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The Arab Elite Football Academies Tournament, organized by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) in collaboration with operational partner Delta, has successfully concluded. The premier youth tournament witnessed extensive participation from academies and sports clubs across
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Morocco's Ismael Saibari looks dejected after sustaining an injury: REUTERS Morocco star Ismael Saibari will miss his team's World Cup quarter-final showdown with France, coach Mohamed Ouahbi confirmed on Wednesday."Everyone is 100 percent fit except Saibari. This game comes too soon for him but I hope he is not out for the rest of the competition," Ouahbi told reporters ahead of Thursday's last-eight showdown at the Gillette Stadium near Boston. Saibari, who has just joined Bayern Munich from Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven on a five-year deal for a reported fee of 50 million euros ($57 million), has been one of the standout players at the World Cup. He scored in each of his team's three group games and converted the winning penalty in the shoot-out as Morocco beat the Netherlands in the last 32. However, the attacking midfielder came off early on with a hamstring problem in the 3-0 win against Canada in the last 16 last Saturday, and has not recovered. Soufiane Rahimi, who is an out-and-out striker, came on for Saibari in that game and scored Morocco's third goal. The Atlas Lions are seeking to avenge their 2-0 defeat against France in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup. That was the first time any African or Arab team had made it to the last four of the tournament, and the incentive for them this time is to match that run.Ouahbi dismissed suggestions that his team can say they have already had a successful tournament by getting to the quarter-finals. "We absolutely want to win the game tomorrow, so we will not listen to people who say it doesn't matter if we go out now," said the coach, who took over from predecessor Walid Regragui in March. "Tomorrow we will try get to the semi-finals. I don't like this sentiment that we have already done well and anything else is a bonus," added Ouabi, who said he watched the 2022 meeting of the sides as a fan, on television. Meanwhile, Morocco's Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz insisted his side can compete with the much-fancied French as he prepares to come up against Kylian Mbappe, his colleague at club level. "Tomorrow we are playing one of the favourites but we have shown we can compete and that is why we are here. I have full faith and full confidence in the team." Related Story
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France have scored a tournament-leading 14 goals in the World Cup so far but coach Didier Deschamps urged his players on Wednesday to achieve even greater attacking efficiency when they take on Morocco in Thursday's quarter-final. The meeting is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semi-final, when France ended Morocco's historic run in Qatar, but this time the North Africans are no longer the surprise outsiders but a confident side aiming for the title. 'We have to be efficient, offensively speaking,' Deschamps told a press conference. 'In all the areas both teams have strong assets.' 'We are efficient but we could have done better on this front. Sometimes you have six chances and score two goals and sometimes you have two chances and score twice. It is more important to be efficient.' France edged past Paraguay in the round of 16 with a scrappy 1-0 win courtesy of a Kylian Mbappe penalty. The France captain has seven goals in the tournament, second behind Argentina's Lionel Messi, who has eight. Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Michael Olise and Bradley Barcola have given France one of the most dangerous forward lines at the World Cup. Morocco eased through their group stage, before knocking out Netherlands and co-hosts Canada, and confirming their status as serious title contenders. 'Morocco's profile is not the one of Paraguay. We met them four years ago in the semi-finals,' Deschamps said. 'They played the AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) final. They have top individuals. They are not here to play. They are here to win. We have to be ready and perform and deliver against this great team.' Deschamps will need to wait and see whether midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who has been nursing a muscle injury, will be fit in time for the game. 'He feels better but I left early from the hotel this morning. I cannot say more. He might take part in training today. All other players they are available,' Deschamps said. As for France's appeal to have Michael Olise's yellow card in the game against Paraguay rescinded, Deschamps said FIFA had informed them the caution stood. The ruling comes days after the furore caused by FIFA's decision to suspend a match ban after a red card was given to U.S. player Folarin Balogun and following an intervention by President Donald Trump.
