Sports

CARDIFF — Real Madrid ended a 12-year wait for a 10th European Cup win in May but it would be no surprise if their next title arrives just 12 months later based on their performance in the 2-0 victory over Sevilla in the European Super Cup on Tuesday.

Carlo Ancelotti’s expensively assembled team dominated the lively annual European club season curtain-raiser against the Europa League winners in Cardiff and could easily have won by more than the two excellent goals scored by Cristiano Ronaldo.

With the Spanish League season starting on the weekend of
August 23-24, Ancelotti’s players have more than a week to hone their fitness and skill levels, to pose even more of a threat to both their domestic and European rivals.

Real go into the new season with an even stronger squad than the one that finished the last campaign when they won the Champions League and King’s Cup but finished third behind Atletico Madrid and Barcelona in La Liga.

The squad has been bolstered by the arrivals of Toni Kroos from Bayern Munich, James Rodriguez from AS Monaco and goalkeeper Kayler Navas from Levante, an exciting trio of players who all shone at the World Cup.

In total, Ancelotti has around $840 million worth of talent at his disposal and perhaps one of his main tasks this coming season, as well as winning as many matches as possible, is to keep such an array of star players happy.

Ancelotti, however, seems totally at ease with the kind of problem that would cause plenty of headaches for most managers.

“It will be impossible for anyone to play in the 65 matches ahead of us,” the Italian said.

“It doesn’t work like that. Xabi Alonso, for example, suspended from tonight’s match, is a very important player for us and he will play his matches, even though we have Toni Kroos in midfield and all the others.

“We are capable of playing at a very high level this season, every player has a role to play.”

Among those with a key role is Gareth Bale, who along with Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Rodriguez formed part of a front four against Sevilla that cost around $453 million — the most expensive attacking quartet ever assembled.

Returning son

Bale had a night to remember by playing his first club match in his home city since October 2006 when he was in a Southampton side that lost 1-0 to Cardiff City at the now-demolished Ninian Park in a Championship match.

Since then, as well as becoming the world’s most expensive player, Bale has also won the Champions League with Real, scoring the vital second goal in their 4-1 extra-time victory over Atletico in Lisbon in May.

“It was a really special night being back in my home town,” Bale told reporters. “It was great to be part of the team that won the Super Cup, it was quite surreal being back in Cardiff with Real, but the Welsh fans were brilliant, we played well and we deserved to win.”

Bale also provided a truly stupendous cross-field pass for Ronaldo’s opening goal after 30 minutes, and came close to scoring himself with almost the last kick of the game when Sevilla keeper Beto did well to save his powerful angled shot.

Ronaldo found the net for a second time four minutes into the second half with a left-footed strike that his Portugese international teammate got a hand to, but could not stop.

Bale said before the match he was pleased to no longer be “the new kid on the block” at Real following the arrival of Kroos, Rodriguez and Navas.

The goalkeeper sat out the game but Ancelotti was delighted with the way Kroos and Rodriguez played on their official debuts for the side.

“It is still early days but Kroos played very well tonight, it was tougher for James but he played his part too.”

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) delegation celebrated International Youth Day on Tuesday upon their arrival in Nanjing for the 2014 Youth Olympic Games, according to a statement from the JOC. There were smiles all round from the JOC delegation who celebrated International Youth Day at the Youth Olympic Village with some of the 18,000 international volunteers who are helping out at the Games which begin on Saturday. The six athletes, who are competing in swimming, taekwondo, gymnastics and fencing, signed autographs for fans and chatted with the volunteers to learn about the city and share stories about Jordan. “It was particularly appropriate to be celebrating the achievements of the world’s youth as we arrived in Nanjing for the second Summer Youth Olympic Games. We are confident that our young athletes will continue to inspire Jordanians back home both today [Tuesday], on International Youth Day, and throughout the Games. The warm welcome we received from the Nanjing volunteers was fantastic and made our athletes feel very much at home,” Lana Al Jaghbeer, JOC secretary general, was quoted in the statement as saying.  With health concerns and the dangers of young people falling into anti-social behaviour high on the agenda in Jordan, the JOC is tackling these issues via Living Sport, a national sport and healthy living engagement campaign. The Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games will provide an exciting opportunity for some of Jordan’s most promising young athletes to compete on the international stage and demonstrate the Living Sport vision: for sport and healthy living to play a role in the lives of all Jordanians.

LONDON — Luis Suarez damaged the reputation of English football with his serial offending and his departure to the Spanish league is not being mourned, the head of the Premier League said on Wednesday.

