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AMMAN — The Jordan Cup title is the last competition on the local 2023/2024 football calendar before focus switches to the resumption of World Cup qualifiers in less than two weeks.

But before that, Hussein Irbid will be the talk of observers and analysts after they took home the coveted Professional Football League title for the first time following an impressive season, which saw them lose only one match. Hussein had to wait to the last stage of the competition, to be able to move the trophy out of the capital to Irbid.

“My team deserved the win. They gave it all they have and earned a hard-fought title,” head coach Jamal Mahmoud was quoted following Hussein’s 2-1 come-from behind win over Sahab Saturday evening which gave them a two-point edge over Faisali who beat Shabab Urdun 6-2 and would have retained their title in case Hussein drew or lost.

Wihdat came in third after beating Aqaba 1-0 as the latter finished sixth while Ramtha finished fourth after beating Jalil 4-0 as the latter were relegated alongside Sahab.

In other matches, Salt managed a spot in the top five although they lost 1-0 to Mughayer Sarhan who held on to their spot for the third season. Ma’an took sixth spot after they beat Ahli 2-0 as the latter settled for 10th. Shabab Urdun who first joined the league in 2004 and won the title in 2006 were crowned AFC Cup champs in 2007 but have struggled lately, finished 8th.

Hussein, who took home the JD60,000 in prize money, changed the usual Faisali-Wihdat dominance of the title, like neighbours Ramtha,who won the 2021 season title for the third time in their history after 39 years.

In addition to the league, the season saw Wihdat win the Jordan Super Cup for their 15th time, while Faisali won their 9th Jordan Football Association Shield. Wihdat are now focused on winning the Jordan Cup as the quarterfinalists have now been decided. Regionally, this season saw Wihdat and Faisali failing to advance beyond Round 1 at AFC Cup and Champions League respectively.

Sarih and Jazira will be back to the Pro League next season The latter, a three-time league champion, were relegated for the fourth time– 1977, 1992, 2003, 2022 after the club was a frontrunner in the past few years and played in the AFC West Asia Zone final in 2018 and 2019.

Premier League record

(competition was not held in 1948, 1953, 1957, 1958, 1967, 1968, 1969 & 1998)

Faisali (35 times): 1944, 45, 59, 60-66, 70-74, 76, 77, 83, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90-93, 99, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2009, 2011, 2016, 2018, 2022

Wihdat (17 times): 1980, 87, 91, 94, 95, 96, 97, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020

Ahli (8 times): 1947, 49, 50, 51, 54, 75, 78, 79

Ramtha (3 times): 1981, 82, 2021

Jazira (3 times): 1952, 55, 56

Shabab Urdun (twice): 2005, 2012

Hussein (2023), Amman: 1984, Urdun: 1946(once each)

AMMAN — Al Hussein Irbid SC won the Jordanian Pro League title for the first time in its history after defeating Sahab SC 2-1.

Al Hussein centre-forward Abdou Aziz Ndiaye scored twice in the 45th and 71st minutes, while Hamza Saifi scored Sahab's only goal.

Irbid's Al Hussein football club collected record 59 points, while the 35 times champions Faisaly collected 57 points to secure second place in the Pro League.

Nicknamed "Ghuzat Al Shamal" (Invaders of the North), Al Hussein Irbid SC was established in 1960 and had never, since then, won the title but remained in many times among the Pro League big four clubs, besides Faisaly, Wehdat and Ramtha. Al Hussein won the first-ever title in its history, and with the title, Al Hussein ended dominance of Faisaly and Wehdat two most popular and most successful Jordanian clubs.

AMMAN — It is down to the last stage of the Professional Football League, with the champion, relegated teams as well as final standings to be decided on the weekend.

Hussein lost their first match of the season last week going down 1-0 to Faisali thus delaying the title race to this weekend when they face Sahab on Saturday. A win by any score will be enough for Hussein to take home the title for the first time in their history and change the usual Faisali-Wihdat dominance of the title, like neighbors Ramtha,who won the 2021 season title for the third time in their history after 39 years.

