Sports

AMMAN — It is a situation facing many sports federations up and down the Kingdom. How to engage with the public to make their sport thrive in the modern era of non-sporting distractions?

For tennis, the challenge is probably greater than most and for too long the sport has been considered as elite and inaccessible, and it is one of those sports that constantly fights for a foothold in the modern day, according a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee News Media Office.

While the top end of the sport sees players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic bag millions of dollars in prize money and endorsements every year, the other end sees countries like Jordan struggling to find more courts and players to fill them.

But the Jordan Tennis Federation is fighting back. Despite, as Hazem Adas — its president says, having “the same number of courts in Jordan as you would find in one park in places like France, USA or Britain”, the federation has taken a long-term proactive approach to ensure the sport not only survives, but thrives. 

“It is not an easy task for the sport to grow and thrive here but we are implementing programmes to try our best,” he said. “It is important to look long term by bringing in the players from a young age and then seeing them through to adulthood with the right training and support.”

This approach has resulted in the launch of the “Mini-Tennis” programme which is targeting kids from the age of six. Currently 80 are taking part in Amman with another 35 in the northern city of Irbid.

“Each kid signs up for a minimum of three months to ensure they are committed and that we have the chance to teach them the basic skills initially,” said Adas.

“It is also a talent identification programme for us with the most promising kids put on to separate coaching programmes to accelerate their progress further.”

Created in 1980, the Jordan Tennis Federation has enjoyed limited regional success over the years with the recurring problem of losing players once they reach the age of 18. The issue is that these young adults are unable to commit to top-level tennis training and tournaments like they could as youngsters because work, college and/or marriage starts to consume their time. Adas said it is even a challenge to convince those players to remain in the game to coach or officiate. 

But the search goes on for the next star and currently the federation has high hopes for 12-year-old Abdullah Shilbai. 

“He is an excellent talent and has already done well on a regional level,” said Adas. “He recently played in a tournament in France where he lost narrowly to the Belgian top seed, so he is showing huge potential.”

Facilities are an issue for a sport that needs large areas for a game that mostly consists of two players at a time. The federation only has 24 courts at its disposal — 10 of those at private clubs like the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan and Orthodoxi Club.

“This is an issue not just for Jordan but for a lot of countries and that is why there is an onus on mini-tennis for attracting kids to the sport,” explained Adas. “We have plans in Sports City to extend our facility which means we will be able to welcome even more children.”

The federation agrees that while it is unlikely that Jordan will have a Wimbledon champion any time soon, hopefully more youngsters will embrace the sport to stay healthy and active, and that is more important than winning or losing.

VANCOUVER — Canada captain Christine Sinclair apologised to her coach following their 2-1 quarter-final defeat to England at the Women’s World Cup on Saturday but John Herdman said his skipper had nothing to be sorry about.

After conceding just one goal in four matches, Canada surrendered two in three minutes early in the opening half. They pulled one back before the break but were unable to unlock England’s defence in the second half.

Canada coach John Herdman said he could not have asked for any more from his side.

“I’m proud of my girls, they give you everything,” he told reporters. “It just wasn’t good enough tonight and the dream is over.”

Herdman, more muted than he has been so far at this World Cup, said Sinclair had apologised to him after the game.

“She can’t say sorry, she was just a legend again tonight,” he said of Canada’s all-time leading scorer. “She was outstanding, answered some of the critics, stood up in the big moment when she needed to.”

Sinclair, who scored Canada’s goal, said her team mates were struggling to come to terms with the loss.

“This stings. We’re all a little emotional and upset,” she told reporters. “Obviously it’s not how we wanted the tournament to end.

“Anytime you get knocked out of a tournament, you’re upset,” she added. “Especially when I don’t think we deserved to go out like that.”

Canada, which beat England 1-0 in a friendly in May ahead of the tournament, was visibly upset at the final whistle, with many openly crying as they trudged off the field.

