Sports

AMMAN — The local football season kicks off on Friday with the Jordan Professional League (JPL) champs Wihdat facing Jordan Cup champs Faisali in the 33rd Super Cup — the first major competition of the 2015/16 football calendar.

Wihdat are upbeat and hope the return of star Abdullah Theeb and others will boost the ambitious line-up who are now led by Syrian coach Imad Khankan who replaced Abdullah Abu Zamaa.

Wihdat and Faisali have played 12 Super Cups with Wihdat winning six. Any time the top two rivals play, even if not for a title, it’s a match much anticipated by football fans. 

“We hope the match will be a good start to the season and look forward to a season football fans will enjoy,” Faisali starter Baha Abdul Rahman said. 

With the winner getting JD15,000, Wihdat’s Mohammad Dmeiri underlined “We will aim for a win, but any match has one winner and we urge fans to keep that in mind and work together towards a positive season.” 

Last year, Wihdat won the 32nd Super Cup in addition to their 14th League title. Faisali finished at a disappointing 7th place in the League, but later managed to beat That Ras to win the 35th Jordan Cup title. 

The JPL is set to kick off on September 12 while the Jordan Cup will see First Division teams play the Preliminary round starting September 4, following which the top four teams will join the 12 JPL teams in the knockout Round of 16 starting September 25.

The Super Cup has been won by Faisali a record 14 times, out of 22 final appearances, Wihdat 12 times, Ramtha and Shabab Urdun twice each while Jazira, Hussein won once each.

Super Cup Record

(Runner-up in parenthesis)

1981 — Faisali (Wihdat)

1982 — Faisali (Ramtha)

1983 — Ramtha (Wihdat)

1984 — Faisali (Ramtha)

1985 — Jazira (Amman)

1986 — Faisali (Wihdat)

1987 — Faisali (Arabi)

1988 — not held

1989 — Wihdat (Faisali)

1990 — Ramtha (Faisali)

1991 — Faisali (Ramtha)

1992 — Wihdat (Ramtha)

1993 — Faisali (Wihdat)

1994 — Faisali (Ramtha) 

1995 — Faisali (Wihdat)

1996 — Faisali (Wihdat)

1997 — Wihdat (Ramtha)

1998 — Wihdat (Ramtha)

1999 — not held

2000 — Wihdat (Faisali)

2001 — Wihdat (Faisali)

2002 — Faisali (Hussein)

2003 — Hussein (Faisali)

2004 — Faisali (Hussein)

2005 — Wihdat (Faisali)

2006 — Faisali (Shabab Urdun)

2007 — Shabab Urdun (Wihdat)

2008 — Wihdat (Faisali)

2009 — Wihdat (Shabab Urdun)

2010 — Wihdat (Faisali)

2011 — Wihdat (Manshieh)

2012 — Faisali (Manshieh)

2013 — Shabab Urdun (That Ras)

2014 — Wihdat (Baqaa)

BEIJING — Sebastian Coe was elected as the new head of international athletics on Wednesday and promised to stand by his campaign pledge to set up an independent anti-doping body for the embattled sport.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has been battered by allegations over the last three weeks of widespread doping in track and field.

While the 58-year-old Briton said an independent body was the only way to ensure an end to any question about the IAAF’s vigilance, he also said he was inheriting a “very strong sport” from Senegalese Lamine Diack.

A twice Olympic 1,500 metres champion, and head of the organisers for the 2012 London Olympics, Coe won the presidency by beating Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka 115-92 in a ballot of the IAAF’s 50th congress.

He starts his new job on August 31, the day after the world championships end in Beijing.

“I’ve had the joys of Olympic competition, I’ve had the joys of being part of something special in London a few years ago, but this for me is the pinnacle,” he said.

“It is my sport, it’s my passion, it’s the thing that I’ve always wanted to do.

“I will do everything within my human capabilities to make sure our sport maintains the values, maintains the strong legacies and the very, very firm foundations that president Diack has left me,” he added.

“This is a sport that is strong, I have the responsibility to make it stronger, and I will.”

The election took place against the background of a public relations crisis for the IAAF, which was accused of failing in its duty to address the scourge of doping.

A former Conservative Party politician in Britain, Coe has aggressively defended the IAAF’s record on doping since the leak of blood test data to the media.

But on Wednesday, he made no mention of the subject in his speeches to delegates before and after the vote, only addressing the issue at the ensuing news conference.

