FAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Eyeing positive results, Asian powerhouse Qatar resume their extensive preparation for next month’s IHF Men’s World Cham-pionship, with the team management announcing four international friendlies before the national side’s departure for the biennial competition to be co-hosted by Germany and Denmark.

Qatar, the Asian Games gold medallists, will play two matches each against Belarus and Bosnia in the final phase of preparatory camp, which begins in Doha today, before leaving for Denmark on January 8 to appear in the prelim-inary stage of the World Championship.

Qatar will play Belarus on December 26 and 28 while their friendlies against Bosnia are scheduled on January 3 and 4.

France, who have won the 2015 (Doha) and 2017 (Paris) World Championship editions will be once again the hot favourites in the event that will run from January 10 to 27, 2019.

Qatar, the 2015 silver medal-lists, are in Group D along with Angola, Egypt, Hungary, Sweden and Argentina.

World champions France are in Group A which also includes

Russia, Germany, Serbia, Brazil and South Korea. Group B com-prises Spain, Croatia, Macedonia, Iceland, Bahrain and Japan while co-hosts Denmark spearhead Group C that also has Norway, Austria, Tunisia, Chile and Saudi Arabia.

Qatar will start their cam-paign against Angola on January 11 and will play against Egypt, two days later. Al Anabi’s next two matches are scheduled on January 14 and 16 against Hungary and Sweden respec-tively. Qatar will play their last preliminary round match against Argentina on January 17.

The first target for the coach Valero Rivera’s side will be to qualify for the main rounds, which will see top three teams from each group after

preliminary round, competing for the finals.

Rivera said the team man-agement was leaving no stone upturned to prepare team for the tough challenge.

“It is one of the toughest events where the world’s best come teams come to compete and we are doing our best to prepare

the team,” Rivera said. “The upcoming four practice games will be helpful for the team. These games will give us good oppor-tunity to plan our final strategy,” the coach said refereeing to matches against Belarus and Bosnia.

Qatar, in the first phase of preparations, also held a

two-week training camp in Spain, which concluded earlier this week.

“It was a constructive tour of Spain where team underwent preparations in various aspects including fitness and skills,” said the Qatar coach.

“I am confident with our team’s preparations. We have

achieved our targets (in Spain). We are focusing to get best advantage from the remaining days so our team go in the mega event fully prepared,” added Rivera.

Following the four friendlies, the Qatar coach will announce the final squad from 22 probables he announced earlier.

Al Anabi’s best performance in the IHF Men’s World Cham-pionship came at home in 2015 when they stunned many top ranked teams on it’s way to the final where they went down fighting against France. Qatar won gold medal in Asian Games after defeating Bahrain in Jakarta.

SPORTThursday 20 December 2018

PAGE | 07 PAGE | 11Hamilton

deserves more recognition,

says Wolff

Pochettino refuses to rule out Manchester United move

Handball: Qatar gear up for World ChampionshipQATAR PROBABLES

Anadin Sulakovic, Rashid Youssef, Rafael Kabuti, Daniel Serch, Ahmed Meddi, Firas Al Shayeb, Bilal Lipinka,

Alaeddin Balrachid, Amin Zakkar, Wajdi Ibrahim, Anis Al Zawaawi,

Mustafa Amir and Nidal Issa Marwan Sassi, Petrand Rooney, Kamal Malash, Mahmoud Zaki, Jovan Gesais, Franks Carroll, Yousuf Ben Ali, Hamdi Ayyad

and Govo Damjanovic.

QATAR’S GROUP D FIXTURES Qatar vs Angola January 11 Qatar vs Egypt January 13,

Qatar vs Hungary January 14Qatar vs Sweden January 16

Qatar vs Argentina January 17

We are focusing to

get best advantage

from the remaining

days so our team go

in the mega event

fully prepared:

Coach Valero Rivera

President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani celebrates with the Qatari handball team after they won the gold medal, defeating Bahrain 32-27 in the final during the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, in this August 31 file photo.

08 THURSDAY 20 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

India’s captain Virat Kohli (centre) and Australia’s captain Tim Paine react after Paine ran a single during play on day four of the second Test match between Australia and India at Perth Stadium in Perth, Australia, in this December 17, 2018, collage. CENTRE: Umpire Chris Gaffaney (left) talks to Kohli as Paine looks on. RIGHT: Kohli walks away after the incident.

‘Disrespectful, silly’ Kohli blasted at home and abroadAFP NEW DELHI

Indian captain Virat Kohli faced stiff criticism both Down Under and at home yesterday after his side’s crushing loss to Australia in the second Test.

Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson called Kohli “disrespectful” and “silly” over his heated exchanges with fellow skipper Tim Paine during the Perth Test.

Former India great Sunil Gavaskar meanwhile hit out at “selection blunders” and the Indian Express daily slammed Kohli’s “explicit lack of con-fidence” in some of his players.

Kohli and Paine exchanged barbs, at one point prompting intervention from the umpire, during the game that Australia won by 146 runs on Tuesday to level the four-match series 1-1.

It was reported that Kohli belittled Paine as just “a stand-in captain” -- a claim angrily denied by India’s team management.

The retired Johnson said the famously combative Kohli’s antics were unnecessary.

“At the end of the match, you should be able to look each

other in the eyes, shake hands and say ‘great contest’,” he wrote in a column for Fox Sports.

“Virat Kohli could not do that with Tim Paine, shaking the Australian captain’s hand but barely making eye contact with him. To me, that is disrespectful.

“Kohli gets away with more than most cricketers simply because he is Virat Kohli and he gets placed on a pedestal but this Test left the Indian captain looking silly,” he added.

After the game both Paine and Kohli played down their on-field sledging, which was picked up by stump microphones.

Kohli described it as simply banter that was part and parcel of Test cricket.

“As long as there is no swearing the line doesn’t get crossed. And no personal attacks,” he said.

He added that the remarks in Perth were nothing compared to their Australian tour in 2014, when he claimed to have been called a “spoilt brat”.

But Johnson said Kohli’s behaviour made a mockery of his pre-series claims that he was a changed man and didn’t p lan to ini t iate any confrontations.