Outside the stadium, Canadian fans refused to let the loss get them down, gathering in groups to sing the national anthem and chant “Canada! Canada!”

“This has been great for the sport and for the Canadian women players,” said Cameron Taylor, who attended the match with his wife and children. “We’ll just keep expecting more.”

There was some concern, however, that with the home team now out of the tournament, local interest in the upcoming semifinals and final could wane.

England will play defending champions Japan on July 1 — Canada Day — with the United States playing Germany a day earlier.

“It’s tough. I’m part of the local football community here and this definitely takes the air out of the excitement for sure,” said Neil Samaratunga, who had draped himself in a Canadian flag. “It was an unlucky finish and it’s heartbreaking.”

MONTREAL — Germany beat France in a penalty shoot-out after their thrilling Women’s World Cup quarter-final ended 1-1 after extra-time on Friday.

The Germans triumphed 5-4 in the shoot-out after Claire Levogez, chosen as the fifth kicker for France, saw her low shot saved by Germany goalkeeper Nadine Angerer.

Louisa Necib had put France ahead in the 64th minute but Germany equalised in the 84th when Celia Sasic converted a penalty after Amel Majri handled inside the box.

Germany will face the winners of Friday’s other quarter-final between the United States and China.

The clash between the top-ranked Germans and a French team placed third in the world was expected to be a memorable encounter and it more than lived up to the billing.

With the quality of the two teams it could easily have been the tournament final and the French will head home feeling they have missed out on a real chance to win their first World Cup.

“We are very disappointed because the objective was to be on the podium here. We weren’t able to take our opportunities,” said France coach Philippe Bergeroo.

They certainly looked like champions during a first half in which they dominated large sections of play, with some flowing attacking football that produced several good openings.

The best chance of the opening 45 minutes came almost straight from kick-off when Necib put wide from a glorious position at the back post.

Key switch

Germany coach Silvia Neid made a key switch at the break bringing in Dsenifer Marozsan for Anja Mittag and the move paid off significantly.

Marozsan brought the German attack to life, forcing a good save out of Sarah Bouhaddi shortly after Sasic had tested her with a low drive.

But it was the French who grabbed the lead when Necib pounced on a poor clearance and her shot deflected off German defender Annike Krahn and curled into the corner.

France looked to be on its way into the last four but with six minutes of normal time remaining, Leonie Majer drove a cross into the box which struck Majri on the upper-arm and Sasic confidently slotted home her sixth goal of the tournament.

Both teams tired in extra-time and there were few chances created until three minutes from the end of the second period when Gaetane Thiney was found unmarked at the back-post but she somehow put the ball wide from close range.

The Germans scored all five of their spot-kicks before goalkeeper Angerer got down well to keep out Lavogez’s weak attempt.

“I think the team showed its character by the way they turned the switch in the second half,” said Germany coach Neid. 

US goes on

Carli Lloyd scored the sole goal in the 51st minute to give the United States a 1-0 win over China on Friday and a place in the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup.

“These are the moments I live for,” she said. “Having the freedom to attack and do what I do best enabled me to create some chances.”

The United States has reached the final four of all seven Women’s World Cups but has not won since beating China on penalties at home in 1999.

Seeking their third championship, the Americans have not allowed a goal in 423 minutes since the tournament opener against Australia.

The US plays top-ranked Germany, the 2003 and ‘07 champion, on Tuesday in Montreal.

EDMONTON, Alberta — The quarter-finals at the Women’s World Cup are set. Here is a look at the upcoming matches, and how the teams have fared so far in Canada:

US vs China: This is the first World Cup meeting between the two teams since the 1999 final, which the United States famously won on penalty kicks at the Rose Bowl.

The US women have scored just six goals during the tournament so far, but the defence has been solid. The team has gone 333 minutes without conceding a goal.

The second-ranked Americans finished atop Group D, the so-called Group of Death, defeating Australia and Nigeria and playing to a scoreless draw with Sweden. On Monday, the US defeated No. 28 Colombia to open the round of 16.