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France begin their final push for a third World Cup crown on Thursday when they take on Morocco in a blockbuster showdown to kick off a star-studded quarter-final line-up.After a month of scintillating action that has dispelled anxieties over sky-high ticket prices and geopolitics, the biggest, boldest and most logistically complex World Cup ever staged has been whittled down to eight teams.France have emerged as the outstanding side after a series of dazzling attacking displays in the United States, where all the remaining matches will be played.But they face their toughest test so far against African champions Morocco at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston.Les Bleus have surged into the last eight in style, scoring 14 goals in five games - seven of them from prolific captain Kylian Mbappe - one of four star forwards battling for the Golden Boot.Argentina's Lionel Messi tops the scoring chart with eight, Mbappe and Norway's Erling Haaland have seven each and England's Harry Kane has six.Thursday's opening quarter-final is a repeat of the 2022 World Cup semi-final in Qatar, won by France, who went on to lose an all-time classic final against Argentina on penalties.Impressive Morocco eased through the group phase before battling past the Netherlands in the last 32 and swatting aside co-hosts Canada.The Atlas Lions boast a potent mix of technical quality, physicality and tactical nous under the guidance of coach Mohamed Ouahbi, who masterminded Morocco's shock victory in the under-20 World Cup last year.France coach Didier Deschamps told reporters on Wednesday - a World Cup rest day - that Morocco were a "top-tier side"."We faced them four years ago in the semi-finals, and they've played in an Africa Cup of Nations final," he said."They are a very, very good team with excellent players - they aren't here by accident. It's going to be a clash between two teams that like to have possession, attack, and score goals."Deschamps, stepping down after the tournament after 14 years in charge, said he was unconcerned by the appointment of Argentine officials to oversee the match, with a repeat of the 2022 final still possible.The winner will advance to a semi-final against the victor of Friday's tie in Los Angeles between European champions Spain and Belgium.The clinical Spaniards, who have not conceded a single goal so far, eliminated Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in the last 16 and will fancy their chances of overcoming Belgium, who dismantled the United States 4-1 in the last 16.On the other side of the draw, holders Argentina face Switzerland in Kansas City on Saturday after staggering into the quarter-finals.The South Americans, aiming to become the first back-to-back champions since Brazil in 1962, were given an almighty scare by Cape Verde in the last 32.On Tuesday, Messi inspired an incredible Houdini act in a jaw-dropping 3-2 defeat of Egypt in Atlanta, when the reigning champions were seemingly down and out, trailing by two goals late in the game.Messi, who missed a penalty in the first half, said: "We didn't want today to be the end, we didn't want to go home."The winner of the Argentina-Switzerland clash will face either Norway or England, who clash in Miami on Saturday.England advanced with a pulsating 3-2 defeat of co-hosts Mexico at the Estadio Azteca that has given the Three Lions renewed belief in their bid to win a first major title since 1966.Blocking England's path is a formidable Norway side spearheaded by the irrepressible Haaland, who scored both goals in Sunday's last-16 win over Brazil.Off the field, the Egyptian football federation said it had asked for the officiating team that handled the Pharaohs' defeat to Argentina to be thrown out of the World Cup.The federation filed a complaint to FIFA pointing out "serious refereeing mistakes committed by the team of referees and double standards, which caused the Egypt team to lose the match".Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic announced his resignation after nine years in charge, which included a run to the final in 2018. Related Story
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Brooks Koepka ready for his debut at The Renaissance Club, North Berwick, Scotland. Brooks Koepka is definitely competing in this week's Genesis Scottish Open, no matter what you might have heard.The five-time major winner was as surprised as anyone when news broke over the weekend that he had withdrawn from the tournament at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, Scotland.The confusion only lasted a few hours until organizers confirmed Koepka had been granted a sponsor's invitation, but not before he spent Sunday scrambling to find out what was happening."Yeah, there was a bit of a panic ... I called my agent, Blake Smith, in a bit of a panic. Because I got a few text messages that I had withdrawn," Koepka, 36, said at a press conference on Wednesday.Koepka, who withdrew from last month's RBC Canadian Open with a hand injury after the third round, said he looked on the PGA Tour app on his phone to double-check the news."Probably first time I used it in a while, since it got downloaded in my phone. I didn't see any name, either, and I was in a little bit of a panic," he said. "I knew (my agent) was out in Vegas. It's 7 a.m. in Vegas. Probably not going to reach anybody. There was a