“What we saw this Test says otherwise,” he said.

“From my experiences with him and what I am seeing as an observer now, not much has changed. It was disappointing and that is not the only area where he let himself down.”

Johnson and Kohli have history. In 2014 at Melbourne,

Johnson threw the ball that hit Kohli in the back when attempting a run out, sparking a heated debate.

Gavaskar said that the roles of Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri need to be assessed if India fail to perform in the final two Tests in Melbourne and Sydney.

He said that since India’s

tour of South Africa at the start of the year, picking the wrong players “has lost matches which could’ve been won.”

If India fail to win the next two matches, “the selectors need to think whether we are getting any benefit from this lot -- the captain, coach and support staff,” Gavaskar told Aaj Tak TV news network.

The Indian Express said that the biggest bone of contention in Perth was not selection but that Kohli “has little confidence in some of his team mates”.

“It’s a viciously self-fulfilling prophecy: the more you think they can’t do it, they won’t be able to do it,” the paper said in its report yesterday.

It cited the non-selection of Ravindra Jadeja, and Kohli saying that fellow spinner Rav-ichandran Ashwin would probably not have played even if he had been fit.

“Kohli quite rightly rates (Australian spinner Nathan) Lyon highly, but one wonders how Ashwin and Jadeja would feel about their captain’s assessment of them,” the paper added. Lyon was the Man of the Match.

“India can still win this series, but for that to happen, Kohli will have to back his players.”

India’s captain Virat Kohli (left) sits on the players bench at the end of second Test in Perth.

Kohli gets away

with more than

most cricketers

simply because he

is Virat Kohli and

he gets placed on

a pedestal but this

Test left the Indian

captain looking silly.

Retired Australian

fast bowler Mitchell

Johnson

The selectors need

to think whether

we are getting any

benefit from this lot

-- the captain, coach

and support staff.

Retired Indian

batting star

Sunil Gavaskar

Kohli quite rightly

rates (Australian

spinner Nathan)

Lyon highly, but

one wonders how

Ashwin and Jadeja

would feel about

their captain’s

assessment of them.

The Indian Express on

the decision not to

play a spinner

India’s opener Murali Vijay is bowled by Australia’s Mitchell Starc on day two of the second Test at Perth Stadium in Perth, Australia, in this December 15, 2018, file photo.

Opening woes continue to blight India in Test series Down Under

k his play a spinner

REUTERS NEW DELHI

Captain Virat Kohli has thrown his weight behind India’s struggling openers but the tourists’ defeat in Perth showed they have yet to find a solution to their top order woes.

Lokesh Rahul and Murali Vijay have managed only one double-digit stand midway through the four-Test series in Australia, hardly the starts that would help bring India a first test series win Down Under.

Their struggles have intensified pressure on the middle order of a team with a lengthy tail, and number three Cheteshwar Pujara has had to walk out to bat inside four overs on three of the four occasions.

Opening stands made telling difference in Perth, where Australia prevailed by 146 runs to square the four-Test series.

The 112-run first innings stand between Marcus Harris and Aaron Finch laid the platform for Aus-tralia’s 300-plus total in a

low-scoring contest and they raised 59 in the second to help set India a target which the tourists could not achieve.

Rahul, who has managed 48 in four innings, has looked like a sitting duck, with batting great Sunil Gavaskar demanding the 26-year-old be sent home to work on his game.

“I think he should come back and play Ranji Trophy for Kar-nataka,” the former India captain told Aaj Tak TV channel.

“It is not just that he is out of form, he is just not there and you can see that.”

Rahul has not managed a fifty in his last seven test outings and equally worrying has been the manner of his dismissals, with the right hander either bowled or trapped LBW in 11 of his last 14 innings.

India batting coach Sanjay Bangar lamented last month that the opener was “finding new ways to get out” and many believe Rahul needs to work out the flaws with his technique.

Opening partner Vijay has not covered himself in glory either on his return to the squad after he and fellow opener Shikhar Dhawan were dropped fol-lowing modest returns in England.

Vijay has managed 49 runs from four innings but may still continue as opener purely because India have lost the exciting Prithvi Shaw to an ankle injury for the entire series.

“I’m sure those guys have figured out what’s gone wrong in this game espe-cially and they’re very keen to correct it them-selves,” Kohli said in Perth of his misfiring openers.

The tourists have flown in M a y a n k A g a r w a l a s replacement, rewarding the uncapped opener for his con-sistency in domestic cricket. The series shifts to the traditional Boxing Day Test in Melbourne fol-lowed by the finale in Sydney.

Lokesh Rahul after

being dismissed

during day four

of the second Test in Perth.

09THURSDAY 20 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Qatar Stars after beating Asian Stars in a friendly T20 match played at Asian Town Stadium in Doha. The match was staged by the Qatar Cricket Association (QCA) with cooperation from the Ministry of Interior to celebrate the Qatar National Day. QCA President Yousef Jeham Al Kuwari was present at the prize distribution ceremony.

Qatar National Day celebrated at cricket match involving Qatar Stars vs All Stars

Rain and epic stand save SL in New Zealand TestAFP WELLINGTON

Sri Lanka battled to a rain-affected draw in the first Test against New Zealand yesterday after the Black Caps were unable to break an epic stand by Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews.

The tourists were 287 for three in their second innings -- still nine runs away from an innings defeat -- when the umpires called time with only 13 overs bowled on the final day.

Mendis was unbeaten on 141 and Mathews 120 not out at stumps after a stubborn 274-run stand that, along with the weather, allowed Sri Lanka to salvage a draw.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was left to rue missed opportunities after con-trolling the match for three days then failing to land a killer blow.

“Obviously it’s a shame to have the weather around today because we felt if we could pick up a wicket and get into their lower order, there was still very much a chance of a result,” he said.

New Zealand’s early domi-nance was built on a mammoth 578 in the first innings, featuring an unbeaten 264 from Tom Latham.

The left-hander’s career-best effort overhauled former England captain Alastair Cook’s 244 as the highest score by an opener carrying their bat in Test history.

