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AMMAN — Wihdat and Hussein came out victorious andimpressive following their wins in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League Two Round 4matches this week.

Wihdat maintained their unbeaten run and topped Group C after they beat Tajikistan’s Istiklol 1-o in Amman repeating their earlier 1-0 away win. Wihdat earlier held UAE’s Sharjah 2-2 andbeat  Iran’s Sepahan Isfahan 2-1. In other group matches, Sepahan upset Sharjah 3-1 after they had lost 3-1 in the first match. Sharjah beat Istiklol 1-0 while Sepahan beat Istiklol 4-0.

On the other hand, Jordan’s league champs Hussein also jumped to first spot in Group D after they scored an important 2-1 win over Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi in an away matchrepeating their earlier 2-1 win. Hussein earlier beat Kuwait Club2-1 and lost 3-1 to UAE’s Ahli Dubai. In other group matches, Ahli were held 3-3 with Kuwait after they earlier beat them 4-1, Nasaf upset Ahli 2-1 and Kuwait held Nasaf 0-0.  

Asian clubs are playing in 8 groups in the 21st edition of the competition, with the top two in each group moving to the quarters of the second tier Asian event that has replaced the AFC Cup. The top tier Asian clubs competition is now branded Asian Champions League Elite.

AMMAN — Jordan Football Association Shield matches resume as of Friday with remaining semifinalists to be decided after this round.

Hussein have booked a semifinal spot leaving Wihdat to faceShabab Urdun for the second spot from Group 1, while Saltmeet Ramtha and Faisali play Sarih for the two slots from Group 2 with the semis set for November 15. 

Meanwhile, the CFI Professional Football League headed intobreak as the national team prepares to play Iraq and Kuwait in Round 3/ Group B qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup. 

League titleholders Hussein and veterans Wihdat consolidated their grip and continued their unbeaten run after week 9 of league matches. Hussein beat Wihdat 3-1 , Ramtha held Faisali 0-0 to stay second, Jazira beat Ahli 2-1 to move a spot up, Sarih held Salt 0-0, Mughayer Sarhan moved to 8th after they beat Ma’an 3-1, and Aqaba finally gained a point after they heldShabab Urdun 1-1.

Hussein won their first Pro League crown in the 2023/2024 season, becoming the 9th champions since the League kicked off in 1944. Neighbors Ramtha, won the 2022 title for the third time in their history after 39 years. In other competitions, Wihdat won the Jordan Cup for the 12th time as well as the Super Cup for their 15th time, while Faisali won their 9th Jordan Football Association Shield.

AMMAN — Jordan was drawn in Group B for the U-20 Asian Cup set for February 2025 in China– a qualifying tournament to the U-20 World Cup. 

45 Asian teams played the AFC qualifiers in 10 groups, with the group winners and five best second-placed teams advancing to the finals.  Jordan qualified as one of five best second placed teams after they beat Singapore 2-0 and Hong Kong 7-0 and lost 3-2 to Qatar.

They will join Iraq, Saudi Arabia and North Korea in the group. Group A includes hosts China, Australia, Kyrgyzstan and Qatar; Group C includes titleholders Uzbekistan, Iran, Indonesia and Yemen while Group D includes, Japan, South Korea, Syria and Thailand.

Jordan qualified to the Asian Cup finals for the 9th time. Their best finish was fourth in 2006 when they qualified to the U-20 World Cup in 2007. In previous Asian Cup editions, the team exited the group stages in 1977, 1978, 2008, 2010, 2018; exited the quarterfinals in 2012  and 2023. In the past decade, they did not qualify in 2014 and 2016.

The Asian Cup,  previously known as the AFC Youth Championship and AFC U-19 Championship, is a biennial competition organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the men's under-20 national teams of Asia.  South Korea is the record winning team with 12 titles. Among Arab teams Iraq won five times, Saudi three times, while Qatar, Syria and the UAE once each.

AMMAN — Wihdat continued their impressive campaign in the AFC Champions League two, securing a crucial 1-0 victory over FC Istiklol on Tuesday in Round 4 of Group C at Amman International Stadium. Wihdat stay at the top of the group with 10 points, maintaining the unbeaten record in the competition. 

