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Saudis resume preparation for their Australia clash of the World Cup Asian qualifiers

Saudis resume preparation for their Australia clash of the World Cup Asian qualifiers
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The 黑料社区n national football team resumed training on Friday at their Jeddah camp as they gear up for their AFC World Cup qualifier against Australia. (Supplied)
Saudis resume preparation for their Australia clash of the World Cup Asian qualifiers
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The 黑料社区n national football team resumed training on Friday at their Jeddah camp as they gear up for their AFC World Cup qualifier against Australia. (Supplied)
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Updated 06 June 2025

Saudis resume preparation for their Australia clash of the World Cup Asian qualifiers

Saudis resume preparation for their Australia clash of the World Cup Asian qualifiers
  • Tuesday鈥檚 match is the final round of the third stage of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup
  • Head coach Herve Renard limited the session to a recovery workout at the team鈥檚 health club

JEDDAH: The 黑料社区n national football team resumed training on Friday at their Jeddah camp as they gear up for their AFC World Cup qualifier against Australia.

Tuesday鈥檚 match is the final round of the third stage of the AFC qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

On the field, head coach Herve Renard limited the session to a recovery workout at the team鈥檚 health club, involving all players following previous intensive training days.

Players Muhannad Al-Saad and Muhannad Al-Shanqeeti have started their individual rehabilitation programs under the supervision of the fitness coach working their way back to full strength.

Following the recovery session, Renard gave the squad a period of free time, with players scheduled to regroup at the team鈥檚 camp later on Friday evening.

The Green Falcons will continue their training on Saturday with a closed-door session set to take place at the reserve pitch of King Abdullah Sports City at 7:00 p.m.

On Thursday, 黑料社区 beat Bahrain 2-0 in Riffa to tee up a showdown with Australia for the second automatic spot in AFC FIFA World Cup qualifying Group C.

Thursday鈥檚 win keeps Saudi third, three points behind Australia, although with a far inferior goal difference. The Socceroos stand at second place with 16 points from nine matches, having scored 14 goals and conceded 6.

The Green Falcons have so far bagged six goals and conceded the same with 13 points in third spot. They have to win 8-0 against Australia to climb up to second place and qualify directly, otherwise they move on to the next group phase.


Pakistan include uncapped Afridi, Akram and Nazir for upcoming South Africa Test series

Pakistan include uncapped Afridi, Akram and Nazir for upcoming South Africa Test series
Updated 8 sec ago

Pakistan include uncapped Afridi, Akram and Nazir for upcoming South Africa Test series

Pakistan include uncapped Afridi, Akram and Nazir for upcoming South Africa Test series
  • Pakistan will play two-Test match series against South Africa from oct. 12-24 in Lahore and Rawalpindi
  • Skipper Shan Masood to lead squad while Pakistan select stalwarts Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan for series

KARACHI: Pakistan have named three uncapped players Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram and Rohail Nazir for the upcoming South Africa Test series scheduled to take place later this month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement on Tuesday. 

South Africa, champions of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25, will take on Pakistan in the first Test at the Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore from Oct. 12-16. The second and final match of the two-Test series will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from Oct. 20-24.

Pakistan鈥檚 national selection committee announced the 18-member Test squad for the series, which will be part of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle. The PCB announced that the squad will be further trimmed ahead of the first Test. 

鈥淪han Masood will continue to lead the side, while three uncapped players 鈥 Asif Afridi, Faisal Akram and Rohail Nazir have also been included,鈥 the PCB said in a statement. 

The squad includes Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, Akram, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Noman Ali, Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, and pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi. 

The two-Test match series will be followed by three T20Is and as many ODIs, to be played from Oct. 28 to Nov. 8. The squad for the white-ball series will be announced in due course.

TOUR SCHEDULE

Oct. 12-16鈥 First Test at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Oct. 20-24 鈥 Second Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Oct. 28鈥 First T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Oct.31 鈥 Second T20I at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Nov. 1 鈥 Third T20I at Qaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Nov. 4 鈥 First ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

Nov. 6鈥 Second ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

Nov. 8 鈥 Third ODI at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad

Pakistan will look to begin their World Test Championship 2025-27 on a winning note against South Africa and put behind their five-wicket loss to India in the Asia Cup 2025 tournament. 


