DUBAI: For fans of Egypt and Liverpool it is hard to know which sight was better on Tuesday. Was it Mohamed Salah scoring two fine goals in a memorable 4-0 dismantling of Manchester United in front of 50,000 delighted fans at Anfield — a win that put the hosts back on top of the English Premier League — or how happy he looked after the game as he stood next to Thiago Alcantara, another impressive performer on the night?
“You wait until the next one,” said a smiling Salah to the Spanish midfielder as they were interviewed on television, referring to Sunday’s Merseyside Derby against Everton. “You’ve never played a derby here, so you wait for the next one. It’s going to be much more fun.”
It was a revealing and familiar moment. People in many walks of life and careers have told junior colleagues that what they had just experienced — a busy day working in a restaurant, shop or office — may have been something special but that they had seen nothing yet.
The 29-year-old looked like a proud, happy employee of Liverpool Football Club. Part of that was surely due to the fact that he scored. Before the visit of United, the Egyptian had not found the net in open play since February.
“We’ve spoken before about all the physical demands he has faced in the last few months, so it’s completely normal,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said at the start of the week. “It’s only a question of time when he will score as well.”
The German was right, as was Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. “The levels he gets himself to, he’s kind of a victim of his own success,” the England star said. “He’s still top goalscorer, he’s one behind me in terms of assists and people are saying he’s having a bad run of form? He’s nearly top goalscorer in the Champions League as well. What he has done for us over the last five seasons has been outstanding.”
The stats back up such assertions. Since arriving at Anfield from AS Roma in 2017, the African has scored 155 goals in 245 appearances, helping the Reds win the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League.
As the season enters its final phase, Liverpool have already won the League Cup, are in the final of the FA Cup, are competing with Manchester City for the league title and preparing for a Champions League semifinal against Villarreal. Salah is also the current top scorer in the league with 22 so far this season, five more than Son Heung-min in second. He has become a Liverpool legend.
At the moment however, while Salah’s goals are one part of the conversation, as are chances of an unprecedented quadruple, it is impossible to discuss the player without mentioning his contract. He has just over one year left on his current deal. While there have been negotiations, fans are still waiting for an announcement. If no new deal is signed, the forward can leave for nothing in the summer of 2023 and can start talking to other clubs from January.
After events on Tuesday, a parting of the ways seems unthinkable, but in a new interview with FourFourTwo in England, published on April 22, Salah said “I don’t know,” when asked if he was confident about staying at the club. “I think the fans know what I want, but in the contract it’s not everything about the money at all.”
It has been suggested that Liverpool are reluctant to give the star a major raise as it could then lead to other senior players in the squad seeking similar deals, putting the strict pay structure at Anfield at risk.
As a soon to be 30-year-old, it may well be that Salah is more concerned about the length of contract than about the size of the pay packet. Given his physical condition, there is no reason why he cannot stay at the top of the European game for some time to come.
“Now you can see that with players — all of them extend their careers,” he said. “You can see the top, top players always after 32, 33, you can see a lot of them — Lewandowski, Benzema, Messi, Ronaldo, Zlatan, a lot of players; also Dzeko in Italy, Giroud. All of them perform really well after 30, so I’m not concerned about that.”
Online discussions ask what other options Salah would have. There are hardly any clubs at Liverpool’s level, and surely none where he would be quite so happy. “This club means a lot to me — I’ve enjoyed my football here more than anywhere, I gave the club everything and everybody saw that,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of unbelievable moments here, winning trophies, individual goals, individual trophies. It’s like a family here.
“I’m not worried, I don’t let myself worry about something. The season didn’t finish yet, so let’s finish it in the best possible way — that’s the most important thing. Then in the last year, we’re going to see what’s going to happen.”
It does leave the situation up in the air, but journalists hoping that Klopp is going to help settle things will be disappointed.
“It’s my fault, I made a mistake with talking to you about the Mo contract situation which I usually don’t do,” Klopp said this week after being asked about the contract situation of Salah’s fellow forward Sadio Mane. “It led to plenty of misunderstandings and you ask again, so I go back to my former approach and close the door again.”
