REUTERS PEBBLE BEACH

If momentum counts for anything Rory McIlroy will be riding a wave when he hits the scenic beachside layout at the US Open, looking to end a nearly five year Major drought.

After closing rounds of 64 and 61 to cap a rampaging win at the Canadian Open on Sunday, McIlroy will be hoping his blazing finish translates into a hot start at the Pebble Beach Golf Links setting him up for a title challenge.

With two PGA Tour titles already in the bank this season, McIlroy’s game has been firing on all cylinders with the exception of the majors where he has sputtered, particularly

in the early rounds. At the Masters the Northern Irishman’s opening one-over 73 was his worst of the four rounds while it was a similar launch at the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black where he carded

a two-over 72 to leave him playing from behind right from the outset.

“My first rounds at Augusta and Bethpage this year just sort of put me a little bit behind the eight ball,” McIlroy told his pre-tour-nament media conference on Wednesday.

“And it’s hard to catch up. Espe-cially Major championships are played on the toughest courses, and you start to chase on those really tough courses, it’s hard to do that.

“The Majors that I’ve won, I’ve started every single one of them really well, runs in sort of the mid-60s, and I think that’s sort of what’s held me back a little bit.”

In his other win this season at the Players Championship, Mcllroy

underscored his f r o n t - r u n n e r status when he opened with rounds of 67 and 65 and took the pressure off slightly as he closed with 70s on Saturday and Sunday.

McIlroy’s 2011 US Open win also benefited from a quick start with rounds of 65 and 66 but never let his foot off the gas following up with a 68 and 69 for a 16-under 268 total that remains the lowest score for 72 holes at the tournament.

“Some people say it’s nice to be a couple back going into the final round. I’d rather be in front,” he said.

SPORT17FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2019

When Pakistan play India it’s always a huge game, but their

meeting on Sunday is shaping up to be more

crucial than ever.

Pakistan fast-bowling great Waqar Younis

The Majors that I’ve won, I’ve started every single one of them really well, runs in sort of the mid-60s, and I think that’s sort of what’s held me back a little bit: McIlroy

England vs West IndiesMatch No: 19

12:30pm (Qatar time) At Rose Bowl in Southampton

Australia vs Sri Lanka Match No: 20, At the Oval in LondonAfghanistan vs South Africa Match No: 21, at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

TODAY TOMORROW

Koepka chases history as US Open tees offAFP PEBBLE BEACH

Brooks Koepka launched his bid for an historic US Open treble yesterday at Pebble Beach, where Tiger Woods once separated himself from all rivals and now returning to chase a 16th Major.

Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, hit the first shot of the 119th edition of the championship, the sixth being held on the scenic course over-looking the Pacific.

Early first-round starters included Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson.

McIlroy, who was due to tee off at the 10th hole with Spain’s Jon Rahm and Aus-tralian Marc Leishman at 7:51 am, is seeking to add to his tally of four Majors for the first time since 2014.

The Northern Ireland star is riding high after a seven-shot victory at the Canadian Open on Sunday, his second win of the season after the Players Championship.

Johnson, who was leading at Pebble Beach in 2010 when he ballooned to a final-round 82, tees it up alongside that year’s winner Graeme McDowell and Mickelson - a five-time Major winner still seeking to complete the career Grand Slam with a first US Open title.

Johnson has won the US PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach National Pro-am twice and finished runner-up twice. Despite his dis-appointment in the 2010 US Open, he remains a fan of the course and a favorite to contend.

“What’s not to like. The golf course is fantastic from start to finish,” Johnson said of the course whose breathtaking views can distract from the challenge it presents - especially with the pinched fairways and deep rough of a US Open.

“The rough is definitely going to be a factor this week,” said Koepka, the world number one who won his fourth Major in less than two years when he hoisted the PGA Championship’s Wanamaker Trophy last month.

With his win at Shinnecock Hills last

year, Koepka became the first player since Curtis Strange in 1988-89 to win consec-utive US Opens.

Willie Anderson, from 1903-05, is the only player to have won three straight.

“I’m not thinking about it,” Koepka said of his treble chance. “I know the odds

are stacked up probably even more against me now. It’s hard to win the same event three times in a row.”

Woods won the first of his three US Opens in 2000 with a stunning 12-under par total and a crushing 15-stroke margin.

He is a vastly different player now at 43 and with spinal fusion surgery behind him, but he cemented his return to golf’s elite with his 15th Major win at the US Masters in April.