Wayne Rooney has 鈥榥o faith鈥 that Ruben Amorim can revive Manchester United

Wayne Rooney has 鈥榥o faith鈥 that Ruben Amorim can revive Manchester United
Updated 15 min 30 sec ago

Wayne Rooney has 鈥榥o faith鈥 that Ruben Amorim can revive Manchester United

Wayne Rooney has 鈥榥o faith鈥 that Ruben Amorim can revive Manchester United
  • Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim has overseen nine wins, 17 defeats and seven draws in his 33 league games in charge

Manchester United鈥檚 all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney says the club has lost its soul and has voiced concerns about manager Ruben Amorim鈥檚 ability to turn things around after a woeful start to the season.
Amorim, who has overseen nine wins, 17 defeats and seven draws in his 33 league games in charge, has faced mounting pressure with United 14th in the Premier League with seven points from six matches.
Speaking on his 鈥淭he Wayne Rooney Show鈥 podcast, on Monday, Rooney said: 鈥淚 have tried my hand in management and it didn鈥檛 work out too well, I get it.
鈥淎morim is my age, he is still a young manager and I鈥檓 sure he still has a massive future, but what鈥檚 going on at Man United, this is not Man United.
鈥淚 honestly hope he can turn it round and he does. But if you鈥檙e saying to me, 鈥榙o you believe he will?鈥, then, after everything I鈥檝e seen, honestly, I鈥檝e got no faith in it.鈥
Minority owner Jim Ratcliffe, who holds roughly 29 percent of United and oversees football operations, has rolled out cost-saving measures including staff reductions, higher ticket prices and the scrapping of free lunches at staff canteens.
And Rooney, who won five league titles during his time at United between 2004-2017, said there was more than just the performances on the pitch to be concerned about.
鈥淚t鈥檚 everything about the club that needs fixing ... The soul has gone from the club,鈥 he added. 鈥淚t needs a new engine, a new lease of life. It needs something to kick-start that football club.鈥


French Open to stick with line judges for 2026 edition

French Open to stick with line judges for 2026 edition
Updated 51 min 54 sec ago

French Open to stick with line judges for 2026 edition

French Open to stick with line judges for 2026 edition
  • Three other Grand Slams having already switched to an Electronic Line Calling system
  • The ATP Tour has implemented the system at all of its events from this season

The French Open will continue to use line judges for the 2026 edition despite the other three Grand Slams having already switched to an Electronic Line Calling (ELC) system, the French Tennis Federation said.
The ELC system was first deployed as an experiment at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan in 2017 before being more widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ATP Tour has implemented the system at all of its events from this season, and while the Australian Open, US Open and Wimbledon now rely on the technology Roland Garros is opting to retain the human element for at least another year.
The French federation (FFT) said its officials had delivered a high standard of refereeing at the tournament.
鈥淔or the next Roland Garros, the FFT will continue to highlight the excellence of French refereeing, recognized throughout the world, and which brings complete satisfaction to the organization of the tournament,鈥 it said on Monday.
In the 2025 edition of the major, 404 referees were present with 284 from France alone.
At Roland Garros, officials can inspect traces left by the ball on the red dust to help them make decisions, though there remains room for human error.
ELC, which has been developed to account for the differences in grass, hardcourt and claycourt surfaces, is now also available across a wider range of tournaments below the Grand Slams and elite tours.
While it is mostly popular, the system received mixed reviews at Wimbledon this year due to malfunctions, while some players were left baffled by ELC calls during claycourt events in Madrid and Stuttgart.


