Sports

ZURICH — For the third time, Cristiano Ronaldo was voted the world’s best football player. He hopes it also brought him closer to being remembered as one of the greatest of all time.

Ronaldo won the FIFA Ballon d’Or in a rout on Monday, racking up more than twice the votes of Lionel Messi, who edged German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer into third.

The Real Madrid and Portugal forward’s latest hat trick tied him with Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo of Brazil on three FIFA awards. The original Ballon d’Or presented by France Football magazine was won by European standouts Johan Cruyff, Michel Platini and Marco van Basten three times each.

Only Messi’s four FIFA awards is ahead of the 29-year-old Ronaldo, whose Madrid team again seems better placed for trophies in 2015 than his rival’s Barcelona.

“I want to become one of the greatest players of all time,” Ronaldo said through a translator in his acceptance speech. “Of course, this requires a lot of effort and I hope to get there.”

Ronaldo retained football’s highest individual honour after scoring 61 goals last year. His record tally of 17 in a Champions League season helped Madrid win an unprecedented 10th European Cup title — and overshadowed a relatively disappointing World Cup campaign.

He has kept up the pace since FIFA’s voting college — national team captains and coaches, plus selected journalists, in more than 180 countries took part — cast ballots in November.

Ronaldo helped Madrid take the Club World Cup title last month to cap a Spanish-record 22-match winning streak.

“It’s a fantastic moment in my career,” Ronaldo said after the FIFA ceremony. “I want to carry on with more titles in my career, collective and individual.”

He won his first FIFA award in 2008 as a Manchester United player and on Monday cited his mentor there, Alex Ferguson, as an inspiration.

“He would say, ‘Cristiano, you are the best, don’t worry about the rest.’ He’s fantastic. I miss him,” Ronaldo said.

One year ago, Ronaldo was in tears of joy and relief at ending Messi’s four-year hold on football’s highest individual honour.

He was a much more composed winner on Monday.

On hearing his name read by French great Thierry Henry, Ronaldo closed his eyes, dipped his head and smiled before walking to the stage.

“It has been an unforgettable year,” Ronaldo, who now has a statute in his home island Madeira, said after taking a deep breath.

In what has become a Ballon d’Or tradition, Portugal captain Ronaldo did not pick Messi in his top three and Argentina captain Messi ignored Ronaldo on his ballot. Neither selected Neuer.

Ronaldo received 37.66 per cent of total voting points in a 23-candidate ballot. Messi got 15.76 per cent and Neuer 15.72 per cent.

Germany won the other three major individual awards to compensate for Neuer’s defeat.

World Cup-winning coach Joachim Loew beat Ancelotti and Diego Simeone of Spanish champion Atletico Madrid for the men’s coaching award.

Germany midfielder Nadine Kessler beat two former winners — Marta of Brazil and United States forward Abby Wambach — to be named the best women’s player in 2014. Kessler received 17.52 per cent of all voting points, Marta got 14.16 per cent and Wambach 13.33 per cent.

A German man also won the coaching award for women’s football: Ralf Kellermann was rewarded for leading a Wolfsburg team including Kessler to back-to-back UEFA Champions League titles. The shortlist included Japan coach Norio Sasaki and Maren Meinert, who guided Germany to win the Women’s Under-20 World Cup.

Women’s football also lost to the men in fan voting for the most beautiful goal, known as the Puskas Award.

James Rodriguez’s volley for Colombia against Uruguay at the World Cup beat Ireland forward Stephanie Roche’s spectacular strike for Peamount United in an amateur domestic league match in October 2013. In third place was Netherlands forward Robin van Persie’s header against Spain.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter gave his annual award to 90-year-old Japanese journalist Hiroshi Kagawa, who worked at his 10th World Cup in Brazil. The Fair Play award went to FIFA tournament volunteer workers.

AMMAN — Jordan’s most decorated sportswoman made history by winning the first, and still the only, Jordanian gold at an Olympic or Paralympic Games and yet Maha Bargouthi astonishingly says that people still show her sympathy on a regular basis due to her life in a wheelchair, according to a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service.