Woods said the 7,075-yard, par-71 course is playing similarly to the last time it hosted the US Open in 2010.

“We’re all going to be playing from virtually the same spots, and especially if it dries out,” Woods said.

Koepka was scheduled to tee of at 1:47 pm (2047 GMT) alongside British Open champion Francesco Molinari of Italy and US Amateur champion Viktor Hovland of Norway.

Woods teed off at 2:09 pm alongside former US Open winners Jordan Spieth and Justin Rose.

Alex Pietrangelo of the St Louis Blues celebrates

with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Boston Bruins

in Game Seven to win the title at TD Garden in Boston,

Massachusetts, on Wednesday.

Blues beat Bruins to clinch maiden Stanley Cup titleREUTERS BOSTON

The St Louis Blues won the National Hockey League’s Stanley Cup for the first time with a 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in the decisive seventh game of the championship series on Wednesday.

With the victory, the vis-iting Blues not only completed a remarkable turnaround con-sidering they were dead last in the NHL in early January but also ended the longest wait in NHL history - 51 seasons - for a team to win their first championship.

“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” said Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo.

“But I am so proud of this group. It’s unbelievable.”

The Blues got all the scoring they would need in a late three-minute span of the

first period and then put on a defensive masterclass while Jordan Binnington made 32 stops, including the save of the game when he got a leg out to stop Joakim Nordstrom from in close midway through the third.

Blues forward Ryan O’Reilly, set a franchise record with the most points in one playoff year with 23, was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs.

“I stopped trying to worry

about the outcome and just give it everything I had,” said O’Reilly, who scored his team’s opening goal in each of the final four games of the Stanley Cup Final.

The Bruins, who had never before hosted a Game Seven of a Stanley Cup Final, made a solid start and created all sorts of pressure but it was the Blues who jumped out to an early 2-0 lead despite being outshot 12-4 in the opening frame.

Ryan O’Reilly opened the scoring with about three minutes left in the period when he cleverly re-directed a shot from the point by Jay Bouwmeester that went right through Boston goalie Tuukka Rask’s legs.

Blues defenseman Pie-trangelo added another with eight seconds left in the period when he skated in and

used a nifty backhand deke to beat Rask and silence the stunned home crowd.

St. Louis nearly added a third midway through the second period but Zdeno Chara managed to swat the puck away from the goal line after a shot from Brayden Schenn went off the crossbar and Rask’s shoulder before dropping in the crease.

Schenn did make it 3-0 when he took a centering pass from Vladimir Tarasenko and fired it off the post and past Rask with under nine minutes to play before Zach Sanford put the game out of reach with his first of the playoffs with under five minutes to play.

Boston broke Binning-ton’s shutout bid when Matt Grzelcyk found the net with just over two minutes to play.

St. Louis Blues claim

series 4-3 to end

the longest wait

in NHL history - 51

seasons - for a team

to win their first

championship.

Pebble Beach aims to keep harmful golf balls out of oceanREUTERS PEBBLE BEACH

Pebble Beach Golf Links, which hosts the US Open this week, hopes the world’s best golfers will keep their balls on the fairways and out of the sensitive coastal waters, which have been overwhelmed by decades of golf ball pollution.

The Pebble Beach Company has made reducing the number of balls that reach the ocean a priority, posting signs letting players of all levels know not to hit into the water and sending divers to help collect any errant balls.

The extent of the environmental problem was first identified three years ago by teenager Alex Weber after she came across something she had never seen before while diving in California -- a white sea floor.

“It was just blanketed in this mess of golf balls,” she said. “Seeing the vast scale of pollution from such an identifiable source made me wonder why no one was doing any-thing about it.”

So Weber took matters into her own hands, first by picking up the balls and then connecting with a researcher at Stanford University who suggested they collaborate on a scientific research paper.

In February the Pebble Beach Company agreed to conduct around 200 underwater clean ups every year for five years or until a “dra-matic shift” is seen in the under-water environment.

“We had no idea what it would become when this started,” said Weber, 19, who recently completed her second year at California’s Cabrillo College, where she studies environmental science.

Golf balls find their way into the marine environment fairly easily since the famed course sits directly on the Pacific Ocean.

No one is sure exactly how many balls are under the waves but Weber’s research estimated there are between two and five million in Pebble Beach’s Stillwater Cove area alone.

Each ball is the equivalent to the mass of seven plastic grocery bags or three plastic water bottles, she said.