The conversation may die down a little until the end of the season, as Liverpool continue to fight on all fronts, but as soon as it all comes to an end next month, the contract situation of Mohamed Salah is going to become one of the most debated issues in world football.
Mohamed Salah happy to chase history with Liverpool as contract negotiations wait
https://arab.news/6vvmq
Mohamed Salah happy to chase history with Liverpool as contract negotiations wait
- After return to form in 4-0 win over Manchester United, the Egypt star is focusing on winning an unprecedented quadruple with Jurgen Klopp’s team
- The 29-year-old looked like a proud, happy employee of Liverpool Football Club
Kade Ruotolo to face Nicolas Vigna in lightweight bout at ONE 171: Qatar
- Former 2-division ONE world champion Aung La N Sang in rematch against undefeated contender Shamil Erdogan
DOHA: Four matchups have been added to ONE 171: Qatar, presented by Visit Qatar, at Lusail Sports Arena on Thursday, Feb. 20.
ONE Lightweight Submission Grappling World Champion Kade Ruotolo will put his unblemished professional MMA record on the line as he squares off against unbeaten debutant Nicolas Vigna.
Undefeated middleweight MMA contender Shamil Erdogan will face former ONE Light Heavyweight and Middleweight MMA World Champion Aung La N Sang in a highly anticipated rematch.
Several regional stars will take to the Circle for the first time.
Abdullo Khodzhaev and Wilian Poles will square off in a lightweight MMA bout, and IBJJF World Champion Zayed Alkatheeri will take on Jarrah Al-Hazza in a flyweight submission grappling match.
Full list of ONE 171: Qatar matches:
ONE Bantamweight Kickboxing World Championship: (C) Jonathan Haggerty vs. (1) Wei Rui
ONE Strawweight MMA World Championship: (C) Joshua Pacio vs. (IC) Jarred Brooks
Welterweight MMA: Roberto Soldic vs. Dagi Arslanaliev
Middleweight MMA: Shamil Erdogan vs. Aung La N Sang
Bantamweight MMA: Bibiano Fernandes vs. Kevin Belingon
Featherweight MMA: (3) Shamil Gasanov vs. (4) Martin Nguyen
Lightweight MMA: Kade Ruotolo vs. Nicolas Vigna
Heavyweight MMA: Mauro Cerilli vs. Kirill Grishenko
Bantamweight Muay Thai: Jake Peacock vs. Shinji Suzuki
Bantamweight Kickboxing: (2) Ilias Ennahachi vs. (3) Petchtanong Petchfergus
Atomweight MMA: (5) Ayaka Miura vs. Ritu Phogat
Flyweight Submission Grappling: Zayed Alkatheeri vs. Jarrah Al Hazza
Lightweight MMA: Abdullo Khodzhaev vs. Wilian Poles
DeChambeau hoping trip to International Series India inspires a nation
- The DLF Golf and Country Club in Gurugram will host the event from Thursday to Sunday
GURUGRAM: Bryson DeChambeau will break new ground this week when he competes in the International Series India presented by DLF, marking the first time he has visited the country.
The long-awaited debut means huge crowds are expected and the reigning US Open champion is clearly ready for the occasion.
“First off I want to say thank you to all of India for welcoming me so warmly,” said the American.
“I think the first time I started talking about [going to India] was last year and what the possibilities are here in India with the kids. The ability for golf, as really a young sport but changing from an older sport into a young sport, is to showcase what [it] can mean for the future generations of India. That’s always inspired me. My mission in the game of golf is to inspire, entertain, and a subtle part of it is educate as well.”
The 31-year-old, who also won the US Open in 2020, is part of a star-studded field that includes Indian Anirban Lahiri and England’s Paul Casey, who are part of his Crushers GC team on the LIV Golf League.
“Educate, entertain, inspire are my main three principles of why I play the game of golf. I think this is an amazing opportunity for all of golf to come together and see what India can truly produce for the world. And it’s a growing economy, it’s a growing population that needs golf. There’s a lot more to come, so that’s why I’m here.”
