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AMMAN — The fifth round of the Speed Test Championship which was due to kick off on Friday has been postponed till further notice, according to a statement from Jordan Motorsport on Thursday.

The motorsport community was devastated by the sudden death of Jordan driver Ahmad Zidan, who succumbed to a heart attack. 

AMMAN — Japan will take on North Korea in the final of the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup at the Amman International Stadium at 8pm on Friday.

The final will be preceded by the 3rd and 4th place match between Venezuela and Spain at 5pm in the same venue.

Japan beat Spain 3-0 in their semifinal match, while North Korea trounced Venezuela by the same score to earn their place in the final.

North Korea’s Ri Hae-Yon got her fifth goal of the tournament. That put her level with Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos and Spain’s Lorena Navarro at the top of the tournament’s scoring charts and she will now have a chance to add to that tally in a final.

Titleholder Japan know that retaining the trophy is not a foregone conclusion. The Japan team already know from painful experience what it is like to lose a final against North Korea.

“They beat us in the Asian final [at last year’s AFC U-16 Women’s Championship] the last time we met, of course, but we’ve studied a lot and learned a lot since that defeat. We want to make sure that we’re the winners this time,” Japan coach Naoki Kusunose told Fifa.com. 

“The Koreans are a good side and their style isn’t easy to play against, but we’ve already faced some very good teams here — England, Spain, USA — and beaten them all. I have told the players to think positively, and I see in them a conviction that they are going to win,” he added.

North Korea defender Jon Yun-Sim and Co. therefore have every reason to fancy their chances when they get reacquainted with these familiar foes. Now all that remains to be seen is whether history will repeat itself and North Korea will return to the top of the world, or will Japan sink their chance.

While Spain have fallen short of the second place they achieved at Costa Rica 2014, Venezuela have already made sure of doing just as well as they did two years ago.

“We’re among the best four teams in the world,” Spain coach Maria Is told Fifa.com. “We’ve got one game left. It’s winner takes all, and we want to win so that the girls get properly rewarded for the work they’ve put in here.”

Having led his team to fourth in Costa Rica, the Venezuela coach is targeting going one better in Jordan and was adamant that there is plenty for his charges still to play for. 

“We haven’t hit our ceiling. We’ve got a game left and of course we can finish third,” Venezuela coach Kenneth Zseremeta told Fifa.com.

“We’ve got a score to settle,” he added.

Jordan was eliminated from the first round losing 5-0 to New Zealand, 4-1 to Mexico and 6-0 to Spain. Sarah Abu Sabbah made history by scoring Jordan’s only goal in the Kingdom’s inaugural appearance in the U-17 World Cup.

The biggest sporting event to be hosted in the Kingdom also marked the first time that a women’s tournament of this scale has been hosted in the Middle East region. It was Jordan’s first appearance at the U-17 Women’s World Cup and also its first appearance at any level at a FIFA World Cup.

PARIS — Gianluigi Buffon kept the shots out while Cristiano Ronaldo failed to put them in.

While Buffon starred in goal for Juventus, saving a penalty and making two remarkable saves in a 1-0 win at Lyon, it was a frustrating night for record-chasing Ronaldo in the Champions League.

The Real Madrid forward needed only two goals to become the first player to score 100 career goals in European club competitions. But he could not muster even one for the holders in a 5-1 rout of Polish strugglers Legia Warsaw — which had lost five of its past seven matches.

Madrid has scored 11 times in its past two games, but only one of those has been from the usually prolific Ronaldo. He has made an uncharacteristically quiet start to the season for Madrid with four goals in eight games so far — very low by his own lofty standards.

Madrid’s goals came from Wales forward Gareth Bale, an own-goal by Tomasz Jodlowiec, and further strikes by Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez and Alvaro Morata, sealing an emphatic victory in Group F.

Madrid is level on seven points with Borussia Dortmund, but the German side leads on goal difference after winning 2-1 at Sporting Lisbon.

Prolific striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — with his ninth goal in nine games — and Julian Weigl scored in the first half for Dortmund. Midfielder Bruno Cesar pulled one back midway through the second half after an indirect free kick was awarded near the penalty spot.