The emphatic performance should have given the New Zealand bowlers two full days to attack a Sri Lanka line-up that showed little fight in the first

innings, but Mathews and Mendis responded with a mas-terclass of their own.

The pair came together late on day three with Sri Lanka reeling at 13 for three in their second dig, trailing New Zea-land’s first inning total by 296.

They batted through the whole of day four, fending off a barrage of bouncers from the New Zealanders.

“Both boys out there showed a lot of character,” said skipper Dinesh Chandimal. “They fought hard when the situations came.”

It was the only time in New Zealand that a full day’s play has been completed without a Test wicket falling, and the first time anywhere since South Africa achieved the feat against Bang-ladesh in Chittagong in 2008.

The partnership was also a

Sri Lankan record against the Black Caps.

The draw snaps Sri Lanka’s four-Test losing streak against the Black Caps on New Zealand soil.

It will give the world’s sixth-ranked team confidence after they arrived in New Zealand smarting from a 3-0 Test whitewash against England last month.

They have also had to contend with disarray in their coaching and selection ranks.

The fourth-ranked Black Caps entered the two-match contest buoyed by their first away Test series win over Pakistan in 49 years.

They are looking for a fourth straight Test series win after also defeating England and the West Indies in the past 12 months.

The second and final Test begins on December 26 in Christchurch, where the tourists have not won in three attempts.

Williamson did not expect the Christchurch pitch to flatten out as it did in Wellington, offering more for his seamers.

Chandimal said his team had benefitted from a hit-out in New Zealand conditions but needed to improve on the slow starts they made in Wellington.

“When we were batting we lost three early wickets in both innings and when we were bowling we couldn’t get early wickets,” he said.

“So that’s an area we’ll have to improve as a team... we’ve got a lot of youngsters in our side, so I’m sure they will learn and execute their plans.”

Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis (left) and

team mate Angelo Mathews

walk from the field as rain starts to fall

during day five of the first Test

against New Zealand at the Basin Reserve in Wellington

yesterday.

India’s Shaw ruled out of Test seriesAFP PERTH

Young Indian batting phe-nomenon Prithvi Shaw has been ruled out for the final two Tests against Australia after failing to recover from an ankle injury picked up during a warm-up game before the series began.

Team management had previously suggested the 19-year-old, who scored a sparkling debut century against the West Indies in October and has been com-pared to Sachin Tendulkar, could be fit for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.

But they have now decided to send him home with Mayank Agarwal called up as his replacement.

“Opening batsman Prithvi Shaw, who had suffered a left ankle injury while attempting a catch in the practice game against CA XI, has been com-pletely ruled out of the ongoing Test series against Australia,” governing body, the BCCI, said in a statement late on Tuesday.

India squad for Mel-bourne and Sydney: Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Hanuma Vihari, Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant,, Parthiv Patel, Ravi-chandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal

SRI LANKA, 1st innings 282NEW ZEALAND, 1st innings 578SRI LANKA, 2nd innings (overnight 259-3)M. Gunathilaka lbw Boult ................................3F. Karunaratne c Boult b Southee ............... 10D. de Silva b Southee ......................................0K. Mendis not out ..........................................141A. Mathews not out .....................................120Extras (lb2, nb3, w8) ....................................13Total (for 3 wkts, 115 overs) ............. 287Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Gunathilaka), 2-10 (de Silva), 3-13 (Karunaratne)Did not bat: D. Chandimal, N. Dickwella, D. Perera, S. Lakmal, K. Rajitha, L. KumaraBowling: Southee 25-8-52-2, Boult 25-4-62-1, Wagner 23-4-100-0 (4w, 2nb), de Grand-homme 13-4-24-0 (1nb), Patel 28-10-46-0, Raval 1-0-1-0Result: Match drawnSeries: 0-0

SCOREBOARD

Australia ‘grit’ hailed after ‘best win’ for decadesAFP PERTH

Nine months on from the biggest scandal to hit Australian cricket, the embattled team have come out the other side with a victory that yesterday was hailed as their most important in decades.

In beating India by 146 runs in Perth, Tim Paine’s men pulled off their first Test win since the ball-tampering saga exploded in South Africa in March.

The cheating row saw coach Darren Lehmann quit, captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner banned, and Cricket Australia dump a swathe of top executives.

The unassuming Paine was installed as skipper and Justin Langer as coach, vowing to change their win-at-all-costs culture and rebuild a team that had been rocked to its core.

It has taken time and Paine, who has proven to be an excep-tional wicketkeeper and a savvy captain, admitted that winning back faith and respect from fans and the media has

been challenging. “I’m relieved personally,” he said after his maiden win as skipper eased the pressure.

Test great Shane Warne summed it up in a tweet after the victory, saying: “This was the best Test win for Australia in a long time. Tim Paine take a bow - we now have a Test captain.”

Former England skipper Michael Vaughan was also impressed by the way Paine has handled himself.

“Quality performance from Australia this week... Tim Paine is a very very good leader who deserves all the credit,” he tweeted.

Importantly, the win in Perth to level the four-Test series 1-1 was also warmly embraced by the country’s sometimes-scathing media, with The Aus-tralian hailing “the grit of a new Australia cricket era”.

“The triumph over India in Perth might be the most important Test win by an Aus-tralian side since Allan Border led his side out of the wilderness in the 1989 Ashes,” said the

newspaper’s chief cricket writer Peter Lalor.

“Paine’s men may not have gone as long without success and they haven’t even won the series, but rarely has an outfit suffered as much as this one in the past nine months.”

The Sydney Morning Herald said that “after nine months, Aus-tralia are reborn and rebaptised” while the Sydney Daily Telegraph trumpeted that the nation again had “a cricket team it can cheer for without feeling mixed emotions”.

“Tim Paine’s men are not the finished product,” added the Tel-egraph. “They have soft spots and will lose plenty of Tests but in a strange sort of way this makes their victory over India all the more meritorious.”

While Australia’s bowling attack is world class, of concern will be the failure of m i d d l e - o r d e r P e t e r Handscomb and continued frailty at the top of the order. With a win under their belt and the series level, Australia now head to the Melbourne Cricket

Ground cauldron for the Boxing Day Test with the same squad.

