News

Vienna, Austria, 28 Mar (ONA) --- Franco Foda, Austria coach will leave his position after the friendly match against Scotland tomorrow (Tuesday) after failing to lead his team to the World Cup 2022. Foda used a news conference today to suddenly announce his imminent departure, saying the time was right because “we couldn’t fulfill our big dream.” Austria lost 2-1 to Wales in the semifinals of the World Cup playoffs last Thursday. The 55-year-old Foda was hired as Austria coach at the end of 2017. The team played at Euro 2020. --- Ends/Khalid ...

Kuwait, 27 Mar (ONA) --- Oman Sail’s sailing team has concluded their participation at the 11th GCC Sailing Championships, held from 22-26 March 2022 at Messilah Beach in Kuwait, after claiming the highest number of medals out of all participating nations. The Omani entry is the first regional tournament for the young Optimist sailors, who were joined by experienced ILCA sailors to claim podium seven positions. Medals were won by: Hood Al Nofali, silver (Optimist U12); Tameem Al Balushi, silver, and Abdullatif Al Qasmi, bronze (Optimist); Nebras Al Owaisi, silver, and Elyas ...

Berlin, 22 Mar (ONA) --- The German football federation (DFB) has reacted to increasing online abuse of match officials by blocking comments on its Twitter feed dedicated to referees, it said today.In December the DFB had asked fans to keep their comments to the topic of decisions and behave respectably.Many comments, however, were still deleted and users blocked but the DFB has gone a step further by preventing responses being made to posts until the end of the ...

Kuwait, 22 Mar (ONA) ---- Sixteen of Oman Sail’s best young prospects will compete against sailors from across the region at the 11th GCC Sailing Championship which is taking place from 22-26 March 2022 at Messilah Beach in Kuwait. The Omani squad includes sailors under the age of 17 in the Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6 and ILCA 7 classes, all of whom earned their place in the team by finishing in top positions a recent rankings race event held in Mussanah. The Omani team comprises: Tameem Suleiman Al Balushi (Optimist), Abdullatif Zeyad Al Qasmi (Optimist), Hassen Nasser ...

Muscat, 22 Mar (ONA) --- Hamed Al Harthi, one of Oman’s most experienced trail runners, crossed the finish line in Sur at 5.30pm on 21 March 2022 after completing the epic 560km ‘Border to Coast’ self-challenge in eight days. Starting from Um Zumul, on the border of Sultanate of Oman, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, on 13 March 2022, he was joined by local runners and well-wishers throughout the journey and raised money for donate.om, Oman’s Donations Portal for Charitable Organisations. After pushing the limits and going above and beyond age, Hamed ...

Abu Dhabi, 21 Mar (ONA) --- The Royal Cavalry (RC) won the UAE Derby cup.The horse “RC Haroon” came first in the 4th round (Derby Cup).The race was held on the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club racecourse for a distance of 2200 metres.The UAE Derby saw the participation of elite Arabian horses. RC won the Derby Cup as Haroon, jockeyed by Antonio Friso and coached by Ibrahim Al Hadhrami, took the lead in the final few metres. --- Ends/Anas/KH ...

London, 21 Mar (ONA) —— Serbia's Novak Djokovic has returned to the number one ranking in men's tennis despite not playing at Indian Well last week.The latest world rankings released today by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) have Djokovic on a best 8,465 points with Daniil Medvedev on 8,445.Djokovic could not travel to California without a coronavirus vaccine and will also miss the Miami Open coming up this week as a result.Medvedev, competing under a neutral flag following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, dropped back to second having led the standings since February ...

London, 20 Mar (ONA) --- Crystal Palace reached the English FA Cup semifinals for the first time since 2016 by beating Everton 4-0 today. Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Wilfried Zaha and Will Hughes scored the goals at Selhurst Park for Palace, which joined Chelsea in the lineup for the last four. The two remaining matches in the quarterfinals are played later today: Southampton vs. Manchester City and second-tier Nottingham Forest vs. Liverpool. It was something of a reality check for Frank Lampard’s Everton after its last-gasp 1-0 win over Newcastle last Thursday that ...

Paris, 20 Mar (ONA) --- Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) slumped to a 3-0 loss at Monaco, with Wissam Ben Yedder scoring twice. Following PSG’s exit from the UEFA Champions League in the last-16 at the hands of Real Madrid. With nine matches left to play, PSG still enjoys a 15-point lead at the top of the standings and remains well on track to equal Saint-Etienne’s record of 10 French league titles. Monaco moved to seventh place. PSG was without Lionel Messi, who was ruled out with flu-like symptoms. In addition to the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, PSG was also without ...

Munich, 20 Mar (ONA) --- Robert Lewandowski is unstoppable at the moment, with the Polish forward having scored two more Bundesliga goals on Saturday as Bayern Munich beat Union Berlin 4-0. The No.9 scored a first-half penalty and then another goal early in the second half to complete the scoring for the champions and Bundesliga leaders. Lewandowski now has 45 goals in the 2021/22 season already, with 31 of those coming in the Bundesliga. That total puts him ten shy of the number he hit last term, with seven rounds of fixtures remaining to better that record. He has 12 UEFA ...