The only goal of the match came in the 77th minute, as Wihdat’s attacking pressure finally paid off. A well-timed assist from Ibrahim Sabra found the right winger Cesar Gueye, who calmly slotted the ball into the bottom corner, securing the three points for the home side. The goal was a reward for Wihdat’s dominance, as they controlled much of the game but had struggled to break down FC Istiklol’s defense until then.

With the win, Wihdat now hold a commanding three-point lead over second-placed Sharjah, who sit on seven points. Iranian Sepahan, who won 3-1 over Sharjah earlier in the day, is on the  third place with six points while istiklol is on the bottom with no points. The win placed Wihdat in a strong position to advance to the knockout stage, with two matches remaining in the group.

The upcoming fixtures will be crucial for Wihdat as they aim to secure top spot in the group. The team will next face Sepahan in Iran, followed by a showdown with Sharjah in Amman. With a solid record and just two more matches to go, Wihdat’s qualification to the next round is firmly in their hands.

BARCELONA — The Davis Cup will provide a special farewell to retiring tennis great Rafael Nadal at the November final eight, said tournament director Feliciano Lopez on Tuesday. 

The 22-time Grand Slam winner is part of David Ferrer's Spain squad for the finals in Malaga which begin on November 19.

Lopez said the Davis Cup was "lucky" to host Nadal's final tournament and wants to offer the departing superstar a farewell that lives up to his glittering career.

"It's confidential of course, but we're planning to do something very special for him, we have to celebrate his career and his legacy," Lopez told reporters.

"There's a lot of things that we're planning but for now I cannot share any more details with you, but we're planning something very special.

"We are going to try and live up to his legacy and his enormous career and I hope we're going to do something very special for him."

Lopez said many stars of tennis and other sports wanted to come to Malaga to witness the denouement of Nadal's career.

"I know that almost everyone in the world wants to be present for his farewell... Novak Djokovic posted on Instagram that he wants to be there, also Andy Murray wants to be there," continued Lopez.

"I don't know if we're gonna have seats for everyone, but as you can imagine all the tennis players that played in his time, they want to be there.

"Other athletes from different sports, of course from Spain and everywhere in the world, they want to be there as well, so it's going to be very special for Rafa."

Lopez did not think the "World Cup of Tennis" will be overshadowed by Nadal's retirement.

The tournament director said Nadal himself was keen to make sure that was not the case in Malaga.

"The Davis Cup itself is so important and I don't think this celebration is going to overshadow the competition, especially as Rafa doesn't want any of that," he explained.

Lopez said there was "no doubt" Nadal is the best Spanish athlete of all-time and considered it a "nice coincidence" he will finish his career at the Davis Cup, after a vital win in the competition back in 2004 helped launch his career.

Nadal, 18 at the time, defeated Andy Roddick in a thrilling singles battle to help Spain claim the competition at the final against the United States in Seville.

'True blessing for tennis' 

Tickets for Spain's last eight match against Netherlands were snapped up quickly and Lopez joked they could do with "two stadiums, not one", with some being resold for thousands of Euros online as the tennis world tries to catch a last glimpse of Nadal.

Nadal could be paired with French Open and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz, who is also part of the Spain team called up.

World No.1 Jannik Sinner is part of defending champions Italy's team and Lopez hailed his budding rivalry with Alcaraz.

"They are a true blessing for tennis," he added.

"Roger [Federer] and Rafa are gone, and Novak we don't know how much he has left in the tank... we're very lucky in the tennis industry and world that we have Sinner and Alcaraz leading this new generation of players."

Lopez said preparations for the Davis Cup had not been affected by the recent devastating flooding in the east of the country, and along with the Billie Jean King Cup and the International Tennis Federation, they have made a donation to the Spanish Red Cross.

"It's terrible and horrible to see this happening," said Lopez.

"Luckily this is not affecting the preparations in Malaga.

"Of course we will try to use our platform to raise awareness and we will try to raise money for everyone affected in Valencia."

AMMAN —  Wihdat and Hussein fans hope their teams can keep up their winning performances as they resume Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Champions League Two Round 4 matches as of Tuesday.

As standings begin to take shape in the 21st edition of the competition, Wihdat will host Tajikistan’s Istiklol in Amman on Tuesday hoping to build on their 1-0 away win. Wihdat are now second on goal difference in Group C after earlier holding UAE’s Sharjah 2-2 and beating  Iran’s Sepahan Isfahan 2-1. In other group matches, Sharjah beat Sepahan 3-1 and Istiklol 1-0 while Sepahan beat Istiklol 4-0.