“Throughout my career I have always campaigned for people with disabilities but unfortunately it has not been easy,” Bargouthi was quoted as saying in the statement. “Despite everything that I have achieved, I still receive sympathy from people! I don’t see myself as disabled at all. I want to achieve and win more medals. I don’t want sympathy!”

Her story continues to inspire.

At 51, Maha is preparing to qualify for yet another Paralympics next year in Rio de Janeiro. She is ranked second in the world for her table tennis class and believes she can rediscover the form that clinched gold at the Sydney Games in 2000.

But despite her very public achievements, she concedes that the battle to change the public’s perception of disability sports will continue long after she retires following Rio.

“I keep telling other people in the same position as me ‘don’t stay at home’ and ‘overcome your problems by showing the country what you can do’. It is getting better. There are more opportunities in Jordan and the Paralympics has been important. However, there is a long, long way to go,” Bargouthi said.

Jordan boasts an impressive Paralympic movement consisting of world champions, world record holders and, of course, Bargouthi. A record delegation is expected to travel to Rio in 2016.

“Spending time in her company is enriching. Her smile is contagious and her passion for sport and her country is unrivalled. Her talk is not about wanting better facilities or more money, it is about encouraging others to be better people and to achieve. Something that is sadly lost in modern sport,” David Williams, marketing and communications director at the Jordan Olympic Committee, said in the statement.

Bargouthi’s competitive story stretches back three decades when she started as both a table tennis player and then a wheelchair racer. Incredibly, she smashed the 200m wheelchair race world record at the World Championships in 1995 in Germany. A star was born.

But Bargouthi decided to focus solely on table tennis in 1997 and set her sights on the Sydney Games. What a decision that turned out to be.

“In the build up to Sydney I won three golds at the Pan Arab Games in Amman so I knew I was hitting some form,” she recalled. “But Sydney was something else. To win gold and watch as Jordan’s flag was raised because of me was the highlight of my life. I still dream of that moment.”

So, for now, it is all about the road to Rio where Bargouthi’s incredible sporting journey will come to an end. But while we may be seeing the end of her sporting career, something tells us that we will be seeing a lot more of her as an iconic figure for disability issues in Jordan.

AMMAN — Jordanian endurance athlete Abdel Aziz Al Shuaibi won a brilliant silver in the Arab category, and placed fifth overall at the Afro-Arab Duathlon Championships held in Luxor, Egypt, according to a statement from the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. The race consisted of a 5km run, 20km cycle and a second 5km run to finish with Shuaibi finishing just 1.1 second behind Tunisia’s Wajdi Hamourani. The overall race, which featured some of the finest duathletes from across the world, was won by Ukraine’s Martinio Yogor. Points from this event go towards the overall qualification mark to the World Championships that will be held at the end of this year in Australia.

AMMAN — Jordan’s national team failed to win its first match at the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2015 Asian Cup when it went down 1-0 to Iraq at Brisbane Stadium on Monday.

Iraq possessed the ball more as both teams looked for scoring chances. Jordan’s Odai Al Saify and Mohammad Mustafa missed two chances to score before Iraq’s Yaser Qasim scored in the 77th minute.

Jordan was reduced to 10 men after Anas Bani Yasin got his second booking. With Japan being the clear contender to lead the group and possibly win the Cup, the defeat was a big drawback for Jordan, who will next play Palestine on January 16. 

Jordan’s hopes of taking the second qualifying spot from the group rested upon winning the opening match against 2011 champs Iraq.

Jordan coach Ray Wilkins said he was disappointed not to at least get a draw.

“I felt during the game we were more than equal, more than worthy of earning a point,” Wilkins told The Associated Press. “My team at the moment are very disappointed and down. It’s my job to pick them up and get started again.”

Wilkins knows he needs to work on the finishing.