The Americans will be without midfielders Lauren Holiday and Megan Rapinoe for the quarter-finals because of yellow card accumulation.

“No matter who they put in, I know they’re going to step up. Whoever it is has to, because we’re in the quarter-finals. This is the World Cup. Obviously you win or you go home, and China’s not a team to take lightly,” said US forward Abby Wambach.

China, ranked No. 16, has also displayed a stout defence during the tournament so far. The Chinese went 1-1-1 in Group A, finishing second to host Canada, scoring three goals and allowing three.

China advanced to the quarter-finals with a 1-0 victory over Cameroon.

The match is scheduled for Friday night at Ottawa’s Lansdowne Stadium.

Germany vs France: This is widely considered the best match of the quarter-finals, with the top-ranked Germans facing the third-ranked French.

France got stunned in the group stage by falling 2-0 to Colombia, but nonetheless finished atop Group F before defeating No. 8 South Korea 3-0 in the Round of 16.

“We’re happy to be in the quarter-finals,” French coach Philippe Bergeroo said. “The Germans are the best team in the world according to the FIFA World Ranking, and so we’ll give them all the respect they deserve.”

Germany, under respected coach Silvia Neid, leads the field at the World Cup with 19 goals in the tournament, compared with just two allowed. Anja Mittag and Celia Sasic have five goals apiece.

Germany finished atop Group B before defeating No. 5 Sweden 4-1 in its opening knockout-round match.

By virtue of their results at the World Cup so far, both France and Germany have secured a spot in the 2012 Olympics. Germany didn’t make the 2012 London games and France fell to Canada in the bronze-medal match.

The game between the two teams is set for Friday in Montreal.

Canada vs England: It’s all going according to plan for host Canada. The team is through to the quarter-finals and gets England in front of what is sure to be an amped-up home-country crowd.

“Coming back into BC Place will mean we’ll get our home advantage, the 12th man will really kick in at this point and give us hopefully that sort of energy they did toward the end of the game to lift our team,” Canada coach John Herdman said.

Canada, ranked No. 8, turned heads by winning the bronze medal at the London Olympics. The team’s next step is to finish strong at its own World Cup.

While they haven’t had a lot of goals — just four through four games — the Canadians finished atop Group A before defeating Switzerland 1-0 to open the knockout round. Josee Belanger scored the lone goal.

England, ranked No. 6 by FIFA, scored it’s first-ever knockout-stage victory at the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Norway.

Norway took a 1-0 lead, but Steph Houghton and defender Lucy Bronze answered with goals for the Three Lionesses. The victory keeps England in contention for an Olympic bid next year in Brazil.

The two teams have met just once in the World Cup, a 3-2 England victory 20 years ago.

The match is set for Saturday in Vancouver.

Australia vs Japan: Tenth-ranked Australia pulled off the upset of the elimination stage so far with a 1-0 victory over Brazil and star Marta.

Kyah Simon came off the bench to score the lone goal in the victory, the Matilda’s first in the knockout stage of a World Cup.

“Obviously beating a team like Brazil gives you a massive amount of belief and it feels good to reach this stage of the tournament but we want to go further,” forward Samantha Kerr said.

Australia finished second in Group D, the so-called Group of Death, wrapping up with a 1-all draw with No. 5 Sweden.

Simon leads the team with three goals, while captain Lisa De Vanna has two.

They’ll face another tough opponent in defending champion Japan, which defeated the United States on penalty kicks four years ago in Germany for the team’s first World Cup title.

Japan has won all of its matches in Canada, the only team left in the field with a perfect winning record. The Japanese have conceded only two goals. One of those came Tuesday night when Japan defeated the Netherlands 2-1 in the round of 16.