Former skipper Ricky Ponting said they needed to keep playing hard, uncompromising

cricket without courting too much controversy.

“Just not relax,” Ponting told cricket.com.au. “They’ve set a bit of blueprint this week with the way they’ve played. They just have

to build on that now. “There’s no doubt with one win a bit of belief comes but they can’t just rock up in Melbourne and expect India are going to play like they did here (in Perth),” Ponting added.

Australia’s players celebrate the dismissal

of India’s Murali Vijay (fourth left) on day two of the second Test match in this December 15, 2018,

file photo taken in Perth. Australia won by 146 runs.

Bangladesh’s Shakib fined for shouting at umpire in first T20 tieAFP DHAKA

Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was fined 15 percent of his match fee for shouting at the umpire during Mon-day’s opening Twenty20 international against West Indies, the International Cricket Council said.

Shakib was also handed one demerit point, his second such penalty since the intro-duction of the system in Sep-tember 2016, for the offence during hosts’ eight-wicket defeat.

Shakib now has two demerit points, having been handed one for an offence during a Twenty20 against Sri Lanka in March this year.

Shakib showed dissent while batting after the umpire did not call a wide in the 14th over of the Bangladesh innings.

“He first shouted at the umpire and then got involved in a prolonged discussion,” said an ICC statement issued late Tuesday.

“After the end of the match, Shakib admitted the offence and accepted the sanction,” it said, adding no formal hearing was required.

Shakib scored 61 off 43 balls in the game in Sylhet but could not prevent a humili-ating loss for his side.

West Indies bowled out Bangladesh for 129 and knocked off the target with 55 balls in hand to take 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

REUTERS MANCHESTER

Jose Mourinho (pictured) said yesterday that he still had a future in football following his sacking as Manchester United manager, but he would not talk about his departure out of the “deepest respect” for his former colleagues.

United sacked Mourinho on Tuesday after suffering their worst start to a season for 28 years and replaced him with former striker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer until the end of the current Premier League campaign.

“Manchester United has a future without me and I have a future without United,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “Why should I be sharing more now, even with the supporters, any of my feelings? It’s over. That’s the way I’ve always been.

“I’ve been critical of managers that leave clubs and speak about what’s hap-pened and who’s to blame. That’s not me. I just want to finish like it happened yes-terday and I’d like to say it’s game over. I hope you media respect this way for me to be.

“Until I get back to football I have my right to live my normal life. That’s what I want to do. United is the past.”

Mourinho, who replaced Dutchman Louis van Gaal in May 2016, won the Europa League and League Cup in his first season.

He then guided United to second place in the Premier League and the FA Cup final, where they were beaten by Chelsea, in his second.

Yet his third season was riddled with problems both on and off the pitch,

including the breakdown of his rela-tionship with record signing Paul Pogba, before United pulled the plug with the team sitting sixth in the league.

Mourinho’s final game in charge was a 3-1 defeat at bitter rivals Liverpool on Sunday.

However, the former Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real Madrid boss said he

would retain positive memories of his time at Old Trafford and not focus on what went wrong.

“I keep the good things and I don’t speak about anything that happened in the club. We could speak about so many good things, not as good, but that’s not me. It’s finished.”

Mourinho later added in a statement issued to British media that he had the “deepest respect” for his former colleagues after 2-1/2 years in charge of United.

“I have been immensely proud to wear the badge of Manchester United since the first day I arrived, and I believe all United supporters recognise this,” he said.

“I know that you’re all aware of my professional principles. Each time a chapter is closed I show my deepest respect and I don’t make any comments about my former colleagues.

“I have worked with some wonderful people and I believe that some will be my friends for life.”

United’s next game is at Cardiff City on Saturday, where Solskjaer was manager for nine months in 2014.

REUTERS NEW DELHI

Sunil Chhetri (pictured) has been the face of Indian soccer in recent times and the forward promised to lead by example in their return to the AFC Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates after an eight-year hiatus.

Chhetri is the lone surviving member of the 2011 team who lost all three group games in Qatar but the 34-year-old is determined to make a mark in what is potentially his final appearance in the continent’s biggest tournament next month.

“There were quite a few senior players in that team and whatever I learnt from them, I now try to do the same thing,” Chhetri told reporters at a kit

unveiling yesterday. “It’s more important to lead by action than by speaking stuff. So I try to be a good example...I just hope everyone follows and we can keep pushing each other,” said Chhetri who led India in the qualifiers.

Chhetri’s tally of 65 goals from 103 international matches since his 2005 debut makes him India’s most prolific striker, earning him a high profile even in a cricket-mad country. Chhetri dis-missed suggestions that he was the only household name in Indian soccer and said stellar performance by team mates like defender Sadesh Jhingan, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh and fellow striker Jeje Lalpekhlua made his job easier.

“I don’t feel any burden when I hit the ground. The burden is more on them,” he said.

“My job is relatively easier because they do all the hard work and I capitalise on it and hog the limelight. They’ve been in great form over the last two years and probably

these six-seven players are the reasons we’ve qualified for Asian Cup.”

India will kick off their Group A campaign against Thailand on Jan. 6 before taking on hosts UAE and Bahrain.

“We’re going to prepare as well as possible for our first game which is against a difficult side. That’s why we’re trying to make sure we get maximum points from that game. That’s what we as players are thinking right now,” Chhetri said.

“I was there for the draw, and was trying to think what would be a good draw for me. When I looked at other teams, I knew no matter who we get, it’s going to be difficult...There are three difficult games but we’re prepared.”

10 THURSDAY 20 DECEMBER 2018SPORT

My job is relatively easier because they do all the hard work and I capitalise on it and hog the limelight. They’ve been in great form over the last two years and probably these six-seven players are the reasons we’ve qualified for Asian Cup: Sunil Chhetri

Until I get back to football I have my right to live my normal life. That’s what I want to do. United is the past: Jose Mourinho

Upbeat Fares eyes gold at Qatar CupFAWAD HUSSAIN THE PENINSULA

Weightlifting star Fares Ibrahim Hassouna has set his sights on gold as world’s top lifters assemble in Doha for the 5th edition of Qatar International Cup 2018 starting today.