Iga Swiatek may skip mandatory tennis events due to packed schedule

Iga Swiatek may skip mandatory tennis events due to packed schedule
Updated 30 September 2025

Iga Swiatek may skip mandatory tennis events due to packed schedule

Iga Swiatek may skip mandatory tennis events due to packed schedule
  • Six-time Grand Slam champion: 鈥業 think people are more fatigued鈥
  • Top players are obliged to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events

World number two Iga Swiatek said the tennis season is too long and too intense and the smart option for her would be to cut back on her schedule for the sake of her health, even if that means skipping mandatory tournaments.
The men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 circuits have faced criticism due to their 11-month seasons, and both the tours have come under fresh scrutiny during the 鈥淎sian swing鈥 with five matches at the China Open unable to be completed on Monday due to injuries.
Camila Osorio retired after she dropped the first set to Swiatek, while Lois Boisson, Zheng Qinwen, Lorenzo Musetti and Jakub Mensik were unable to complete their matches in Beijing.
鈥淚 think people are more fatigued,鈥 six-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek told reporters.
鈥淯nfortunately, the Asian Swing is the hardest part because you feel like the season is going to finish soon, but you still need to push.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 know yet how my career is going to look like in a couple years. Maybe I will have to choose some tournaments and skip them, even though they are mandatory. The WTA, with these mandatory rules, they made this pretty crazy for us.鈥
Top players are obliged to compete in all four Grand Slams, 10 WTA 1000 tournaments and six WTA 500 events under WTA rules, with the punishment for missing them ranging from rankings points penalties to fines.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any top player will actually be able to achieve this ... It鈥檚 impossible to squeeze it in the schedule,鈥 said Swiatek, who has committed to playing in all the mandatory events this year.
鈥淲e have to be smart about it, not really unfortunately care about the rules and think what鈥檚 healthy for us. It鈥檚 tough.鈥
Reuters has contacted the WTA for comment.
The Professional Tennis Players鈥 Association filed a lawsuit against the sport鈥檚 governing bodies in March, with the advocacy group describing the situation as 鈥渦nsustainable.鈥
The WTA has said the lawsuit, which also accused the governing organizations of anti-competitive practices and a disregard for player welfare, was 鈥渂aseless鈥 and defended its record of growing the women鈥檚 game.


Al-Hilal dig deep to make for another win in Asia

Al-Hilal dig deep to make for another win in Asia
Updated 29 September 2025

Al-Hilal dig deep to make for another win in Asia

Al-Hilal dig deep to make for another win in Asia
  • A 3-2 win at Nasaf Qarshi maintained the Riyadh club鈥檚 perfect start to their AFC Champions League Elite campaign

LONDON: Al-Hilal won 3-2 at Nasaf Qarshi on Monday to make it two out of two in the group stage of the AFC Champions League Elite. The four-time titleholders were deserved winners in Uzbekistan but twice let their lead slip and had to dig deep to take the three points.

Despite a less-than-ideal playing surface in Central Asia, the Saudi giants had the ball in the net after just 90 seconds as Theo Hernandez slid the ball past Abduvohid Nematov, but the goal was ruled out for offside. 

The breakthrough came midway through the first half from a swift counterattack from deep inside the Hilal half. The ball was eventually worked out wide and swung in from the right by Abdullah Al-Hamdan. It looked to be a simple claim for Nematov, but somehow the goalkeeper missed it, and the ball bounced off his chest for the surprised Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to bundle home from close range. 

If that was an untidy opener, the equalizer, which came five minutes later, was anything but. Sardorbek Bakhromov picked up the ball well outside the Hilal area and then unleashed a rocket of a shot into the top corner to give Yassine Bounou no chance and get fans of the Uzbek Super League champions on their feet.

On the stroke of half-time, however, Al-Hilal restored the lead with some magic of their own. Again, there seemed to be little danger when Hernandez picked up possession outside the area, but then, somehow, he weaved his way past five players in red to shoot home.

Simone Inzaghi鈥檚 men continued to push forward but were left to rue their missed opportunities as the hosts pulled level on the hour. Umar Eshmurodov produced a defense-splitting pass for Javokhir Sidikov to find space on the right side of the area and then squeeze a low shot past Bounou into the opposite corner.

Al-Hilal continued to have chances. Kaio Cesar had a clear shot from inside the area but fired straight at the goalkeeper. Marcos Leonardo showed him how it is done with 11 minutes remaining. Milinkovic-Savic ran at the defense and found Leonardo in the area, and the Brazilian lifted the ball smartly over the onrushing goalkeeper.

This time, there was no coming back for Nasaf; indeed, Al-Hilal looked likelier to score next than the hosts. In the end, it didn鈥檛 matter as a valuable three points were collected.