Oman hire Carlos Queiroz as coach in push for World Cup qualification

Oman hired Carlos Queiroz as their national-team coach Tuesday ahead of autumn games that will determine if the country advances to the World Cup for the first time. (Reuters/File)
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Updated 15 July 2025
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Oman hire Carlos Queiroz as coach in push for World Cup qualification

  • The veteran Portuguese tactician led Iran into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups
  • The 72-year-old Queiroz has also coached Real Madrid, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Qatar

MUSCAT: Oman hired Carlos Queiroz as their national-team coach Tuesday ahead of autumn games that will determine if the country advances to the World Cup for the first time.

The veteran Portuguese tactician led Iran into the 2014 and 2018 World Cups and will take over with immediate effect.

Oman and five other countries — Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Indonesia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar — have reached the fourth round of qualifying. From groups of three, the two winners will qualify for the 2026 World Cup next summer in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The fourth-round draw will be on Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The matches are in October. After those, there’s one additional round — the second-place finishers square off in November for a spot in a playoff tournament.

“This comes as part of efforts to improve the team’s performances for upcoming games,” the Oman Football Association said in a statement.

Queiroz replaces Rashid Jaber, who led Oman to a fourth-place finish in the third round to keep qualification hopes alive.

The 72-year-old Queiroz has also coached Real Madrid, Portugal, Egypt, Colombia and Qatar.
Queiroz was fired as Qatar coach in December 2023 after 11 games in charge.


Malaysia rules out return of F1 over costs

Updated 21 August 2025
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Malaysia rules out return of F1 over costs

  • Malaysia on Thursday ruled out Formula One returning to the country in the near future, citing costs and an already packed racing calendar

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia on Thursday ruled out Formula One returning to the country in the near future, citing costs and an already packed racing calendar.
The Southeast Asian nation first hosted an F1 race in 1999 at its Sepang International Circuit, with the last grand prix held there in 2017.
Malaysia dropped out of the F1 calendar from 2018 amid the rising costs of hosting the event.
Sepang still annually stages MotoGP motorbike racing.
Sports minister Hannah Yeoh said hosting F1 again would require the Malaysian government to pay about 300 million ringgit ($71.09 million) annually.
Beyond hosting rights, Yeoh said the circuit requires about 10 million ringgit a year to maintain to the required standards for top-level motor racing.
“Malaysia must also bind itself to a contract of between three to five years with Liberty Media (which holds F1’s commercial rights), amounting to a commitment of about 1.5 billion ringgit during this period,” she told parliament on Thursday.
“The current race calendar is very tight and if Malaysia is interested in hosting again, we will have to compete with other countries for a place on the calendar,” she added.
In the region, Singapore stages a night race and Thailand hopes to become the latest host.
The Thai cabinet in June approved a $1.2 billion bid to stage F1 on the streets of Bangkok from 2028.
Yeoh said Malaysia is not shutting the door completely on having F1 races again, if any corporate entities were willing to shoulder the costs.
“We are open to this and can cooperate,” she added.
“The Formula 1 is a very prestigious sporting event that is followed by many fans around the world.
“So if we could afford it, it’s a good-to-have event in Malaysia.”


Ten hurt, 90 arrested as match abandoned following fan violence in Argentina

Updated 21 August 2025
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Ten hurt, 90 arrested as match abandoned following fan violence in Argentina

  • A stun grenade was among the objects hurled by fans as the last-16 second-leg encounter in the regional competition at the Libertadores de America stadium was initially suspended and then abandoned

BUENOS AIRES: Ten people were hurt and 90 arrested Wednesday after violent clashes erupted between rival fans during a Copa Sudamericana match involving Argentina’s Independiente and visiting Universidad de Chile in Buenos Aires, club officials and police said.
A stun grenade was among the objects hurled by fans as the last-16 second-leg encounter in the regional competition at the Libertadores de America stadium was initially suspended and then abandoned.
In shocking and chaotic scenes, one fan of the Chilean visitors jumped from the stands to escape attacking opposing supporters after being cornered.
Home supporters beat and stripped some visiting fans of their clothes, an AFP reporter at the scene said.
The violence had flared at half time when fans of the Chilean side began throwing stones, sticks, bottles and seats at a section housing home supporters.
“We have 90 people detained outside the stadium because they tried to cause trouble and they have already been taken to the police station,” a source from the security ministry told AFP.
An Independiente spokesperson said that 10 people were injured.
The match was 1-1 when it was suspended in the 48th minute, before being abandoned.
The Chilean side won the first leg 1-0.


Olympic champion Khelif denies ‘malicious’ claims of retirement

Updated 21 August 2025
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Olympic champion Khelif denies ‘malicious’ claims of retirement

  • In an interview with French newspaper Nice-Matin on Wednesday, Khelif’s former manager Nasser Yesfah said she had “left the world of boxing“

Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has denied claims made by her former manager that she has retired from the sport, saying she is still training regularly.
Algerian Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were in the spotlight at the Paris Games last year over their eligibility after they had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the IBA, which said sex chromosome tests had ruled them ineligible.
However, they competed in the women’s category in Paris after being cleared by the International Olympic Committee, with both winning gold medals in their weight classes.
Khelif has not competed since her win in Paris.
In an interview with French newspaper Nice-Matin on Wednesday, Khelif’s former manager Nasser Yesfah said she had “left the world of boxing.”
In a follow-up interview with the same newspaper hours later, Yesfah clarified he was only referring to Khelif’s boxing commitments in the city of Nice, where she was previously part of the Nice Azur club.
Khelif criticized Yesfah’s comments in a post on Facebook on Wednesday.
“It is based solely on statements made by a person who no longer represents me in any way, and whom I consider to have betrayed my trust and my country with his false and malicious statements,” Khelif wrote.
“I have never announced my retirement from boxing. I remain committed to my sporting career, training regularly and maintaining my physical fitness between Algeria and Qatar in preparation for upcoming events.
“The publication of such rumors is intended solely to disrupt and damage my sporting and professional career.”
Khelif had been due to compete in a World Boxing tournament in the Netherlands in June, but opted to skip it shortly after the governing body initially announced its plans to introduce sex testing for all boxers in its competitions.
World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst later apologized after Khelif was named in their announcement on mandatory sex testing, saying her privacy should have been protected.
Khelif, 26, has repeatedly said she was born a woman and has a long history in female boxing competitions. In March, she said she would defend her title at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.