“That’s the slight problem we’ve been having, is the last third of the pitch,” he said. “We’ve put teams under difficulty when we’ve attacked, but we need a little bit of luck to go our way. We need it to go off someone’s backside and fly in the net. That will kick-start I’m sure a good period for us.”

In the other Group D match, four time titleholders Japan beat first time qualifiers Palestine 4-0. 

The Palestinians, who qualified by winning the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives last year, got an early taste of competition in Asia’s top flight.

Japan needed only eight minutes to score its first goal as Endo’s long-range strike beat Palestine captain and goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh’s dive.

“Endo’s early goal was great,” Okazaki, was voted player of the match, told The Associated Press. “It gave the team great momentum. We played well, however, we could have been better.

“We are not satisfied with four goals we should have scored more.”

The event, which kicked off in Australia on January 9, has a total of nine Arab teams among 16 playing in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle.

Teams include:

Group A: Australia, South Korea, Oman and Kuwait.

Group B: Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea.

Group C: Iran, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

In the latest FIFA World Rankings, Jordan dropped 12 spots to 93rd. Other group ranks are: Japan (54), Iraq (114) and Palestine (115).

Since first taking part in Asian Cup qualifiers in 1971, this is Jordan’s third time at the Asian Cup finals — twice reaching the quarter-finals in 2004 and 2011.

Group D standings

Little is expected from outsiders Palestine on their Asian Cup debut, but that doesn’t mean they will be treating their stay in Australia like a holiday.

The AFC Challenge Cup winners, ranked 115th in the world by FIFA, open their Group D campaign on Monday with the trickiest of tasks against holders Japan but are determined to put on a show in Asia’s biggest tournament.

“We have come here to say to all the people that there’s a country called Palestine, and we will represent the Palestinian people here,” goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh told reporters on Sunday.

“We have come to Australia for the first time and we are the only team at this tournament that is under occupation. We are proud to be here.”

“Many people are saying that we are tourists in this competition. But we have come here to fight and to get to the second round. Nothing is impossible in football and anything can happen on the pitch.”

Palestine’s hopes of points in Australia have been hindered by numerous challenges.

Travel at home is one of the biggest issues, with movement heavily restricted in Palestine, locked in a bloody conflict with Israel for decades.

Defender Haytham Theeb is one of those who was unable to make the trip Down Under.

Head coach Ahmed Al Hassan, who stepped in after AFC Challenge Cup winning coach Jamal Mahmoud quit for personal reasons, bemoaned the situation.

“All the players have had a lot of difficulties to make the selection because there are many from Gaza, from the West Bank and also outside Palestine,” the former goalkeeper explained. “It’s difficult to gather them in the same place.

“We always have to gather outside Palestine, so this situation is different than for any other team in the world.

“There are a lot of players outside Palestine. They have no opportunity to go inside Palestine and it’s very difficult for us. We gather all the players outside and that’s a negative point for us, but we fight to always be together like a team.”

Al Hassan was hoping that fighting spirit, and the element of surprise, could result in a shock for Japan before they round of their Group D campaign against West Asian rivals Jordan and Iraq.

“Japan don’t know anything about my team because we are new in this competition. Only in the AFC Challenge Cup they saw us, but that’s not enough,” the coach said.

“I’m sure, they know my team will fight and play with spirit against them tomorrow. There are secrets in football, but I have a strategy to show ourselves at a good level.”

MELBOURNE, Australia — Tournament favourite Iran downed a spirited Bahrain 2-0 and the United Arab Emirates trounced Qatar 4-1 in the opening Group C matches of the Asian Cup on Sunday.

Ehsan Hajsafi and Masoud Shojaei scored late in each half to give Iran the win over Bahrain in a contest that started at a frenetic pace with plenty of chances for each side.

Man of the Match Hajsafi finally made the breakthrough for Iran in the second minute of first-half stoppage time when he gathered an attempted clearance from an Andranik Teymourian corner to fire the ball from just outside the area over the Bahrain defence and the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Sayed Mohamed Abbas.

“It was an unbelievable goal in any football stadium in the world,” said Iran coach Carlos Queiroz.