“He’s done his time here... I can’t say I’m sorry to see him go,” was the frank assessment of Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the world’s most lucrative league, about one of the best players to have played in England’s top division.

Liverpool sold Suarez to Barcelona for $130 million in July, soon after the player was given a four-month worldwide ban for biting an opponent at the World Cup.

The Uruguay international previously served two long suspensions for the same offence, once in the Premier League after biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in April 2013, and was banned in 2011 for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra during a league match.

“He’s a great player and I’m not taking anything away from his talents — he was voted by both his own players and the media last year the player of the year and deservedly so,” Scudamore said of the Premier League’s top scorer last season.

“He’s great to have but an accident waiting to happen, and if you spend your time trying to promote what’s good about the Premier League, you’re always waiting for the next thing to come along.”

Scudamore said the latest biting incident involving Suarez, which happened during Uruguay’s World Cup group game against Italy, “clearly reflected on Liverpool as one of our great clubs. And it reflected on us [the Premier League].”

Suarez’s departure to La Liga, however, leaves English football without its best player from last season. The same happened the previous summer, when Gareth Bale joined Real Madrid from Tottenham for a world-record fee of 100 million euros (then $132 million).

In Bale, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and now Suarez, and new Madrid signings James Rodriguez and Toni Kroos, Spain undoubtedly has most of the world’s best players in its league.

But Scudamore says the competitiveness of the Premier League as a whole makes it stand out globally.

“That to me is more important in many ways, that the matches are competitive,” said Scudamore, speaking at the Premier League’s season launch. “We’ve got enough stars, and we don’t need absolutely every world megastar name to make this a successful league.

“There are more teams being talked about as able to win our title than you’ll ever hear discussed in Spain. That makes us more interesting around the world. We have a much bigger global appeal than they do currently.”

LONDON — Perhaps only Jose Mourinho could survive as Chelsea manager following a trophyless season. Surely another year of failure would stretch the patience of owner Roman Abramovich again.

When his six years in exile from Stamford Bridge ended last year, Mourinho could reasonably claim that time was required to rebuild the squad he inherited from the years of chaotic management.

Still, finishing just four points behind Manchester City in the title race showed that Chelsea was far from being a spent force. Unexpected setbacks against lower-ranking sides denied Mourinho a third Premier League success to add to the 2005 and 2006 titles, with an envied 78-match unbeaten league run at Stamford Bridge ending.

A more clinical strike force was necessary. Diego Costa signed from Spanish champion Atletico Madrid — the Spaniard’s inability to score at the World Cup overlooked by Mourinho — and 36-year-old Didier Drogba rejoined two years after clinching the Champions League for Chelsea.

“Didier’s still the same. He’s been a nightmare to play against in training,” Chelsea captain John Terry said. “He’s still physically strong, sharp and hungry as well.”

Spain striker Fernando Torres has survived at Chelsea despite more than three years or inconsistency and contributing just five league goals last season. But Romelu Lukaku was allowed to make his loan to Everton permanent despite confirming his goal scoring prowess with 15 in the last league campaign.

It would have been hard to turn down the $47 million on offer from Everton for the Belgium striker who could never convince Mourinho of his worth on the pitch. With $66 million also banked from offloading out-of-favour David Luiz to Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea has demonstrated a shrewd ability to work the transfer market to comply with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

At the same time, two well-paid members of the old guard have been allowed to leave in their 30s: left back Ashley Cole to Roma and record-scorer Frank Lampard to New York City FC, via a loan spell at Manchester City.

Cole was replaced with another addition from Atletico, Filipe Luis, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been recalled from a three-year loan at the Spanish capital club to challenge Petr Cech for the No. 1 jersey.

Drogba wasn’t the only crowd-pleasing addition to the squad as former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas was convinced to join Chelsea from Barcelona.

“The club is evolving. One day we’ll all be gone,” Terry said. “It’s time for these players to continue to keep winning trophies for this club and keep the fans and owner happy.”

And Mourinho, who called his team “little horses” and complained about the lack of “killer” striker last season, seems satisfied for now.

“We got exactly what we need and what we want,” Mourinho said preparing for his second season of a four-year contract. “The squad is one which I like very much and I look forward to starting the season.”