Earlier in the week, DeChambeau took time out of his schedule to visit the Taj Mahal, which had a profound impact on him.
“I felt like there was a lot of love,” he said. “I feel like people just respected the place beyond belief. I was fortunate enough to go downstairs and actually see where they’re laid to rest. And it was pretty special. Being down there, it felt … it was serene and blissful. You look at the backdrop and the colors of the sky and the white marble and the intricacies of how the building was built. I can tell you it’s one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture I’ve ever seen in my entire life. So, it was amazing. It was a great experience.”
The Californian faces a different kind of architecture tomorrow when he tees off in the first round at DLF Golf and Country Club — one of India’s finest, yet longest and toughest, courses.
“It’s a diabolical course,” he joked. “There’s a lot going on and I think the person that’s going to do well this week has to see it for what it is, which is a strategic golf course. You have to plot your way around, be very methodical, and you can’t overpower it.
“You’ve got to be very technical here. So, 16 through 18 is a great stretch of golf. It is gettable if you hit the right shots into it. I feel pretty comfortable with it. I think I’ll give it a good go this week.”
DeChambeau has been paired with Chile’s Joaquin Niemann and John Catlin of the US for the first two days. Niemann won The International Series Rankings title last year, while Catlin secured the Asian Tour Order of Merit.
The $2 million tournament is the opening event of the season on The International Series, and the second stop on the Asian Tour, which began at last week’s Smart Infinity Philippine Open.
Desert Vipers dominate Gulf Giants to clinch DP World ILT20 top 2 finish
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers restored their authority as table-toppers with a comprehensive five-wicket victory against the Gulf Giants.
A composed knock of 70 runs in 54 balls from Max Holden ensured they cruised home in 19 overs at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday. Having already sealed a playoff spot, the win ensured the Vipers cemented a top two finish.
Earlier in the contest, three-wicket hauls from Wanindu Hasaranga and Sam Curran limited the Giants to a meagre score of 129/8 despite Tom Curran’s late flourish of 64 runs in 34 balls, with nine fours and a six.
The Desert Vipers lost both openers in the powerplay, as Mark Adair removed Alex Hales and Blessing Muzarabani picked up Fakhar Zaman within the first four overs. Both wickets were the result of spectacular catches by Chris Jordan and Tom Curran respectively, leading the Vipers to finish the fielding restrictions at 42/2.
While Dan Lawrence fell cheaply to Jordan, Holden, who came in at number three, found the middle of the bat consistently. He joined Sam Curran in a 45-run partnership in 42 balls until Curran holed out to a great catch by James Vince, off Muzarabani.
Though the run chase stayed heavily skewed in favor of the Vipers, they were never significantly ahead of the equation, needing 33 runs in the final five overs. Holden reached a 42-ball 50, including six fours and a six, but Muzarabani’s third wicket in Azam Khan offered the Giants a glimmer of hope.
However, Holden remained unbeaten alongside Adam Hose in a composed alliance of 32 runs in 21 balls to steer the Vipers home in 19 overs.
Batting first, it was a tough outing for the Gulf Giants. James Vince was dismissed for 15 runs by Sam Curran as the Giants only mustered 31 runs in the powerplay.
Wanindu Hasaranga emerged as the most potent threat, slicing through the Giants’ top order. He bowled Tom Alsop for 17 off 26 balls in the seventh over, then trapped Jordan Cox LBW for a mere three runs, reducing the Giants to 44/4 at the halfway mark.
Khuzaima Tanveer added to the Giants’ woes by removing Shimron Hetmyer in the ninth over. Sam Curran compounded their troubles with a sharp return catch to dismiss Gerhard Erasmus.
Tim David briefly rallied, launching Lockie Ferguson for a six in the 13th over, but he was dismissed on the very next ball looking for the same outcome, leaving the Giants reeling at 58/6.
Hasaranga struck again, pinning Cox on the pads for his third wicket of the night. The Giants seemed on the brink of collapse but Tom Curran reinvigorated the innings, smashing a 30-ball fifty. He took his brother Sam apart in the 19th over, clobbering two fours and a six in what turned out to be the most productive over of the innings. Another 14 runs from Tom Curran in the final over pushed the Giants to a total of 129/8 at the end of their turn.