The match is scheduled for Saturday at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

VANCOUVER — Mizuho Sakaguchi scored what turned out to be the deciding goal in the 78th minute on a pretty left-footed shot from the top of the 16 metre box, and defending Women’s World Cup champion Japan held off a late attack to beat the Netherlands 2-1 on Tuesday night and reach the quarter-final.

Kirsten van de Ven scored for the Dutch in stoppage time when the ball went off goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori’s right arm. Three additional minutes were added to the clock. The goalie put her gloves to her face in disbelief and said something to herself.

Sakaguchi scored shortly after Japan nearly had an own goal. Sherida Spitse took a corner in the 76th minute and the ball deflected off Aya Sameshima toward her own net when Kaihori punched it away with her right fist.

Saori Ariyoshi found herself in perfect position when the Netherlands flubbed a clear and scored from the top of the box in the 10th minute for Japan’s initial goal.

Japan overpowered the young Dutch squad for much of the evening at BC Place by controlling possession in the midfield to create chances and the defence pushed far up the field. The Nadeshiko, who along with Brazil were the only teams to win all three group-stage games, advance to the quarter-final against Australia on Saturday at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium.

They stuck with their familiar World Cup trend, too. Five of Japan’s six goals have come in the 29th minute or earlier and all six have been scored by a different player.

Japan, with its hustle and fancy footwork on display for a crowd of 28,717, ran its game plan with precision to control all of the field against an overmatched Netherlands team making its World Cup debut.

On the early scoring play, Aya Miyama dribbled down the left sideline and crossed to Yuki Ogimi, whose header hit the crossbar and Dutch defender Merel van Dongen couldn’t clear the rebound. Ariyoshi then connected from about 14 metre out and put the ball in the lower corner past diving goalkeeper Loes Geurts.

Japan had another solid chance in the 22nd minute on a pretty give-and-go from Sameshima to Shinobu Ohno that Sameshima struck over the bar. Ohno also missed an open header moments before the first-half whistle.

Even when the Netherlands threatened early, it seemed a step slow.

“We had a great start until it came to be 1-0 and then after the 1-0 the Netherlands team was becoming a bit sloppy, with sloppy passing,” Dutch coach Roger Reijners said. “Our team did all we could to get something going and not leave with nothing at all. After 2-0 we were a little lucky and managed to make it 2-1.”

Manon Melis took a great ball in the seventh minute but couldn’t get a foot on it, whiffing as she knocked it out of bounds. In the 48th, minute 18-year-old forward Vivianne Miedema got the ball near the top left corner of the box and opted to dribble into traffic rather than take a quick shot. The Dutch missed making contact on two headers from the same ball high in the box in the 73rd minute.

Japan started three different goalkeepers in the group stage as part of coach Norio Sasaki’s liberal substitution plan to use his entire roster and have every player ready to contribute.

Sasaki went with Kaihori, the only one to give up a goal in the group stage in a late score by Cameroon in Vancouver. Kaihori made another save in the 86th minute Tuesday.

Japan’s Homare Sawa, playing her sixth and final World Cup, entered in the 80th minute after starting two of the team’s three matches in the group stage.

The Netherlands missed a chance to qualify for next summer’s Rio de Janeiro Olympics as one of Europe’s top three teams, but could still earn a berth into the 12-team Olympic field through a European play-off.

The white teddy bear wearing an oversized No. 7 jersey that Japan keeps close to honour injured teammate Kozue Ando held its spot on the bench. Ando broke her left ankle in the World Cup opener against Switzerland in Group C play when she got caught up with Swiss goalkeeper Gaelle Thalmann and left in the 32nd minute.

Japan returned to BC Place for the third time in four matches at this World Cup, having also beaten Switzerland and Cameroon in Vancouver.

Other matches, on Friday, will be the US against China and Germany taking on France. 

On Saturday, host Canada goes up against England.

BAKU — It’s safe to say Azerbaijan isn’t on the radar of most football fans. The oil-rich former Soviet outpost knows, which is why it’s trying to spend its way to prominence.