Muscat, 17 Mar (ONA) —— A’Seeb Club won His Majesty the Sultan’s Football Cup after defeating A’Rustaq Club 2/0.The final match was held at Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in the Wilayat of Bausher, Governorate of Muscat under the patronage of Sultan bin Salim Al Habsi, Minister of Finance, in the presence of HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth.HH Sayyid Theyazin commended the role of Oman Football Association (OFA) and all Omani football clubs in promoting sports and youth activities. These efforts, said Sayyid Theyazin, help in honing skills ...

Nyon, Switzerland, 17 Mar (ONA) --- The UEFA Champions League draw for the quarter-finals will take place tomorrow (Friday), 18 March 2022. The UEFA Champions League is Europe's biggest competition approaches its climax. Most of Europe's top clubs have made it through to the last eight, so there are set to be some heavyweight clashes in the quarter finals. The UEFA Champions League quarter-final draw will take place at the UEFA's headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. At the same time the semi-final draw will also happen, so the eight remaining sides can plot out their ...

Turn, Italy, 17 Mar (ONA) --- Questions will continue to be asked of Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri after the Bianconeri were stunned at home to Villarreal last night, losing 3-0 on the night and 4-1 on aggregate to fall out of the Champions League. Allegri has faced criticism of late for Juventus' style of play both domestically and in Europe, but the Italian doubled down yesterday and his team put on another underwhelming show against a Villarreal side who were more than happy to sit deep and leave their hosts to have possession that they were unable to do anything ...

Liverpool, 17 Mar (ONA) --- Liverpool overcame a huge test of their title credentials as they beat Arsenal 2-0 away from home to keep pressure on the English Premier League (EPL) leaders Manchester City. The trip to North London was billed as the second-toughest game the Reds would face in their title-run in, having a trip to take on Manchester City coming on 10 April 2022. And Jurgen Klopp's side passed with flying colours. Liverpool are now on 69 points and just one off Premier League leaders Man City, the Spanish MARCA newspaper reported. --- Ends/Khalid ...

Barka, 16 Mar (ONA) --- The camel "Makhayel" of the Royal Camel Corps won the main race "Gold Sword of Federation" at the closing day of the annual camel races festival for 2022 themed "Sword of Federation". The closing ceremony was held under the patronage of HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth. The festival was held at the Royal Camel Corps racecourse in the Wilayat of Barka, Governorate of South Al Batinah. The racing festival was organized by Oman Camel Racing Federation (OCRF) under the direct supervision of the Ministry ...

Madrid, 16 Mar (ONA) --- Real Madrid will definitely be without Ferland Mendy for the Clasico against Barcelona on Sunday night, with the left-back suffering a small tear in his adductor, although Carlo Ancelotti is still facing a nervous wait over Karim Benzema's physical fitness ahead of the clash at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid. Ancelotti was able to utilise Nacho Fernandez as a left-back in the dramatic 3-1 victory over Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), so the Italian does have an option to replace Mendy in the Barcelona clash. Benzema, though, is a little harder ...

Geneva, 15 Mar (ONA) --- The ban on Russian soccer teams from European competition was upheld today by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The urgent CAS ruling — an interim judgment pending a full appeal hearing likely in the weeks ahead — does not apply to Russia’s chances of being reinstated for World Cup qualifying. Russian athletes and teams have been banned from dozens of sports since the country invaded Ukraine last month. The ban by FIFA is part of a similar but separate appeal by the Russian soccer federation which could be decided by CAS this ...

Lille, France, 15 Mar (ONA) --- French club Lille will be without injured Renato Sanches when the team plays defending champion Chelsea tomorrow (Wednesday) in the second leg of the round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League. Lille coach Jocelyn Gourvennec said today the Portugal midfielder will be the only one missing for the French champions. Sanches picked up a muscular injury in a league match against Saint-Etienne last week and is expected to be sidelined for about three weeks. Lille trails 2-0 from the first leg at Stamford Bridge last ...

London, 15 Mar (ONA) --- Chelsea is asking for its FA Cup game against Middlesbrough to be played without a crowd because the government won’t allow it to sell any tickets under the terms of its license to operate after the Russian owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned. Chelsea said it had been in “extensive discussions” with the office of financial sanctions implementations ahead of Saturday’s away game. “It is important for the competition that the match against Middlesbrough goes ahead,” Chelsea said in a statement today, “however it is with extreme ...

Muscat, 14 Mar (ONA) --- World Sailing has kicked off its 2022 Paralympic Development Programme with its first event ever to be held in the Sultanate of Oman. Para sailors and coaches have come together at the Mussanah Barceló resort, home of Oman Sail, for an extensive schedule on and off the water. Sessions are ranging from boat handling and racing skills, to rules and regatta management, with specific opportunities for coaches to develop their high performance para sailing expertise. “We’re excited to be in Oman for the very first time since launching our ...

