Tag: Qatar

Norris ‘hanging on’ in securing Sprint pole

Lando Norris said he felt like he was hanging onto his car during a Sprint qualifying lap at the high-speed Lusail circuit ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. Lusail’s fast corners and flat curbs allow drivers to push their cars close to their limits, …

Lando Norris said he felt like he was hanging onto his car during a Sprint qualifying lap at the high-speed Lusail circuit ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix.

Lusail’s fast corners and flat curbs allow drivers to push their cars close to their limits, while also providing a physical test for themselves behind the wheel. Norris secured pole position for Saturday’s Sprint with his first flying lap of SQ3 and admits he couldn’t execute a clean attempt on his second run.

“It’s tough, because it’s so quick around here,” Norris said. “It feels like the quickest circuit of the year. I mean, the final sector just feels like you’re hanging on. It was a decent lap, I made too many mistakes on my second. But we were coming here to get pole, and we did that, so job done for today.”

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Norris says the conditions contributed to the errors on his final attempt, with wind gusts destabilizing cars due to their unpredictability.

“The wind plays a big part, but the conditions are also a lot better than last season,” he said. “It makes it a lot tougher physically, but it also makes it much quicker to drive. I think most of the cars are close to being flat in most of the corners in the final sector, which is quite an accomplishment.

“It felt quick — and when it feels quick, it must be very fast. It’s a challenge to put a lap together, especially when the tires don’t feel in for the beginning, and through the lap you gain confidence. That’s been the challenge of today, but it’s paid off. We made some good improvements into qualifying and I was happy with it.”

With teammate Oscar Piastri starting from third place behind George Russell, McLaren is targeting maximum points on Saturday as it looks to try and wrap up the constructors’ championship.

“Our target is one-two. We know it’ll be a battle,” Norris said. “Mercedes will be quick, Ferrari will be fast, so not expecting an easy one. Probably expecting an exciting one for everyone watching, so looking forward to it tomorrow.”

Suspect arrested after Mexico-Qatar Gold Cup stabbing

A man was charged with attempted murder over the Levi’s Stadium incident

Police have announced an arrest following an incident that saw a fan stabbed during Sunday’s Gold Cup match between Mexico and Qatar.

“On July 4, 2023, detectives from the Sacramento Police Department’s East and Central Command Violent Crime Reduction Team and the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) arrested suspect Alejandro Garcia-Villanueva at his residence,” read an SCPD statement on the matter.

SCPD said on Wednesday that Garcia-Villanueva has been charged with attempted murder. On Monday police described the victim as being in critical but stable condition.

Initially, the SCPD asked for the public’s help identifying a male suspect as well as a female “person of interest,” but said on Wednesday that detectives had determined the latter “did not commit a criminal offense” and was released

The incident happened amid what appeared on video as a brawl between fans, with the police report stating that “the suspect fled from the scene and was not located” at Levi’s Stadium.

Qatar defeated Mexico 1-0 in the match, a result that saw both teams advance to the Gold Cup knockout stage.

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Fan stabbed at Mexico-Qatar Gold Cup match

The fan is listed in critical but stable condition

Police are seeking one suspect and one person of interest after a fan was stabbed during Sunday’s Gold Cup match between Mexico and Qatar at Levi’s Stadium.

According to the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD), officers responded to a fight in the stands at 8:47 p.m.

“Upon arrival, SCPD officers located a male victim with a visible wound to his neck,” the police report said. “Based upon witness statements and video footage, SCPD detectives discovered the victim was stabbed in the neck with a knife during an altercation with the suspect. The suspect fled from the scene and was not located.”

Police said on Monday that the victim was listed in critical but stable condition.

The SCPD released images of the male suspect and female person of interest on its Twitter account, seeking the public’s assistance in locating the pair.

On Tuesday, the Mexican federation released a statement condemning the incident and vowing to work with authorities and CONCACAF to ensure similar incidents won’t happen in the future.

“We at the Mexican Football Federation strongly regret and condemn the acts of violence that occurred after last Sunday’s game in Santa Clara,” the statement read.

“We are fully willing to cooperate and join efforts with CONCACAF, the stadiums and local authorities, to prevent these acts from being repeated in any stadium.”

Qatar defeated Mexico 1-0 in the match, with both teams advancing to the Gold Cup knockout phase.