Despite never coming close to qualifying for a World Cup or European Championship, Azerbaijan will be a co-host of Euro 2020.

The big draw for UEFA is the new 68,000-seat Olympic Stadium in the capital Baku, which opened this month at a time when tight budgets have made many European countries wary of funding grandiose new national stadiums.

In preparation for Euro 2020, Azerbaijan is keen to develop football by any means possible, pouring oil funds into its previously crumbling domestic league, hiring charismatic former Croatia winger Robert Prosinecki as national coach and hosting beach football at this month’s inaugural European Games in Baku.

The home team is hoping to build Azerbaijan’s football reputation not on grass, but on sand.

“In Azerbaijan, some people say football is in poor condition and so on. Of course, no, not at all,” Emin Kurdov, goalkeeper and captain of the Azeri beach football team, says through a translator.

“Football is developing. It’s a gradual development, as with beach football’s development, and we will try to prove it with our performance.”

The thought of helping the country become well known in time for Euro 2020 will drive Azerbaijan’s beach boys onwards, Kurdov says.

“It’s a happy fact that Azerbaijan is going to host such honourable matches,” he says. “At the same time, it’s a stimulus for all of us.”

However, two big obstacles stand in Azerbaijan’s way to football prominence.

Firstly, with 13 co-hosts for Euro 2020, none will qualify automatically, so it is far from guaranteed that the host nation will play at its Olympic Stadium in 2020. In qualifying for next year’s European Championship, Azerbaijan is already six points off the play-off places with only one win, against Malta.

The second obstacle is publicity. Beach football is a marginal event, and the world’s spotlight on the European Games has been dim. The Women’s World Cup in Canada has overshadowed the games in several major markets.

However, Baku’s beach football is being keenly watched by top officials in beach football, which suffered a setback when its attempts to make the program for next year’s Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were rebuffed. The European Games is beach football’s debut at a major multi-sport event, at a 1,500-seat temporary venue under the baking Azerbaijani sun, which is expected to drive temperatures as high as 38OC.

Since bringing beach football under FIFA’s auspices a decade ago, “joining the Baku Europeans is the best news that we have been able to bring to the sport”, says Joan Cusco, FIFA official and vice president of promoter Beach Football Worldwide.

He says it could be a springboard for another attempt at Olympic recognition, possibly for the Tokyo 2020 Games.

In the meantime, beach football in Azerbaijan is a big deal.

“The inclusion of beach football into the European Games is another success that we are all proud of, and here we have to mention the efforts of the national team, which is a part of this competition,” captain Kurdov says. “I would say we made a record in history.”

INDIANAPOLIS — When Pacers forward Damjan Rudez returned to the Basketball Without Borders (BWB) camp earlier this month, there were some noticeable changes.

The long, gangly European kids he competed with and against in 2003 had been replaced by bigger, stronger, more polished teenagers.

Perhaps it’s just a natural progression for the programme designed to turn international prospects such as Rudez into NBA contributors and then bring back those graduates as teachers to work with the next generation of international stars. Or perhaps, the players are maturing much quicker — much like American players seem to be.

Either way, one thing is clear: BWB is helping to turn Europe into a fertile training ground for NBA hopefuls.

An indication of the programme’s success could come during Thursday night’s draft.

A record 101 foreign-born players began this season on NBA rosters, and three more — Emmanuel Mudiay of China, Kristaps Porzingis of Latvia and Mario Hezonja of Croatia — are potential top 10 picks.

“Honestly, the camp hasn’t changed a lot. The principles are the same,” said Rudez, who just completed his first NBA season with the Pacers. “The NBA has done a terrific job of organising the whole thing — great gear, great conditions for working. But it seems like these days, the kids are growing like crazy. They’re huge. I don’t remember us being that tall or that powerful or that big when we were here.”

The initial goals of BWB were simple — find the best players in the world, teach them skills that would make them productive pro players and continue to expand the talent pool. Since the inaugural 2001 camp in Treviso, Italy, more than 2,300 players from more than 120 countries have participated and the success stories have steadily increased.