AMMAN — His Royal Highness Prince Hassan, president of the Higher Council for Self-Defence Sports, on Tuesday congratulated the Jordan Karate Federation for its achievements in the 14th Asian Cadet, Junior & U-21 Karate Championships 2014, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

In a cable, the prince expressed his pride in the Jordanian team which ranked 5th. Players Abdul Rahman Masaftah and Nabil Shweiki each won a gold medal while Ali Habashneh won a silver medal and Rifat Abdullah won a bronze medal.

AMMAN — Jordan’s women’s football team has started a week-long training camp in Germany where they are set to play a series of friendlies starting Wednesday in preparation for Group A Asian Championship qualifiers which will be held in Amman in November.

Jordan will face India, Lebanon and Uzbekistan.

The squad hopes to qualify to the finals for the second time after Jordan was the first Arab team to qualify to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-19 Women’s Championship finals in 2007. 

The team held a camp in Alexandria in July where they played one match and also played the senior squad that is also preparing for the Asian Games competition. 

The men’s Olympic football team is also preparing for the Asian Games qualifiers as well as the 2016 Olympic qualifiers set for March 2015. 

As clubs who had promised to cooperate and release players have not stuck to their agreements, Wihdat Chairman and Football Association competitions committee head Tareq Khoury noted many officials had advised against competing in the Asian Games with the team’s current status.

Coach Jamal Abu Abed has tried his best to prepare the line-up which finished second at the Palestine International Championship. They are now set to play the Uzbek team in Amman on August 30.

Earlier this year, the team hosted the England C squad in a historic match, losing 1-0. The team held Iran 2-2 and 1-1, held Kuwait 1-1 twice and Qatar 0-0. 

The women’s football teams have a full agenda this year. Earlier this season, the senior squad had a tough time at their first Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s 2014 Asian Cup in Vietnam where the Kingdom was the only Arab team to have ever qualified to the premier women’s football competition in the AFC region, and was one of eight qualifying teams.

Jordan lost to world champs Japan 7-0 after losing to Australia and hosts Vietnam 3-1 in Group A. The top two teams from each group and the best third-placed team qualified to the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada.

This year, Jordan regained the West Asian Football Championship title with an unbeaten streak. With Iran, Lebanon as well as two-time champs and titleholders UAE missing the event, Jordan beat Bahrain 5-0, Qatar 7-0 and Palestine 10-0.

Jordan, now 52nd in FIFA rankings and the 12th ranked Asian team and the best Arab team on the list, had won the West Asian title twice in 2005 and 2007, but lost the title in 2010 and 2012 to the UAE.

On the other hand, the U-16 team will play in Group B Asian Championship qualifiers in Bangladesh in October that includes Bangladesh, Iran, India, the UAE and Qatar. 

In 2013, the girls’ U-16 squad was eliminated from the AFC finals after qualifying for the first time, while the U-14 girls team retained the U-14 West Asian Championship title after an unbeaten streak that saw them beat Bahrain 4-0, Qatar 7-0, Palestine 5-0 the UAE 3-0.

Jordan will host the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup and is now gearing up to implement executive plans to prepare four stadiums as well as 16 practice fields. Jordan beat bids from Uruguay, South Africa, Ireland and Bahrain.

LIVERPOOL — Liverpool’s players oozed confidence in the post-Luis Suarez era as they began their final countdown to the start of the Premier League season.

England midfielder Jordan Henderson and defenders Martin Skrtel and Dejan Lovren, of Slovakia and Croatia respectively, all said they had completed an excellent pre-season preparation with Sunday’s 4-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund.

Each told Liverpool’s website of their happiness ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Southampton at Anfield — and without a mention of last season’s controversial top-scoring striker, who joined Barcelona in July for a reported 81 million euros ($108.40 million).

Suarez scored 31 goals for Liverpool to help them finish as runners-up in the Premier League, but was sold after being banned for four months for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini while playing for Uruguay at the World Cup finals.

“It was a good way to end pre-season and get ready for next week,” Henderson said on Monday. “Everybody is happy and hopefully we can continue that going into the game against Southampton.

“Most of our games in pre-season have been against top opposition, Champions League teams. Now we’re ready for the real test next week. We’re improving all the time. We continue to work hard and work on different things.

“We’ve got a young team that is developing very well and we’ve got a lot of experience despite being so young. Hopefully that will stand us in good stead for the season.”

Ironically, three of manager Brendan Rodgers’ new recruits will be in line to make their Liverpool debuts against their former club, Lovren having joined England striker Rickie Lambert and England midfielder Adam Lallana at Anfield.

“Lovren had a great season with Southampton and I am really happy that he is with us,” said defender Skrtel. “We all need competition because that is what keeps you motivated.