few, probably two hours of complete panic of what had gone on. I couldn't figure it out."Koepka has six top-20 finishes this season but has not played since missing the cut at the U.S. Open last month. DEBUT AT THE RENAISSANCE CLUBKoepka continues his transition from LIV Golf and a world tour type of schedule with his first appearance in Scotland's national open since 2015. This will be his debut at The Renaissance Club, but finding a comfort zone in his return to a PGA Tour playing schedule hasn't brought an ounce of regret, Koepka implied."I think I've been most pleased with -- this is probably going to come across a little selfish, but just the happiness that I have. Maybe a weight lifted off my shoulders, or it's not -- kept it a secret for a little while. So it's not the easiest thing," he said."But I just see the happiness. I look at I'm able to be around my son a lot more. Jena is able to be around and they are able to travel to a lot more events. Things like that, that stuff brings me happiness."Whether I play good or whether I play bad, I walk off the 18th green, my wife and son are standing right there and, it's cool, no matter -- my son doesn't care if I shoot 80 or 65, he doesn't know the difference. It's 'Da-Da'; he goes that way and runs towards me. That's cool. Having them around has been amazing and takes a little bit of the pressure way from when you're playing." Related Story
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Rory McIlroy spent the majority of the past seven weeks in Europe, heading "home" for a combination of rest and prep for the links golf double that begins Thursday at the Scottish Open.McIlroy didn't exactly keep a low profile during the break in tournament golf. He wore his Masters champion green jacket to the Royal Box at Wimbledon alongside Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald and played a round at Royal Birkdale, where next week's Open Championship will be staged."Birkdale was definitely just a scouting trip for The Open for sure. I would have liked to have not have it known that I was there but (Nick) Faldo couldn't put his phone away, so," McIlroy said with a chuckle. "I love Nick. In fairness, he's great. I had a good time with him. He walked a few holes with me."McIlroy said he's warming up to Renaissance Club in North Berwick, his home base this week at the Scottish Open. It helped to sweep the national opens in 2023, when he followed up the Scottish title with a victory in the Open Championship.He settled in Monday at the same house he's used the past several years, with Tommy Fleetwood and family next door, in a rapid shift out of holiday mode."When I first came here, I wasn't enamored with the course or the place. But as time has went on and I've played it more, I've started to like it more and appreciate the golf course a little bit more," McIlroy said. "It's definitely become a great venue for this tournament."The links will be loaded with the top-ranked golfers in the world this week, where the weather forecast for the first round -- 71 degrees, no precipitation -- is anything but Open-like.World No. 3 Cameron Young, who has played the Scottish Open only once, in 2022, when he missed the cut, and No. 6 Collin Morikawa are exceptions among top-ranked players entering the event. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, McIlroy (second), No. 4 Matt Fitzpatrick (England) and No. 5 Russell Henley bring plenty of star power to Scotland. In 2025, Morikawa missed the cut after rounds of 68 and 76 and finished 123rd overall at 4-over. MCILROY, MACINTYRE PAIRED WITH GOTTERUPMcIlroy and Scotland's Robert MacIntyre, who won the tournament in 2024, are paired with 2025 champion Chris Gotterup on Thursday. Gotterup held off McIlroy -- who tied for second with Marco Penge at 13-under -- last July. The trio of past champions go off around 3:30 a.m. ET on Thursday. They'll start on No. 10 one group behind Shane Lowry, a local favorite who was on a four-day junket with McIlroy and Donald last week.They should be in the clubhouse by the time Spain's Jon Rahm -- ranked No. 11 in the OWGR -- hits the track. Rahm, a two-time major winner, is back at the Scottish Open for the first time since 2022 and is one of seven LIV golfers in the field. That's a topic McIlroy hasn't backed away from in recent years."I've talked about wanting to have just all of the best players in the world play together," McIlroy said Wednesday. "Yeah, I guess this is a good -- and it's not as if this hasn't been open to them before. It's just because Valderrama (on the LIV Golf circuit) was always this week. Having Jon in this event is better for the event than him not being here, and obviously everyone else that's here, as well. That's a good thing." Related Story