Colombia midfielder Juan Cuadrado scored the winner for Juventus in the 76th minute with a brilliant angled strike, keeping the Turin team top of Group H.

Group E

Tottenham striker Son Heung-min came back to his old club Bayer Leverkusen, but the German side did most of the attacking in a 0-0 draw that suited Monaco perfectly.

Monaco came from behind to salvage a 1-1 draw at CSKA Moscow and tops Group E with five points, one point ahead of Tottenham and two clear of Leverkusen.

Although Tottenham had chances in the first half, with Dutch striker Vincent Janssen hitting the crossbar, Leverkusen dominated after the break.

Spurs goalkeeper Hugo Lloris did brilliantly to scoop the ball away on the line after an effort by Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez — with goal-line technology showing that it had not fully crossed the line.

So much for not celebrating against your former club.

CSKA Moscow striker Lacina Traore could barely contain his delight after scoring against Monaco — the club loaning him to CSKA — wheeling away in delight with his finger raised after pouncing from close range.

With just minutes remaining, however, midfielder Bernardo Silva darted in to score the equaliser.

Group G

Riyad Mahrez struck the close-range winner in a 1-0 victory against FC Copenhagen that kept Leicester well on track for the next round after three straight wins.

Leicester coach Claudio Ranieri’s tactic to keep Mahrez fresh just before Champions League games is proving decisive.

Mahrez was restored to the starting line-up after being rested on Saturday at Chelsea, only coming off the bench in the second half.

Prior to the previous Champions League game — a home win against Porto — he was substituted at half-time against Manchester United.

Five minutes before half-time, he acrobatically flicked in a header from fellow Algeria international Islam Slimani, after good work by striker Jamie Vardy.

Ranieri’s team, shock winners of the Premier League last season, needs one win from its final three games to make the knockout phase.

Leicester is five points clear of Copenhagen and FC Porto, which came from behind to beat Club Brugge 2-1 and condemn the Belgian side to a third successive loss.

Emerging striker Andre Silva, who has scored four times in the last two games for Portugal, settled the match with an injury-time penalty.

Forward Jelle Vossen put Brugge ahead, but Mexican defender Miguel Layun levelled with a long-range drive.

Group H

Ten-man Juventus won 1-0 away to Lyon thanks to some shot-stopping heroics from goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and a brilliant winner from Colombia midfielder Juan Cuadrado.

He scored in the 76th minute after cutting in down the right, beating full back Jeremy Morel and launching an unstoppable shot into the near top corner from the tightest of angles.

Prior to that, Lyon had threatened an upset.

But Buffon saved a 35th-minute penalty from Alexandre Lacazette and then denied Lyon twice in the second half with remarkable reflex saves, tipping over forward Nabil Fekir’s deflected shot when off balance and kicking away Corentin Tolisso’s point-blank header.

The win kept Juventus top of Group H with seven points and ahead of Europa League champion Sevilla on goal difference.

Sevilla won 1-0 at last-place Dinamo Zaghreb, with French midfielder Samir Nasri scoring from close range during the first half.

AMMAN — Three-time Olympic taekwondo star Nadin Dawani has been appointed to the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes’ Commission by President Thomas Bach, according to the Jordan Olympic Committee News Service. 

The 28-year old was Jordan’s chef de mission at the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games this summer, and is one of only four new non-IOC member representatives to be chosen. 

“Following their candidature for the elections of the IOC Athletes’ Commission during the Olympic Games Rio 2016, and in consultation with the chair Angela Ruggiero, the four athletes have been appointed by the IOC president as members of the IOC Athletes’ Commission,” the IOC said in a statement. 

Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal, Argentina’s NBA basketball star Luis Scola and Egyptian modern pentathlete Aya Medany were the other three appointed in order to ensure a “balance between regions, gender and sports”. 

“I am extremely proud to have been asked to take on this important position and honoured that President Bach has put his faith in me,” said Dawani.

“The Athletes’ Commission has a central role to play in the development of sport across the world and I look forward to starting work with my fellow athletes to make a real difference.”

“I would particularly like to thank HRH Prince Feisal [JOC president] who has provided such strong support to me.”

