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LONDON — Tens of thousands of raucous Arsenal fans filled the streets of Islington in north London on Sunday to hail their team's comeback victory in Saturday's FA Cup final.

In warm sunshine under blue skies, on the capital's hottest day of the year, manager Arsene Wenger and his squad laughed, danced and waved during a celebratory open-top bus tour.

Arsenal recovered from two goals down in the opening eight minutes to defeat Hull City 3-2 after extra time at Wembley and lift their first trophy in nine years.

Their previous success came after beating Manchester United 5-4 on penalties in the 2005 final.

"After 8 years, 11 months, 26 days, 38 minutes and 20 seconds... Arsenal win a trophy" declared The Sunday Times, with a Jose Mourinho-esque sense of irony.

Wenger, who said it was the most important win of his career, had signalled that he was also set to stay at the club following the imminent expiry of his contract, but there was no official statement to confirm he will extend his 18 years in charge.

"This trophy is for him," match-winning goalscorer Aaron Ramsey told Sky Sports News. "He's backed us and stood by us and he is so instrumental in the way we play."

Wenger, soaked in champagne and given "the bumps" by his players on Saturday, was once again dressed in his pristine uniform — of white shirt and black trousers — as he smiled for photographs.

His team's success had not only ended the club's second-longest spell without success since 1930, but also answered their critics, including Chelsea boss Mourinho, who had labelled Wenger as a "specialist in failure".

The parade included a pause for the squad to visit Islington Town Hall and pose for photographs with the mayor and staff before continuing to a red and white tickertape reception with thousands of fans at the club's Emirates Stadium.

"The happiness is linked sometimes with the suffering, and the time you have to wait, and that's why it's such a great moment," said Wenger, who has won the FA Cup five times with Arsenal.

LONDON – Awarding the 2022 football World Cup to Qatar was a “mistake” and the tournament will probably have to be held in the winter because of the heat, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

"Of course, it was a mistake. You know, one comes across a lot of mistakes in life," he told Swiss television station RTS in an interview.

"The Qatar technical report indicated clearly that it is too hot in summer, but the executive committee with quite a big majority decided all the same that the tournament would be in Qatar," he added.

Asked whether the World Cup was likely to be held in the European winter, the 78-year-old replied: "It's probable, yes. In fact, it's more than probable."

FIFA later issued a “media advisory” noting that Blatter was in no way questioning whether the tournament would be held in Qatar.

"The comment by the FIFA president concerning the organisation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to Swiss TV station RTS is in line with previous comments on this matter," read the statement.

"As explained in his answer to the journalist, the president reiterated that the decision to organise the World Cup in summer was an “error” based on the technical assessment report of the bid, which had highlighted the extremely hot temperatures in summer in Qatar. At no stage did he question Qatar as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup," the statement concluded.

FIFA launched an investigation last year into alleged corruption surrounding the voting procedure for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.

The choice of Qatar was particularly controversial given that the small Arab nation has little footballing culture and summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40OC).

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said in January that the 2022 World Cup would not be played in the summer months but was likely to be held between November and January.

The football body has said no decision will be taken until after this year's World Cup finals in Brazil with all stakeholders and commercial partners to be consulted.

Blatter was adamant oil and gas-rich Qatar had not “bought” the World Cup, however, and indicated political pressure from France and Germany had played a part.

"I will never say they [Qatar] bought it," he said. 

"We know full well that big French and German companies work in Qatar, but they don't just work for the World Cup. The World Cup is only a small part of what is going on in Qatar."

Asked about his future at the helm of FIFA, Blatter again indicated he would stand for a fifth term in next year's election.

"At the moment I say I want to finish my mandate well. Of course I am willing to continue," he said.

BARCELONA — Atletico Madrid rallied for a dramatic 1-1 draw at Barcelona on Saturday to secure their first Spanish league title in 18 years.

Atletico lost Diego Costa and Arda Turan to injury inside 22 minutes and Barcelona seized control at the Camp Nou in the 34th minute when Alexis Sanchez drove an unstoppable shot into the near corner.

Despite the setback, Atletico emerged from the break determined with Diego Godin heading home a corner in the 49th just after David Villa had hit the post.

Atletico needed to avoid defeat to secure the title and they weathered Barcelona’s pressure in a frantic finish to cap an improbable domestic success.

Atletico’s 10th title meant a club besides Barcelona or Real Madrid were Spanish champion for the first time since Valencia in 2004.

Even the 90,000-strong Camp Nou crowd appeared to appreciate the feat as it rained cheers of “Atleti” down on the players as they celebrated a victory that looked uncertain after they lost two of their best attacking players.