Thirty-three grads have been drafted including Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, and Joel Embiid, the No. 3 overall pick last year. Two more players, Rudez and Boston’s Luigi Datome, have made rosters as undrafted free agents.

The Europeans “are pretty good”, Charlotte center and former Indiana University star Cody Zeller said after working his second international camp in two years. “I can see where there’s a couple that have that [NBA] potential, and even the ones that don’t make the NBA, I think, will have productive careers overseas.”

This global trend isn’t subsiding.

The last two No. 1 overall draft picks, Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, grew up in Canada. The NBA’s European contingent includes Luol Deng, Marc and Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Ricky Rubio. Manu Ginobili, Nene and Anderson Varejao all honed their basketball skills in South America, while Andrew Bogut and Kyrie Irving were born in Australia.

Their once-subtle impact on the NBA is also growing.

“There’s a lot of pride in Europe in teaching the fundamentals,” Pacers assistant coach Dan Burke said after working the camp. “From what I’ve seen, we don’t get as much opportunity to see the 17-year-olds [in the US], but what we see coming in is a lack of fundamentals. There are a lot of different reasons for it. Some people say AAU just rolls the ball out and they play. They get by on athleticism and God-given talent. But the ones who really work, you do notice that, and the NBA game is getting to a point where you can’t just run over guys.

“I think the States are getting back to teaching fundamentals, but I don’t see those building blocks like you do here.”

In fact, the European style has even given American coaches new tools.

At a recent high school coaching clinic, Kentucky’s John Calipari demonstrated how he used the Euro step with his own team last season. He explained it improved his players’ efficiency ratings because they could either get to the basket cleanly, allowing them to play at a faster pace, or draw fouls, which allowed them to score with the clock stopped.

And now it’s time for the 20-something contingent of players like Wiggins and Rudez to reach out to the next wave of European prospects.

SPIELBERG, Austria — Having beaten his Mercedes rival Lewis Hamilton in three of the past four races, Nico Rosberg is confident he has found the missing ingredient required to win the Formula One title this year: more aggression.

Rosberg, last year’s F1 runner-up to Hamilton in a close title race, now sits just 10 points behind his Mercedes rival after a convincing win at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, where he showed his steely streak to overtake Hamilton at the first corner.

“I think I have found what I needed to find last year in terms of in the races,” Rosberg said after his 11th career win. “That’s what is really working out for me this year.”

Hamilton has won five races to Rosberg’s three so far. But Rosberg will have gained huge confidence from wins in Spain and Monaco — where he was helped by surprising team orders to call Hamilton in for a pit stop — and his latest success at the Red Bull Ring.

Rosberg heads to the British GP in two weeks’ time in buoyant mood with the momentum seemingly swinging back his way.

“Now I’m really looking forward to Silverstone, where I have good memories with the pole last year and the win in 2013,” the 29-year-old German said.

Hamilton has concerns after being well beaten, especially seeing as he started from pole for the seventh time in eight races. Furthermore, he also carelessly picked up a five-second penalty after swerving off course when coming out of the pits after his tyre change.

“It was not the best way to start the race but it is something we will work on to improve on my side of the garage,” the Briton said, reflecting on his poor start. “When I came off the throttle, the revs stayed up. So, when I dropped the clutch, I had too much wheel spin and lost ground.”

Hamilton speaking about elements being out of his control will only boost Rosberg’s confidence, as they reveal the frustration that Hamilton must be feeling.

He stood glumly on the podium after the race and gave a curt response in the post-race news conference when asked to explain his five-second time penalty for swaying too far left, when exiting the pit lane and going over a designated white line.

“I have no idea what happened,” he said.

Mercedes will not be concerned who wins the races, however. The Silver Arrows drivers have clinched 23 of the past 27 races this season and last. Only Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel has beaten them this season, but that was in the second race in Malaysia and the four-time champion is drifting away, 49 points behind Hamilton.

