1981 cup hero Alan Kennedy urges Mohamed Salah to become an all-time Liverpool legend, stay at Anfield

Salah has said he will be at Anfield for his final year but has not yet agreed a new long-term deal. (AFP)
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Updated 27 May 2022
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1981 cup hero Alan Kennedy urges Mohamed Salah to become an all-time Liverpool legend, stay at Anfield

  • Former left-back scored Liverpool’s winner in European Cup final against Real Madrid in Paris, believes Egyptian star should stop at club

RIYADH: During his five years at Liverpool, Mohamed Salah has become revered and respected, but it will be longevity that makes him a legend at a club with such a storied history.

That is the belief of Alan Kennedy, no stranger to Anfield acclaim himself with match-winning goals that clinched two of their six European Cup victories.

Salah will try to help the Reds land a seventh title when they face Real Madrid in Paris on Saturday — redemption for the 2018 showpiece when the Egyptian forward left the field in tears, injured after a first-half challenge by Sergio Ramos, as the Spanish side triumphed 3-1.

But only by staying longer at Liverpool and helping them to repeated success will he be elevated alongside — and perhaps even surpass — Kenny Dalglish, all-time top goalscorer Ian Rush, or Steven Gerrard as the club’s greatest player.

Out of contract at the end of next season, Salah has said he will be at Anfield for his final year but has not yet agreed a new long-term deal.

With 11 major trophies in eight years — including five league titles — after joining from Newcastle in 1978, Kennedy is better placed than most to discuss the club’s finest.

He said: “When you are saying if he is the best Liverpool player ever then, when you have played with Dalglish, Rush, and Graeme Souness, automatically then you think back to those days and think ‘what a player he was or what he did was incredible.’

“That was a great era for Liverpool. Dalglish was special, he did it every game and he played for 13 years. Every game he put in a shift, showed his quality, and so did Rush who had 15 years in total, so did Souness.

“I think what the players do today is sensational, but how long they do it for also matters,” Kennedy added.

“Sometimes people will say we don’t see it in every game from Salah or Sadio Mane, so it’s a difficult one to say who is the very best, especially with the difference in football to when I played.

“Mo Salah doesn’t give up, he’s very assured of himself, and has found the right way to play and the right team to play with — it’s perfect.”

Kennedy, however, believes he should stay at Anfield longer to be considered among the club’s greats.

He said: “That’s the important thing, to maintain standards and repeat the performances — and repeat the success. He is one of the best players Liverpool have ever had, but we need to know if he’s eventually going to stay or go because the uncertainty of it all means it affects his game as well.

“If he’s saying he wants to stay, then sign the contract and look forward.”

Kennedy, 67, would love for Salah to stay and be the hero against Real Madrid, and so end a proud 41-year record held by the left-back and his former team-mates.

Paris also played host when he drove home a left-footed finish in the 81st minute to seal their 1981 success, the last time 13-time winners Los Blancos lost a European Cup final.




In this file photo taken on May 27, 1981 Liverpool's English defender Alan Kennedy (R) scores a goal past Real Madrid's Spanish goalkeeper Agustin (L) during the European Cup final football match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. (AFP)

Three years later, Kennedy hit the decisive penalty that sealed a tense shoot-out win over A.S. Roma after a 1-1 draw at the Italian side’s Stadio Olimpico home.

It was a glorious era for Liverpool, a side single-minded in their pursuit of honors and among the greatest to ever grace the game.

They won three successive English First Division titles between 1982 and 1984 — and only the FA Cup eluded them in 1984 when they claimed a treble of the league championship, League Cup, and European Cup under Joe Fagan.

Having lifted the League Cup and FA Cup this season, Liverpool’s bid for a historic quadruple was ended when Manchester City took the Premier League by a point.

But the valiant efforts of Jurgen Klopp’s men have now seen them lauded in a similar way to the heroes of yesteryear.

“Yes, they have that similarity. This current team has got a great mentality, that same belief and desire to win every game,” Kennedy told Arab News.

“They know they’re on a great run, have a great manager who can motivate players and you feel as though there is still more to come, and that’s why they could go on and achieve even more.

“Klopp also has that same aura of the great Liverpool managers. This team is certainly up there with the old teams, but do you give them the title of being the best?”

A win on Saturday would go a long way to answering that question.

Kennedy said: “If they win the Champions League and win three trophies in a season then that would put them right up there, of course, and would equal what we did in 1983-84.

“We got close to all four, failed in the FA Cup, but it was a great side and maybe we had a little bit more character in that 1983-84 season.

“It’s always hard to compare teams from different times because football has changed, but this current team should be looked upon possibly as Liverpool’s best ever.

“They are really strong throughout from the keeper, defense, to the attack, but it’s about the winning and getting the trophies, not about individuals or how close you got.

“There’s also one thing at Liverpool and that is the club comes before any player.

“If it was me scoring the winning goal, Phil Neal, or Kenny Dalglish, it didn’t matter. It was about winning for the team and as a team. That’s what these players are also doing now,” he added.