Madrid, 14 Mar (ONA) --- A decisive week for Barcelona has begun and Xavi Hernandez's side are full of confidence after continuing their blistering form in their victory over Osasuna late last night. Whilst the Blaugrana's immediate focus is on the second leg of their Europa League round of 16 tie with Galatasaray in Turkey on Thursday night, they will have one eye on El Clasico on Sunday night, 20 March 2022. Xavi took charge of his boyhood club at the end of October 2021, but the extent of his impact has become clear over the past few weeks, as his side have hit top ...

Paris, 13 Mar (ONA) --- Record-breakers Neymar and Lionel Messi felt the heat from Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) angry fans following another UEFA Champions League humiliation, getting whistled every time they touched the ball during a 3-0 home win against Bordeaux today in the French Ligue 1. Even when Neymar scored the second goal against rock-bottom Bordeaux, the fans jeered him. Even when Messi embarked on a trademark run from deep and hit the post he got booed. While the runaway leader moved 15 points clear in a league it usually dominates, the fans want success ...

Madrid, 13 Mar (ONA) ---- Cesar Azpilicueta is Barcelona's number one target to bolster their defence. The captain of Chelsea has been aware of the Catalan club's interest for some time now and would like to move to the Camp Nou, the Spanish MARCA reported. However, as the months pass, the situation gets more complicated and at the moment it is not at all clear that the player if will end up signing for Barcelona. Firstly, there is his contractual situation. Azpilicueta's contract expires in June, but the automatic renewal clause to keep him at the English club has already ...

Berlin, 13 Mar (ONA) --- Hertha Berlin today fired Tayfun Korkut as coach in a desperate attempt to stave off a humiliating Bundesliga relegation for the German ambitious club. Hertha said in a statement that assistant coach Ilija Aracic was also leaving the club “with immediate effect” and that a successor to Korkut will be announced “as soon as this matter of personnel has been finally clarified.” Korkut had been given every chance to turn around Hertha’s fortunes after he replaced club favorite Pal Dardai last November, but Saturday’s 2-0 loss at ...

Barka, 13 Mar (ONA)--- Final competitions of the annual camel race 2022 Saif Al Ittihad (Sword of the Federation) kicked off today at the Royal Camel Corps Racecourse in the Wilayat of Barka, the Governorate of South Al Batinah. The four-day event is being organized by Oman Camel Racing Federation (OCRF) under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. As many as 1600 camels from different governorates of the Sultanate of Oman take part in the race. The final competitions include 57 rounds for different categories with awards for the winners ...

Nyon, 10 Mar (ONA) ---- Europe's ruling body UEFA has received the referee report from Wednesday's Champions League match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain amid alleged misbehaviour from PSG top officials.UEFA told dpa today it was looking into the report, without giving details.PSG lost the last 16 tie 3-2 on aggregate after a 3-1 defeat in Spain from Karim Benzema's hat-trick, with the French team's camp lamenting that their goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma had been fouled before Real's 1-1 equalizer.News reports in Spain and France said that PSG top officials had attempted ...

London, 10 Mar (ONA)--- Roman Abramovich’s hopes of selling Chelsea have been put on hold after the Russian oligarch was sanctioned by the UK government. Abramovich’s UK assets have been frozen as part of the UK’s response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a document published by the government today, Chelsea’s owner was identified as “a pro-Kremlin oligarch” and was said to be “associated with a person who is or has been involved in destabilising Ukraine and undermining and threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine, ...

Muscat, 10 Mar (ONA)--- HH Sayyid Theyazin bin Haitham Al Said, Minister of Culture, Sports and Youth will preside over the closing ceremony of the annual camel race 2022 under its new name Saif Al Ittihad (Sword of the Federation) next Wednesday. The four-day event, which will kick off this Sunday, is organized by Oman Camel Racing Federation (OCRF) under the direct supervision of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. The closing ceremony will be held next Wednesday, 13 March 2022 at the Royal Camel Corps Racecourse in Al Fulaij, Barka. The closing ceremony will ...

Madrid, 10 Mar (ONA) --- Mauricio Pochettino slammed the officials and asked why VAR was not used to rule out Real Madrid's first goal as Paris Saint-Germain were dumped out of the Champions League in sensational circumstances last night. The Ligue 1 leaders looked set for the last eight after Kylian Mbappe had put them 2-0 up on aggregate with a cool finish in the first half. Madrid, and Karim Benzema in particular, had other ideas, though. The France international scored a breathtaking hat-trick – the second and third of which came inside the space of just ...

Madrid, 10 Mar (ONA) —— A second-half hat-trick from Karim Benzema last night earned Real Madrid a place in the Champions League quarter-finals with a 3-1 comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain.PSG arrived in Madrid defending a 1-0 first leg lead and Kylian Mbappe's first half goal doubled their advantage.But a horrible error from keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma presented Benzema with his first just after the hour and a quick-fire double strike in the 76th and 78th minutes earned a 3-2 aggregate triumph."In the first leg, we have to say we were lucky to leave there only losing 1-0," said ...