Dawani is one of Jordan’s most decorated athletes having won taekwondo titles throughout her distinguished career that saw her compete at the Athens, Beijing and finally the London Olympics where she carried the Jordan flag.

She became the first Jordanian Taekwondo player to be named Asian Champion after winning the gold medal at the 2012 Asian Taekwondo Championships in Vietnam. 

Dawani has been invited to attend the next meeting of the commission scheduled for November 6.

There are now six non-IOC representatives on the panel alongside 14 full members.

MADRID — Andres Iniesta can see it already. The Manchester City team coming to the Camp Nou for Wednesday’s Champions League match against Barcelona has quickly been infused with Pep Guardiola’s playing style.

Iniesta identifies his former coach’s fingerprints at City, with the English club one of the toughest teams to beat in Europe.

“Guardiola’s teams are a reflection of what he wants and, despite the short period in which he has been in command, City already carries his identity, his ball-possession style,” said Iniesta, who played under Guardiola for four years. “Manchester City is a top candidate to win this tournament. It’s part of a very small group of clubs that can win it.”

It will be the second time Guardiola returns to the Camp Nou as a coach. The former Barcelona player was with Bayern Munich in a loss in the Champions League semifinals two seasons ago.

“City has improved its game a lot,” said Barcelona defender Javier Mascherano, another player coached by Guardiola, who won 14 titles while in charge of the Catalan club from 2008-2012.

“Never in my life am I going to change the way I play football,” Guardiola said. “I can make a lot of mistakes but my teams play the way they want.”

Here is a look at the groups playing Wednesday:

Group A

Given how poorly Paris Saint-Germain’s midfield played in the unimpressive 2-1 win against bottom-side Nancy in the French league on Saturday, coach Unai Emery will be desperate to have the experienced Thiago Motta back for the home game against Basel.

But Motta is struggling to shake off a muscle injury, meaning that PSG could be missing his snappy tackling, tactical discipline and astute passing against Basel — which has been consistently strong in midfield in recent years.

If Motta fails a fitness test, then Grzegorz Krychowiak is likely to start, although the Poland midfielder looked sluggish and off the pace against Nancy.

Arsenal, which leads the group with the same four points as PSG, hosts last-placed Ludogorets Razgrad of Bulgaria.

Group B

UEFA says Napoli has a chance to become the first team in Champions League history to advance from its group after just three matches — if Napoli beats visiting Besiktas, and Dynamo Kiev draws with Benfica.

However, Napoli has lost consecutive Serie A matches for the first time under second-year coach Maurizio Sarri and has to overcome a lengthy injury lay-off for Arkadiusz Milik, the Poland forward who scored seven goals in his first eight matches with the southern club.

Manolo Gabbiadini, Milik’s replacement, did not impress in a 3-1 defeat to Roma at the weekend, which ended Napoli’s 22-match unbeaten streak at home.

Early advancement would provide a measure of revenge for Napoli after the club became the first team with 12 points to be eliminated from the current group-stage format in 2013-14.

While Napoli has a perfect six points and Besiktas two, Dynamo and Benfica have only one each.

Group C

Man City got off to a great start under Guardiola, winning 10 straight, but it’s enduring a three-game winless streak that has added some pressure on the newly signed coach.

“Of course, the confidence and mood is much better when you win,” Guardiola said after the team’s 1-1 draw with Everton, when Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero had spot kicks saved.

City has four points, two less than Barcelona, which won both of its games and is on a 12-match winning streak at home in the Champions League.

Luis Enrique’s Barcelona is unbeaten in 17 home games in the European competition.

In the other group match, Celtic hosts Borussia Moenchengladbach to try to improve on its four-game unbeaten run at home in Europe.

Group D

After a three-match winless run, Carlo Ancelotti’s methods are already being questioned.

The new Bayern coach was praised at the start of the season for his relaxed approach, after Guardiola’s more rigid, detail-driven style. Now, the feeling is that players may be losing their drive and determination under Ancelotti.

Club boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge felt obliged to slam the team’s “unacceptable” performance in a 2-2 draw with 10-man Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga on Saturday. The media quickly suggested that some of Guardiola’s discipline might be in order.