“There is zero tolerance to the abuse of doping in my sport and I want to continue that,” he said.

“I will maintain that to the very highest level of vigilance.”

The plan to establish an independent anti-doping agency was one of the central pledges in a campaign that has taken Coe 700,000 kilometres around the world.

“There is a universal problem with [doping] in sport. We recognise that and we’ve been in the lead role as long as I’ve been in the sport,” he said.

“That’s something I’m very proud of... [but] we do have to recognise that there is too broad a view that this is something where, whether it is real or perceived, there are conflicts and there are loopholes.

“I think an independent system is what we need to close down any thought that we are doing anything other than being entirely vigilant about that.”

The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the body which currently oversees doping control around the world, congratulated Coe on his victory.

“We look forward to a positive and strong relationship with the new president in his avowed plans to protect the rights of the clean athlete,” WADA President and fellow Briton Craig Reedie said in a statement.

Former Olympic pole vault champion Bubka also congratulated Coe on his victory and was later elected one of four IAAF vice presidents, along with Cuban Alberto Juantorena, Qatari Dahlan Al Hamad and Hamad Kalkaba Malboum of Cameroon.

“I know athletics will grow and become stronger,” Bubka said. “I am a happy man because I love athletics. I will continue to serve athletics with passion. This is my life.”

Outgoing president Diack, who has run the body for the last 16 years, said he was delighted to finally have a successor.

“The white-haired generation has done what it could, and now over to the black-haired generation,” he said.

AMMAN — As the summer agenda nearly winds down, the Kingdom’s football teams are finalising their line-ups as they get ready for local and regional football agendas. 

This weekend, league champs Wihdat play Jordan Cup holders Faisali kicking off the 2015/16 football season with the 33rd Super Cup. 

The Jordan Football Association has, meanwhile, held the draw for the Jordan Cup and Jordan Professional League (JPL). The Jordan Cup will see First Division teams play the Preliminary round starting September 4, following which the top four teams will join the 12 JPL teams in the knockout Round of 16 starting September 25.

The JPL is set to kick off on September 12. Last year Wihdat won their 14th League title, as well as the 32nd Super Cup, and have signed former star Abdullah Theeb hoping to retain local titles and compete on the Asian scene with Syrian coach Imad Khankan leading the team. 

For the first time in years, last season Jazira and Ramtha were runner-up and third respectively, while Faisali finished at a disappointing 7th place in the League, but later managed to beat That Ras to win the 35th Jordan Cup title. 

Last season also witnessed a big battle at the other end of the standings as Ittihad Ramtha were relegated to Division 1 after failing to score a single win, and former champs Shabab Urdun and Faisali could have easily followed suit. It was only in the final week that Baqaa also held on to their post and Manshieh were relegated.

The League’s top two teams will also represent Jordan in regional events such as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup and Asian Champions League. Last season, Wihdat and Jazira’s impressive run at AFC Cup came to an end in the Round of 16. 

Local competitions are being carefully planned with availability of local stadia proving to be an obstacle as Jordan readies to host the U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2016. The national team also has Group B qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia doubling as part of the qualification for 2019 Asian Cup as well. The Kingdom beat Tajikistan 3-1 in its opening match and will play Kyrgyzstan on September 3.

The women’s team topped Asian Group B qualifiers and moved to Round 2 — the second phase of the qualifying journey to the 2016 Summer Olympics football tournament. Jordan’s U-16 boys team finished last at the West Asian Championship and are now readying to play Group B qualifiers of the 2016 AFC U-16 Asian Championship where Jordan will join Nepal, Oman and Kyrgyzstan from September 12-20 in Kyrgyzstan. 

The U-19 team is gearing up for AFC U-19 qualifiers kicking off October 2 and the U-23 are slated to play the first West Asian Championship kicking off on September 29.

BARCELONA — Athletic Bilbao ended a 31-year trophy drought with a 1-1 draw at Barcelona on Monday, claiming the Spanish Super Cup with a 5-1 aggregate victory over the reigning European champions.

After Bilbao’s stunning 4-0 win in Friday’s first leg, Barcelona threatened a comeback when Lionel Messi put the hosts ahead a minute before halftime. But their hopes of an improbable turnaround diminished when Gerard Pique earned a rash red card for screaming in the face of a line judge in the 56th.

That helped Bilbao withstand the onslaught before Aritz Aduriz netted the equaliser in the 74th, adding to the striker’s hat trick on Friday.