In a further boost to Mercedes, Williams seems to be close to matching Ferrari for race pace, with Felipe Massa taking third place ahead of Vettel in Austria.

“It’s even more special because we have three Mercedes engines in the top three,” Toto Wolff, Head of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport, said gleefully.

Last year, the F1 title went down to the wire in Abu Dhabi — but Rosberg was only in contention then because double points were on offer in the final race. Also, during the season, Hamilton lost a potential 75 points when retiring from three races, while Rosberg retired from two.

That unpopular double points rule has been scrapped, and Rosberg will want to be in a stronger position next time Abu Dhabi comes around on November 29.

“They are both under pressure because they keep pushing each other so much,” Wolff said. “It is going to go down to the wire.”

GENEVA — After years of waiting, Michel Platini’s destiny with FIFA is coming faster than he thought.

Platini had his 60th birthday on Sunday with much to celebrate and a big decision to take.

Long seen as the heir apparent to FIFA President Sepp Blatter, his former mentor now embattled adversary, it is open question if the elected leader of European football and former France great truly wants the duties that come with the top job.

The opportunity is certainly open like never before to Platini, whose path had seemed blocked until at least 2019.

“I will be 64, there is a last thing to do,” Platini said of his unfulfilled ambitions in March, when Blatter’s grip on the FIFA throne looked as inevitable as death and taxes.

All that changed on May 27 when the US Department of Justice unleashed a bribery and racketeering indictment on some of world football’s top officials, sending FIFA into near-meltdown.

Blatter has not been targeted — yet — and even won another four-year presidential term two days later, after ignoring Platini’s personal plea to resign for the good of the sport.

Still, the federal investigation has FIFA firmly in its sights, so the 79-year-old Blatter announced on June 2 that he would not be a candidate at a new election to be held within months.

Now Platini is expected to enter a presidential race one campaign later than some of his European voters thought was right. Either because they believe Blatter should have kept a 2011 promise to step aside this year, or that Platini should simply have gone head-to-head with him

“Now is not my time, not yet,” Platini said in Monaco last August when justifying his decision not to stand against Blatter. Instead, a UEFA proxy, HRH Prince Ali, was sent into gallant defeat.

It sounded to most observers then like a frustrated acceptance of Blatter’s mastery: Both of FIFA politics and loyal voters from countries far away from the elite European game that Platini dominated as a player and now leads as UEFA president.

Platini does not like to lose and, as one of the greatest No. 10s in football history, lifted two of the three biggest team prizes open to him.

He captained host nation France to win the 1984 European Championship — his nine-goal tally ranks among the finest individual tournament performances — and scored the winning goal for Juventus in the 1985 European Cup final.

Only FIFA’s World Cup eluded him. France lost semifinals to West Germany in 1982 and 1986.

Becoming FIFA president would neatly complete Platini’s achievements in football, and he clearly covets a job that Blatter once groomed him for before their falling out.

However, when Platini talks of being reluctant to walk away from UEFA it is more than just a politicians’ answer to deflect attention from his real ambition.

Platini would give up much involvement in actual football matches if installed at FIFA, which peaks only every four years at the World Cup.

As UEFA president since 2007, Platini has seen European teams win the past two World Cups and oversees a four-yearly European Championship, whose global TV ratings rival the Summer Olympics, plus the season-long Champions League which showcases the highest quality football played anywhere.

People familiar with Platini’s thinking have noted to The Associated Press that becoming FIFA president would take him away from the Euro 2016 hosted by France.

The tournament is even more personal as it is the first with 24 teams instead of 16 — a campaign promise that lifted Platini to the UEFA helm in a tight election against Blatter’s old enemy Lennart Johansson of Sweden.

In private conversations, people linked to UEFA have also questioned if Platini wants to trade relatively relaxed duties working in a French-speaking region of Switzerland for the greater global travel and scrutiny working from FIFA’s home in German-speaking Zurich.