Bayern, which will be without Franck Ribery when it hosts PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday, has won 13 consecutive home matches — a Champions League record. PSV, however, is undefeated in 22 away matches in all competitions.

The German side has three points, three less than group leader Atletico Madrid, which plays at Rostov.

MADRID — The goals keep coming for Cristiano Ronaldo, and they seem to be making Legia Warsaw a bit nervous.

The Portugal forward scored five goals with his national team during the break, and added another for Real Madrid in a Spanish league win over Real Betis.

The defending champions will next face Legia in the Champions League on Tuesday.

“Hey @Cristiano, congratulations on scoring another goal!” Legia wrote on Twitter last week. “Hope you’re now out of ammo for Legia next week.”

Ronaldo is two goals shy of becoming the first player to score 100 career goals in European club competitions.

Here is a look at the groups playing on Tuesday:

Group E

The match between Bayer Leverkusen and Tottenham brings striker Son Heung-min back to the stadium that was his home from 2013-15, when the South Korean scored 29 goals in 87 appearances for Leverkusen.

Son was the Premier League’s player of the month for September and has four goals this season. He was nearly lured away by Wolfsburg before this season but has been excellent in England in the absence of injured striker Harry Kane.

The game is crucial for Leverkusen, which has only two points from two matches. The German side is unbeaten at home in Europe since November 2014, with four wins and four draws.

Tottenham has three points, one less than Monaco, which plays at CSKA Moscow. The Russian side is last with one point and has a poor home record in the competition, with one win in its last nine home matches.

Group F

Real Madrid could not have asked for a better opponent to try to keep its momentum in the Champions League.

After beating Real Betis 6-1 in the Spanish league to end a run of four consecutive draws, Madrid gets to face Legia Warsaw, which is desperately trying to turn its season around after a chaotic start.

The two teams meet again in Poland in November.

“We will go into the game strong,” Madrid midfielder Francisco “Isco” Alarcon said. “We know that these two games will have a big impact on our place at the top of our Champions League group.”

Legia, which on Friday lost for the eighth time in 13 games, has the second-worst defence in the Champions League with eight goals conceded in two games. It lost 6-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund in the Group F opener. The Polish club has already made a coaching change but it continues to struggle.

Madrid, which has won eight straight at home in the Champions League, is trying to become the first team to win back-to-back titles since the new tournament format was created in 1992-93.

Borussia Dortmund, which is tied with Madrid at the top of the group with four points, plays at Sporting Lisbon, which is only one point behind the leaders.

Group G

With more losses after eight matches than all of last season, Leicester City is struggling to defend the Premier League title. The focus seems to be on Europe, with even Riyad Mahrez on the bench in Saturday’s loss to Chelsea.

“Last season we were not in this world, we were out of this world,” Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri said. “And now we come back into the world and we have to react.”

That reaction is in the Champions League, where Leicester is making the most of its debut. After winning their opening two matches, Leicester hosts FC Copenhagen on Tuesday. The other Group G game is a meeting of the two winless teams, with FC Porto hosting Club Brugge.

Group H

Paulo Dybala is finding his form at the right time for Juventus.

The Argentina forward had a great debut season at Juventus but struggled at the start of the current campaign.

However, after breaking his drought in Zaghreb, Dybala scored for the third straight match on Saturday, netting twice as Juventus rallied to beat Udinese 2-1.

“We’ll keep going without worrying about what the other sides are doing,” Dybala said. “We’re thinking only about ourselves.”

The Italian side leads the group, above Sevilla on goal difference and one point above Lyon, the team’s next opponent.

Sevilla visits Dinamo Zaghreb, which has zero points and also failed to score in its opening two matches.

AMMAN — Japan will take on North Korea in the final of the 2016 U-17 Women’s World Cup at the Amman International Stadium at 8pm on Friday.

The final will be preceded by the 3rd and 4th place match between Venezuela and Spain at the same venue.

Japan beat Spain 3-0 in their semifinal match, while North Korea trounced Venezuela 3-0 to earn their place in the final.