The balls are bad for the envi-ronment because as they break down, some release a core that includes about 300 yards of stretched rubber, which is wound around a smaller ball at its core.

McIlroy looking to end Major drought

d

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a6l

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rmer US Open winners Jordan Spieth and s

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ds of 67 he pressure losed with 70s Sunday.US Open win also

a quick start with66 but never let his lowing up

9 for a al that owest

at the

le say it’sle back going intoI’d rather be in

stin Rose.

t

Koepka became the first player

since Curtis Strange in 1988-89 to

win consecutive US Opens.

Willie Anderson, from 1903-05, is

the only player to have won three

straight.

Four golfers have won the US Open

four times: Willie Anderson, Bob

Jones, Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus.

Tiger Woods is chasing his 16th

Major following his US Masters win

in April.

Brooks Koepka of the United States plays a shot during a practice round prior to the 2019 US Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California on Wednesday.

18 FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2019SPORT

Umpires Marais Erasmus (right) and

Paul Reiffel after inspecting the pitch during a rain delay,

yesterday.

India, NZ split points after Trent Bridge washoutREUTERS NOTTINGHAM

Inclement English weather claimed yet another

World Cup match after India’s group game against

2015 finalists New Zealand was called off without

a ball being bowled at Trent Bridge yesterday.

A soggy outfield from overnight showers had

already delayed the start of the contest between

the tournament’s only two unbeaten side.

Umpires Marais Erasmus and Paul Reiffel carried

out almost hourly inspections in intermittent drizzle

before finally throwing in the towel in the afternoon.

This was the fourth match to be either called

off or abandoned in the rain-hit tournament with

many questioning the absence of reserve days for

group matches.

New Zealand top the table with seven points,

two ahead of India who have played one game

fewer.

Cricket chiefs deny World Cup TV ‘gagging’ orderAFP NOTTINGHAM

International cricket chiefs say they do not want to gag commentators after West Indies great Michael Holding hit out at “censorship” following on-air comments that were critical of the standard of umpiring at the World Cup.

The former pace bowler, a high-profile TV analyst, labelled the officiating in the match between West Indies and Australia at Trent Bridge on June 6, as “atrocious”.

Holding criticised umpires Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Chris Gaffaney in the group game in Nottingham for caving in to pressure created by constant appealing by the Aus-tralians, who won the match by 15 runs.

Chris Gayle was out to what should technically have been a free hit after Mitchell Starc overstepped the crease on the previous ball, which was not spotted by the umpire.

West Indies skipper Jason Holder was also at the receiving end of an umpiring blunder after being adjudged lbw off Adam Zampa but replays suggested the ball had pitched outside leg stump. The decision was overturned on review.

According to the Times of India, Huw Bevan, the pro-duction head for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC’s) rights partner Sunset and Vine, wrote an email to Holding on June 7.

“Inherently in live television, there are occasions when on-field decisions cause reason for discussion or debate, but as ICC TV host broadcasters, our (Sunset & Vine) duty is not to judge or highlight mistakes,” he said.

Bevan added: “It’s critical for us that we should never amplify umpires’ mistakes by giving airtime to those inci-dents nor show the umpires in bad light. We should also be very careful not to look to create controversy around an event or match at any time.”

But Holding wrote a strong reply to the ICC, the Times of India reported.

“Commentators are being more and more compro-mised by controlling organisations to the point of cen-sorship,” he said.

“If those umpires yesterday were FIFA officials, they would have been told to pack their bags and head home,” he added.

“They would not have been given another World Cup game to officiate. As a former cricketer, I think cricket should be held to a higher standard. Is the objective to protect the umpires even when they do a bad job?”

“I am sorry, but I am not going to be part of that.”“Please let me know if I should be heading back to my

home in Newmarket instead of heading to Cardiff because I don’t agree with what is being suggested here and happy not being part of it,” he said.

But an ICC spokesman said the matter was now closed.“We only want them (commentators) to be fair. We

have got the best experience on board to provide quality to the viewers. And we in no way want to gag anybody on their views,” an ICC source said.

“The matter with Holding has been settled and there are no hard feelings between the ICC and Mr Holding.”

West Indies can go all the way, says ‘Big Bird’ GarnerREUTERS NOTTINGHAM

Former West Indies fast bowler Joel Garner has said the current side stand a decent chance of winning the World Cup - 40 years since he helped them last lift the trophy with a record five-wicket haul in the final.

