, becoming the record points scorer in the sport’s biggest team event. Garcia has made nine appearances in the Ryder Cup and is victorious in six of them. Garcia speaks about new priorities in his life since turning 40, making amends in Saudi Arabia and golf’s life lessons.

How important is it for golf to be coming to Saudi Arabia and bringing the game into a new market?

It is really important for golf and also for the European Tour. We visit so many different countries during the year and it is always nice to see a new part of the world. It is going to be a very strong event again with so many world-class players competing for the title and I am looking forward to coming back.

What are your thoughts on returning back to Saudi Arabia after last year?

I am really excited to be coming back to the Saudi International this year. I feel terrible about what happened following last year’s disqualification. I want to go back and show my respect – I love the people there and they wanted me to come back. So that was an easy decision, and I’m excited to go back there. Show myself, show the true Sergio, and show them my respect and try to play the best that I can and hopefully have a great tournament. The event has a welcoming feel to it and everyone there makes you feel so comfortable from the clubhouse staff, to the hotel to the organizers, so I am excited. The people I met last year are fantastic and their hospitality is very warm and welcoming.

Many people in Saudi Arabia will not have attended a golf championship. What can they expect, and what do fans get from watching the golf live and up close that is just impossible to experience through the TV?

Last year, the fans were great and I hope it will be even better this year. The fans are part of the event and if there were no fans, golf wouldn’t be anywhere near as fun to play. They are a part of the event as much as us guys playing, and so us players hope to put on a good show for them this week.

More young people in Saudi Arabia are watching sport or taking up sport. What would you say to encourage them to take up golf and what can they learn from the sport?

Golf is obviously so new in the region but I hope that from seeing the world-class golf on show during the week, the local fans have a think about giving it a try. There are lots of fun putting and chipping games going on in the entertainment zone which are great fun. Working hard to succeed in the game can teach you to have faith and confidence in yourself as well as never giving up.

At New Year you posted on Twitter a toast to your last decade, which mentioned your marriage and the birth of your first daughter (and imminent arrival of first son!). These are three huge, brilliant milestones: how have they impacted you as a golfer, on and off the course?

Since I have been married and had my daughter Azalea, I have felt much more relaxed in life, both on and off the course. Family provides you with a feeling that is so amazing and they become priority in life. They support me on and off the course and they have given me more dedication to work hard and achieve my goals, for them.

For many of your fans, it was you winning your first major title – which came at the 2017 Masters – that was the highlight of their golfing decade…something you also mentioned in your New Year tweet! Nearly three years on now, how – if in any way – did that win change you as a golfer?

For sure, it was the best moment in my career, but it is closely rivalled by all of the years playing in the Ryder Cup. Holing that putt in the playoff at Augusta felt amazing and it is a moment I will never forget. Whenever I am on the course, I am always trying to play my best golf with the aim of winning the event, wherever I am playing.

You’re a regular competitor in the Middle East, playing in the likes of Dubai and Abu Dhabi most years. How much do you enjoy the golf on offer in this part of the world?

I really enjoy playing out here in the Middle East. I love playing all of the courses out here and they all provide us golfers with an enjoyable different challenge each time we play. The courses are always pristine, the weather is perfect and with Saudi Arabia being added to the Middle East schedule, I am looking forward to another week I can enjoy out here to start my season.

A trio of Saudi golfers will be playing in the Saudi International. What would it mean to golf to see a big name, major-competing player come out of the Middle East?

It would great to see. There are so many good golfers on the tour from all over the world and to have a new face would be great for everyone. When a new player comes on the tour, it brings a new challenge for all of us, so I hope there will be more golfers from here, to come and challenge us.