Player of the Match Hasaranga said: “I tried to stick to my basics and the wrong ones; that’s my plan for success. I love to bowl here, even in the Asia Cup as well I took wickets. The fast bowlers did a great job, and the batters did their jobs, so as a team we have done our things well.”
Gulf Giants captain James Vince said: “It wasn't a great performance with the bat; 130 was always tough to defend. The first 10 overs of the batting innings put us on the back foot. At one stage we were looking at less than 100, until Tom Curran and Aayan’s partnership gave us some relief. We fought well with the ball and took it as far as we could but a little short with the bat.”
Brief Scores
Desert Vipers beat Gulf Giants by five wickets
Gulf Giants 129/8 in 20 overs (Tom Curran 64 not out, Tom Alsop 17, James Vince 15, Wanindu Hasaranga 3 for 10, Sam Curran 3 for 28, Khuzaima Tanveer 1 for 12)
Desert Vipers 130/5 in 19 overs (Max Holden 70 not out, Sam Curran 16, Fakhar Zaman 14, Blessing Muzarabani 3 for 35)
Man City rally to avoid Champions League exit, face Madrid or Bayern next
MANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Manchester City saved themselves from an embarrassing early Champions League exit with three second-half goals to beat Club Brugge 3-1 on Wednesday.
However, it may be a stay of execution for Pep Guardiola’s men as they will face either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the play-off round.
Despite a first defeat in 22 games for Brugge, they also sneaked into the next round in 24th place and will take on Atalanta or Borussia Dortmund next.
The Belgian champions were on course to send City packing before the knockout stages for the first time since 2012 when Raphael Onyedika fired the visitors into the lead just before half-time.
City needed all three points after winning just two of their opening seven matches in the competition’s new format and turned it around just in time.
Mateo Kovacic levelled from the edge of the box before the unfortunate Joel Ordonez turned in Josko Gvardiol’s cross.
Substitute Savinho then drilled in the third to ease the nerves of Pep Guardiola, who anxiously prowled the touchline throughout and was booked for protesting toward the officials.
The drama at the Etihad on a nervous night began before the action even got underway as a merchandise stand caught fire on the perimeter of the stadium shortly before the teams arrived.
Brugge were not daunted by the task that faced them against a diminished version of the English champions and started brightly with Christos Tzolis a constant menace.
City slowly warmed to their task as Ilkay Gundogan slotted home but was flagged offside from Bernardo Silva’s header.
But Brugge remained a persistent threat on the counter-attack and got their reward just before half-time.
Tzolis was again the creator as the Greek’s cross was this time swept home by Onyedika.
Guardiola responded by introducing Savinho for Gundogan at the break in what proved to be an inspired change as City posed far more attacking threat in the second period.
John Stones headed wide a glorious chance to equalize just seconds after the restart.
Kovacic then provided much-needed drive from the City midfield as the Croatian powered forward and slotted in from the edge of the box to level on 53 minutes.
But in the nine minutes between City’s first and second goals, Brugge could have sent the 2023 champions to an early exit.
Tzolis fired too close to Ederson, drilled a shot inches wide and was prevented another clear sight of goal by Gvardiol’s last-ditch intervention with a hat-trick of big chances.
At the other end, it was Brugge who did the hard work for City as Gvardiol’s low cross was turned into his own net by Ordonez.
Guardiola furiously kicked a water box during his celebration.
The City boss’ mood was not helped when Erling Haaland wasted his one huge chance of the evening as Simon Mignolet saved a one-on-one and Savinho’s follow-up effort was cleared off the line by Brandon Mechele.
But Guardiola was finally able to offer a smile of relief 13 minutes from time when Savinho took down Stones’ cross on his chest and blasted in his first Champions League goal.
Guardiola even embraced his counterpart Nicky Hayen before the match finished as the two exchanged a handshake during stoppage time.
But the City manager will be under no illusions that his side will need to be much better if they are to have aspirations of conquering Europe again in the coming months.