Jason Holder’s Windies side have had a mixed start to their campaign, crushing Pakistan in their opening match before losing to Australia and then seeing their game with South Africa abandoned.

They face hosts and pre-tournament favourites England in Southampton today.

“If we play the kind of cricket that we are expected to play, which is consistent cricket, we will get to the final,” the 6’8”-tall (2.03m) Garner, nicknamed Big Bird in his playing days, told Metro.co.uk.

“And then there’s nothing stopping us from winning the final. But you cannot depend on one or two players to get you there.

“I’m a West Indian, so of course I want to see them win. But it could be any of the top teams. When it gets to the semi-finals - that’s when the dog fight will really begin.”

“Jason Holder has worked hard and he’s turning out to be a good leader,” Garner added.

“I’d be delighted to see him lift the trophy because it’s been a long time since we won the World Cup.”

However, Garner was reluctant to give his forecast for today’s game against England.

“I’m not even going to predict that one. I just hope we get 100 overs in and see some good cricket,” he said.

Three World Cup matches have had to be scrapped so far due to rain. Garner’s five-for-38 in the 1979 World Cup final against England remains the best-ever bowling performance in the last game of the event.

West Indies’ Andre Russell bats in the nets during a training session at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, yesterday, ahead of their World Cup group stage match against England.

Captain Morgan backs Archer to shine in West Indies clashREUTERS LONDON

England captain Eoin Morgan is relieved to have fast bowler Jofra Archer (pictured) at his disposal for today’s World Cup clash against West Indies rather than having to face his pace.

The Barbados-born 24-year-old, whose father is English, was cleared to play for England under new eligibility rules which meant he needed three years residency, rather then seven.

He has grabbed his oppor-tunity with both hands, taking three wickets for 27 runs in Eng-land’s opening World Cup win over South Africa and then took another three-wicket haul against Bangladesh, having gone wicket-less in the loss to Pakistan.

Archer once played for West Indies under-19s so there is likely to be some extra edge when he

runs in against them at Southamp-ton’s Rose Bowl today.

“It is great that he’s in an England shirt at the moment,” Morgan told a news conference.

“Jofra’s been very consistent over a long period of time since he came to Sussex.”

Asked if it might be distracting

playing against some of his former West Indies colleagues, Morgan recalled his own experiences having switched allegiance to England from Ireland.

“He won’t know how it will feel until he plays the game tomorrow,” Morgan said.

“I think being in that position myself it does feel different the first time you play against a side that either you could have poten-tially played for or played for.

“But I’m sure he will handle it like he’s handled everything else so far. Every challenge he’s come up against so far he’s come out the other side really well. So let’s see how it goes.

“We are not expecting any-thing majorly different.”

With Mark Wood a doubt with a swollen ankle, Archer’s pace will be key for England.

“You need one, if not two (quick bowlers),” Morgan said.

Sarfaraz wants improved fielding against IndiaREUTERS MANCHESTER

Pakistan must improve their

fielding if they are to beat India

in their crunch World Cup match

on Sunday, captain Sarfaraz Khan

said after the team’s 41-run loss

to Australia in Taunton.

Pakistan conceded over-

throws against Australia and

were punished by Aaron Finch,

who was dropped by Asif Ali at

slip when he was on 33.

The Australian skipper went

on to score 82 and built a

146-run opening stand with cen-

turion David Warner to allow the

champions to post a competitive

total of 307.

“When two good teams play

each other, the fielding can make

a difference and we conceded

runs due to lapses in fielding,”

Sarfaraz told reporters.

“If you want to beat the big

teams we can’t make such

mistakes.

“Our fielding is not up to the

mark and we will work hard on

that before the India match.

India are a strong team and if

you continue to make the same

mistakes then you won’t get an

opportunity to win the match.”

At 136-2, Pakistan appeared

well set to chase down their

target midway through their

innings but soon lost Imam-ul-

Haq, Mohammad Hafeez and

Shoaib Malik in the span of three

overs to be reduced to 147-5.

“We made good starts but

didn’t build partnerships,” Sar-

faraz added.

“The first few wickets were

soft dismissals after the batsmen

got set... We lost three wickets

in 15 balls and that was the

turning point in the match.”

Pakistan play arch-rivals

India next at Old Trafford on

Sunday in a fixture where ten-

sions always run high.