“He will make us stronger, so I really welcome his arrival — and it will only make me work harder. Liverpool is not only about 11 players. We will have many games this season, so every player will be important.”

Lovren, who scored with a typically powerful header and commanded the Liverpool defence with authority on Sunday, said his maiden outing for his new club had been “amazing”.

“We’re talking about Dortmund, who are in the Champions League every year and first or second in the German league,” he said. “They are a quality team. We showed a quality style of football, with four goals and a clean sheet.

“It was amazing for us. We played very well and it was a good start for me also because I haven’t had a long time with the team but I feel like I’ve been here for a month already.”

Lovren added that he felt he had settled in quickly thanks to the similarity in style between Southampton and Liverpool.

“The coach [Rodgers] has a similar style to what I had before at Southampton, so it was much easier for me to adapt here,” he said. “I’m really glad about that.”

FRANKFURT — Germany striker Miroslav Klose, who capped a record-breaking career with the national team by winning the World Cup last month, has retired from international football.

Poland-born Klose, who scored twice in the tournament in Brazil to become the competition’s record goal scorer of all time with 16 goals, said on Monday the time was right to end a 13-year career with the German national team.

The forward is the second member of Germany’s World Cup winning team to quit after the tournament following captain Philipp Lahm last month.

“Winning the title in Brazil was a childhood dream come true,” the 36-year-old Lazio striker said in a statement released by the German football Association.

“I am happy and proud to have contributed to this big success for German football. For me there could be no better moment to complete the national team chapter.”

Germany’s second most-capped player behind Lothar Matthaeus made the first of his 137 international appearances in 2001 and went on to become the top German scorer of all time with 71 international goals.

He broke Gerd Mueller’s 40-year-old record of 68 goals in June.

Record scorer

Germany’s only out-and-out striker in the World Cup squad, Klose was initially benched in the tournament but earned back his starting spot and scored once against Ghana in the group stage and then again in their 7-1 semifinal demolition of hosts Brazil in the semifinal.

The latter goal also meant he overtook former Brazil striker Ronaldo on the World Cup scorers list.

“When I met up with Miro last week he told me he had thought long about it and talked to his family,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said. “I immediately sensed that his decision was irreversible and that I cannot convince him otherwise.

“You can always count on Miro to keep his word and that was the case in Brazil as well. I have a lot of respect for Miro’s decision as well as for his unbelievable national team career that is all but impossible to trump.

“As player and a human being, we will be missing Miro and I am happy and grateful to have been allowed to work with Miroslav Klose.”

Tall and strong in the air, Klose is known for his superb timing and leaping ability and has been consistently efficient in front of goal, helping Germany reach two finals and two
semifinals in his four World Cup participations.

A lethal finisher, Klose was a relatively late starter for Germany after playing no role in any of the country’s national youth squads.

He then went on to play in four World Cups starting in 2002 and also competed in three European Championships.

Klose and Lahm will be honoured before Germany’s friendly game against World Cup finalists Argentina on September 3 but neither will feature in that game as per their own requests, DFB president Wolfgang Niersbach said.

“Miro is not only an outstanding player but as man he is an absolute role model,” Niersbach said. “In all the years he always remained modest and with his feet on the ground.

“We will stage a proper farewell for him and Philipp Lahm in Duesseldorf and we will respect their wish which has been agreed with Loew that they not play against Argentina.”

LONDON — Manchester City’s French midfielder Samir Nasri has decided to quit international football over a breakdown in his relationship with national coach Didier Deschamps and the French media.

The 27-year-old playmaker won the Premier League last season with City but was left out of the France squad for this year’s World Cup in Brazil, where the side reached the quarter-finals.

Deschamps later filed a legal complaint for ‘public insult’ against Nasri’s girlfriend, Anara Atanes, for messages she posted on Twitter after the player was omitted from the France squad.

“Let’s face it, as long as he [Deschamps] is going to be the manager I don’t think I have a shot after everything that has happened,” Nasri told reporters before Sunday’s Community Shield against his former club Arsenal.

“I will only be 29 in 2016 for the European Championships [hosted by France] but the French national team doesn’t make me happy. Every time I go there, there is just more trouble.

“I face accusations about me and my family suffers from it and I don’t want to make them suffer, so it’s better to stop it and focus on my club career.”

Nasri, who has been capped 41 times, has a reputation as a troublemaker and was banned for three matches after launching a foul-mouthed tirade at a reporter following France’s quarter-final defeat by Spain at Euro 2012.