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Qatar says player accused of racism vs. New Zealand was racially abused himself

Yusuf Abdurisag has said he is the victim, not the perpetrator, of racial abuse

Qatar winger Yusuf Abdurisag has denied using a racial slur in Monday’s friendly against New Zealand, adding that he was actually the victim, not the perpetrator of racial abuse.

New Zealand refused to return for the second half due to claims that Abdurisag had racially abused defender Michael Boxall, who is of Samoan heritage.

“Michael Boxall was racially abused during the first half of the game by a Qatari player,” a statement from New Zealand’s Twitter account read. “No official action was taken so the team have agreed not to come out for the second half of the match.”

The match would be abandoned with New Zealand ahead 1-0.

On Tuesday, the Qatar Football Association (QFA) released a statement supporting Abdurisag and claiming that he was the player racially abused during the match.

“QFA’s player Yusuf Abdurisag Yusuf confirmed an exchange of words with an opponent – in the heat of the moment – shortly before halftime,” it read. “Yusuf stressed that no racial or discriminatory language was used or directed towards any player of the New Zealand team.

“In the contrary, Yusuf stressed that, in fact, he himself was racially abused during the match. In any case, the QFA takes the allegations incredibly seriously and stands against racism in all its forms. The experience of racism should never be trivialized and remains a serious problem within the game. As such, the QFA encourages the international football community to do more to tackle racism and discrimination on and off the pitch.”

Abdurisag was included in Qatar’s roster for the Gold Cup, which kicks off Saturday.

QFA president Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain added in a statement: “Everyone at QFA stands with Yusuf Abdurisag Yusuf and strongly condemns the unwarranted attention he has received in the past 24 hours.”

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New Zealand walks out of Qatar friendly after alleged racial abuse of Boxall

All Whites players refused to come out for the second half after a comment made by a Qatari player

New Zealand walked out of Monday’s friendly against Qatar after saying that defender Michael Boxall was racially abused by a Qatari player.

According to Stuff, the incident took place in the 40th minute when Qatar winger Yusuf Abdurisag made a comment toward the Minnesota United defender that left New Zealand’s players visibly angry.

After the referee did not take any action, the All Whites refused to come out for the second half.

“Michael Boxall was racially abused during the first half of the game by a Qatari player,” New Zealand’s official Twitter account said. “No official action was taken so the team have agreed not to come out for the second half of the match.”

The match in Austria was abandoned with New Zealand leading 1-0.

Speaking on the match broadcast, Qatar head coach Carlos Queiroz cautioned against drawing any conclusions before an investigation was conducted.

”The facts are the following: Apparently two players on the pitch exchanged words. The New Zealand players decided to support their teammate just as our team decided to support our player,” Queiroz said.

“They decided to abandon the game with no witnesses. The referee did not listen [to what was said]. It’s just an argument between two players.

“I think is a new chapter in football which is for sure something nobody can understand. Let’s let the football authorities make a decision. I think this game will be under observation from FIFA for sure.”

The New Zealand Professional Footballers Association released a statement supporting the All Whites players, saying they “commend and support our players’ poised reaction in this challenging situation.”

Sadly, the New Zealand-Qatar match wasn’t even the only international game on the day abandoned due to alleged racism. Ireland’s FA said that its U-21 game against Kuwait was ended after a racist remark by a Kuwaiti player toward an Irish player.

Big win for schadenfreude as Qatar is first team eliminated at World Cup

Qatar has no way to get to the knockout round after today’s World Cup results

The World Cup isn’t over for Qatar, but as far as their obligations on the field, they’ll definitely only get one more game.

The hosts are the first team to be mathematically eliminated at the World Cup, with no path that leads them out of Group A. Friday’s 1-1 draw between the Netherlands and Ecuador leaves them with an impossible task.

Earlier on Friday, Qatar fell 3-1 to Senegal, meaning that they started the World Cup off with two losses. There’s only one scenario where a team can do that and go through, but it’s no longer a possibility for Qatar, the host nation that everyone likes and no one has huge reservations about.

The Netherlands and Ecuador both have four points, while Senegal is on three. Qatar, coming off of two losses, can’t do better than three, meaning the best they can do is third place.

Ecuador, the Netherlands, and Senegal will all be facing off for two spots in the knockout rounds in the final set of games in Group A, but for the hosts, the results of the final set of games are academic.

Has any host ever done this badly?

No!