Blatter has relished turning the FIFA presidency into a quasi-political role similar to a head of state. Platini is more at ease with his top shirt button undone and tie askew.

A FIFA election campaign, in the current anti-corruption climate, would also likely bring intense renewed questions on Platini’s links with Qatar, the 2022 World Cup host.

Platini has repeatedly said that a November 2010 meeting in Paris with then-state president Nicolas Sarkozy and Qatar’s crown prince, now Emir, Tamin Bin Hamad Al Thani did not influence his vote for Qatar less than two weeks later.

The fact that Platini’s lawyer son, Laurent, was later hired by sovereign wealth-backed Qatar Sports Investment is rarely mentioned in the context of UEFA meetings, but will surely be revived in a FIFA campaign.

Platini will not decide his plans before the FIFA Executive Committee meets on July 20 in Zurich to decide an election timetable, Platini’s spokesman Pedro Pinto said.

SPIELBERG, Austria — Nico Rosberg won the Austrian Grand Prix for the second year in a row on Sunday with his championship-leading Mercedes team mate Lewis Hamilton losing out at the start and having to settle for second.

Hamilton's lead in the Formula One standings was cut to 10 points after eight of 19 races, the Briton making a poor getaway from pole position and being beaten into the first corner by the determined German.

The victory was Rosberg's third of the season, to Hamilton's four, and left him on 159 points to his rival's 169.

Asked why he did not drive every race like that, Rosberg smiled: "I will try from now on," he told reporters. "It's an awesome feeling of course to win again here. The start made the race.

"It really worked out perfectly today," added the German, who turns 30 next weekend.

Any hopes of a chase to the end disappeared when Hamilton, who finished 3.8 seconds behind, collected a five-second penalty for crossing the white line as he left the pits on the 35th of the 71 laps.

The double world champion recognised that he was never close enough even without the penalty.

"Nico did a fantastic job today. He was quicker during the race, I had a bad start which lost me ground," said Hamilton in podium interviews conducted by former F1 racer Gerhard Berger. "I was pushing as hard as I could."

A small consolation for Hamilton was the fact that he led for three laps while Rosberg pitted, allowing him to equal triple champion Jackie Stewart's 45-year-old record of leading 17 successive races.

Brazilian Felipe Massa finished a distant third for Mercedes-powered Williams after holding off Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel, who lost crucial seconds on his one pitstop when the right rear wheel gun jammed.

"I just managed to keep the line and not make any mistake and just use a little bit of experience," said Massa, who started on pole last year, after his 40th career podium.

Vettel's team mate Kimi Raikkonen and McLaren's Fernando Alonso collided and crashed into the barriers after the second corner, bringing out the safety car for five laps.

The McLaren ended up on top of the Ferrari, fortunately without hitting Raikkonen's head or hands, and perched on the barriers.

Stewards investigated after the race and decided to take no further action against either driver.

Scary moment

Alonso, who had started on the back row after collecting a 25-place drop following engine and gearbox changes, said the collision with his former Ferrari team mate was a scary moment.

"Kimi had a lot of wheel spin out of turn two. We were overtaking him and he lost the car on the left. I was on the left. I could not see anything. I looked in the mirror and saw a car under my car," he said.

The Spaniard waited for Raikkonen to get out of the car before they walked away together. Never one to waste words, the Finn described the incident as “not ideal”.

Williams's Valtteri Bottas finished fifth, ahead of 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Nico Hulkenberg in a Force India and Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado seventh for Lotus.

Max Verstappen, the 17-year-old Dutch rookie, was eighth for Toro Rosso after struggling to control his car on worn tyres at the end and Mexican Sergio Perez made it a double points finish for Force India.

Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo grabbed a consolation point for the unhappy hosts with 10th place.

Only 14 of the 20 cars finished, with both Honda-powered McLarens out of action after just 10 laps.