“The players were tense, though, and I have to focus on what we can do better in the final. At the moment, we don’t have any injured players but we will need to focus on making sure we recover well physically in the time we have,” North Korea’s coach Sin Jong-Bok told Fifa.com. 

North Korea’s Ri Hae-Yon got her fifth goal of the tournament. That put her level with Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos and Spain’s Lorena Navarro at the top of the tournament’s scoring charts and she will now have a chance to add to that tally in a final.

The final and the 3rd and 4th place match will be played on Friday.

Jordan was eliminated from the first round losing 5-0 to New Zealand, 4-1 to Mexico and 6-0 to Spain. Sarah Abu Sabbah made history by scoring Jordan’s only goal in the Kingdom’s inaugural appearance in the U-17 World Cup.

The biggest sporting event to be hosted in the Kingdom also marked the first time that a women’s tournament of this scale has been hosted in the Middle East region. It was Jordan’s first appearance at the U-17 Women’s World Cup and also its first appearance at any level at a FIFA World Cup.

AMMAN — Hundreds of students registered for the 4.2km Children’s Race of the Amman International Marathon that is going to be held on Friday at the King Hussein Park.

Lina Kurd, Run Jordan general manager, told The Jordan Times that the event is expected to witness a huge turnout.

“We have so far hundreds of students representing various schools who registered to be part of this event and I am sure more will join,” she said.

“The marathon is divided according to age groups and aimed at promoting sports as a lifestyle. Run Jordan believes that by starting the awareness campaign at an early stage we will be able to create a generation who believes in living healthy,” she added.

The age categories include students between 6-8, 9 -11 and 12-14, year olds.

The race is expected to attract more than 2,000 participants this year, including many from the Junior Runners Programme, representing all districts where the programme has been implemented so far.

“The Junior Runners Programme is one of Run Jordan annual activities that was established to help schoolchildren to get active early and for life by providing them the tools, motivation, and support to live happier, healthier lifestyles, through providing them fun running experiences,” Kurd said. 

“The programme also aims at promoting long-distance running at both private and government schools throughout Jordan, thereby empowering boys and girls aged 6-14 to achieve things that they never thought possible,” she added.

The race’s start and finish lines will be at the main parking area at the King Hussein Park to allow easier access for participants and larger space for the children to enjoy the after race party that is being prepared, according to Kurd.

Run Jordan, the organiser, is also working hard on the preparation for the 8th edition of the Samsung Amman Marathon, the most popular running event in the Kingdom, which will be held October 28 with the participation of runners from all over the world.

The event, held under the patronage of HRH Prince Firas, consists of three races: 42km Full Marathon, 21km Half Marathon and a 10km Fun Run.

“This year’s slogan is ‘Run to the Heart of the City of Amman’ and we are promoting Amman as the city of healthy living for all. The marathon’s mission extends beyond competitive, touristic or health aspects as 20 per cent of the proceeds go to charitable associations across multiple sectors,” she said.

“The feeling of running for a good cause is unmatched and at the same time it opens the eyes of people that by adopting running I can improve my health and be a role model for the younger generation that is why we encourage families to join the marathon with their kids,” she added.

Run Jordan was established in 2013, and aims to position the Kingdom as an international sporting venue and to support and supplement the work of the official sporting bodies particularly the Jordan Olympic Committee and the Jordan Athletics Federation.

AMMAN — The four sides left in the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan have one objective left in mind — to reach the final and keep their title hopes alive.

On Monday, in the semifinals it will be Venezuela against North Korea at 4pm, followed by Spain taking on Japan at the King Abdullah II International Stadium in Amman at 7pm.

Three of the four already know what it means to go so far — only Venezuela has yet to make it to the final. North Korea was the tournament’s first winners in 2008 and finished runners-up four years later, while Spain and Japan fought for the trophy in Costa Rica two years ago, with the Japanese emerging victorious, having lost out in the 2010 final.

Spain has grown tired of just missing out on the big prizes. Finalists at Costa Rica 2014, and the UEFA European Women’s U-17 Championship.

Japan has become a cohesive and tight-knit unit that it is virtually impossible to pick out any one player over another, no matter who is on the pitch. To prove the point, coach Naoki Kusunose has used every member of his squad at Jordan 2016, without it affecting the quality of his side’s performances.