Imam, who scored 53 against

Australia, said he was looking

forward to playing in front of

what is expected to be a capacity

crowd.

“Obviously to be part of that

kind of game, it’s great,” Imam

said.

“It’s in Manchester, lots of

Pakistani fans there, so I’m really

excited about it.

“It’s a huge pressure game.

Pakistan and India, there’s a lot

of mysteries behind that

but we want to just focus

on our cricket strengths

and how we can get

better.”

Pakistan’s captain Sarfaraz Ahmed reacts after taking a catch to dismiss Australia’s Nathan Coulter-Nile during

their World Cup match on Wednesday.

Rank/Team M W L N/R Pts NRR

1: New Zealand 4 3 0 1 7 2.163

2: Australia 4 3 1 0 6 0.57

3: India 3 2 0 1 5 0.539

4: England 3 2 1 0 4 1.307

5: Sri Lanka 4 1 1 2 4 -1.517

6: West Indies 3 1 1 1 3 2.054

7: Bangladesh 4 1 2 1 3 -0.714

8: Pakistan 4 1 2 1 3 -1.796

9: South Africa 4 0 3 1 1 -0.952

10: Afghanistan 3 0 3 0 0 -1.493

ICC WORLD CUP STANDINGS

19FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2019 SPORT

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Messi back again for another shot at titleAP SAO PAULO

Lionel Messi (pictured) was fed up and hurting three years ago, on the losing side once again at the Copa America.

“For me, the national team is over. I’ve done all I can,” Messi said after Argen-tina’s penalty-shootout loss to Chile at the 2016 edition in the United States.

Three years later, the five-time world player of the year is back at South Amer-ica’s biggest tournament, the guy Argentina is relying on once again to end its trophy drought in international soccer.

Now 31, Messi is still among the best players in the world. He is coming off another prolific season for Barcelona - 51 goals in 50 matches in all competitions - where he led the Spanish team to a fourth league title in f i v e

years. Trophies at club level and personal awards just keep on coming for Messi. It’s on the international stage that he continues to fall short, meaning that for many - espe-cially in Argentina - he still cannot compare to other great player, Diego Maradona.

That was the year it won the South American champi-onship for the second straight edition and 14th time overall. Seven years before that, Argentina w o n t h e World Cup, m a i n l y thanks to Maradona.

A quarter of a c e n t u r y without a big title

is

too long for such a soccer-crazy nation and it is weighing heavily on its players. Hence Messi’s emo-tional reaction after the 2016 final, when Argentina slumped a second straight shootout loss to Chile in the final.

When the tournament begins today with Brazil playing Bolivia, the host nation will be the favorite but the absence of Neymar

because of an ankle injury should provide

Argentina with more optimism.

“We have the best player in the world, we will try to help him so he feels c o m f o r t a b l e , ” Argentina midfielder Rodrigo De Paul said

of Messi. “But we

are aware that Brazil i s t h e favourite.”

Led by i n t e r i m c o a c h L i o n e l Scaloni, Argentina has many

y o u n g

players in their first interna-tional tournament. With Sergio Aguero, Paulo Dybala and Angel di Maria among the other attackers, the con-cerns again lie in the defense, where Argentina has been weak for some time.

If Messi can lead an Argentina team in transition to the title - at the home of its greatest soccer rival - all that pain and anguish from previous misses at the Copa America and World Cup will likely disappear in an instant.

Even in a career as stellar as Messi’s, it will rank as one of the highlights.

he United States.Three years later, the

ve-time world player of theear is back at South Amer-a’s biggest tournament, theuy Argentina is relying onnce again to end its trophy rought in international occer.

Now 31, Messi is still mong the best players in theorld. He is coming off

nother prolific season forarcelona - 51 goals in 0 matches in all ompetitions -here he led the

panish team a fourth

e ag ue tle in i v e

Seven years before that, Argentina w o n t h e World Cup, m a i n l y thanks toMaradona.

Aquarter of a c e n t u r y without abig title

is

because of an ankle injuryshould provide

Argentina with moroptimism.

“We have thebest player in theworld, we will try tohelp him so he feelc o m f o r t a b l e ,Argentina midfieldeRodrigo De Paul said

of Messi. “But w

are awarethat Brazii s t h efavourite.”

Led byi n t e r i mc o a c hL i o n eScaloniArgentinahas many

y o u n g

Argentina enter the

Copa America in

Brazil without a major

international trophy

at the senior level

since 1993.