Liverpool's English defender Alan Kennedy sits on a teammates's shoulders as he raises the trophy while celebrating winning the European Cup final football match between Liverpool and Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, on May 27, 1981. (AFP)

Kennedy said he was just “the lucky guy” to claim the winning goal against Real after overcoming a broken wrist to play, but Liverpool were a driven team totally focused on “trying to win everything” at that time.

It is an approach that resonates with Real Madrid, who are chasing a fifth Champions League in nine seasons.

Led by Karim Benzema, the La Liga champions overcame Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester City with stunning comebacks to reach this stage.

Kennedy added: “Real are an exceptional team and to beat Manchester City how they did with those late goals was just awesome.

“There aren’t too many weaknesses in their side, they are very controlled and don’t rely too much on Benzema like some people say. Liverpool should have enough in their locker to beat them, but this is against Real Madrid and that’s the thing, we all know what they are capable of.

“If you want to be remembered for being great then you have to show it — you can’t hide in cup finals.”


Coco Gauff says criticism of Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open comments went ‘too far’

Updated 8 sec ago
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Coco Gauff says criticism of Aryna Sabalenka’s French Open comments went ‘too far’

The Belarusian later wrote to apologize to Gauff and said her comments were “unprofessional”
Gauff is trying to make sure the criticism stops

LONDON: It didn’t take long for Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka to patch up their relationship after this month’s French Open final.

Now as Wimbledon is about to start, Gauff is hoping everyone else can also forget what the top-ranked Sabalenka said in the wake of her loss to the American at Roland-Garros.

A day after dancing together on Wimbledon’s Center Court in a TikTok video, the two tennis players faced more questions on Saturday about the aftermath of Sabalenka’s comments right after the final, when she said her loss had more to do with her own mistakes than Gauff’s performance.

The Belarusian later wrote to apologize to Gauff and said her comments were “unprofessional,” but not before she faced some major backlash from fans and pundits — especially in the United States.

Gauff is trying to make sure the criticism stops.

“I’m not the person that will fuel hate in the world,” said Gauff, who opens her Wimbledon campaign against Dayana Yastremska on Tuesday. “I think people were taking it too far. … It was just really targeting and saying a lot of things that I felt were not nice. I didn’t want to fuel that more.”

Sabalenka, who faces Carson Branstine on No. 1 Court on Monday, said she hopes the
TikTok video shows that all is well between the two.

“We are good, we are friends,” the three-time major winner said. “I hope the US media can be easy on me right now.”

Sabalenka reiterated that she never meant to offend Gauff.

“I was just completely upset with myself, and emotions got over me,” she said. “I just completely lost it.”

Gauff did acknowledge that she was initially tempted to hit back publicly at Sabalenka, who said the American “won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes from ... easy balls.”

But after Sabalenka reached out to apologize, she was quick to bury any grudge.

“I preach love, I preach light,” Gauff said. “I just want us to be Kumbaya, live happily, hakuna matata, and be happy here.”

Saudi Arabia complete preparations ahead of Gold Cup quarterfinal clash with Mexico

Updated 28 June 2025
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Saudi Arabia complete preparations ahead of Gold Cup quarterfinal clash with Mexico

  • The Green Falcons held their last training session at Phoenix Rising Stadium in Arizona

GLENDALE, Arizona: Saudi Arabia’s national football team have concluded their final preparations ahead of their high-stakes quarterfinal encounter against Mexico in the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday.

The Green Falcons held their last training session at Phoenix Rising Stadium in Arizona, with head coach Herve Renard overseeing the workout.

The session featured warm-ups, passing drills, tactical routines, and stretching exercises as the squad fine-tuned their approach for the match at State Farm Stadium in Glendale.

There was some positive news on the injury front, with defender Abdullah Madu rejoining full team training.

However, midfielder Hammam Al-Hamami was sidelined after suffering an ankle injury during Thursday’s session and did not take part in the final run-out.

Kick-off for the quarterfinal is scheduled for Saturday night local time, as Saudi Arabia look to book their place in the semifinals of the tournament for the first time since joining the Gold Cup as a guest nation.


Chelsea's Club World Cup travel plan derailed by group-stage slip-up

Updated 28 June 2025
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Chelsea's Club World Cup travel plan derailed by group-stage slip-up

  • Chelsea will now face Benfica on Saturday at the Bank of America Stadium
  • The detour means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice

MIAMI: Chelsea are facing a logistical headache at the Club World Cup after finishing second in their group, forcing an unexpected trip to Charlotte for their last 16 match instead of staying in Miami, where the club thought they would be based for the knockout stage.

A club source told Reuters that travel, accommodation and training arrangements were all made with the assumption that the West Londoners would top Group D and play their round of 16 match at Hard Rock Stadium.

Instead, after a 3-1 loss to Brazil's Flamengo and only managing second place despite a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis in their final group stage fixture in Philadelphia, Chelsea will now face Benfica on Saturday at the Bank of America Stadium.