In Group D, Hussein will play an away game against Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi Wednesday hoping to repeat their earlier 2-1 win and qualify to the next round. Hussein are now second on goal difference after they beat Kuwait Club 2-1 and lost 3-1 to UAE’s Ahli Dubai. In other group matches, Ahli beat Kuwait 4-1 to take the group lead, Nasaf upset Ahli 2-1 and Kuwait held Nasaf 0-0.  

Asian clubs are playing in 8 groups with the top two in each group moving to the quarters of the second tier Asian event that has replaced the AFC Cup. The top tier Asian clubs competition is now branded Asian Champions League Elite.

LONDON — Dominic Solanke scored twice as Tottenham blitzed Aston Villa in the second half on Sunday, winning 4-1 to move just two points behind their rivals for a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Shortly after the break, Brennan Johnson cancelled out Morgan Rogers’ first-half opener for Villa, before a cascade of home goals late in the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Solanke produced a delicate dinked finish to put Spurs ahead in the 75th minute and scored another from close range before James Maddison added gloss with a sumptious free kick deep into stoppage time.

The result lifts Ange Postecoglou’s men to seventh in the table on 16 points — two behind Villa, who missed the chance to climb into third spot.

The Spurs boss, whose side lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace last week, said his men had shown they had “other gears” in the second half, praising Solanke for his performance.

“His goals are unbelievable but his general play, his work-rate, I can’t speak highly enough of him,” he told Sky Sports.

“Seven days is a long time in football.

Seven days ago I was a grumpy old so and so. We have to say true to the course we’re on.

“We made sure not to feel sorry for ourselves and are back to the team we want to be.”

Villa players wore training tops reading “Fuerza Valencia” during the warm-up, in solidarity with the victims of the deadly floods in Spain, the home country of Villa boss Unai Emery, who has managed Valencia.

Spurs had plenty of the ball early on but showed little penetration, despite the return of captain Son Heung-min from injury.

Rodrigo Bentancur’s shot from distance midway through the half landed on the roof of the net.

At the other end, Jacob Ramsey’s shot was deflected over the bar by Radu Dragusin before Amadou Onana headed against the post.

But seconds later Villa were ahead after Spurs failed to deal with Luca Digne’s corner, Rogers poking home in the 32nd minute after Guglielmo Vicario made an initial save.

It was the only shot on target either side mustered in the first half, continuing Spurs’ habit of conceding first and emphasising their problems dealing with set pieces.

Spurs could have been in deeper trouble had Ollie Watkins not skewed his shot wide shortly before half-time.

Postecoglou opted not to make changes at half-time and his side were level in the 49th minute when Johnson steered home Son’s inviting cross at the far post.

Minutes later Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez got a strong right hand to keep out Solanke’s close-range effort as Spurs found rhythm and intensity.

Villa captain John McGinn flashed just wide before Son was substituted — much to his surprise — as Postecoglou introduced Yves Bissouma and Richarlison.

The game became scrappy but Spurs seized the initiative when Dejan Kulusevski found Solanke, who finished cutely over the diving Martinez in the 75th minute.

Minutes later Villa lost the ball in midfield and Spurs broke at pace, with Pape Sarr feeding Richarlison, who crossed for Solanke to fire home.

Substitute Maddison made it 4-1 in the 96th minute, netting his 50th Premier League goal.

The defeat made it a miserable 53rd birthday for Emery, who had won on his past two visits to the stadium.

“When you are losing you have to try and get one step forward to try and change the result,” he said.

“But we know how difficult it is against Tottenham — 4-1 is a tough result but the match we played was more or less in line with the expectation I had before the match.

“We are disappointed, frustrated but we are accepting it.

We know our way, it is 38 matches, the league is very tight.”

AMMAN — Hussein irbid secured a commanding 3-1 victory over Wihdat in a closely contested match at Al Hassan Stadium on Friday, further solidifying their position in the CFI Professional Football League .

The match started with Hussein taking the lead in the 16th minute: Right-back Adham Qurashi scored the opener after receiving a well-timed pass from Aref Haj. Wihdat responded quickly, equalising just five minutes later when Ibrahim Sabra capitalised on a rebound from goalkeeper Yazid Abu Layla in the 21st minute.