But Godin’s fierce header from Koke’s corner allowed Atletico to finish the 38-game season with 90 points. Barcelona finished second on 87, the same points tally as Real Madrid after they closed the season with a 3-1 win over Espanyol.

“We fought all season long, hanging on against difficult teams and against Real Madrid and Barcelona,” Godin said. “We felt the pressure, a lot of things were going against us. But the coach told us just to be confident and believe in ourselves and the goal would come.”

It was only the third time the championship had been decided by two challengers on the final day, and the first time since 1951. Atletico had done it the first time in 1946.

Atletico contained Lionel Messi for the sixth time this season as the Argentina forward had a second-half goal ruled offside to keep him off the scoresheet.

Not since Espanyol in 1939-40 has a club gone unbeaten in six games in a season against Barcelona, with five of those matches draws and Atletico’s lone victory knocking the Catalans out of the Champions League.

Barcelona finish the season without a major trophy for the first time since 2008.

Madrid will be Atletico’s next challenge as the city rivals face off in the Champions League final on May 24.

AMMAN ––   The men's Olympic team plays Sri Lanka on Saturday in their third match at the Palestine International Championship. Jordan lost to Palestine 1-0 in the opening match, but bounced back to beat Pakistan 1-0 to take third spot for now. Palestine and Pakistan beat Sri Lanka  3-0. The top two teams will play for the title on May 19.

AMMAN   ––  The race for the  Jordan Professional League is nearly over as teams head into Week 20 kicking off on Friday.

Wihdat widened their lead to 6 points this week after a 4-0 drubbing of holders Shabab Urdun. They will next play Hussein Irbid and hope to consolidate their lead and secure the title early on.

Closest rival Faisali let go of their chance to win the title when they are held 0-0 with Jazireh. If they draw or lose in their upcoming match against Sarih,  Wihdat will secure the title.

After a 1-1 draw with Shabab Urdun,  That Ras again drew 2-2 with Baqaa and remain in contention for third place. They will play Arabi  while closest rival Jazira play Shabab Urdun.

Baqaa are also hoping to play for third place and next play Manshieh while Ramtha who were held with Sarih 1-1  play Sheikh Hussein who have been relegated.

Manshieh striker Mohammad Abdul Halim took over the top scorers list with 10 goals followed by Baqaa's Adnan Suleiman and Ramtha's Hamza Dardour with 9 and Shabab Urdun's Issa Sabbah and Sarih's Osama Abu Tuimeh with 8 each.

This week, Jordan Cup holders That Ras ended their participation in the Asian Football Confederation Cup after bowing out of the Round of 16, losing 4-0 to Kuwait's Qadissieh. Shabab Urdun bowed out of the first round.

Both teams had matches postponed due to the their participation in the AFC Cup.

Jordan Cup quarterfinal matches have restarted. Shabab Urdun beat Hussein Irbid 2-0 on Wednesday. That Ras, who held Wihdat 1-1, have their return leg match on May 27 when Shabab Urdun play Hussein.

MADRID –– La Liga is set for one of its most thrilling finishes when Barcelona host leaders Atletico Madrid in a winner-takes-all showdown at the Nou Camp on the final day of the campaign on Saturday.

Only twice in the history of Spain’s top flight has the title been decided with a direct head-to-head clash on the last day and when the calendar was set last year few would have expected Atletico to be competing with vastly wealthier rivals Barca for the championship at this stage.

Real Madrid, the world’s richest club by income ahead of Barca, were in contention until last weekend when they were beaten at Celta Vigo but it is the capital’s second club, who have about a quarter of the resources of the big two, who are close to pulling off a remarkable achievement.

Atletico have not been in contention in La Liga since they last won in 1996, tasting relegation at the start of this century, but are now in with a chance of claiming an historic La Liga and European double.

Whatever the outcome of Saturday’s game, thoughts will immediately turn to the following week’s Champions League final against Real in Lisbon, when Atletico will be looking to win their first continental crown and deny their glamorous neighbours a record-extending 10th.

“We have a historic chance to win two titles and we are proud because we have won over a lot of people with our passion and excitement,” Atletico captain Gabi said at a promotional event on Wednesday.

“A lot of people want us to win and this team has shown an identity that we haven’t seen for a very long time,” added the midfielder, who has flourished under coach Diego Simeone and whose consistency has been key to Atletico’s recent success.

“We have to keep doing the same we have been doing all season, intensity and confidence.”

After 37 matches in La Liga, Atletico are top on 89 points, with Barca on 86 and Real on 84.