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Key quotes from the 10th day of Wimbledon at the All England Club on Wednesday:"My thoughts are that it's terrible. I think it's very, very far from fair play for all the countries involved here, not just for Ukraine. I 100 percent don't agree with this decision. I just want to go out there and hopefully beat every single Russian I play in Olympics, and that's it."-- Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk slams the decision to provisionally lift the ban on Russians competing at the 2028 Olympics."I felt emotions that I've never experienced before in my life in that last game. It just seems to get better and better every match. It was incredible playing on Centre Court for the second time and getting a second win. I was very nervous beforehand but I just kept going until the finish line. I just can't believe it."-- Britain's Arthur Fery was emotional after becoming the first male wildcard to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals in 25 years."It's OK, you guys can all be for Fery, I understand it. It is going to be an exciting day for both of us. For him, it is a Fery tale story for Arthur Fery. See what I did there! Last year at this time I was practising on the hard court already. It is a dream come true to finally play well at Wimbledon. I hope to play two more matches here."-- French Open champion Alexander Zverev joked with the crowd on Court One after being told his last four opponent will be Fery, who beat Flavio Cobolli."We had two matches against each other, actually. Both of those, I was just kind of stunned that I was on the same court with Petra Kvitova. As a kid, I was always looking up to her. When I didn't really know much about tennis, she was the face of Czech tennis. I would love to follow her in her footsteps."-- Linda Noskova, a semi-final debutant at the All England Club, aims to emulate fellow Czech and former Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova."I almost wish I knew before so I could have just prepared to play a match where I was going to be playing through it. I felt like the whole first set I was, like I said, three games in is when I started feeling it. I was already down a break. I was just like panicking, What am I going to do? I just didn't expect it at all."-- Taylor Fritz was hampered by an unexpected knee injury in his loss to Zverev."Play a quarter-final against a guy that already played marathon match, many hours on court, ranking lower than me, so I felt like it was a chance to have a good day for me today. Maybe, like my team says, I wasn't so humble since the first point, but I felt that it wasn't my day. Can happen."-- Cobolli hinted he underestimated Fery after the Italian ninth seed's loss to the world number 114. Related Story
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India captain Shreyas Iyer said his side had been 'atrocious' after suffering their worst ever T20 defeat, in terms of runs, during a humiliating thrashing by England at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.T20 world champions India were blown away by fast bowlers Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue in a crushing 125-run loss.England posted 201-7, with Phil Salt making 70 and T20 world champions India only just bettered the opener's score while collapsing to 76 all out inside 12 overs.Archer and Tongue were simply too much for India to handle, both quicks clocking more than 90 mph (145 kmh) on the speed gun, as they ripped through the tourists' top-order with the new ball.Tongue finished with career-best figures of 4-28 and Archer 3-29 as England went 2-0 up in the series with two to play after the opener was washed out.Tuesday's result comfortably surpassed India's previous record run-loss in a T20, an 80-run defeat by New Zealand at Wellington in 2019.It also followed India's shock 2-0 series reverse against Ireland in Belfast last month. 'AWFUL EXECUTION''It was atrocious,' Iyer told Sky Sports 'I can't use a better word. Losing by such a big margin isn't acceptable.''Hard lengths helped the bowlers on this wicket, but we didn't execute many. When you're chasing, you have to set patterns for how to chase.'We fell short, our execution was awful,' he added.By contrast, England skipper Harry Brook said: 'Salty played a mega innings... To get to 200 on a tricky surface was a phenomenal effort.'Brook, turning to England's efforts in the field, added: 'We didn't need to talk much before the chase, the bowlers knew exactly what we needed to hit the top of the stumps with the occasional bouncer. As simple as it sounds, it worked beautifully tonight.'Archer hurried teenage sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with a 90 mph bouncer and then smiled when the 15-year-old somehow struck the next ball for six over gully.Two of Tongue's first three balls also went the distance but from then on it was one-way traffic.Abhishek Sharma slashed to deep point, Sooryavanshi gloved behind as he tried to attack Archer's next bouncer and Ishan Kishan found Jacob Bethell with a flat pull.When Archer dismissed Iyer and Axar Patel, India were all but beaten at 52-5 from five overs.Tilak Varma was stumped off Will Jacks before Tongue, on his Nottinghamshire home ground, removed Shivam Dube and dismissed Harshit Rana via Tom Banton's diving catch at backward point.Leg-spinner Adil Rashid took two late wickets as India, who won the toss, only just beat their lowest T20 total of 74.Earlier, Jos Buttler got England going with 36 before he was bowled by Prince Yadav's inswinging yorker.Salt, after a sedate start, flayed several boundaries in an expensive over from Varun Chakravarthy, the opener launching a long-hop for six before hitting three successive fours in a 36-ball fifty. Sam Curran's 41 not out boosted the total.England can seal a series win with victory in the fourth T20 at Bristol on Thursday but Iyer said: 'It's a great opportunity to come back strong, not to dwell on what has happened in the past. We've played awful cricket but (there is) lots to learn as well.'