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and personal awards

just keep on coming

for Messi. It’s on the

international stage

that he continues to

fall short.

Premier League: Man City to kick off season at West HamREUTERS LONDON

Champions Manchester City will kick off their 2019-20 Premier League season with an away trip to West Ham United while Liverpool get the ball rolling with a home clash against promoted Norwich City.

The fixtures, released at 0800 GMT yesterday, also included a meaty first-weekend clash with Manchester United hosting Chelsea, who finished third last season.

Tottenham Hotspur, who completed the top-four last season, are at home to Aston Villa, who returned to the top flight via the playoffs after a three-season absence.

Arsenal travel to Newcastle United while Sheffield United, the other promoted club, start at Bournemouth.

Leicester City host Wolver-hampton Wanderers, Burnley face Southampton, Crystal Palace host Everton and FA Cup runners-up Watford are at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.

The season starts on Friday, August 9.

The upcoming top flight season will be the first to include a brief mid-season break. A set of fixtures will be spread over a two-week period in February, meaning all clubs get a week off.

It will also feature the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system for the first time.

Pep Guardiola’s (pictured)Manchester City, who completed an unprecedented domestic treble last season, have a rela-tively comfortable start to the new campaign, although they do face Tottenham, who knocked them out of last season’s Cham-pions League in the quarter-finals, at home on the second weekend.

They then travel to Bourne-mouth, host Brighton, visit

Norwich and then take on Watford at the Etihad.

Premier League runners-up and European champions Liv-erpool’s first six games feature a home match against Arsenal and an away trip to Chelsea.

The first game between last season’s title rivals takes place at Anfield on November 9.

Tottenham and Arsenal fans will not have long to wait for the season’s first North London derby, with the sides meeting at the Emirates on August 31.

Other notable dates include Liverpool’s trip to Manchester United on Oct. 19 and the Man-chester derby at the Etihad Stadium on December 7.

The season will end on May 17 when City host Norwich, Liv-erpool are at Newcastle, Tot-tenham go to Crystal Palace and Chelsea host Wolverhampton Wanderers.

City are the bookmakers’ favourites to retain the title, fol-lowed by Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea.

Sheffield United, who have returned to the Premier League for the first time since 2007, are favourites for the drop.

kick off their 2019-20 Premier League season with an away trip to West Ham United while Liverpool get the ball rolling with a home clash against promotedNorwich City.

The fixtures, released at 0800 GMT yesterday, also included a meaty first-weekendclash with Manchester United hosting Chelsea, who finished third last season.

flight via the playoffs after a three-season absence.

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West Brom appoint Bilic as head coachREUTERS LONDON

West Bromwich Albion have appointed former Croatia and West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic as their new head coach on a two-year deal, the Cham-pionship side said yesterday.

Bilic, 50, returns to England after a five-month spell with Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad, which followed his dismissal by Premier League side West Ham in November 2017.

The Croatian, who also played in England for West Ham and Everton, will look to guide West Brom back into the top flight after they missed out last season following a defeat in the playoff semi-finals by West Midlands rivals Aston Villa.

“We want to improve on the pitch and Albion have convinced me they want to return to the Premier League. Albion have a short-term project and a long project and they do not clash,” Bilic told the club’s website.

“They wanted me to lead them, to help improve them.

They made it clear they wanted me to be the one to lead them in this and I didn’t think twice once they had spoken to me.”

Bilic succeeds Darren Moore, who was sacked in March with Albion sitting fourth in the second tier. Caretaker boss Jimmy Shan guided them to a fourth-placed finish in the league and into the play-offs.

Meanwhile, Southampton have signed Mali international Moussa Djenepo on a four-year deal from Standard Liege, the Premier League club said yesterday.

The 20-year-old winger becomes manager Ralph Hasenhuttl’s first signing since arriving at the club last December. Djenepo joins Southampton on the back of an impressive season with Standard Liege, where he scored 11 times, across all com-petitions, to help them finish third in the Belgian top flight.

“We are very happy to welcome Moussa as the first new player to join our team ahead of the upcoming season,” Hasenhuttl said.

Organisers worried about slow ticket sales for 2 gamesAP SAO PAULO

Copa America organisers are worried about ticket sales for the two matches in Belo Horizonte and said that only 65 percent all tickets to the tournament have been sold, a figure that is below expectations.

Organisers said there have been slow sales for the match between Bolivia and Venezuela on June 22 and the match between Ecuador and Japan on June 24, both in Belo Horizonte.