‘Real Madrid are ready for Mallorca’, says Ancelloti ahead of Spanish Super Cup clash

Updated 08 January 2025
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‘Real Madrid are ready for Mallorca’, says Ancelloti ahead of Spanish Super Cup clash

  • Ancelotti stated that his players are well-prepared and looking forward to winning
  • Vazquez: ‘Tomorrow’s match is our way to the final’

JEDDAH: Ahead of Real Madrid’s Spanish Super Cup clash with Mallorca in the semifinals on Thursday in Jeddah, Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told media on Wednesday that he and his squad are happy to play again in Saudi Arabia.
He said: “Having the competition here is good for Spanish football. Firstly, for the teams that play here because they have the opportunity to receive the support of all the fans they have here.”
Asked about Real Madrid’s position if Dani Olmo and Pau Victor take part with Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, he said: “You can ask about the games only but not this issue.”
He was also asked about Vinicius Junior’s behavior, to which he responded: “The Brazilian player has been insulted so many times. We don’t care what everyone thinks. He is a super player, and we are delighted to have him in all aspects.”
Speaking of tomorrow’s match against Mallorca, Ancelotti stated that his players are well-prepared and looking forward to winning. He said: “We have a lot of respect for their quality and the work of the coach. We have to respect them to the maximum.”
Lucas Vazquez met the press on Wednesday and said: “The Spanish Super Cup is a very good opportunity to win a title.
“We are determined to keep winning. Tomorrow is the first step toward winning the Spanish Super Cup, which is our objective.
“It’s a very good opportunity to win a title. We’re really looking forward to it and tomorrow we want to beat Mallorca to play in the final. We have a year with many challenges and we’re going to take them on with a lot of ambition.”
Asked if he is staying with Real Madrid for next season, the defender said: “It’s too early to know what’s going to happen. I’m happy here, enjoying this season. We’ll see what happens next season. I can’t say anything more.”
Defending LaLiga champion Real Madrid and 2023-24 Copa del Rey runner-up Mallorca face off Thursday at “The Jewel,” King Abdullah Sports City, in Jeddah at 10 p.m. Saudi time.


Afghanistan hire Younis Khan as mentor for Champions Trophy in Pakistan

Updated 08 January 2025
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Afghanistan hire Younis Khan as mentor for Champions Trophy in Pakistan

  • Younis Khan, 47, played 118 Tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20Is for Pakistan before retiring in 2017
  • Afghanistan is in Champions Trophy Group B with England, Australia and South Africa

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan has hired former Pakistan captain Younis Khan as a mentor for its men’s cricket team at next month’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said in a statement on Wednesday that the 47-year-old batting great will join the team in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy and will stay with Afghanistan at the tournament.
Younis, who played 118 tests, 265 ODIs and 25 T20s for Pakistan, retired from international cricket in 2017 and briefly worked with the national team as batting coach in 2021 before quitting after differences with the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Afghanistan is in Group B with England, Australia and South Africa. It will play its first match against South Africa at Karachi on Feb. 21.
More than 160 UK politicians have urged England to refuse to play against Afghanistan. The politicians wrote asking the England and Wales Cricket Board to take a stand against the Taliban regime’s assault on women’s rights.
It will be a second stint for Younis with Afghanistan, having previously worked with the team at a training camp in Abu Dhabi in 2022.
It will be the third straight major ICC tournament where Afghanistan has utilized local expertise by appointing a mentor, after former India international Ajay Jadeja for the 2023 World Cup in India, and Dwayne Bravo as bowling consultant at the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and US
“Since the Champions Trophy is being held in Pakistan, it was required to assign a talented and experienced player as mentor from the hosting country,” ACB chief executive Naseeb Khan said.
Afghanistan finished sixth at the World Cup in India after beating England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to seal its Champions Trophy place. At the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan advanced to the semifinals.
The Champions Trophy will begin Feb. 19 in Karachi.
India, which is in Group A with Pakistan, New Zealand and Bangladesh, will play all its games in Dubai.