As many as 130 weightlifters from 35 countries including 64 male contenders are taking part in the event that is being hosted by the Qatar Weightlifting Federation (QWF) at Intercontinental Hotel Doha.

The competition has attracted nearly all the big names of the sport as the three-day event is serving as qual-ifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Despite the tough competition, Qatar’s ace weightlifter Fares, who will compete in 96kg category, is tar-geting nothing less than a gold medal.

“I am looking forward to win the 96kg contest at home,” Fares said ahead of the event.

“I am ready to give my best. I have under went a vigorous training pro-gramme because this is an important competition,” the top weightlifter, who won silver medal for Qatar at Asian Games in Jakarta, said.

“Qatar Weightlifting Federation has given me full support to prepare for this event and I am confident of doing well,” said Fares, who also won 94kg silver medal at World Weight-lifting Championships in Anaheim,

California last year. During the event,

top officials from dif-ferent national and continental federa-tions will also visit Doha, where various m e e t i n g s a r e expected in presence of QWF President Mohammad Yousef Al Mana, who also heads the Asian Weightlifting Federation.

Meanwhile, Zayed Al Khayarin, QWF Executive Director, said the fed-eration completed all preparations to host another edition of the event successfully.

“The tournament will certainly see strong and exciting competi-tions from the top weightlifters

from around the world,” said Al Khayarin.

“We are thankful to the Qatar Olympic Committee

under the chairmanship of His Excellency Sheikh

Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, for providing all

out support to make this e v e n t happen,” he

added. Al Khayarin also hoped for a gold-medal-wining performance from Fares. “Fares has worked very hard to get ready for this tough competition and we wish him good luck,” he said.

India’s Chhetri wants to set example for team-mates at Asian Cup

QATAR INTERNATIONAL CUP 2018 SCHEDULE

Today:

Men’s 61kg to 67kgWomen’s 49kg and 55kg

Tomorrow Men’s 73kg to 81kg

Men’s 96kgWomen’s 59kg and 64kg

December 22Men’s 109kg and +109 kg

Women’s 76kg to 87kg; +87kg

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Sacked Mourinho positive about future without United

PSG through to quarter-finals

AP PARIS

French League Cup holder Paris Saint-Germain scraped through to the quarterfinals of the competition with a late goal in a 2-1 win at second division Orleans on Tuesday.

Four minutes after coming off the bench, midfielder Moussa Diaby dribbled his way through the penalty area to score an 81st-minute winner.

PSG, which won the domestic treble last season, took the lead in the 41st when striker Edinson Cavani latched on to Angel Di Maria’s quick pass and lobbed the goalkeeper from the edge of the penalty area.

A mix-up in PSG’s defense resulted in midfielder Joseph Lopy getting the ball some 20 meters out and striking a low shot past goalie Gianluigi Buffon in the 70th. Buffon came on at halftime after Alphonse Areola appeared to hurt his back. Di Maria was helped off the pitch

by PSG staff in the 58th after hurting his ankle.

In the French league Tuesday, midfielder Faycal Fajr converted a penalty nine minutes into injury time to give Caen a 2-1 win over fellow struggler Toulouse and lifting the team provisionally out of the relegation zone.

Fajr and Saif-Eddine Khaoui both scored for the second straight match to help Caen move up to 16th place, one point behind Toulouse.

Khaoui scored with a rasping shot from outside the penalty area to put Caen 1-0 up after 18 minutes.

Forward Max-Alain Gradel underlined his worth to Toulouse with a penalty just before the break. Toulouse has mustered only 15 league goals and Gradel has scored six while providing four assists.

The match was initially scheduled for last weekend but moved at the request of authorities, with police resources stretched around the country amid a wave of anti-government protests.

5th Place (Tuesday)ES Tunis 1 -1 Guadalajara: ES Tunis won 6-5 on penalties

Semi-finals River Plate 2 - 2 Al Ain: Al Ain won 5-4 on penalties

Kashima Antlers 1 - 3 Real Madrid

CLUB WORLD CUP RESULTS

Qatari weightlifting

star Fares Ibrahim

Hassouna prepares for a lift in this file photo.

11THURSDAY 20 DECEMBER 2018 SPORT

Solskjaer takes temporary charge at Manchester United AFP LONDON

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was yes-terday named as Manchester United’s caretaker manager until the end of the season fol-lowing the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

The former United striker will take charge of the first team with immediate effect and will remain in place while the club looks for a new full-time manager.

Mourinho was axed on Tuesday after just two-and-half years in charge at Old Trafford, with the 20-time English cham-pions languishing in sixth place in the Premier League, 19 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Solskjaer, 45, will be joined by Mike Phelan as first-team coach, working alongside Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna.

“Manchester United is in my heart and it’s brilliant to be coming back in this role,” said the Norwegian.

“I’m really looking forward to working with the very tal-ented squad we have, the staff and everyone at the club,”

Executive vice chairman Ed Woodward said: “Ole is a club legend with huge experience, both on the pitch and in coaching roles.

“His history at Manchester United means he lives and breathes the culture here and everyone at the club is delighted to have him and Mike Phelan back. We are confident they will unite the players and the fans as we head into the second half of the season.”

United appeared to acci-dently announce the appointment on their website on Tuesday, with a video posted on the club’s official website cel-ebrating Solskjaer.

A video of him scoring the winner for United in their 1999 Champions League final triumph against Bayern Munich was accompanied with the headline ‘The most famous night of Ole’s career’.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg also appeared to confirm Solskjaer’s appointment on Twitter.

Yesterday, she tweeted: “FINALLY CONFIRMED! Great day for Norwegian football. Good luck keeping control of the Red Devils, @olegs26_ole.”

Solskjaer joined United as a player from Molde in 1996

and was part of Alex Fergu-son’s team that won the treble of the Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup in 1998/99.

He scored 126 goals in 366 appearances for United between

1996 and 2007 and in 2008 he became the club’s reserve-team manager, before taking the managerial role at Molde in Norway.