In the second half, Hussein regained the lead after five minutes, when a foul in the box resulted in a penalty. Aref Haj stepped up to take the spot-kick and made no mistake, restoring Hussein's advantage. The two sides continued to push forward, and in a decisive moment, Sisa added a third goal with a powerful long-range shot, bringing the final score to 3-1.

With this victory, Hussein climbs to the top of the league standings with 22 points, maintaining an unbeaten record after nine rounds while Wihdat now sits at 17 points.

KINSHASA — Alfred Mamba was just 12 when boxing great Muhammad Ali descended on Kinshasa, at that time the capital of Zaire, in October 1974 in a bid to regain his heavyweight title.

Mamba watched as his father -- a boxing referee -- helped carry flags into the arena ahead of the fight between Ali and fellow-American George Foreman in the early hours of October 30.

The memory of the event, better known as The Rumble in the Jungle, has stayed with him for 50 years.

"It was an impossible atmosphere, we have never seen an atmosphere like it," he excitedly tells AFP on the sidelines of the amateur Africa Boxing Championships in Kinshasa.

The Rumble in the Jungle, which inspired Norman Mailer's book "The Fight" and the Oscar-winning documentary "When We Were Kings", has passed into boxing myth.

Financed as a big public relations event by Zaire's dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, the fight took place in the 20th May Stadium, now called the Tata Raphael Stadium and was screened in over 100 countries.

The giant concrete structure was packed to the rafters with some 60,000 spectators, singing, dancing and chanting in anticipation of the match.

'Screaming'

"People were screaming at every possible moment, it was really great," Mamba recalls wide-eyed.

As he speaks he flicks through black and white paper photos from the legendary event that would turn the tide on Ali's career.

Foreman, an Olympic gold-medallist at the 1968 Mexico Olympics, was the favourite - the 25-year-old had won his first 37 fights after turning professional.

He started out the stronger but Ali, now 32 and employing his famous rope-a-dope tactics, turned the tables and landed a left hook and straight right that sent Foreman to the canvas in the eighth round.

Foreman tried to get to his feet but the referee signalled the end of the fight and a knockout win for Ali.

It was a triumph for Ali who reclaimed the title that had been stripped from him in 1967 when his decision to refuse the draft to fight in the Vietnam War landed him a three and a half year suspension.

"People really wanted Muhammad Ali to win the fight," says Mamba.

There was no clear reason why the locals leaned in his favour but, according to magazine The Africa Report, Ali created one.

When Foreman arrived in Zaire - now the Democratic Republic of Congo - with his two German Shepherd dogs, a breed favoured by the Belgian colonialists, Ali said Foreman was a Belgian, and the crowd backed him.

"When Muhammad Ali gave the [final] punch everyone screamed," says Mamba.

'Ali was Congolese'

Martin Diabintu, also a referee in the amateur boxing competition in Kinshasa, tells AFP that the locals considered Ali "like a brother".

"Ali was Congolese," he says simply.

The fight was due to take place on September 25 but had to be delayed after Foreman suffered a cut in training.

That only cranked up the anticipation around the world and, more particularly, in Kinshasa.

"Everyone wanted to see this fight, everyone wanted to assist in the fight," says Mamba.

Boniface Tshingala, another referee at the amateur boxing competition alongside Mamba and Diabintu remembers people queueing for kilometres outside the stadium.

Hours before the fight started "there were people massed around the stadium from all four corners of the capital", says Tshingala.

"Outside the stadium it was full to bursting. Everyone wanted to come in."

Tata Raphael Stadium, which has since hosted sporting events including the Francophone Games in 2023, has been updated somewhat in the half-century since The Rumble but the memories remain vivid.

"We commemorate the fight even today," says Diabintu, who was also a former boxer. "We call it 'the fight of the century'."

Now 64, Diabintu was just a teenager when Ali and Foreman came to Kinshasa. He was so eager to watch the fight he walked 10 kilometres from his home to the stadium.

"I came on foot. After I finished school I came to see the combat," he says.

As well as exciting his curiosity the event had an even greater impact on his life as he progressed from boxer to coach to referee.

"It's this event that pushed me into boxing."

All three former boxers describe pride at the DRC having hosted the event that still resonates fifty years later.

"People didn't believe that DRC could organise this fight [but] we succeeded 100 per cent," says Mamba proudly.