DOHA: It seemed a longshot at best when Qatar announced it was bidding for the World Cup. After all, the desert nation is located in one of the most volatile parts of the world. Temperatures soar to 48 degrees C (118 degrees F) in the summer. Entertainment for the most part begins and ends at …

ZURICH: Qatar on Thursday shrugged off fears of searing summer heat to become the first Arab, Middle Eastern or Muslim country to be awarded the right to stage football’s World Cup. The young bid team successfully swayed FIFA’s ageing grandees with promises of a glitzy, compact and carbon-neutral World Cup that will be held in …

CAIRO: Hussein Yasser needs to go under the knife in order to repair a dislocated shoulder despite insisting not to do so, according to Zamalek doctot Mostafa Al-Monayeri. The Qatar forward was injured in a Gulf Cup of Nations match with Saudi Arabia and was ruled out for up to three weeks. But the 28-year-old …

CAIRO: Ahly-bound coach Herve Renard indicated that the Egyptian champions have the ball in their court as he hopes to take the team’s hot seat. The Frenchman has been admittedly linked with the job as Ahly are looking for an overseas manager to succeed interim boss Abdul-Aziz Abdul-Shafi ‘Zizo’. "Talks are ongoing and we are …

AL KHOBAR: World number one Ramy Ashour will have the richest payday any squash player has ever had if he regains the World Open title this Thursday in Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia. The brilliant Egyptian will earn $45,600 — part of a record-breaking $327,500 prize fund — in a tournament hosted by the largest Arab …

CAIRO: Zamalek have protested against Essam Al-Hadari’s decision to join Harras Hodoud’s training ahead of a proposed move in January. Al-Hadari joined Hodoud’s training this week after falling out with Zamalek manager Hossam Hassan, who doesn’t seem to be willing to offload his ex-Egypt teammate without a fight. “He cannot train with a rival team …

CAIRO: Ahly defender Sherif Abdul-Fadil has been ruled out of Thursday’s league game at Smouha due to a groin injury, whereas striker Mohamed Fadl returns to the squad. The Egypt international joins keepers Sayed Moawad, Hossam Ashour, Shehab Ahmed, Francis Doe and long-term absentee Ahmed Hassan in the team’s long injury list. Goalkeepers Sherif Ekrami …

CAIRO: Doping tests for Egyptian Premier League players will take place starting from the second half of the season, the FA said on Tuesday. “Starting from the second half of the league season, random doping tests will be applied and samples will be sent abroad for analysis,” the FA statement read. The FA will explain …

CAIRO: Former Ahly coach Hossam Al-Badri reiterated that his relationship with Mohamed Abou-Trika is intact. Right before Al-Badri resigned as Ahly tactician, Egypt playmaker Abou-Trika, a cult figure at the Cairo club, released a controversial statement that suggested he didn’t get along with his then boss. "Honestly speaking, (Egypt coach Hassan) Shehata and (former Ahly …

By Jim Litke/ AP Over the course of a year, almost everything we knew about Tiger Woods has been turned on its head. He touched new lows, both personal and professional. He lost his wife, his aura, some fans, wheel barrows of cash and in a sense, every tournament he entered. Even his good name is …

LONDON: Roger Federer and Andy Murray easily secured spots in the semifinals of the ATP World Tour Finals on Thursday with straight-sets victories in their last round-robin matches. Federer continued his dominance over Robin Soderling, beating the Swede 7-6 (5), 6-3 to earn top spot in Group B of the season-ending tournament. Murray followed up …

MELBOURNE: Two-time defending champion Serena Williams has withdrawn from the Australian Open because of a foot injury. Tournament director Craig Tiley released a statement Thursday saying Williams had pulled out of the Hopman Cup international mixed teams competition in Perth and the Australian Open in January. It is the second consecutive Grand Slam tournament Williams …

GUANGZHOU: Yuki Saneto scored midway through the second half and Japan repelled numerous attacking raids by the United Arab Emirates to secure its first Asian Games title 1-0 on Thursday. The young Japanese squad had been favored to win but was subdued for much of the match, depending on long balls and counterattacks to create …

ABUJA: The Nigerian Football Federation has made an official complaint to the African governing body accusing Equatorial Guinea of fielding two men on its women’s soccer team. “The protest is on. We have lodged our protest with CAF. We are waiting for the response,” NFF spokesman Robinson Okosun told The Associated Press on Thursday. An …

MADRID: Barcelona are a tough proposition but Real Madrid will gain the upper hand when the Spanish giants clash in the first classico of the season on Monday, Real’s Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo predicted Thursday. "Barcelona is still a very difficult team. Barca is a very strong team, especially when they play at home. They …