Iran doubled its lead in the 71st minute when Masoud collected a Teymourian cross and guided the ball past the near post.

Iran and the UAE now share the Group C lead with one win each.

Earlier, Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout scored two goals apiece as the UAE took advantage of a series of goalkeeping errors to beat Qatar 4-1 in the Group C opener in Canberra.

The Melbourne match was virtually a home game for the Iranians with most of the 17,700-strong crowd at the Rectangular Stadium made up of chanting Iran fans dressed in the team’s white, red and green.

“Thankfully tonight we performed very well and started our opening night with a victory,” Hajsafi said. “I am personally very glad because all the fans who were in the stadium are happy and that was a good start for us.”

The Bahrainis were determined not to be awed by their higher-ranked opponents and took advantage of every opportunity to threaten the Iran goal.

“Bahrain started the game better than us for the first 10 minutes until we were able to settle down our game,” Queiroz said. “It was necessary to play with full concentration and true fighting spirit to stop the movements of Bahrain.”

“After the first ten minutes I think we controlled the game and we created the best opportunities in the game. We scored and I think we deserved to win,” the Portuguese-born coach added.

Iran had three goals called back for offside, while Reza Ghoochannejhad came close to scoring early in the second half when he forced a scrambling save from Abbas with a slow shot from inside the box towards the left corner of the goal.

Bahrain’s best chance of the second half came when Teymourian was called for tripping Faouzi Aaish, but Husain Baba Mohamed’s free kick cleared the wall only to be easily saved by Iran’s keeper Alireza Haghighi.

The Iran team is very strong,” Bahrain coach Marjan Eid said. “I would like to thank my players. We lost three points, but my players did a good job and we have some chance in the second and third matches.”

In Canberra, Qatar goalkeeper Qasem Burhan was at least partially responsible for three goals in a blundering opener for the 2014 Gulf Cup champions.

“He made two mistakes but this is football,” said Qatar coach Djamel Belmadi. “In the previous competition, he was the best goalkeeper of the tournament. Today was not his day... but the defenders also did not help him.”

It was Qatar that took the lead midway through the first half. Majed Naser blocked an initial shot from Mohammed Muntari but Khalfan Ibrahim, positioned on the edge of the area, chested the ball down and lobbed it back beautifully over the head of the retreating UAE goalkeeper.

The UAE equalised nine minutes before the break when Qasem spilled a cross and, after a scramble in a crowded area, a defensive goal-line clearance from a Khalil header bounced off the striker’s chest and into the net.

Khalil’s free kick early in the second half deceived Qasem and bounced into the far corner of the Qatari goal.

Khamis Esmaeel’s well-struck free kick was parried by the Qatari goalkeeper into the path of Mabkhout, who scored into an empty net from close range. The striker added another goal in the 89th, ensuring the UAE scored four goals in an Asian Cup game for the first time.

AMMAN — The Premier Basketball League is scheduled to enter a decisive stage on Sunday when Orthodoxi face titleholders Applied Science University (ASU) while Riyadi play Ittihad.

So far in the second round, Orthodoxi are unbeaten after they scored two wins over Riyadi 97-85 and Ittihad 90-82. Ittihad beat ASU 99-91, ASU beat Riyadi 83-64. Riyadi have not won any games.

The top two teams will advance to the best-of-five finals for the title, while the third and fourth will play the best-of-three play-offs for third place.

The top four advanced to the current round after the preliminary stage ended with ASU in the lead, followed by Orthodoxi, Riyadi and Ittihad.

The bottom four are playing a round of their own to decide the two teams to be relegated. They include Jalil and Gazzet Hashem leading Nashama and Awdeh.

The season’s first basketball competition was won by ASU, who beat Ittihad Schools for the Jordan Cup title. The knockout competition saw Ittihad oust Riyadi 78-77 in the semis as ASU ousted Orthodoxi 92-65.