Statistically it’s hard to predict who will be chasing the ball more when they meet on Monday. 

“I would call the way we play the ‘Japanese style’, because we all work together as a unit. Our next game against Spain is likely to be a great match, and we’ll be ready to continue defending our title,” Japan coach Naoki Kusunose told Fifa.com on Friday.

The other semifinal could boil down to a battle between Venezuela’s Deyna Castellanos and North Korea’s teamwork.

The final and the 3rd and 4th place match will be played on Friday.

Jordan was eliminated from the first round losing 5-0 to New Zealand, 4-1 to Mexico and 6-0 to Spain. Sarah Abu Sabbah made history by scoring Jordan’s only goal in the Kingdom’s inaugural appearance in the U-17 World Cup.

The biggest sporting event to be hosted in the Kingdom also marked the first time that a women’s tournament of this scale has been hosted in the Middle East region. It was Jordan’s first appearance at the U-17 Women’s World Cup and also its first appearance at any level at a FIFA World Cup.

ZURICH — North America became a stronger favourite to host an expanded World Cup in 2026 after FIFA essentially barred European countries from bidding on Friday.

The FIFA Council agreed that UEFA and Asian confederation members should not bid again so soon after Russia hosts the 2018 World Cup and Qatar has the 2022 tournament.

“That has changed the landscape [of the 2026 contest] a little bit,” said US Football Federation President Sunil Gulati, a FIFA Council member.

FIFA said Europe would be put on standby only if “none of the received bids fulfil the strict technical and financial requirements”.

That’s unlikely if the United States bids as expected, either alone or with Canada and Mexico.

FIFA favours co-hosting among regional neighbours, and a three-way bid could be more popular if the tournament grows to 40 or 48 teams.

A decision will be made on whether to expand the tournament on January 9-10 when the FIFA Council next meets in Zurich.

FIFA has targeted 2020 for its member federations to choose the 2026 host.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who was elected this year after promising voters a 40-team World Cup, would not declare North America as the most likely host region.

“It is still too early to say that,” Infantino said. “We hope we have many bidders and we can choose... who the best bidder is.”

Still, the North American regional body CONCACAF has long been seen as the natural host for 2026 and its claim got stronger on Friday. The United States was the last country in the region to stage the tournament in 1994.

“The answer is ‘Sure,’ it would be silly to say anything but that,” Gulati said of a contest that could also include bids from Africa and South America.

CONCACAF lost out when a hosting rotation system approved during Sepp Blatter’s presidency was abandoned before its scheduled turn in 2018 came around.

Back then, FIFA preferred to block continents from two World Cup bidding contests after hosting, but when statutes were updated in recent reforms the rule said only one tournament had to be skipped.

Gulati said the new clarity in bidding would encourage an entry from the United States.

“We now know some of the rules,” said Gulati, FIFA’s top American official. “We will look at it. We have great relationships with Canada and Mexico. We also have a country with 320 million people that has hosted a World Cup and with a lot of terrific stadiums and great infrastructure.”

A US-hosted World Cup would likely set attendance records — in 1994 there were 3.59 million total fans and an average of 69,000 per match.

Infantino said Friday that a bigger World Cup — potentially of 48 teams and 80 matches with an opening playoff round — would be for sporting reasons, “not a financial or political decision”.

Still, he foresaw more revenue from FIFA’s current $5 billion per tournament, which could help increase the funding he promised to FIFA members.

“Whatever additional costs there will be, will be largely outweighed by additional revenues, obviously. Which means we are in a comfortable position,” Infantino said.

Other decisions Friday:

— FIFA’s 2017 congress will be held in Manama, Bahrain — the home city of FIFA Vice President Sheik Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain — on May 11. The original venue of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, pulled out citing problems with issuing visas to delegates.

— The rebranded FIFA annual awards ceremony, formerly known as the Ballon d’Or, will still be held in Zurich on January 9. FIFA had explored a move to London.

— The dates of CONCACAF’s Gold Cup tournament in 2017 have been modified. It will kick off two days earlier, end four days earlier and be played July 7-26.