CAIRO: Zamalek football director Ibrahim Hassan leapt to the defense of Shikabala after he was videoed aiming abusive chants at Cairo rivals Ahly. The talented forward looked ecstatic after Zamalek claimed a last-gasp 1-0 home victory over a stubborn Masri side earlier this week to move six points clear of Ahly, who have two games …

CAIRO: Former Ahly football director Hadi Khashaba says Hossam Al-Badri resigned as head coach because he didn’t want his relationship with the Cairo giants’ fans to deteriorate any further. Al-Badri stepped down from his role after the Red Devils’ 3-1 loss at Ismaili in the Egyptian Premier League on Sunday. Ahly’s performance was particularly lackluster, …

CAIRO: Egyptian coach Sherif Al-Khashab revealed that his three choices for the African Player of the Year award didn’t include his compatriots Ahmed Hassan and Ahmed Nagui ‘Geddo.’ Egypt and Ahly duo Hassan and Geddo were both named in CAF’s 10-man list for the prestigious accolade but it seems that none of them has a …

CAIRO: Hossam Al-Badri has officially quit his job as Ahly manager following Sunday’s league defeat at Ismaili. Al-Badri told his players about his decision after the 3-1 defeat as Ahly announced that his resignation was accepted on Monday. The former defender was heavily jeered by supporters during the game, receiving a clear ‘Enough’ message from …

By Hatem Maher / Filgoal.com CAIRO: Egypt are gradually regaining confidence following their two disappointing results in the 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers, coach Hassan Shehata said after his side crushed Australia 3-0. The African champions were reeling after being held to a surprise 1-1 draw at home to Sierra Leone before slumping to a …

CAIRO: Ahly were dealt a major blow after Mohamed Nagui ‘Geddo’ was ruled out of Sunday’s anticipated Egyptian Premier League clash against Ismaili. The in-form forward picked up an ankle injury few minutes after finding the net in Egypt’s 3-0 friendly victory over Australia at Cairo Stadium on Wednesday. "Geddo suffered an injury in the …

CAIRO: Mohamed Abou-Trika’s lackluster displays of late are down to a mental anguish he suffers, the Ahly schemer said late on Wednesday. The classy playmaker was criticized by some pundits for failing to shine during Ahly’s past few Egyptian Premier League games, with some of them even calling on him to hang up his boots. …

CAIRO: Goals from Ahmed Abdel-Zaher, Mohamed “Geddo” Nagi and Mohamed Zidan gave Egypt a 3-0 win over Australia in a friendly on Wednesday. Abdel-Zaher made it 1-0 in the 29th minute with his first international goal in only his second match for Egypt. Geddo doubled the lead in the 60th minute, a minute after coming …

ZURICH: World Cup champion Spain heads the latest FIFA rankings, while African champion Egypt has returned to the top 10. Spain, World Cup finalist the Netherlands and Brazil fill the top three spots. The leading nine positions were unchanged after a quiet month for European and South American teams. Egypt climbed one place to No. …

By Doug Ferguson/ AP MELBOURNE: Stuart Appleby received hardly any fanfare at the Australian Masters until he slipped on the gold jacket that a year ago belonged to Tiger Woods. He wasn’t among the five faces on promotional posters around Melbourne, nor was he invited to the gala dinner. And even though none of the others …

MELBOURNE: After his best finish of the year that looked close only on paper, Tiger Woods went from shaking his head to chuckling before he even heard the rest of the question. After spending a full year out of contention, will he have to teach himself how to win again? “No,” Woods quickly replied, still …

PARIS: Robin Soderling of Sweden won his first Masters 1000 title Sunday by beating Gael Monfils of France 6-1, 7-6 (1) in the Paris Masters final. The fourth-seeded Swede hit a forehand volley on match point, then fell to the ground on his back to celebrate the most prestigious of his six career titles. “I …

LONDON: Top-ranked Rafael Nadal has been placed in the same group as Novak Djokovic in the draw for the season-ending ATP World Tour Finals in London. No. 2 Roger Federer faces Paris Masters champion Robin Soderling in his group, along with home favorite Andy Murray and David Ferrer of Spain. Nadal and Djokovic are joined …

LONDON: Fabio Capello will bring the curtain down on a painful year for England by offering hope of a brighter future in Wednesday’s friendly against France at Wembley. Capello ends 2010 with his previously unblemished reputation significantly tarnished by England’s abject failure at the World Cup. The Italian appeared completely devoid of ideas as England …

DOHA: Looking to put their World Cup blues behind them, Brazil and bitter South American rival Argentina play an eagerly anticipated friendly in the Gulf which also heralds the return of playmaker Ronaldinho in a yellow shirt. Wednesday’s match will be a key test for Brazil coach Mano Menezes and Argentina’s Sergio Batista as they …