The Norwegian’s first game in charge of Manchester United

will be Saturday’s trip to former club Cardiff.

Solskjaer managed the Bluebirds between January 2014 and September 2014, failing to stop them being relegated from the Premier League, returning to Molde in 2015.

Speaking moments before Solskjaer’s appointment was made official, former United first-team coach Rene Meulen-steen warned it would be a huge job for the Norwegian.

“It would be a good choice in terms of the fact that they want to bring back some of the spirit that was at United in the time of Sir Alex Ferguson, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a big part of that,” he told Sky Sports News.

“In that respect I can under-stand they were looking for a candidate who can live up to those expectations.

“If they do decide for Ole and Ole decides to accept then again it is a big ask for eve-rybody. But I think in the short term it would be a good choice to make.”

Molde have confirmed that Solskjaer will return to the club in May, with chief executive officer Oystein Neerland saying they are happy to “lend” their coach to United.

Tottenham manager Mau-ricio Pochettino and former Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane are among the book-makers’ favourites to take the United job on a full-time basis at the end of the season.

Pochettino refuses to rule out United move

AFP LONDON

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has refused to rule out replacing Jose Mourinho at Manchester United.

Pochettino is believed to be United’s top choice to succeed Mourinho following his sacking on Tuesday.

The Argentine signed a new five-year contract with Tottenham in May and has spoken at length about wanting to stay with the club as they prepare to move into their new stadium.

But reports following Mourinho’s exit suggested Pochettino is privately open to the possibility of moving to Old Trafford.

The 46-year-old is understood to have been frustrated by the lack of backing he has received in the transfer market -- with Tottenham unable to make a single close-season signing this year.

Pochettino is also vexed by Tottenham’s tight wage structure and the failure of chairman Daniel Levy to sell players he no longer wants.

Perhaps aware he may have to deal with financial restrictions at Tottenham for several more years because of their expensive and delayed stadium move, Pochettino left the door open for United when he admitted he could not predict what might happen at the end of the season.

“What is going to happen in the summer? What is going to happen tomorrow? No one knows. The most important is to enjoy the journey. I’m so happy here,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

“What is going to happen is not in our hands, I mean the decision in another club, we don’t know.

“That is not my business and then I will not waste time or energy because my focus and energy is in Tottenham.”

Pochettino emphasised he is happy at Tottenham, where he has earned a rep-utation as one of the brightest young coaches in the world. Tottenham are third in the Premier League, while United are languishing in sixth place.

“It is not my business if something happens in another club, like in many, many clubs around the world,” he said.

“I am happy here in Tot-tenham and I have four-and-a-half years left on my con-tract. There are a lot of rumours but, look, I am happy here trying to give my best to the club.”

“It’s not in my hands how to manage all of these rumours,” said Pochettino, who has also been linked with a move to Real Madrid when they hire a permanent coach at the end of the season.

Man City survive shoot-out to reach League Cup semisAFP LONDON

Manchester City survived a penalty shoot-out to reach the League Cup semi-finals as young keeper Arijanit Muric starred in the dramatic finale to the holders’ win over Leicester on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola’s side took the lead when Kevin De Bruyne marked his return from injury with a fine finish in the first half at the King Power Stadium.

Marc Albrighton cancelled out De Bruyne’s first goal since April with a late equaliser to set up the 3-1 shoot-out win.

Muric, making his second City appearance in place of the rested Ederson, stole the spotlight as the 20-year-old Kosovo international made two penalty saves to clinch his team’s last four berth.

Just hours after Guardiola’s old rival Jose Mourinho was sacked by Manchester United after their worst start for 28 years, City could afford to make eight changes and still went through as they chase the third trophy of the Guardiola era.

No wonder City fans cheekily chanted “bring back Mourinho”.

Both managers prioritised their forthcoming Premier League matches, with Guardiola making eight changes and Claude Puel seven, including resting star striker Jamie Vardy.

Despite all the switches, City had 87 percent of the possession in the early stages and their pressure was rewarded in the 14th minute.

De Bruyne took control on the left edge of the Leicester area, cleverly shifted the ball onto his right foot before unleashing a low drive that zipped through the legs of Hamza Choudhury and past goal-keeper Danny Ward.

It was a cathartic moment for De Bruyne in only his seventh appearance of a frustrating season ravaged by two knee injuries.

The Belgium midfielder was making his first start since being injured in City’s League Cup win over Fulham on November 1.

Riyad Mahrez was making his first return to Leicester following his move to City in the close-season.

The Algeria winger almost doubled City’s lead when he pounced on Brahim Diaz’s shot and smashed a volley just over.

Muric kept his side’s lead intact when he sprawled to the left to repel a long-range drive from Demarai Gray that appeared destined for the bottom corner. Sergio Aguero, back from an injury that sidelined him for three weeks, should have put City two up moments after half-time.

However, the Argentine forward shot too close to Ward after running onto Mahrez’s pass.

Leicester drew level in the 73rd minute when Wilfred Ndidi lofted a

pass that picked out Albrighton’s run behind Oleksandr Zinchenko and the substitute slammed a fierce strike into the far corner.

Guardiola’s men had beaten Leicester on penalties at the same stage of the League Cup last season.

Leicester had more recent spot-kick success after beating Wolves and Southampton on penalties in the pre-vious two rounds, but it was City who prevailed again.

Leicester’s Christian Fuchs and City’s Raheem Sterling both shot over.

Muric seized the moment with saves to deny James Maddison and Caglar Soyuncu before Zinchenko drilled in the winner.

Third tier Burton are into the semi-final for the first time in their history after a shock 1-0 win at Championship promotion chasers Middlesbrough.

Sixth in the second tier, Middles-brough made a host of changes and were punished by their lowly opponents.

Burton, 15th in League One, are the first team from the third tier or lower to reach the semi-finals since Sheffield United in 2014-15.

Jake Hesketh put Nigel Clough’s side into the lead in the 48th minute, the on-loan Southampton midfielder firing home from the edge of the area.

Clough won the League Cup twice as a player with Nottingham Forest in 1989 and 1990.