Suarez fills Messi void as Inter Miami beat Tigres 2-1

Updated 21 August 2025
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Suarez fills Messi void as Inter Miami beat Tigres 2-1

  • Luis Suarez scored a penalty in each half to give Inter Miami a 2-1 victory over Tigres UANL on Wednesday, stepping up to fill the void after Lionel Messi was ruled out of the Leagues Cup final

MIAMI: Luis Suarez scored a penalty in each half to give Inter Miami a 2-1 victory over Tigres UANL on Wednesday, stepping up to fill the void after Lionel Messi was ruled out of the Leagues Cup quarter-final clash.
Messi, who has battled a “minor” muscle injury since a Leagues Cup group match on August 2, returned Saturday after a two-week absence, scoring a goal after coming on as a substitute in a 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Galaxy.
However, the 38-year-old World Cup winner was ruled out against Tigres as Inter advanced in the cross-border club competition for teams from Major League Soccer and Mexico’s Liga-MX.
“We rely on how Leo feels and it wasn’t the best,” Inter assistant coach Javier Morales said. “We preferred not to take risks, not to go backward in his recovery.”
In a duel that produced few scoring chances, veteran Uruguay striker Suarez was the difference as Inter kept alive their hopes of regaining the title they won in 2023, during Messi’s first season in MLS.
Things swung Miami’s way in the 20th minute when Javier Aquino slid to intercept a cross and the ball hit his left arm in the area.
The referee awarded the penalty and the 38-year-old Suarez converted.
Tempers flared, with Suarez moving to calm things down after Miami teammate Rodrigo De Paul and Uruguayan compatriot Fernando Gorriaran exchanged words.
Inter coach Javier Mascherano was sent off at half time, receiving a red card for heated protestations to officials after injury time dragged on past what had been indicated.
Mascherano watched from a front row of the stands when Tigres grabbed their equalizer in the 67th minute, Angel Correa slipping between two defenders and beating Miami keeper Oscar Ustari.
Another handball by Aquino in the 87th minute, confirmed by VAR, gave Miami another penalty and Suarez converted again, this time going left as goalkeeper Nahuel Guzman dived in the opposite direction.
“The game was really difficult because they played very well,” Suarez said. “Every day I just try my best to help the team win.”
Miami booked a semifinal clash with Florida rivals Orlando City, who beat Liga MX champions Toluca FC 6-5 on penalties after the teams played to a scoreless draw in Carson, California.
Orlando goalkeeper Pedro Gallese was the hero, saving two penalties in the shootout and scoring the decisive penalty himself.
Orlando beat Miami 4-1 in an MLS clash this month in which Messi was missing.
In the remaining two quarter-finals on Wednesday, Los Angeles Galaxy hosted Pachuca, while the Seattle Sounders take on Puebla at home.
There’s more at stake than the Leagues Cup trophy.
Both finalists and the third-place match winner will qualify for the CONCACAF Champions Cup, with the Leagues Cup champion securing direct entry to the Champions Cup round of 16.


Swiatek and Ruud play defending champs Errani and Vavassori in US Open mixed doubles final

Updated 21 August 2025
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Swiatek and Ruud play defending champs Errani and Vavassori in US Open mixed doubles final

  • Both teams won two matches Tuesday to earn spots in the semifinals that were played under a closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium after rain fell much of the afternoon
  • The final will more closely resemble a traditional match, with sets to six games

NEW YORK: Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud will play defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori on Wednesday night for the US Open mixed doubles title and $1 million.

Swiatek and Ruud, the No. 3 seeds, beat top-seeded Jessica Pegula 3-5, 5-3, 10-8 in a match tiebreaker in the first semifinal, in what was probably the best match of an event that was overhauled this year. They trailed 8-4 in the tiebreaker after Swiatek double-faulted, then ran off six straight points to advance.

Errani and Vavassori then beat Danielle Collins and Christian Harrison 4-2, 4-2.

After a short break, the finalists would be back on the court to wrap up an event that was completed over two days, well before singles play starts Sunday.

Both teams won two matches Tuesday to earn spots in the semifinals that were played under a closed roof at Arthur Ashe Stadium after rain fell much of the afternoon.

Errani and Vavassori weren’t even sure they would get to defend their titles after the US Tennis Association radically changed the mixed doubles tournament in an effort to draw top singles players. Eight teams in the 16-team field qualified by their players’ combined singles rankings, with the remaining teams given wild cards.

The Italians — were were among the biggest critics of the changed format — were given one and have a chance to be the first repeat champions in Flushing Meadows since Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jamie Murray in 2018-19.

“I think we are on a mission,” Vavassori said.

The final will more closely resemble a traditional match, with sets to six games. They went to four games in the first three rounds, with a deciding point played at deuce instead of needing to get the next two points.