The Jordan Cup has seen Riyadi win in 2002, 2011 and 2012, Fastlink took the title for four consecutive seasons (2003-2006) , Orthodoxi in 2007, Zain in 2008, ASU in 2010,  2013 and 2014.

Observers have pointed out to a regression that negatively affected the basketball scene in the past few years and hope players and fans will return to the courts and help bring the zeal of competition to Jordan’s second most popular sport.

Last season, ASU beat Ittihad to win the Premier Basketball League for the second consecutive and fourth time in their record, while Riyadi won third place after beating Kulieh. Orthodoxi finished fifth.

In 2011, Orthodoxi ended a 10-year drought and won their record 22nd league title when they beat titleholders ASU. 

The league which started in 1952 has had 58 editions with eight teams crowned champion. It was cancelled in three seasons and discontinued once. Orthodoxi have won 22 times, Ahli 21, Zain (Fastlink) six times, ASU four times, Jazira  (Aramex) twice, Urdun, Watany and the Electricity Company once each.

AMMAN  — Jordan’s national team is all set to play Iraq on Monday in the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2015 Asian Cup which opened in Australia on January 9.

Jordan will play in Group D which includes Iraq, Palestine and Japan with four-time titleholders Japan being the clear contender to lead the group and possibly win the Cup, with the second qualifying spot from the group resting upon Jordan’s opening match against 2011 champs Iraq.

In the latest FIFA World Rankings Jordan dropped 12 spots to 93rd. Other group ranks are: Japan (54), Iraq (114) and Palestine (115). 

A total of 16 teams, including nine Arab teams, are set to compete in the Asian Cup this year with matches set to be played in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle.

Teams include, Group A: Australia, South Korea, Oman and Kuwait.

Group B: Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North  Korea.

Group C: Iran, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

Since first taking part in Asian Cup qualifiers in 1971, this will be Jordan’s third time at the Asian Cup finals — twice reaching the quarter-finals in 2004 and 2011.

Jordan played 10 friendlies in preparation for the Asian Cup and failed to win a single match and drew twice. The latest string of results caused further uneasiness for fans and officials alike. 

Under coach Ray Wilkins, Jordan lost six matches and drew once. Jordan lost 1-0 to both Bahrain and the UAE, and 2-1 to Uzbekistan. Earlier they lost 1-0 to both Estonia and South Korea, lost 1-0 and drew 1-1 to Kuwait, held China 1-1, lost 2-0 to Uzbekistan and 3-0 to Columbia. 

For Arab teams, it is Kuwait’s 10th time in the finals. The UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar qualified nine times, Iraq eight times, Bahrain five times and Jordan and Oman three times each. Palestine will take part for the first time. 

In the past 15 finals, Arab teams have won the title five times — Saudi Arabia won three times, Kuwait and Iraq once each.

Jordan Asian Cup record 

Previous appearances in finals: (2) 2004, 2011.

Best performance: Quarter-finals 2004, 2011.

Drawn in Group D with Iraq, Japan and Palestine.

Coach: Ray Wilkins

Former England international and Chelsea, Manchester United and AC Milan midfielder was surprisingly appointed in September.

Key player: Ahmad Hayel. Age: 31. Forward.

Hayel is a talented forward who plays his club football in Kuwait for Al Arabi. He missed the 2011 Asian Cup so will be determined to make up for it in Australia.

He has played over 80 games for Jordan and scored some memorable goals, including a brilliant individual effort in the 2-1 win over Japan in 2014 World Cup qualifying.

FIFA World Rankings December 2014: 81

© Reuters

AMMAN — Jordan’s national team continues training “down under” before heading to Brisbane on Thursday to prepare for the kick off of the 16th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2015 Asian Cup on January 9.

Jordan lost three consecutive friendlies in the past 10 days — 1-0 to Bahrain and the UAE and 2-1 to Uzbekistan — casting much doubt as to the competitive readiness of the Jordanian squad who will play in Group D against Iraq, Palestine and Japan. The defeats were compounded with the injury of star goalie Amer Shafie in the second friendly. 