Qatar is just the second host nation to ever go out at the group stage, joining South Africa in 2010. Home field advantage is very real at the World Cup: most host nations (18 of 22, to be exact) have managed to go as far as the quarterfinal round, much less simply get out of their group.

However, there’s some crucial context to add here. South Africa beat France, finished with four points, and were only eliminated on goal difference. The Bafana Bafana left the tournament with their heads held high. Qatar, meanwhile, is at risk of going out without a single point. That makes the argument that Qatar is the worst World Cup host ever, a point people have been making regardless of the final scores in this tournament.

Qatar being eliminated early won’t undo the horrors of the kafala system used to build the stadiums and other infrastructure, or the hostility towards LGBTQ+ fans, but it does at least mean we can all enjoy a bit of schadenfreude.

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Ahead of USMNT showdown, Gareth Bale and his Wales teammates find way around team’s golf ban at 2022 World Cup in Qatar

Bale is a global ambassador for the R&A and an avid golfer when he’s not on the pitch.

Gareth Bale is a world-class soccer player who has previously won three La Liga titles and five UEFA Champions League titles with Spanish powerhouse Real Madrid. Now playing in the United States, he recently helped Los Angeles FC win the 2022 MLS Cup.

The 33-year-old from Cardiff, Wales, is also an avid golfer when he’s not on the pitch – just not at this year’s World Cup in Qatar. A key member of the Wales squad that begins the group stage of play on Monday against the United States, Bale and his teammates were told they were not allowed to play golf during the international event, with manager Rob Page wanting the team to be focused on the task at hand.

“Yeah. There’s no golf. We’re out there to do a job,” said Page. “In the past, I may get Gareth, Kieffer Moore or Aaron Ramsey come up to me and say, ‘What’s the plan for tomorrow afternoon? Are there meetings?’ I’d say, ‘No, there’s no meetings, so if you want nine holes then go and play’. But that is when you have a week building up to a double-header. Out there, we won’t have enough time. Every four days there is a game. It’s relentless.”

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That doesn’t mean Bale’s golf swing is getting stale in the gulf. A golf simulator has reportedly been installed at the team’s luxury hotel.

“We’ve just been in the swimming pool, playing table tennis, pool and golf,” said Bale’s teammate Mark Harris. “Team spirit is great anyway but games like that help you. Gareth’s very good at the golf. I think most of us have had a swing and we had a go after training as we had some spare time.”

Bale is also a global ambassador for the R&A.

U.S. vs. Wales tees off … kicks off … at 2 p.m. ET on Monday.

Click for a full primer on the World Cup, courtesy of USA Today Sports.

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Enner Valencia, Ecuador pounce on Qatar stagefright in World Cup opener

Ecuador crashed Qatar’s big party to pick up a potentially crucial win

Qatar made its World Cup debut, but their curtain-raising game against Ecuador did not go according to plan.

Ecuador jumped all over the nervous hosts at Al Bayt Stadium, eventually getting two first-half goals from Enner Valencia and easing their way to a straightforward 2-0 win to open the 2022 tournament. The result marks the first time a host nation has ever lost their opening game at a men’s World Cup.

It took less than three minutes for Valencia to seemingly score for La Tri, only for a convoluted decision involving FIFA’s semi-automated offside system to cause referee Daniele Orsato to rule the goal out.

It was a big let-off for Qatar, but they weren’t ready to take advantage of the gift. The home side was a wreck, misplacing seemingly every other pass as Ecuador pinned them into their own end for long spells.

Valencia’s wait for another chance came just a few minutes later, and this time VAR wouldn’t interfere. The Fenerbahçe striker ran onto a through ball from Michael Estrada as Ecuador broke out in transition. Valencia got to the spot before goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb, drawing contact inside the area. Orsato pointed to the spot, and Valencia converted with ease in the 16th minute.

Valencia would make it 2-0, heading in Ángelo Preciado’s cross from the right flank as Qatar continued to struggle with just about every phase of the game. It was a purely reactive sequence for the hosts, who watched Moisés Caicedo lay the ball back to Preciado, allowed the latter to cross under no pressure, didn’t really mark Estrada (who attacked the cross as well, only for the ball to sail just over his head), and left Valencia with a simple header.

Beyond that, a very physical match saw Orsato give out six yellow cards. When Orsato delivered the last of those, to Akram Afif in the 78th minute, the bookings count nearly matched the total number of shot attempts from both teams (nine).