Lebanese football star awakes from coma she went into after Israeli airstrike

Updated 08 January 2025
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Lebanese football star awakes from coma she went into after Israeli airstrike

  • Celine Haidar’s father says she ‘wants to go back to football once her medical situation allows her’
  • Coach Samer Barbary tells Arab News: ‘When I asked if she still wants to play football, she pressed on my hand and moved her right leg’

BEIRUT: Lebanese football star Celine Haidar has awakened from a coma nearly two months after suffering a critical head injury during an Israeli airstrike, her father and coach told Arab News on Wednesday.
“By the grace of Allah she has awakened from coma but she remains in ICU as she cannot speak and still requires a ventilator to help her breathe properly,” said Abbas Haidar, the father of the 19-year-old international footballer.
In mid-November, Haidar, who is a youth international and captains her club, Beirut Football Academy, was injured while fleeing her home in Al-Chiyyah in Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli warning of an imminent attack on their building.
Speaking from Saint Georges Hospital where his daughter is being treated, her father confirmed that Celine awoke a few days ago (without giving a date), saying “she still cannot talk easily, and remains under extensive treatment.”
He expressed his joy “because she has recognized us (her family members),” adding that whenever they want to chat with her, she writes down her replies.
Her coach at BFA, Samer Barbary, revealed to Arab News that he visited her two days ago. “She is still on a ventilator, however, she extended her right arm to shake hands with me … when I asked if she still wants to play football, she pressed on my hand and moved her right leg in an obvious sign of wanting to do so,” Barbary said.
Abbas explained that his daughter’s situation still requires further medical assessment and follow-up. He hopes that she improves soon and starts rehabilitation.
“She still realizes that she is a footballer and wants to go back to football once her medical situation allows her.”
Meanwhile, her coach said: “Her medical treatment and follow-up still requires time and effort … and based on how her medical situation progresses, we hope that she could be back on the green pitch.”
Barbary told Arab News previously: “She is Lebanon’s Sergio Busquets and has got remarkable skills in her position as a central midfielder.”
Her father said in November that their neighborhood had been subject to ongoing threats and bombardment before the family moved to a safer location outside Beirut.
“Celine is a very vibrant and sociable person. She found us the house in Baakline.”


Haidar stayed in Baakline for two days and returned to Al-Chiyyah to attend school and her football training. Her father was notified by phone that she had been injured and admitted to hospital.
Rising star Haidar represented her country as a member of the under-19 women’s national team who won the 2022 West Asia Cup, hosted by Lebanon, and had been selected to play for the senior national team before her injury.
“Celine is one of the best football midfielders in Lebanon … she is consistent, stable and a leader. She played a major role in us winning the 2024 league unbeaten,” Barbary said.
Before joining BFA in 2021, she played for Safa Club and with them won the Lebanese National League.


PCB moves tri-series to Lahore and Karachi to indicate readiness for Champions Trophy

Updated 08 January 2025
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PCB moves tri-series to Lahore and Karachi to indicate readiness for Champions Trophy

  • Pakistan is scheduled to play tri-nation ODI series at home against South Africa, New Zealand in February
  • Series moved from Multan due to advanced stage of preparations at Lahore and Karachi stadiums, says PCB 

BENGALURU: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has relocated February’s tri-nation One-Day International (ODI) series with New Zealand and South Africa from Multan to Lahore and Karachi, two cities set to host the Champions Trophy later in the month.
The PCB said the move was due to the advanced stage of preparations at Lahore’s Qaddafi Stadium and Karachi’s National Stadium, which will host six of the 12 Champions Trophy group stage matches.
Lahore will also host one semifinal as well as the final provided India, who are playing all their matches in Dubai following an agreement that neither India nor Pakistan will visit each other’s countries for ICC tournament matches, do not qualify.
Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium will also host three matches of the eight-team tournament.
The PCB is upgrading the facilities at all three venues in the country as Pakistan prepares to host an ICC tournament for the first time since 1996, when they co-hosted the ODI World Cup.
The tri-series will be played from Feb. 8-14, while the Champions Trophy will kick off on Feb. 19 in Karachi, with defending champions Pakistan playing New Zealand.


Fakhar Zaman eyes international return as he prepares for DP World ILT20 start with Desert Vipers

Updated 08 January 2025
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Fakhar Zaman eyes international return as he prepares for DP World ILT20 start with Desert Vipers

  • 100% he will play for Pakistan again, says 34-year-old top-order powerhouse

DUBAI: Pakistan top-order powerhouse Fakhar Zaman is getting ready for the DP World ILT20 with the Desert Vipers, but he believes he still has plenty to offer Pakistan.