If Barca, chasing a fifth title in six years, beat Atletico on Saturday they will be champions as they would have a better head-to-head record after the title rivals drew 0-0 at the Calderon in Madrid in January.

A draw would be enough for Atletico to become the first side other than Real and Barca to win La Liga since Valencia in 2004.

The last time the title was decided with a head-to-head clash was in 1950-51, when Atletico pipped Sevilla. The only other occasion was five years earlier when Sevilla edged Barca.

AMMAN — The first international youth football tournament COPA Coca Cola in Jordan kicks off on Friday and continues through May 24, with the participation of more than 640 students representing 64 public schools from around the Kingdom, organiser said Wednesday. The tournament will give the chance for Jordanian football enthusiasts to represent the Kingdom in Coca Cola’s grassroots football tournament FIFA World Cup 2022, which will be held in Qatar. Ezel Agoglu, general manager of Coca Cola Bottling Company in Jordan, told reporters the Jordan tournament is held in partnership with the Education Ministry. Neman Othaibat, an official at the ministry said the tournament will be held at Al Hussein College, Petra Stadium and in Marka.

AMMAN ––  There will be no Jordanian teams playing for this year’s 11th Asian Football Confederation Cup (AFC) title after That Ras lost to Kuwait’s Qadissieh 4-0 late Tuesday evening. That Ras were hoping to advance beyond this round in their first time on the AFC scene. However the team appeared unsteady and were down 3-0 by halftime. Jordan Cup holders That Ras had lost only one match in Round 1, finishing second in Group A. They scored a 1-0 win over Oman’s Suweiq and held Suweiq 0-0, lost 1-0 to Lebanon’s Safaa before a 0-0 draw and beat Tajikistan’s  Ravshan 5-1  and 3-2.  In other Round of 16 matches, Bahrain’s Al Hidd beat Lebanon’s Safaa 1-0, Indonesia’s Persipura Jayapura beat Myanmar’s Yangon United 9-2, while Vietnam’s Vissai Ninh Binh  beat India’s Churchill Brothers SC 4-2. 

DEAD SEA –– Qatar is determined to organise the “best” World Cup despite the negative headlines and rumours over hosting the world’s biggest football event by the Gulf nation, Nasser Al Khater, the media and marketing director of the Qatar organising committee, said on Tuesday.

In an exclusive interview with The Jordan Times Tuesday, Khater said described negative media reports on various issues such as bad treatment of workers and bribery rumours to win the right to host the 2022 World Cup as attacks that would make Qatar stronger to deliver the “best” World Cup.

“We are aware of all the controversies and reports which are written by people who are trying to make us weak and who do not have the absolute truth but this only makes us stronger and determined to organise the best World Cup,” said Al Khater, who was taking part in the Soccerex Asian Forum that was held at the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre in the Dead Sea on Tuesday and Wednesday.

“Of course there are challenges and we are aware of that but we have an excellent plan that will include all aspects of hosting a distinguished World Cup,” he added.

Al Khater dismissed reports regarding deaths of workers in construction sites of stadiums.

“These reports are untrue and baseless. So far we have completed one stadium and only 200 workers are involved in this mission so how come they say hundreds died of poor conditions. Qatar has a proven record of practising the best safety measures whether in gas plants or any other related fields,” he said.

“On the contrary we care about our workers because they will make us proud after the work is done and that is why we provide them with the best conditions and support,” he added.

Meanwhile, and regarding the issue whether to organise the World Cup in summer or move it to winter due to hot temperature during summer, Al Khater said that Qatar would be ready whether in summer or winter.

“We, as a nation, are ready to host it in summer or winter and whatever FIFA decides we will comply. We are building stadiums using the highest technology,” he said. 

Al Khater stressed that the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee name was changed to Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy “due to the fact that the earlier name stats Qatar 2022 which is related to the World Cup but our vision is for what comes after the World Cup and we need to focus on our legacy”.

The Soccerex Asian Forum is held under the patronage of HRH Prince Ali, FIFA Vice President and President of the Jordan Football Association. 

AMMAN –– Postponed matches of the Jordan Cup quarter-finals will resume when Shabab Urdun play Hussein on Wednesday. That Ras held Wihdat 1-1 and have their return leg postponed till May 27 due to the their participation in the AFC Cup. So far in the Jordan Cup, Ramtha moved to the semis after eliminating Faisali. They lost 1-0 and won by the same score before advancing 5-4 on penalties. Baqaa beat Sheikh Hussein 5-2 and 2-0 to advance.