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Novak Djokovic admitted even he was surprised by his ability to out-last Felix Auger-Aliassime in a five-set epic that ranked as the longest quarter-final in Wimbledon history. Djokovic is 14 years older than Auger-Aliassime and had to battle a calf injury throughout a Centre Court classic lasting five hours and 15 minutes in sweltering temperatures. The 39-year-old Serb somehow summoned up the energy, focus and will-power to beat the Canadian third seed 7-6 (12/10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/4), booking a blockbuster semi-final against defending champion Jannik Sinner. Djokovic appeared out on his feet at times in the final set, which was only settled in a nerve-shredding tie-break that finished just minutes before the 2200 GMT curfew that would have halted play for the night. Refusing to accept defeat, the indefatigable Djokovic delivered one of the most tenacious performances of a glittering career that has brought him a record-equalling 24 Grand Slam titles. Djokovic has often tested the limits of his endurance with marathon victories in the past, but he conceded this was an extra special effort at an age when most of his contemporaries have retired. "I guess yes, at this stage that I'm still able to battle these young guys that have 15 years less than me, that I'm able to beat them at the tightest possible scoreline. Of course, in a sense, it is really a nice surprise," he said. "I try to also enjoy the moments like this. I think it was a really thrilling experience for us players, but also the crowd. I'm sure also a lot of people watching on TV. Glad to be part of another historic match." Djokovic rated his astonishing victory alongside his 2019 Wimbledon final against Roger Federer, which the Serb won in five sets over four hours and 57 minutes, as among the best of his career. "It's exciting to be part of such an epic match that was played over five hours, whatever it was," he said. "Just one of the best matches I was honestly part of in Wimbledon. Maybe the Wimbledon final in 2019 comes close in terms of time. "The crowd was up on their feet, particularly the last 30 minutes. They recognised how special the moment was. Just very proud to come out as a winner." 'AS GOOD AS A FINAL' Djokovic had spoken earlier in the tournament about his use of cutting edge technology to keep his body in condition to compete against younger opponents. He has used hyperbaric and cryo chambers, cold immersions and red light and pulse therapies to stop father time ruining his bid for a record-equalling eighth Wimbledon title. The treatments have clearly done their job as Djokovic is the oldest man to reach a Wimbledon semi-final since Ken Rosewall in 1974. He has advanced to a 15th Wimbledon semi-final and 55th at the Grand Slams. Djokovic is into the Wimbledon last four for an eighth consecutive time, setting a new record for the longest streak of men's semi-final appearances at the All England Club. But the only question that matters for Djokovic now is whether he can recover in time to beat Sinner. "I don't know what tomorrow brings. To be honest, let's see. I'm still in the tournament," he said. "I still want to go at least one more step further. But this was as good as a final for me. I gave it all that I had." Djokovic, who last won Wimbledon in 2022, beat Sinner in five sets in the Australian Open semi-finals in January, but was thrashed by the Italian in the last four at Wimbledon 12 months ago. "Now I have Sinner. Another great, historic run for me at the Grand Slams. This is what counts the most, honestly," Djokovic said. "I still try to prove to myself and others that I'm able to compete with the best players in the world and beat them in the biggest stage." Related Story
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US player Taylor Fritz returns to Germany's Alexander Zverev during their singles quarter-final on the tenth day of the 2026 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, southwest London,