Brazilian media say less than 3,000 tickets have been sold for the two matches at the Mineirao Stadium. Organisers did not confirm the figure.

However, organisers say tomorrow’s match between Argentina and Colombia in

Salvador is sold out. More than 1 million tickets have been put on sale, and the target is to sell 70 percent of them, said Agberto Guimaraes, the director of oper-ations for Copa America.

“If we look at the whole, we are moving toward successful sales. In every product you have items that are highly valued and some that do not draw the same interest,” Guimaraes told jour-nalists at the Morumbi stadium, where host Brazil will open Copa America against Bolivia today.

“We hope that from then onward, with the ball on the pitch, there is more interest for those two matches.”

To avoid empty seats, Gui-maraes said organisers are in contact with the local government about the possibility to have school children fill some of them.

Meanwhile, Chile coach

Reinaldo Rueda said forward Alexis Sanchez has recovered from an ankle problem and could start the team’s Copa America opener against Japan on Monday.

Sanchez is Chile’s top scorer with 41 goals and helped the team win the last two editions of the Copa America, but is coming off a disappointing and injury-plagued season with Manchester United when he was often rele-gated to the bench even when fit.

The 30-year-old Sanchez scored only once in 20 matches with the English club.

“He is coming off a tortuous season, it is hard for him,” Rueda said at a news conference, adding that Sanchez may not be fit for the full 90 minutes.

“He has the conditions to start, that is possible. Lasting the 90 minutes is what we will analyze,” Rueda said.

Fans of Peru cheer as they watch a training session of their national team in Porto Alegre, Brazil, yesterday, on the eve of the start of the Copa America.

THE PENINSULA RIO DE JANEIRO

Qatar squad yesterday reached Rio de Janeiro where they will play their first match at Copa America later this week.

Based in coastal town of Porta Belo for the last two weeks, Qatar have been training and practicing at full speed for their debut in the world’s oldest football tournament.

On Sunday, Qatar - coached by Felix Sanchez - face Paraguay in their opening match at the famous Maracana Stadium. Qatar then face Columbia on June 20 followed by a clash against former World Cup champions Argentina on June 23 in Porto Alegre. Star striker Lionel Messi is expected to lead Argentina.

Since arriving in Brazil more than two weeks ago, Qatar have played an international friendly against Brazil and another match against a club side to prepare for the three-week event.

Asian champions Qatar are one of the invited teams to feature in the tournament. Former Asian Cup champions Japan are also taking part in this year’s event. Japan have played in one previous Copa America edition, appearing at the 1999 tournament held in Paraguay.

Last week, coach Sanchez announced a 23-member squad that will be captained by Al Sadd star Hassan Al Haydos.

In an interview earlier this week, Sanchez underlined Qatar’s growing reputation, saying the youngsters have made things happen for the 2022 FIFA World Cup hosts.

“Aspire Academy has played a major role in the development of the young players. With the presence of international coaches, the Qatari clubs have got talented Aspire Academy graduates in recent times,” Sanchez said.

“Clearly the goal is to have a good national team in the World Cup 2022,” the Spaniard added. “The important thing is that the players will gain

experience at Copa America. They are accustomed to being strong and competitive. They are successful too, but our plan is to give the players the maximum opportunities to prepare for the World Cup in 2022,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez guided Qatar to Asian Cup glory in Jan-Feb this year with an unbeaten seven-match streak. Young striker Almoez Ali, an Aspire Academy graduate, produced nine goals in Qatar’s seven matches at the Asian Cup.

“It was a big challenge. In the Asian Cup, our goal was to compete well. We had expected from the start to play well and it was tough to be ahead of others. But thanks to the hard work of the players, we exceed expectations very quickly,” he said.

“I have supervised most of the young players from their early days. I know all the details about them especially the ones play in the Qatar Stars League. A majority of them are close to me and this is good for me,” Sanchez said. Ali has already racked up 19 goals in just 38 international appearances.

Sanchez said in the interview that he has seen con-sistent evolution of youth football in Qatar.

“There is a lot of progress since 2006 because of the culture of long-term planning,” Sanchez said.

“In addition to the Aspire Academy that accelerated this development of young football players, Qatar’s understanding of the value of how you train and adapt to new ideas to become a well organised team was crucial. The (positive) results are at the heart of everything and it deter-mines whether you are good or bad side.