Bilbao also finished with 10 men after Kike Sola was sent off in the 86th for a challenge on Javier Mascherano.

Bilbao won its last title in 1984, when it beat Barcelona 1-0 in the Copa del Rey final to complete a double of cup and league trophies. The Super Cup traditionally pits last season’s league winners against the cup champion — but since Barcelona won both, Bilbao played courtesy of its runner-up finish in the Copa del Rey.

“We have been waiting for this for a long time,” said Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde. “Generations of players have passed through Athletic since those league and cup titles of the 1980s. We knew it would arrive eventually.”

The result means Barcelona can’t match the six titles it won in a single calendar year under Pep Guardiola in 2009. Last week, Barcelona won the UEFA Super Cup after completing a rare treble of the Champions League, Spanish League and Copa del Rey last season, and it will play in the Club World Cup in December.

Luis Enrique’s Barcelona won’t have to wait long to try and avenge the defeat. His side travels back to Bilbao to start their defence of the Spanish league title on Sunday.

After losing to Barcelona’s collection of international stars in three Copa del Rey finals since 2009, the win is quite an achievement for a club that only fields homegrown players from the northern Basque Country or neighbouring territories.

And its players savoured the moment with the smattering of fans wearing their red-and-white shirts after the final whistle.

“This makes up for those finals we lost to Barca,” said Valverde. “It isn’t a league or a cup, but this has an enormous value for us. There will be no better place than Bilbao for a party tonight.”

With its pride stung and nothing to lose, Barcelona showed the verve it lacked from the first leg right from the start. But missed chances and bad tempers soon quashed any slim hopes of a comeback.

“I saw a very good Bilbao side, and we were seeing a very good final until Gerard was sent off,” Luis Enrique said.

Pedro Rodriguez had Barcelona’s first chance when he blasted the ball high from close range. Moments later, Pique began his frequent incursions into attack and smashed the ball off the bar in the sixth minute.

The Camp Nou crowd finally erupted when Messi broke through just before the break after Luis Suarez chested Ivan Rakitic’s cross down for the forward to poke past goalie Gorka Iraizoz.

But instead of unsettling Bilbao, it was Barcelona that came undone. The team paid dearly for Pique’s outburst at the line judge for what the Spain defender thought was an offside situation that wasn’t flagged.

Aduriz sealed the result against the undermanned back line when he was left unmarked and with enough time to put his own rebound.

ZURICH — An official overseeing reform efforts at FIFA has produced a radical blueprint for reform of football’s scandal-hit governing body, including the abolition of its powerful executive committee, according to a person with knowledge of the plan.

Domenico Scala, the independent chairman of FIFA’s Audit and Compliance Committee, proposes replacing the executive committee with a dual structure. There would be a management committee including independent professionals charged with ensuring FIFA’s day-to-day running, and a governing council playing more of an oversight role, the source said.

The governing council, which would have a lot less power than the executive committee, would be elected by FIFA’s Congress, which consists of representatives from its 209 member associations around the world.

FIFA is facing unprecedented pressure to reform following the May indictment by US authorities of nine current and former football officials on bribery-related charges. Many of them had served on the executive committee or in other FIFA positions.

But the proposed reforms are likely to face huge resistance from many within FIFA and from six regional football confederations, who currently wield a lot of influence because they nominate members of the executive committee. The move would remove the direct link between the continental confederations and FIFA’s power structure.

A new Reform Committee, headed by former International Olympic Committee director general Francois Carrard, could take a different view, and although Scala is supposed to be overseeing its efforts he isn’t in a position to control it.

Also the outcome of the February 26 vote to elect a new president to replace Blatter will likely have an impact on any proposals for major structural change.

Scala, who is the person charged by FIFA’s outgoing President Sepp Blatter with implementing reforms, presented the plan to the executive committee at its meeting in Zurich on July 20, the source added.

Term limits

His reform plan also includes the introduction of term limits for all elected officials in FIFA. They would be limited to a maximum of three four-year-terms and FIFA would also then demand that national football associations and confederations bring in the same limits — effectively spreading the practice to other levels of the game’s governance, according to the source. Previous proposals had only included term limits for the president.

Although FIFA does not have the power to force its member associations to introduce their own term limits, the plan envisages changing FIFA’s rules to ensure that only associations with term-limits are able to have individuals elected to FIFA’s bodies.

A FIFA spokesperson did not immediately return an e-mail seeking comment on Scala’s plan.