At the same time, Faisali will play Shabab Urdun and have a chance to snatch the title if they win while hoping that Hussein draw or lose in their match.

At the other end of the standings, Jalil have been relegated to the First Division, however, the second team to join them is still to be decided with Sahab a likely possibility alongside Mughayer Sarhan, who will be playing 5th placed Salt while Ahliwill be playing Ma’an.In other matches, Wihdat face Aqaba and Ramtha play Jalil.

Ahli’s last 1-0 win over Ramtha enabled them to secure their league spot alongside Shabab Urdun who scored an important 4-0 win over Mughayer Sarhan.

Together with Ma’an, Shabab Urdun have managed to move out relegation zone although they are out of theirprevious competitive edgewhen they first played the 2004 league and won the title in their third season in 2006. The club have won the other local competitions twice each and were crowned AFC Cup champs in 2007.

After dropping out of regional events as well as settling for third in the league, Wihdat are now focused on winning the Jordan Cup as the quarterfinalists have now been decided.

PARIS — Iga Swiatek admits she is the favourite and “confident” ahead of her bid to become only the fourth woman to win four Roland Garros singles titles in the Open era.

The World No.1 could also become the first player to lift three successive women’s titles in Paris since Justine Henin in 2007.

Swiatek is a strong favourite after dominating on clay again this season, arriving in Paris off the back of WTA 1000 victories in Madrid and Rome.

The only female player in history to complete a Madrid-Rome-Roland Garros treble in the same season is Serena Williams.

But Swiatek is not daunted by what she could achieve.

“I’m number one so I’m the favourite everywhere if you look at rankings,” she told reporters after swatting aside second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the Rome Open final last weekend.

“But rankings don’t play, so... I’ll do everything step by step and we’ll see.

“Obviously I am confident. I feel like I’m playing great tennis. But it doesn’t change the fact that I really want to stay humble and really focused.”

The 22-year-old Pole has plenty of years ahead of her to chase records but is wasting little time — her four WTA 1000 titles this season have taken her career total to 10.

That is already only 13 short of Serena Williams’ all-time record.

With four Grand Slam titles, Swiatek has not struggled to translate that form to the major tournaments in the past, but insists it is tougher to lift the sport’s biggest trophies.

“Grand Slams are different. There is different pressure on the court and off the court,” she added.

“I love to come to Paris again and be there. It’s a great place for me to be. I really enjoy my time there anyway. These are hard seven matches that you need to win, so I don’t take anything for granted.”

Swiatek is aiming to join Chris Evert, Steffi Graf and Henin in lifting the Coupe Suzanne-Lenglen four times in the Open era.

The biggest obstacle standing in her way is Sabalenka.

The Belarusian missed three match points before losing to Swiatek in a thrilling Madrid final and will be hoping to get another crack at her rival after a one-sided loss in Rome.

Sabalenka, the two-time reigning Australian Open champion, has reached at least the semifinals in each of the past six Grand Slam events.

She is also the only woman to beat Swiatek in a final on clay — in Madrid last year — since the Pole lost her first WTA title decider as a teenager in 2019 at a low-key event in Switzerland.

Sabalenka will be ‘fighting’ 

Sabalenka has an 8-3 losing record against Swiatek, but insisted after Rome that she wanted to face her again in Paris.

“Even though I lost these two finals, I mean, I never focus on the past,” she said.

“No matter how many times I lose to the player, I know anyway if I’ll be there, if I’ll be fighting, I’ll be focusing on myself, I know that I can get that win.

“I mean, I’m going there with the confidence that I can do well there.”

Sabalenka had never even reached the second week at Roland Garros until last year, when she was knocked out by Karolina Muchova in the semis.

“I’m definitely not the favourite probably there,” she said.

“But at the same time I do feel that I can actually go for it.