The detour means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice, but the club still intends to return to its Miami base after the match, adding more miles to an already hectic itinerary.

If Enzo Maresca's side reach the quarter-finals, they will return to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to face the winner of the all-Brazilian clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo.


Norris maintains upper hand on Piastri in Austrian GP practice

Updated 28 June 2025
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Norris maintains upper hand on Piastri in Austrian GP practice

  • Leclerc puts Ferrari on front row, Piastri third
  • Verstappen only seventh at Red Bull’s home circuit
  • Bortoleto into top 10 for first time, Lawson sixth

SPIELBERG: Lando Norris bounced back from his collision in Canada to put McLaren on pole position for the Austrian Formula One Grand Prix on Saturday while championship-leading teammate Oscar Piastri qualified third.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc joined Norris on the front row with teammate Lewis Hamilton fourth, raising the Italian team’s hopes after a difficult weekend so far.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen qualified only seventh at his team’s home circuit after pulling out of his final flying effort when Alpine’s Pierre Gasly spun at the last corner and briefly brought out yellow flags.

Piastri was also forced to bale but had been slower than Norris in both of the first two phases.

Norris, who needs a strong result after a collision with Piastri in Canada two weeks ago, is 22 points behind the Australian in the championship after 10 of 24 races.

“I did what I planned to do and when I plan to do something and it goes right, it normally goes very, very well,” said Norris.

“A good day and it has been a good weekend for me so far, so hopefully we can keep it up.”

The pole was his third of the season and he won both of the previous two with fastest lap in Australia and Monaco.

RED FLAG

George Russell, last year’s race winner, qualified fifth for Mercedes but faced an investigation for a potential unsafe release in the pitlane.

Liam Lawson will line up sixth for Racing Bulls, ahead of Verstappen, with Brazilian rookie Gabriel Bortoleto making it into the final phase for the first time and qualifying eighth for Sauber.

Italian rookie Kimi Antonelli was ninth fastest for Mercedes and Gasly completed the top 10.

The second phase of qualifying was red-flagged when the trackside grass at turn 10 caught fire, the latest of a series of such incidents.

The governing FIA said the fire was caused by a car going off track, rather than by sparks from the titanium skid blocks, and carried out additional dampening of the grass before the final top 10 shootout.

Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda and Williams’ Carlos Sainz made early exits, neither getting through the opening phase.

“There’s damage in the car, for sure. The car is undriveable ... it’s pulling under braking, no load in high speed,” said Sainz, who qualified 19th with only Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg behind.

He explained later that the team had put new brakes on the car for qualifying, as usual, but it started pulling to one side immediately. (Writing by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond and Andrew Cawthorne)


Baniyas impress on opening day of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

Updated 28 June 2025
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Baniyas impress on opening day of Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship

  • Al-Jazira in second place, MOD UAE third

ABU DHABI: Baniyas Jiu-Jitsu Club seized an early lead on the first day of the fourth round of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship, which was held on Friday at Zayed Sports City’s Mubadala Arena.

The UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation-organized event drew strong competition from local clubs, with competitors across youth, adult, and master divisions. Al-Jazira claimed second place, while MOD UAE rounded out the top three.

Yousef Abdullah Al-Batran, board member of the UAEJJF, praised the generosity of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, in doubling the championship’s prize money.

He said the move reflected the UAE leadership’s commitment to the development of top-level sports, especially jiu-jitsu, which has become the country’s national sport.

Al-Batran said: “The fourth round of the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship is especially important. It marks a key moment in the competition and gives us a chance to evaluate club performances and how well the athletes are prepared to continue their success in the upcoming stages.”

Jasem Al-Marzooqi, the CEO of the Advanced Military Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Center, who was attending the event, affirmed that the strong organization of the event reflected the UAE’s ambition to position itself as a leading global sports destination.

He said: “The championship is progressing with every round. Both the technical and organizational levels show how successful the overall system is, giving athletes the ideal environment to grow and excel.”

Igor Lacerda, the coach of the Sharjah Self-Defense Sports Club’s youth team, said: “This round once again confirms the incredible progress the Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Jiu-Jitsu Championship is making across the board. It gave us as coaches extra motivation.

“We focused our preparations on the mental and tactical aspects, and we are working to make the best use of our athletes’ capabilities. From the start of the season our goal has been clear: to strongly compete for the title. We believe this path requires consistent performance and discipline.”

Bouchaib El-Idrissi of Morocco, who was representing Baniyas, took gold in the men’s masters’ brown/black belt 62 kg division, and said: “This achievement means a lot to me, especially since I faced an opponent in the final who was 20 years younger.

“This championship is a unique platform for athletes of all ages to showcase their talent and chase their goals. I sincerely thank the UAE Jiu-Jitsu Federation and the organizers for the tremendous effort they put into delivering such a professional event and creating a competitive environment that matches our ambitions and pushes us to give our best.”