“The players were com-mitted and believed they could win the Asian Cup. We played as we wanted, a steady style of play, and this makes you more proud of what you are doing,” he said.

Meanwhile, key player Abdulaziz Hatem has urged his team mates to exhibit a fighting show during the tournament.

Hatem said after yester-day’s training: “The Qatari team enters the tournament as the champions of Asia, and we hope that our team is the best repre-sentative of this despite the strength and difficulty of the group.”

On their way to Brazil, Qatar also had a training camp in Texas, the United States.

Qatar featured in an inter-national friendly against Brazil on June 5 followed by a 2-1 win over a club four days later.

Hatem said that the match played by Qatar against Brazil w a s g o o d l e a r n i n g experience.

“Our team presented a good fighting game in their friendly against a strong and top-class team in the world,” he noted.

“Without a doubt, the loss against Brazil does not diminish our hopes as we could have done better than the 2-0 score suggests,” he added.

Clearly the goal is to have a good national team in the World Cup 2022. The important thing is that the players will gain experience at Copa America. They are accustomed to being strong and competitive. They are successful too, but our plan is to give the players the maximum opportunities to prepare for the World Cup in 2022: Felix Sanchez

PAGE | 17 PAGE | 19Koepka chases

history as US Open tees off

at Pebble Beach

Messi back again for another shot at title as Copa America kicks off

20FRIDAY 14 JUNE 2019

Qatar gear up for Copa debut as 2022 preparations begin

QFA makes changes to the Amir Cup tournament formatTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar Football Association (QFA) and Qatar Stars League (QSL) have introduced changes for the new season, including a new registration system, details showed yesterday.

Chairman of the Competitions Committee at QFA, Hamad Al Mannai said that they will introduce a new system for the Amir Cup from next year.

The Tournament begins in January with the qualifiers between the second division teams.

Four of them will compete with the teams from QSL, and the teams will be divided into two groups. There will also be a draw for both the quarter-finals and the semi-finals.

The matches will take place in March and April, with the semi-final and final taking place in May.

The QFA will release the fixtures for the new season in the coming days.

The amendments have been made to accommodate the FIFA Club World Cup in 2019 and 2020 which will be held in Qatar.

Al Mannai said he views the changes to the Amir Cup format will add more excitement to the competition.

QATAR SQUAD: GOALKEEPERS: Youssef Hassan,

Mohammed Al Bakri, Saad Al Sheeb

DEFENDERS: Boualem Khoukhi, Tareq Salman, Bassam Husham, Pedro Correira, Hamad Ismael, Tameem Al Muhaza, Abdullah

Abdul Salam, Al Mahdi Ali, Abdulkarim Hassan

MIDFIELDERS: Hassan Al Haydos, Assim Madibo, Karim Boudiaf,

Ahmad Moein, Abdulaziz Hatem, Salem Alhajri

STRIKERS: Ali Afif, Almoez Ali, Ahmed Al Alaeldin, Akram Afif

COACH: Felix Sanchez

COPA AMERICA GROUPSGroup A: Brazil, Bolivia, Venezuela, Peru

Group B: Argentina, Colombia, Paraguay, QatarGroup C: Urugay, Ecuador, Japan, Chile

Qatar beach handball team arrives in ChinaTHE PENINSULA DOHA

Qatar beach handball team yesterday arrived in Weihai, China where they will be looking to defend their Asian crown at the 7th Asian Beach Handball Champi-onship. The biannual championship begins tomorrow.

Qatar who won the championships in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 to become the most successful team in the tournament’s history, yesterday concluded their pre-tournament training camp in Thailand.

The event in which 12 of the best Asian teams vie for honours.

Qatar are pitted in Group A along with Vietnam, Chinese Taipei, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Philippines.

Group B includes Oman, Iran, Thailand, Pakistan, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Qatar will start their campaign against the Philippines tomorrow and will move onto their second match against Indonesia on Sunday. Their third match will be against Afghanistan on June 17. Qatar will meet Chinese Taipei on June 19, before facing Vietnam in their final preliminary round fixture on June 20.

Qatar’s Abdelkarim Hassan trains with team-mates ahead of the

Copa America tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, yesterday

Qatar coach Felix Sanchez gestures during a training session held in Rio de Janeiro, yesterday.

Qatar beach handball team players and officials pose for a photograph as they prepare to leave for Weihai, China to take part in the 7th Asian Beach Handball Championship which begins tomorrow.