Following the July 20 meeting, FIFA did issue a statement which said the meeting had heard the plans for term limits and “higher standards of governance at all levels of football structures including confederations and member associations, as well as individual disclosure of compensation”.

It added: “The members welcomed the presentation on reforms delivered by Domenico Scala... the executive committee, supported by the confederations, reiterated its unity and stated its firm commitment to reform.”

AMMAN — The U-23 national football team has a challenging battle in its agenda as it prepares for the West Asian Championship which kicks off on September 29.

The line-up’s agenda had been hampered with no training camps or serious friendlies and now another setback has seriously affected preparations for its participation in the four-nation friendly in Slovakia now cancelled after clubs did not release U-23 players to join training citing the local agenda. 

With a vital Asian and Olympic agenda ahead, coach Jamal Abu Abed was hopeful the tourney would have provided much needed competitive experience, underlining that the U-23 team squad did not have enough competitive level friendlies, while other squads in the region train all year long and are the main support for national teams. 

With the national team and clubs agendas making it difficult to release players as the local agenda starts in two weeks, Wihdat have now agreed to release the players after the August 21 Super Cup.

Incoming coach Imad Khankan said the Asian Football Association (AFC) Cup is Wihdat’s key aim this season in addition to retaining the local titles. The same sentiments were echoed by Ahli and Jazira officials, all gearing up for the local season.

U-23 coach Abu Abed said: “The team needs to be supported so that a full line-up of recalled players attends practice when regrouped, noting the importance of the AFC U-23 Championship which will be held in Qatar in January 12-30, 2016 as the 16-team competition also serves as Asia’s qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The AFC announced the qualifiers to the championship which include Group B champs Jordan in addition to winners of Groups A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I and J (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Syria, Australia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and China) as well five best second-placed teams from all groups — Thailand, Iran, Vietnam, Yemen, Uzbekistan — who will join the host at the AFC U-23 Championship.

Jordan topped Group B qualifiers in Amman as the team overcame adversity and the change of schedule three times which observers feared would undermine preparedness and competitive advantage. Jordan held Kuwait 3-3, beat Kyrgyzstan 4-0 and Pakistan 5-0 to advance. 

Over the past year, the U-23 team has impressed observers when it beat South Korea to take bronze at the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship (now renamed the AFC U-23 Championship) as Iraq beat Saudi Arabia to take the title. The same squad also represented Jordan at the Asian Games where it made it to the quarter-finals despite a bumpy preparation period amid the busy agenda of the national team and local clubs. Jordan beat the UAE 1-0, India 2-0 and Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in extra time before losing 2-0 to Thailand in the quarters.

PARIS — South Korea’s Chung Mong-joon said on Monday that his French rival for the presidency of FIFA, Michel Platini, was too close to outgoing chief Sepp Blatter to be right for the job as head of football’s scandal-hit governing body.

Launching his bid for the role in Paris, Chung told a news conference “Michel Platini was a great football player and he is my good friend. His problem is he does not seem to appreciate the seriousness of the corruption crisis at FIFA.”

Platini, the head of European governing body UEFA who joined the increasingly heated race for the top FIFA job last month, was not immediately available for comment.

The former French international has described Blatter as a friend, but has repeatedly called on him to quit since May when corruption allegations against FIFA came to a head and has said the scandal turned his stomach.

Former FIFA vice president Chung said Platini, who has been a FIFA executive committee member since 2002, should have done more to root out corruption.

“Recently, Platini said Blatter is his enemy, but we know the relationship was like mentor and protege, or father and son,” the 63-year-old billionaire scion of South Korea’s Hyundai industrial conglomerate said.

Fraud allegations

US prosecutors indicted nine football officials, most of whom had FIFA positions, and five marketing and broadcasting company executives, in May over a range of alleged offences, including fraud, money-laundering and racketeering.

Blatter was re-elected for a fifth term as FIFA president on May 29, but four days later said he would lay down his mandate amid the worst crisis in the body’s history.

He is due to step down after an election in February for a replacement. He has not been accused of any wrongdoing, but his stewardship since 1998 of an organisation where he was technical director in 1975 and general secretary from 1981 has been heavily criticised.

“The real reason FIFA has become such a corrupt organisation is because the same person and his cronies have been running it for 40 years,” said Chung.

“If I’m elected I will serve only one term, four years. I can change FIFA in four years,” he added.