Valencia would end up being substituted with a possible knock, and was later shown on the broadcast with ice taped to his knee. That’s a worry for Ecuador going forward, but their biggest worry on this night came on an 85th minute chance from Mohammed Muntari. The substitute’s shot following a ball over the top seemed to catch Hernán Galíndez napping in the Ecuador goal, but zipped mercifully over the crossbar.

For Ecuador, a confident 2-0 win was exactly what they need to compete in a difficult group. The Netherlands and Senegal face off on Monday, and Ecuador will have a very tough time on their hands with both of those sides. Anything less than three points in their opener would have left them behind the eight ball.

Things couldn’t have gone much worse for Qatar. They finished without a single shot on goal (something no host has done since 1994), and spent the entire first half looking woefully unprepared for the pressure of the World Cup stage.

A vast improvement will be needed if they’re to have any chance of getting a result against Senegal, which will likely be necessary if they’re to get to the final group stage games with any chance of advancing.

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Why was Ecuador’s World Cup opener vs. Qatar ruled out?

It took all of three minutes for the World Cup to get weird

An unusual offside call delayed the opening goal of the World Cup, as Ecuador’s third-minute opening goal against Qatar was called back.

A Pervis Estupiñán free kick from near midfield drew Qatar goalkeeper Saad Al-Sheeb off his line for an attempted punch, but Félix Torres got his head to the service first. Chaos ensued, with the ball bouncing amid hesitant players from both sides. Al-Sheeb retreated to his line, while Michael Estrada kept the play alive with a second header.

That guided the ball towards Torres, who went for an acrobatic volley. Torres didn’t get good contact on the ball, but he did enough to float it to the back post for Enner Valencia to easily head home from four yards out.

It would have been the fastest-ever opening goal in a World Cup, but over a minute after the ball crossed the line, referee Daniele Orsato signaled that the semi-automated VAR system was chalking the goal off.

What happened?

Initially, it seemed that the issue was Valencia’s positioning when the free kick came in. Qatar’s abysmal marking left the Fenerbahçe veteran wide open, but one brief replay made it look like Valencia might have been ahead of the ball when Torres beat Al-Sheeb to the initial service.

Boualem Khoukhi was clearly between Valencia and the goal, and while it looked like Almoez Ali was level with the Ecuadorian marksman, the early signs pointed to the call going against Valencia anyway.

It’s not very common for the two players between an attacker and the goal to not include a goalkeeper, but it can happen in situations like this. Between the potential for that being the issue, and a lack of initial information from the broadcast — which was not helped by the frantic first few minutes of the match — plenty of viewers worldwide were at a loss.

It was only a few minutes later that the audience found out that the call was actually against Estrada. As part of that aforementioned semi-automated VAR system, FIFA produced a computer-generated image highlighting that Estrada’s right leg was — just barely — offside as Torres and Al-Sheeb collided when the free kick initially came in.

It’s a call that was not obvious in real time, or even from most replay angles. Estrada was obscured by the collision between Al-Sheeb, Torres, and Qatar defender Ró-Ró. All eyes were understandably on Valencia, who was almost impossibly open.

Ultimately, the whole episode only served as a delay for Ecuador. Valencia would get on the scoresheet in the 16th minute, calmly converting a 16th minute penalty kick, and then heading a cross into the bottom corner in the 31st minute that survived a VAR check.

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VAR wipes off Ecuador goal in the World Cup opener on the closest offside call

It legitimately does not get any closer than this.

The 2022 World Cup is underway in Qatar, with the host nation facing Ecuador in Group A action. Things got off to a hectic start as the visitors seemingly scored a goal just five minutes into the game. But after a VAR — or Video Assistant Referee — review, the goal was wiped off for being offside.

At first glance, this seemed impossible with a plethora of Qatari defenders in the box. Per Law 11 of FIFA’s Laws of the Game, “A player is in an offside position if he (any part of the head, feet or body) is closer to the opponent’s goal line than the second to last defender and the ball – and he is in the opponent’s half of the field.”

This might be the closest call you’ll ever see.

Many viewers were stunned by the overturn, but Ecuador got the goal back with a penalty kick from Enner Valencia at the 16 minute mark. Valencia added another 15 minutes later to give Ecuador a 2-0 lead in the first half.