“It’s 50/50, you know? But I prefer to be underdog. I really hope I’m going to make it to the final and I really hope I’ll be able to get that win, if it’s Iga or not.”

Elena Rybakina, the only player to defeat Swiatek on clay this year, was being touted as part of a new ‘big three’ 12 months ago.

But the Kazakh has failed to make the last four at a Slam since losing the 2023 Australian Open final to Sabalenka and has been passed in the rankings by US Open champion Coco Gauff.

American Gauff, playing in a major for the first time since turning 20, will be hoping to go one better than when she lost the 2022 French Open showpiece to Swiatek.

DUBLIN — Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso can confirm his status as the rising star of coaching in Wednesday’s Europa League final, but he will come up against a wily old fox in Atalanta’s Gian Piero Gasperini.

Alonso has rebuffed advances from former clubs Liverpool and Bayern Munich to remain in charge of Leverkusen after leading the club to their first ever Bundesliga title with an unprecedented unbeaten season.

The German champions have not lost in 51 games across all competitions and could wrap up a remarkable treble in two finals this week.

Leverkusen are huge favourites to see off second-tier Kaiserslautern in the German Cup final on Saturday.

But they face a much trickier task in Dublin against an Atalanta side who could also achieve the greatest ever season in their history.

A provincial club from Bergamo, Atalanta have traditionally lived in the shadow of the nearby giants AC and Inter Milan.

However, they are enjoying a golden age under Gapserini and will play in the Champions League next season for the fourth time in five years.

Yet, they have consistently missed out on a trophy to mark an era of punching above their weight.

Atalanta have not lifted silverware for 61 years having lost three Coppa Italia finals in the last six seasons, most recently to Juventus less than a week ago.

“Is it the highest point of my career? Yes, in terms of accomplishment and prestige, absolutely,” Gasperini told UEFA.com on reaching the club’s first ever European final.

“I don’t think winning a cup is necessarily always part of the parameters by which success is judged. Everyone has their own goals. When you manage to exceed them by far, as has happened at Atalanta, you still have to be very satisfied.

“If we also manage to add a cup, of course, we’ll be even more satisfied.”

The 61-year-old said Atalanta’s “world has changed” since he took over eight years ago.

Back then just surviving in Serie A was a success. Now continental football may be commonplace, but they have enjoyed two of their finest ever nights in knocking out European giants Liverpool and Marseille on the road to Dublin.

‘Golden letters’ 

Gasperini’s willingness to take risks with an attacking brand of football and nurturing young talent has earned the admiration of Alonso.

“He has a clear plan and built up a team with strong mentality and high quality,” said the Spaniard. “They are a top team. We’ll have a chance if we produce our best form.”

But it is Atalanta who must produce something remarkable in the Irish capital to halt the Leverkusen juggernaut.

In contrast to Gasperini’s modest playing career in the lower reaches of Italian football, Alonso was a World Cup and multiple Champions League winning midfielder with vast experience of European finals to call on from his playing days.

Yet, in a career that spanned Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, even he has never experienced a season quite like this.

“It would be historic,” said the 42-year-old on the possibility of going the season unbeaten in all competitions.

“It would be something written in golden letters, not only in the history of our club but probably all European football. I hope we can.”

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Pep Guardiola cast doubt over his long-term future at Manchester City on Sunday after winning a historic fourth straight Premier League title, admitting it is difficult to find motivation after so much sustained success.

City’s 3-1 victory against West Ham sealed a sixth top-flight title in seven seasons under the Catalan, who has taken the club to extraordinary new levels since he arrived in 2016.

His tally is exceeded only by Alex Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles during his long reign at Manchester United.

In 2019 City became the first club to win the domestic treble of Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup in the same season and last year they emulated Manchester United’s class of 1999 in winning the treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, which they lifted for the first time.

City are now the first side in English top-flight history to win four titles in a row — surpassing the achievements of the great Liverpool and Manchester United teams from previous eras.