The 34-year-old has not played for his country since the ICC T20 World Cup in June of 2024, but he told the Vipers Voices podcast he has not turned the page on his international career.

“Hundred percent I will play for Pakistan (again),” he said. “Actually, many people do not know about that, but after the T20 World Cup I got sick and because of the medical condition I was not fit, so I was not a part of the team.

“But now I recovered a 100 percent, and you will see me in the next international series which Pakistan plays.”

The next major white-ball tournament for Pakistan is the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, hosted by Pakistan, and it is an event that in 2017 saw Zaman announce himself on the world stage, with a match-winning 100 against India in the final at The Oval in London.

“My plan has been around the Champions Trophy (in 2025),” he said. “I did not play in the Australia tour or in the South Africa tour, so my whole plan was just to play in the Champions Trophy to make myself available and to be fully fit for the tournament.

“That was in the back of my mind, and I am thankful, and I am lucky to be fit right now. I started from the Champions Trophy 2017 and that went really well for me and now I am very excited for the next edition also.”

Incumbent Pakistan opener Saim Ayub was recently injured during Pakistan’s tour to South Africa, potentially opening up a spot for Zaman. But the Pakistani batter said he expected to stay with the Desert Vipers for the whole tournament while wishing for Ayub’s speedy recovery.

“I hope and I believe that he will recover quickly, and I was thinking yesterday to call Saim just to talk to him about this injury,” he said. “Believe me, he is such a great player that if he continues to play for the next four to five years, he will be at the top and he will be amongst the top three players in the world.”

Zaman was a top target for the Desert Vipers’ Director of Cricket Tom Moody for this year’s tournament in the UAE, with the Australia ICC Cricket World Cup winner calling the left-hander “a true match-winner.”

From Zaman’s perspective, the opportunity to link up with the Desert Vipers required little thought.

“There are many Pakistani players who have played for the Desert Vipers including Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir. And they talk really highly about this team, the environment, the management, the way they play the cricket and the way their mindset is,” he said.

“So, when I got the offer, without any discussion with anyone, I said ‘yes, I would love to play for this team.’

“I was really excited and, to be honest, I was supporting this team even before I was a part of this, so I am really excited to be here and I am very happy.”

Zaman has more than 5,000 international runs and over 7,000 runs in Twenty20 cricket, but although he is best known as an opener, he has batted from one to six for Pakistan in the shortest international format.

And although he wants to open, he is willing to slot in anywhere. “Of course, my preference is always to open for any team, like if I play in the T20 matches or 50-over games, but you know it also depends on the team requirement,” he said.

“In Pakistan we have three of the best players in the world in Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Saim Ayub, so sometimes I feel lucky to be in the team even if I am not able to make my place in the team as an opener.

“If the team has faith in me and they want me to bat at number four or five, so that totally makes sense, because for me the team is always first and I play wherever the team wants me to play, but I always prefer to open.”

Looking ahead to the DP World ILT20, Zaman said that while he was relishing playing with every single member of the Vipers squad, there was one player in particular that he could not wait to line up alongside.

“I know he does not know about it, but I am very excited to play with Sherfane Rutherford because he is one of the best cricketers in the T20 format and I really enjoy seeing him batting,” he said.

“I am very excited to be part of this team, and I want to share the crease with him. He is one of the best players, so I am very excited to play with that guy.”

And as for the prospects for the team in the upcoming tournament, Zaman said he was confident the group would be successful.

“If you see our team, the team is very balanced,” he said. “We have a good mix of young players and experienced players. We have good players, and we have strength in both our bowling and batting.

“So, if we play as a team — and you know in cricket you need luck also —then hopefully, if luck favors us, you will see us in the finals.”

The Desert Vipers’ first match of the 2025 DP World ILT20 is on day two of the tournament, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.