AFP LONDON

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer etched himself into Manchester

United folklore in the manic closing seconds of their

Champions League win against Bayern Munich in

1999.

Alex Ferguson’s team had wrapped up the

Premier League title and won the FA Cup but their

dreams of a unique treble appeared to be over as

they trailed 1-0 at the Camp Nou going into added

time.

What happened next defied belief. First, fellow

substitute Teddy Sheringham grabbed an equaliser

and then Solskjaer poked home the winner following

a flick-on from Sheringham, sparking scenes of

pandemonium.

The striker joined United from Norwegian club

Molde in 1996 for a bargain £1.5m ($1.9m) and

played a key role in one of the most successful

spells in the club’s history, scoring 126 goals in 366

games.

On the pitch, the Norwegian, nicknamed

the “Baby-faced Assassin”, became an

embodiment of United’s never-say-die

spirit, often scoring late goals when

points or trophies looked to have

been lost.

Now the new interim United

manager has been handed the chance to add another

chapter to his Old Trafford story, given the task of

turning around the club’s season after a disastrous

spell under departed boss Jose Mourinho.

Many of Solskjaer’s goals came from the substi-

tutes’ bench, including four in 12 astonishing minutes

against Nottingham Forest in an 8-1 win in February

1999.

Ferguson described Solskjaer, who won six

Premier League titles at Old Trafford, as one of the

best finishers he had worked with and praised his

patience in sharing striking duties at United with a

string of other top forwards.

Solskjaer lost his battle with persistent knee

problems in 2007 before becoming the club’s

reserve-team manager.

He moved back to his native Norway to become

manager of Molde for the 2011 season, winning the

league for the first time in the club’s history the same

year and repeating the feat in 2012, also lifting the

Norwegian Football Cup in 2013.

He was announced as manager of Cardiff City in

January 2014 but failed to save the club from

relegation from the Premier League,

leaving in September of that year.

He returned to Molde in

October 2015 and his team fin-

ished as runners-up in the

league in 2017 and 2018.

Solskjaer: Super-sub to hot seat

Manchester City’s Oleksandr Zinchenko celebrates after scoring the winning penalty during the shoot-out in the English Football League Cup quarter-final against Leicester City in Leicester, Britain on Tuesday.

The former United striker, Solskjaer, 45, will be joined by Mike Phelan as first-team coach, working alongside Michael Carrick and Kieran McKenna.

Mourinho was axed on Tuesday after just two-and-half years in charge at Old Trafford, with the 20-time English champions languishing in sixth place in the Premier League, 19 points behind leaders Liverpool.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

SPORTBangladesh vs West Indies T20I in Mirpur

BBL: Melbourne Renegades vs Perth Scorchers

CRICKET CRICKET

07THURSDAY 20 DECEMBER 2018

Angelo Mathews and Kusal Mendis

have done a really good job and they

put up a really good partnership. At

the same time they played for the

team.

New Zealand captain

Kane Williamson pays tribute to Sri Lanka pair’s after first Test ended in a draw. T

ODA

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ACT

ION

Hamilton deserves more recognition: WolffREUTERS LONDON

Lewis Hamilton may be the greatest Formula One driver of all time but ‘negativity and envy’ are denying him the recognition he deserves, according to his Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

Comparing the five-time world champion to retired Ferrari great Michael Schumacher, Wolff sug-gested people might not appreciate the 33-year-old Briton’s achieve-ments until he too had left the scene.

“Not everybody recognises a great career, a great sportsman or greatness overall while it’s hap-pening. There is a lot of negativity and envy whilst it happens,” Wolff said in an interview.

“It’s only being recognized once a career has ended as having been really great and I don’t know why that is. We are extremely privileged in following a career of maybe the greatest racing driver of all time.

“Obviously Michael has set the records and was unbelievable but Lewis is on a similar trajectory,” he added.

“Also with Michael, it was only recognised after he retired and even more when tragedy struck. And I think it’s a pity.”

Schumacher, who turns 50 in January, has not been seen in public since the German suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident five years ago.

Hamilton has set a string of

records on his way to his fifth title this season, and could go on to match Schumacher’s seven cham-pionships and 91 wins.

The Briton, now on 73 victories, has won 51 of the 100 Grands Prix in the V6 turbo era that started in 2014 and four of the last five championships.

Hamilton also has a record 83 pole positions and is only the third driver ever to win five titles or more.

Last Sunday, he was runner-up in the BBC’s Sports-Personality-of the-Year awards -- a public vote -- to Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas.

He was con-demned on social media for ‘slum’ comments about his boyhood town Stevenage, words he later clarified, and has been criti-cised for moving to the tax haven of Monaco where m a n y o t h e r Formula One drivers reside.

“We are live spec-tators, live witnesses of a great racing

driver at the peak of his abilities,” said Wolff.

“In the US you are very much inspired by success. In Europe it triggers much more envy and negativity.

“I am certainly biased because I have an emotional attachment to Lewis, for me the greatest sports person that is in his career in Britain.”

Wolff said Hamilton was fully motivated to chase his sixth title next season and that the Briton, who leads a jet-setting celebrity lifestyle with interests in fashion and music away from the racetrack, would also not be the champion he was without dividing opinion.

“Everybody wants to be recog-nised, particularly in their own country and in order to achieve the success he has, you need to be sen-sitive,” he said.

“He is that exceptional sports personality also because he polarises. And I think at the end of the day, he’s thinking that he’d rather polarise than be just in the m i d d l e a n d boring.

“ H e

stays true to himself and his values and that is the most important thing.”

Mercedes have won both titles for the past five years, something only Ferrari had ever done previ-ously, and the German manufacturer has enjoyed the best year of its mot-orsport history.

Their British driver George Russell won the Formula Two title, Schumacher’s son Mick was European Formula Three champion in a Mercedes-powered car and Mercedes also won the DTM ( G e r m a n T o u r i n g C a r ) championship.

“I think we have achieved records this year which I think the sport has not seen,” said Wolff.