And next week they will attempt to become the first English side to win back to back domestic doubles when they take on United at Wembley in the FA Cup final.

Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager Guardiola, 53, has a contract at the Etihad until the end of next season but his future after that is unclear.

“The reality is I’m closer to leaving than to staying,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “It’s eight years, will be nine.

“Right now my feeling is I want to stay next season. We talked with the club, we have time to talk next season because I have to see the players as well [to see] if they follow me, they follow us, for many reasons. I will stay and during the season we will talk when calm.”

Asked at his post-match press conference whether he felt as though he had “completed English football” and what he felt was left to achieve, Guardiola shrugged his shoulders and said: “I had that feeling last season.

“When we won in Istanbul [in the Champions League final] I said, ‘It’s over, what am I doing here? It’s over, there’s nothing left’.

“But I have a contract, I’m here and still enjoying. Some of the moments I’m a bit tired but some of the moments I love, and after I said ‘OK, we are here’.

“We start winning games, playing good, different players, new players and I start to think about ‘No one has done four in a row, why don’t we try?’ And now I feel ‘It’s done, so what next?’ I don’t know right now.”

He added: “Next season, right now, I’m not able to know exactly what will be the motivation to do it because it’s difficult sometimes to find it when everything is done.”

Guardiola said for now he was enjoying basking in the glow of another Premier League triumph.

“When I moved here if someone had said I would win six leagues in seven seasons I would say you’re insane — no way,” he said.

RIYADH — Oleksandr Usyk beat Tyson Fury early on Sunday in the first undisputed heavyweight clash since 1999.

The ever-bubbling alphabet soup of boxing sanctioning bodies — the winner in Riyadh becoming the first four-belt heavyweight champion — means that becoming, and remaining, undisputed champion requires not just skill and toughness in the ring, but acumen outside it.

Usyk joined a select group. Here AFP Sport picks six of the undisputed best.

Jack Dempsey (Undisputed champion from January 1921 to September 1926, 3 defences

The hard-hitting and aggressive Jack Dempsey became the first official world champion at the start of 1921 when the American National Boxing Association and the powerful New York State Athletic Commission agreed to recognise a world champion. The “Manassa Mauler”, with a right nicknamed “Iron Mike” and a left hook dubbed “Big Bertha” had become “lineal” world champion, in boxing parlance “Beating The Man to become The Man” when he bludgeoned Jess Willard in 1919. But the newly-minted official status helped turn his first sanctioned defence, against Frenchman Georges Carpentier, into the first “million-dollar fight”. He defended his title twice more, before losing twice to Gene Tunney and retiring.

Joe Louis (June 1937 to March 1949, 26 defences)

After the first African American heavyweight champion, Jack Johnson, lost to Willard in 1915, no black boxer fought for the title until 1937, because Joe Louis, who had just lost to Max Schmeling was a more palatable challenger for Cinderella Man James Braddock’s title than the German. Louis knocked out Braddock to claim a title he held for record 26 defences over more than 12 years. The most famous was the first-round revenge demolition of Schmeling at Yankee Stadium in 1938. Louis was smart, calm, technically sound and packed a ferocious punch. “Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit,” he said.

Rocky Marciano (September 1952 to April 1956, 6 defences)

After war service, an undistinguished amateur career and a baseball tryout with the Chicago Cubs, the boxer, who changed his name from Rocco Marchegiano, turned professional just before his 25th birthday in 1948. He fought 49 times as a pro, winning every fight, 43 of them by knockout. Only 5ft 10in tall (1.78m), Marciano was relentless, resilient and a thunderous puncher. He was 29 when he got his title shot, flooring Jersey Joe Walcott in the last round with a straight right: His “Suzie Q”. Having pummelled an ageing Louis on his way up, knocked out the 39-year-old Walcott in the first round of their rematch, Marciano quit for good at 32 after stopping 42-year-old Archie Moore.