Chung also played up his Asian origins, saying it was time to boost the game in Asia and Africa after eight European FIFA presidents since its founding in 1904, and to put more money into the women’s game.

Ex-Brazil player Zico, former Trinidad and Tobago midfielder David Nakhid and Liberian FA Chairman Musa Bility have also said they are running in the election. HRH Prince Ali and South African Tokyo Sexwale are also considering taking part.

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) celebrated Olympic Day on Monday with the Kingdom’s national sporting federations welcoming hundreds of youngsters to a “sports open day” at Amman’s Al Hussein Youth City, according to a statement by the JOC News Service.

With a clear message to “Discover Sport” children had the opportunity to try out new sports and celebrate the Olympic values as well as the JOC’s own Living Sport programme which promotes the important role that sport and healthy living should play in the lives of all Jordanians.

The day started with a symbolic walk through Al Hussein Youth City before reaching the “Discover Sport Village” which was officially opened to the public by HRH Prince Feisal, JOC president, and hosted by the national federations. Olympic Day is held annually on June 23 and is celebrated by millions of people in more than 160 countries.

Due to the overlap with the Holy Month of Ramadan the JOC and its 32 national sporting federations promoted fitness, well-being, culture, education and the Olympic values, excellence, friendship and respect on August 17 instead.

MADRID — Barcelona have leaked eight goals in their opening two official games of the season and will need a drastic improvement in defence if they are to have any chance of denying Athletic Bilbao the Spanish Super Cup.

After edging Sevilla 5-4 to win the European Super Cup last Tuesday, Barca suffered a 4-0 drubbing at Bilbao in Friday’s first leg and host the Basque side for the return on Monday.

The defeat for the Spanish and European champions at the San Mames, when coach Luis Enrique fielded a weakened side, means their hopes of matching 2009’s feat of winning all six competitions they contested are hanging by a thread.

Luis Enrique has refused to throw in the towel and told a news conference on Sunday he and the players are “utterly convinced” they can turn the tie around.

If they manage it, they will prevent Bilbao lifting their first silverware since they won the Spanish Super Cup in 1984-85.

“It’s a challenge that a team of this quality is capable of meeting,” Luis Enrique told reporters.

“If we do things well we will have a chance,” said the former Barca and Spain midfielder, noting that his side regularly put four goals or more past opponents.

“We will be fresher than in the first leg and when Barca is playing anything can happen.”

Barca’s versatile Argentina international Javier Mascherano, who normally plays in central defence but was deployed in midfield for the first leg, said the team had not deserved to lose by such a wide margin.

“In these two key games our opponents have been very effective,” he told an earlier news conference.

“We have to improve and minimise the errors but we are not going to go crazy.

“Tomorrow it is vital that they don’t score. You are always learning in football and the match the other day gave us a lot to think about for the future.”

Barca have little time to set things right before they begin their quest for a sixth La Liga title in eight years at Bilbao on Sunday.

Luis Enrique will have only two of his formidable attacking trio available for Monday’s game at the Camp Nou as Neymar has contracted mumps and will again be unable to join Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez up front.

Enrique has his work cut out for him.

Last May, Barcelona beat Bilbao in the final of the Copa del Rey with Messi scoring a spectacular goal before adding a second strike for a 3-1 win.

That Barcelona squad was unrecognisable on Friday night and not just in its faces.

Apart from flashes by Messi, his players looked unfit, unfocused and uninspired for a second time game this week.

Luis Enrique shuffled his starting 11 from Tuesday’s European Super Cup, when Barcelona’s players tired and squandered a 4-1 lead before Pedro Rodriguez netted in extra time for a 5-4 victory over Sevilla.

That gave it four straight titles to go with the Champions League, Spanish league and Copa del Rey from last season.

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) will celebrate Olympic Day on Monday, according to a statement from the JOC News Service. Featuring National Sporting Federations, athletes and officials, the day will throw open the sporting movement to the public with a morning of activity encouraging Jordanians to “Move, Learn and Discover”, 

under the patronage of HRH Prince Feisal, JOC president. A Discover Sport Village, open from 11am to 1pm, will be set up in Prince Hamzeh Hall at Al Hussein Youth City which will provide members of the public with the opportunity to find out whatever information they need about sports.

All 32 sporting federations will be present to provide information to interested parties with a view to encouraging more people to participate in their sports.

There will also be demonstrations. The Royal Health Awareness Society and the Children’s Museum will also participate with areas designed to encourage healthy activities, particularly amongst the young.