“We are prepared and hope for some luck as well,” head coach Ray Wilkins said after the Bahrain match. “Of course we were aiming for a win, and we played well, but couldn’t score. We hope to keep fans happy in the official matches,” he added.

Under Wilkins, Jordan lost  six matches and drew one. It clearly has caused some uneasiness for the coach, players, fans and officials alike.

Four-time titleholders Japan is the clear contender to lead the group and possibly win the cup, with the second qualifying spot from the group resting upon Jordan’s opening match against 2011 champs Iraq. 

A total of 16 teams are set to compete in the Asian Cup this year with matches set to be played in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra and Newcastle.

Teams include:

Group A: Australia, South Korea, Oman and Kuwait.

Group B: Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea.

Group C: Iran, the UAE, Qatar and Bahrain.

Since first taking part in Asian Cup qualifiers in 1972, this will be Jordan’s third time at the Asian Cup finals — twice reaching the quarter-finals in 2004 and 2011.

Jordan went up five spots to 81st in the latest FIFA Rankings after dropping 12 places the month before. Jordan last played Estonia and South Korea, losing 1-0 to both teams. Earlier, they hosted Kuwait in two matches, losing 1-0 and tying 1-1. They held China 1-1, and lost to Uzbekistan 2-0 and Columbia 3-0. 

With the expected backing of European body UEFA, Prince Ali’s hopes of becoming the first Asian president of FIFA will rest on his ability to sway support at home in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

UEFA and AFC members will account for 100 votes — almost half of the total — at the May elections in Zurich, where the 39-year-old Jordanian Royal will stand against Jermone Champagne and, barring a shock U-turn, incumbent Sepp Blatter.

Tuesday’s announcement of Ali’s decision to stand followed UEFA President Michel Platini revealing last month that he did not want to back either Blatter or Champagne and hoped another candidate would emerge.

And stepped forward the Frenchman’s close confidant Prince Ali.

The prince, who said he had been encouraged to stand by his FIFA colleagues, will be able to bank on the support of the 54-member associations of a united UEFA, who have been critical of Blatter.

But a successful election will need votes from elsewhere, and Blatter has already been assured of the support of Africa’s 54 members, Confederation of African Football Secretary General Hicham El Amrani said in September.

Asia is the key battle ground.

Despite being the founder and head of the West Asian Football Federation and the AFC’s FIFA vice president, Prince Ali’s stock in his home continent has dropped since taking on the role at the world governing body in 2011.

Prince Ali lost a political power struggle to AFC President Sheikh Salman Bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa last year, with the Bahraini forcing through policy to ensure the head of the organisation took the FIFA seat on the all-powerful executive committee.

The Bahraini came to power in 2013 with a conclusive election victory after being backed by Kuwaiti Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah — the man the prince needs to topple Blatter.

Sheikh Ahmad is the head of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Association of National Olympic Committees, and his support has swayed many a sporting election campaign, with International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach among those who have won votes after the Kuwaiti’s backing.

When Blatter spoke at the AFC’s awards dinner in Manila in December he made a point of reaching out to thank and praise Sheikh Ahmad in his pre-dinner speech rather than Sheikh Salman, who had opened proceedings by reiterating the AFC’s full support for Blatter to stand for a fifth term.

Asian members, and in particular the prince, know Sheikh Ahmad can change that and back him as he has done before.

The Kuwaiti was left grinning from ear to ear following the 2011 AFC congress, where Prince Ali surprisingly toppled powerful South Korean Chung Mong-joon for the FIFA vice presidency seat but their relationship is unclear now following Sheikh Salman’s election in 2013.

Despite the political powerplays at the top, Prince Ali has won plaudits for his four years of vice presidential work, where he has increased the number of countries competing in the AFC Champions League, promoted women’s football in Asia and removed the ban on headscarves in the game.

The Asian Football Development Project, a non-profit youth commission he founded in 2012 to develop football across the poorest areas of the continent, will also have curried favour among some Asian members — and he hopes in all powerful Kuwait.