“We have exciting new chal-lenges ahead with Formula E that we are going to embark on in season six (2019-20), replacing DTM, and in the same way Formula One pro-

vides its own challenges about staying relevant.

“I have no doubt that Ferrari and Red

Bull in Formula One are going to con-tinue to push the organization too. Remaining on top

and setting bench-marks is an exciting

objective.”

INTERVIEW

Toto Wolff

Briton, now on 73 victories, n 51 of the 100 Grands Prix 6 turbo era that started in nd four of the last five onships.

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six (2019-20), replacing DTM, andin the same waay FoFFF rmula One pro-

vides its own challenges about staying relevant.

“I have no doubt that Ferrari and Red

Bull in Formula One are going to cono -tinue to push hh the

organization too. Remaining on top

and setting bench-marks is an exciting

objective.”

Lewis Hamilton

In the US you are very

much inspired by

success. In Europe it

triggers much more envy

and negativity: Toto

Wolff

Hamilton admits ‘mistake’ with slum commentsREUTERS LONDON

Five-time Formula O n e w o r l d champion Lewis Hamilton has apol-ogised to residents of his boyhood h o m e t o w n Stevenage for suggesting he grew up in a slum.

The Briton, his country’s most suc-cessful racing driver, said on national television at Sunday’s BBC Sports-Personality-of-the-Year awards that it had been a dream for him and his family “to get out of the slums”.

“Well, not the slums, but to get out of some-where and do something,” the Mercedes driver, who is now a multi-millionaire with homes in Monaco and the United States, added immediately after. The comment drew condemnation from offended civic authorities and on social media.

Hamilton, who speaks often about his journey from an underprivileged background to the pin-nacle of motor racing, said in an Instagram post on Tuesday that he had made a mistake.

The 33-year-old, only the third driver to win five championships, said he was “super proud” to come from the commuter town some 40km north of London where he was born and raised.

“Nobody is perfect and I definitely make mis-takes quite often, particularly when you are up in front of a crowd trying to find the right words to express the long journey you’ve had in life,” he said.

“I chose the wrong words. I didn’t mean any-thing by it and those of you who know me, know that I always mean love.”

Hamilton finished second in the awards, behind Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas.

Nobody is perfect and I definitely make mistakes quite often, particularly when you are up in front of a crowd trying to find the right words to express the long journey you’ve had in life: Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton

NBA: Sweet revenge for Russell as Brooklyn Nets sink LA LakersAFP LOS ANGELES

D’Angelo Russell produced a double-double to lead the Brooklyn Nets to victory against his former club with a 115-110 win over LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Russell was selected by the Lakers with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft, but was traded only two years later after an unhappy start to his NBA career.

However the 22-year-old point guard reminded the Lakers of his talents with a decisive con-tribution to lead the Nets to victory at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center.

Russell finished with 22 points, 13 assists and four rebounds as the Nets improved to 14-18 in the Eastern Con-ference standings.

Russell was one of six Brooklyn players to finish in double digits as the home side completed a sixth straight victory.

“You look at the scoreboard - it took the whole team to get it done tonight,” Russell said afterwards.

“Defensively we came in and did our job. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys.”

Russell said the Nets were determined to extend their winning run. “One game at a time,” Russell said. “We’re not satisifed. We want to keep it

going.” Russell’s points tally included a clutch three-pointer down the stretch which put the Nets six points clear with 22 seconds remaining.

“He hurt us,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said of Russell.

“He’s a talented player and we know that. Give him credit.

“He had a big time game tonight but that’s why this team’s won six in a row now -- they’ve got a lot of different guys that can hurt you.”

Jared Dudley weighed in with an important 13-point cameo off the bench to keep Brooklyn in front during a nail-biting finale.

The Lakers meanwhile

looked to James to keep them in the contest.

James finished with 36 points but was unable to drag the Lakers over the line, despite a spirited rally late in the fourth quarter when they ran up 10 unanswered points to get within three of Brooklyn.

James also had a double-double with 13 rebounds and eight assists in the losing effort. Lonzo Ball finished with 23 points and Kyle Kuzma had 22 points.

The Lakers dropped to 18-13 after the loss and remain in fourth spot in the Western Conference.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Cleveland bagged only their

eighth win of a miserable season after Larry Nance Jr. tipped in a game-winner at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers an upset 92-91 win over the Indiana Pacers.

The Pacers, third in the Eastern Conference, struggled to get going with Bojan Bogdanovic their top-scoring starter with 14 points.

Domantas Sabonis had 17 points off the bench for Indiana.

Rodney Hood led the scoring with 17 points for the Cavs, last season’s beaten NBA Finalists who have struggled to adapt to life after LeBron James.

In Atlanta, 20 points from John Collins helped the Hawks to a 118-110 win over the Wash-ington Wizards.

D’Angelo Russell of the Brooklyn Nets reacts during the final minutes of the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on Tuesday.

Lightning earn feisty victory over CanucksREUTERS VANCOUVER

Cedric Paquette, Adam Erne and Nikita Kucherov each recorded a goal and an assist as the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Vancouver Canucks 5-2 in a penalty-filled game Tuesday night.

The clubs combined for 58 penalty minutes -- 36 for Tampa Bay. Surprisingly, all the goals came at even strength as the each team was blanked on five power plays.

The Lightning improved to 9-0-1 in their past 10 games, while the Canucks slipped to 5-1-1 in their past seven games. Tampa Bay avenged a 4-1 home loss to Vancouver in October.

Erne excelled after going

without a point in five consec-utive games. Steven Stamkos and Ondrej Palat, with an empty-netter in the final minute, also scored for the Lightning.

Lightning rookie Danick Martel recorded the first point of his NHL career, notching an assist in his second game of the season and his sixth game overall. Martel also was at the center of controversy due to his blindside hit on Canucks defenseman Troy Stecher, who was sidelined for the rest of the night. Tyler Motte and Chris Tanev tallied for the Canucks.

Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy blocked 36 of 38 shots, while Vancouver netminder Anders Nilsson stopped 32 of 36.

Tampa Bay Lightning’s players celebrate a goal against the Vancouver Canucks during their NHL game in Vancouver on Tuesday.