Battle for powerful IOC presidency enters final stretch
- IOC boss is most powerful person in global sport
- Sebastian Coe highest-profile name of aspirants
- IOC has huge revenues and dominates decision-making
BERLIN: Only a few people around the world know the name Thomas Bach and even fewer can rattle off those of the seven candidates out to replace him in March after 12 years as president of the International Olympic Committee.
Yet despite that low profile, there is no bigger or more influential job in sport, and Bach’s successor will wield extraordinary political and financial clout across every country in the world.
When the IOC’s 100-plus members, who include billionaires, global captains of industry, federation chiefs and royalty, go to the ballot in Greece on March 20 they will be effectively deciding on the direction much of the world of sport will take for the next eight years.
World Athletics chief and former Olympic 1,500 meters champion Sebastian Coe is the biggest name of the seven candidates.
Standing against him are Zimbabwe’s sports minister and former Olympic swimmer Kirsty Coventry, the late former IOC president’s son Juan Antonio Samaranch, and international cycling chief David Lappartient. Completing the lineup are Prince Feisal Al Hussein of Jordan, international gymnastics federation head Morinari Watanabe and Olympic newcomer and multi-millionaire Johan Eliasch.
They will each present their case to replace 71-year-old Bach to the membership in Lausanne on Thursday, ahead of a final two-month push of behind-the-scenes lobbying.
Richest organization
The IOC is by far the biggest and richest sports organization in the world, dwarfing even world soccer’s ruling body FIFA, and wields its influence over almost every major international federation, new sports and national Olympic Committees.
With multi-billion revenues from sponsors and broadcasters, it is far from limited to just hosting the summer and winter Olympics. The IOC has a direct or indirect say in every major international decision on sport, whether financial, political or structural.
Sports do not only depend on Olympic funding over the Games’ four-year cycle, they are also reliant on the Olympic spotlight. New sports battle for Olympic recognition which brings a significant boost in publicity and awareness and can trigger new streams of revenue to fund growth.
In Bach’s 12 years in charge, the German lawyer also developed close ties with many political leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country hosted the 2024 Olympics, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin was the first to congratulate Bach immediately after his election back in 2013, calling minutes after the vote as his country prepared to host the Sochi Winter Olympics, with an unprecedented cost of $51 billion.
Sochi was subsequently tarnished by revelations of a massive state-backed doping system in Russia that turned into the biggest international drugs scandal in decades and forced the country’s athletes to compete as neutrals in several Olympics.
Dealing with Russia, and the issue of trans and DSD (differences in sexual development) athletes in sport, featured in most of the candidates’ manifestos. But anyone thinking they will be primarily judged on their ability to bring peace and harmony, and promote sport and health around the world, is sadly deluded.
“In this presidential election everyone votes for themselves. It is about money. The share for each stakeholder. It is no surprise that there are four federation presidents campaigning,” an international federation chief, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters.
“Maybe it would have been more effective if there was only one representing the federations. But everyone has their own agenda in this election.”
Robust finances
The IOC collected revenues of $2.295 billion from its top sponsors for the period 2017-2021, the second-biggest source of income for the Olympic movement, with broadcasters paying $4.544 billion over the same period.
Bach’s departure comes with the organization in a financially robust position, having secured $7.3 billion for 2025-28 and $6.2 billion for 2029-2032. More deals are expected for both four-year periods.
The IOC says it pumps about 90 percent of its revenues back into sports with payments to each Olympic federation, to national Olympic committees and athletes’ scholarships among others.
Many of the smaller federations depend on that IOC contribution to get through the four years until the next Olympics.
More than half a billion dollars was split among the federations from the Tokyo Olympics, with the share from the Paris 2024 Games to top $600 million.
Top earners like athletics, gymnastics and swimming get more than $50 million. National Olympic Committees also received a total of $540 million after the Tokyo Olympics.
The IOC covers 50 percent of the costs of running the World Anti-Doping Agency which it helped to set up more than 25 years ago.
Much of what cash goes where, though, is down to the president’s personal Olympic vision and in a matter of weeks that extraordinary global power is about to change hands.