Muhammad Ali (February to September 1964, February to April 1967, October 1974 to February 1978, 10 unified defences)

The Greatest only fails to match Louis for total defences because he was effectively banned from boxing from March 1967 to October 1970 for his opposition to the military draft for the Vietnam war. The Louisville Lip, who later declared “I’m so mean, I make medicine sick”, had already upset the American establishment by changing his “white man’s name”, Cassius Clay. After toppling Sonny Liston to win the title at 22 in 1962, he lost his undisputed status for taking a rematch with Liston. Ali defended his remaining titles seven times, before reunifying the division in 1966 against Ernie Terrell. At 25 he was banned. Ali was 29 by the time he got his crack at regaining his world titles, against Joe Frazier in 1971, but suffered his first loss. It took until 1974, and his victory over George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle”, a fight that highlighted Ali’s craft, cunning and courage, to reclaim his crowns. He lost his titles to Leon Spinks in 1978, won some of them back in a rematch seven months later, but, aged 38, lost a reunification bout to Larry Holmes in 1980. By then Ali had won over all but his most determined critics.

Joe Frazier (February 1970 to January 1973, 4 defences)

Joe Frazier’s often electrifying trilogy against Ali was boxing box office as two greats, with contrasting styles and personalities and opposing political views went toe-to-toe. “Smokin’ Joe” preferred close-quarters attack, but his constant bobbing made him hard to hit. In their opener, “The Fight of the Century” — a gruelling 15-rounder — he decked Ali with the devastating left hook he called his “heat-seeking missile”. By the rematch in 1974, George Foreman had taken Frazier’s title. Ali not only floated like a butterfly but clinched like a crab and won on points. In the 1975 “Thrilla in Manilla” Ali unleashed a merciless barrage in the 13th. The referee stopped the fight in the next round. Frazier, 30 at the time of that bout, only fought twice more.

Mike Tyson (August 1987 to February 1990, 6 defences)

By the time he was 13, Mike Tyson had been arrested 38 times. In 1986, at the age of 20 years and four months, he was the youngest heavyweight champion in history. Even though he was only 1.78m, his approach was vicious intimidation. He won his first 19 professional fights by knockout. Smart but troubled, his wild lifestyle took a toll. He was ambushed by Buster Douglas in 1990. Although he regained two belts in 1996, he immediately lost to Evander Holyfield. At his brief, snarling, sneering peak, Tyson lived up to his billing as the “baddest man on the planet”.

DEAD SEA — Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and Giovanni Bernacchini finished the Jordan Rally in cruise control to kick-start the defence of the Qatari’s regional rally championship title at the Dead Sea on Saturday.

On the 233rd event in the history of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), Attiyah claimed his 85th career victory and a record-breaking 16th in Jordan since 2003. His Autotek Motorsport-prepared Škoda Fabia RS never missed a beat and he was able to try out different suspension settings over the closing stages on his way to a winning margin of 5min 31.6sec on his first appearance in the new car.

Bernacchini duly claimed his fifth victory in Jordan with Attiyah and his first since 2014. A 26th MERC success moved the Italian ahead of Chris Patterson into an outright third in the MERC Co-drivers’ Hall of Fame for most wins behind Ronan Morgan (41) and Mathieu Baumel (32).

Attiyah, who claimed a clean sweep of eight stage wins on Saturday, said: “I am really so happy to win here in Jordan. It is my favourite race. It is the most difficult race in the Middle East. To come back strong with the new car, we learn a lot. Thanks to the team and the organisation. They always make this rally strong. To win 16 times here is amazing. Lebanon is a different race and we need to be clever there as well.”

Abdulaziz Al Kuwari is now tackling a full programme of MERC events in a QMMF-backed Škoda Fabia and second place to add to the fourth he achieved on his home event means the Qatari is the new leader of the regional championship. Briton Marshall Clarke was his co-driver on this occasion. A puncture and subsequent tyre change was the only real issue for the duo after a polished performance.