The player also missed the 2010 World Cup when former coach Raymond Domenech left him out of the squad.

Nasri said Deschamps was not the only factor that drove him towards taking a decision to quit playing for France.

“He did what he thought was best for his team. I understand his choice, it is not something about him, I don’t have any problem with him. It’s just everything,” Nasri added.

“It is not him who talks in the press, it is the press who say things about me and the players as well.”

“Before this World Cup, they were saying that some players complain [about him]. Why do you want me to be in the group with some players who can’t even be true in front of me and tell me that they have a problem?”

“I don’t want to be there. I am not happy. I don’t want to go there any more.”

LOUISVILLE, Kentucky — Tiger Woods is no longer being compared with Jack Nicklaus.

Now the reference is to the great Willie Mays falling down in centre field trying to catch a fly ball. Or to Joe Louis entering the ring one time too many — and leaving it through the ropes after getting knocked out by Rocky Marciano.

Those were sad moments in sports.

As bad as Woods looked over two days at the PGA Championship, it would be premature to say this was another one.

But it sure looked that way.

Really, was it any worse than three years ago at the PGA Championship?

Woods missed two majors in the summer of 2011 to let his leg injuries heal, the ones that caused him to withdraw after nine holes and a 42 at The Players Championship. He returned to finish 18 shots out of the lead at Firestone and then missed the cut at the PGA Championship by six shots.

He was 35. Now he’s 38.

It had been three years since he last won a major. Now it’s six.

He had played only one event heading into the final major of the year in 2011, never shot worse than 72 and tied for 37th.

This time, Woods was returning from back surgery that kept him out of the Masters and US Open. He had three starts before the final major — including the British Open. He missed the cut by four shots, had his worst 72-hole finish in a major and withdrew from the final round at Firestone with a different back injury. And then he waited until the last day to show up at Valhalla, played nine holes of practice and couldn’t beat five club pros.

Woods said he was pain-free after playing nine holes Wednesday. He said his back was a little stiff after a 74 on Thursday. And he said his back “went out on me” on the range and “I just had to play through it” on his way to another 74.

“I didn’t really notice that,” Phil Mickelson said when asked about Woods’ injury. “I just noticed that really on the greens the ball wasn’t going in the hole.”

Ouch.

The trouble assessing injuries is that only the athlete knows how bad it hurts. It’s even more complicated when the athlete — Woods — isn’t forthcoming about it.

Is this the end? Not yet.

But it most likely is the end of Woods as golf once knew him. The end of a guy who once won seven out of 11 majors, and who got to 79 wins on the PGA Tour more quickly than anyone in history.

Woods always talked about his pursuit of Nicklaus and the record 18 professional majors as a marathon. He’s approaching Heartbreak Hill with four knee surgeries and back problems that keep cropping up.

Golf is the one sport you can play forever, which makes it the toughest sport from which to retire.

That might be Woods’ next big challenge.

Nine years ago in the parking lot at Doral, as Woods was about to embark on his next great run in the majors, he said he wouldn’t be on tour forever.

“I’ll definitely quit the game earlier than people think,” Woods said. “The only reason I would play the occasional tournament [is] if my son is good enough to be out there, and he chooses to play.”

This was four years before his son was born.

“When my best isn’t good enough to win anymore, I’m walking,” Woods said. “I’ve won tournaments when I wasn’t playing my best. If I play my best and don’t win, there’s no reason to be out here.”

They all say that. But how do they really know?

Football players lose a step. A great hitter doesn’t see the ball quite as well.

Golfers don’t make as many putts.

“You’ll know when I’m not able to produce any more,” Woods said that day. “I don’t lie. When I play well, I tell you guys. When I haven’t played well, I’ll tell you.”

All he could say Friday afternoon at Valhalla was, “I tried as hard as I could. That’s all I’ve got.”

He is four PGA Tour wins away from breaking the record of Sam Snead (82). He is five majors away from breaking the major championship record by Nicklaus (18). Woods has been stuck on 14 majors since 2008 at the US Open.

Woods did win five times last year before back trouble began to take its toll. Don’t give up on him just yet. But each year he gets older, and someone new comes along. Rory McIlroy played his first pro event in America the same week Woods returned from reconstructive knee surgery. Jordan Spieth showed up in a big way last year.

It’s not getting any easier.

The plan for Woods was to spend his time off getting stronger in his core muscles. Woods talks about not burning the candle at both ends — working in the gym and working at golf. His biggest rival now might be time. Either way, the wax is melting.