Shaker Jweihan delighted home fans with the final place on the podium: he and Lebanese co-driver Carlos Hanna dominated the MERC2 category from start-to-finish and the Mitsubishi driver claimed a second maximum haul of points towards the championship’s secondary category. Jweihan also moved into second place in the Drivers’ Championship behind Kuwari, while the result marked a first career MERC podium for both driver and co-driver.

Jweihan said: “This is the first time I get a third place. Last year I got a fourth. It was such a great rally and one for the books – a great memory. The stages were hard and the temperatures were high. This car is like driving a boat. I drive smoothly and we had no issues with the car. The team did a great job. Lebanon will be my first rally

on tarmac but we have local events first.”

Denis Krotov is more accustomed to cross-country rallying in Ultimate class Minis and Toyotas but he enjoyed his MERC debut with Yury Kulikov and reached the finish in fourth overall.

Shadi Shaban continues to hold second place in the MERC2 title race after he and Samer Issa finished sixth overall and second in class in their Mitsubishi.

Husam Salem overhauled Issa Abu Jamous in stage 12 to move into sixth and third in the showroom category but then he dropped back to seventh after a late charge from Sheikh Bader Al Fayez and his Lebanese co-driver Joseph Matar. Al Fayez had left the road on the opening Shuna stage and diced with a reservoir in spectacular fashion before recovering strongly during the afternoon to climb three positions and finish fifth.

Ihab Al Shorafa and Yousef Juma came home in ninth and the Lebanese duo of Shadi Al Fakih and Samer Sfeir rounded off the 10 FIA finishers in their two-wheel drive Renault Clio RS entered in the Rally5 section. Palestine’s Hamada Odeh returned to action on day two after his crash on Friday but retired from 11th place on SS13.

A mechanical breakdown accounted for Nasser Khalifa Al Atya’s Ford Fiesta in the opening stage of the morning and a sizeable accident close to the dam on the Shuna stage put paid to Ameer Nassif’s finishing aspirations.

With defending champion Abdullah Al Rawahi unable to start the final day with his damaged Škoda Fabia, that leaves the title race wide open heading into the summer break before action resumes in Lebanon in early September.

MANCHESTER, United Kingdom — Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes said he will stay at Old Trafford as long as he is wanted as speculation mounts over the Portuguese midfielder’s future.

Fernandes, 29, has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich in recent days with the Red Devils set to miss out on Champions League football next season.

United may be forced to sell to provide the funds necessary for a major overhaul of the squad in the summer and remain compliant with Premier League financial sustainability rules.

“I will be here till when the club wants me and the club wants me to be a part of the future,” said Fernandes, whose contract runs till 2026.

“If for some reason they don’t want me, then I will go.”

Fernandes played his part as United kept their hopes of European qualification via the Premier League alive with a 3-2 win over Newcastle on Wednesday.

Erik ten Hag’s men still sit eighth in the table, but could climb above Newcastle into seventh if they better the Magpies’ result on the final day of the season.

United visit Brighton on Sunday, while Newcastle travel to Brentford.

“It has been a tough season. The table shows that and we are all aware of that,” added Fernandes.

“The fans have been amazing for us and we had to do something.

“We have been trying but results don’t show that. We have been working hard and everyone has been giving their best it is not enough and we have to do more.”

Even if United fail to finish in the top seven for the first time in the Premier League era, they have a second chance at qualifying for Europe should they shock Manchester City in the FA Cup final on May 25.

Under-fire manager Ten Hag badly needs a second trophy in his two years in charge to dispell doubts over his future heading into next season.

The Dutchman took the mic at full-time after United’s last home game of the season to thank the fans for their support despite a difficult season.

“As you know it wasn’t an easy season, but one thing remained constant and that was the backing of you for the team,” said Ten Hag.

“This season is not over yet. First we go to Brighton where we travel for three points and then we go to Wembley. I promise you those players will give everything to get that cup and bring it to Old Trafford.

“We are sure you will be there supporting us. Thank you, you are the best supporters in the world!”