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AMMAN — The Jordan national women’s U-16 football team plays Laos on Wednesday in their second match in Group A qualifiers for the 2017 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-16 Women’s Championship.

Jordan lost to hosts Thailand 2-1 in the opening match and are set to play Myanmar on September 3 and Guam on September 5.

In other matches, Thailand took the group lead after a 5-2 win over Laos while Myanmar lost 5-2 to Laos but came back to score a big win beating Guam 11-0.

The qualifiers have brought together 24 teams playing in four groups with the top team from each group advancing to the championship. Last edition’s top four — North Korea, Japan, China and Thailand — have qualified.

Jordan’s squad is missing some players who are on the U-17 team line-up currently preparing for the Women’s World Cup kicking off September 30 in the Kingdom.

Japan have won three of the past six editions of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship. Jordan’s U-16 team did not qualify to the 2015 AFC U-16 Women’s Championship after qualifying in 2013.

Jordan women’s U-19 national team is also reading for Asian Group A qualifiers for the 2017 AFC U-19 Women’s Championship. The qualifiers set for October 29 will see Jordan play alongside Australia, Singapore and Lebanon and the Northern Mariana Islands. The top team from each group moves to the championship in 2017. The women’s senior national team has also regrouped to start preparations for qualifiers for the 2018 AFC Women’s Championship starting in April 2017. 

AMMAN  — Jordan’s national football team play Lebanon on Wednesday in their second friendly this month as part of their training agenda for the 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers kicking off in March 2017.

The match which will be held at 9:00pm at Camille Shamoun Stadium in Beirut will see Jordan’s line-up without pros playing aboard as the coaching staff tries to give younger team members competitive experience as Jordan strives to get back into regional competitions while attempting to build a new line-up for the future. 

Jordan was eliminated from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers doubling as part of the qualification for 2019 Asian Cup. After putting behind elimination from 2018 World Cup qualifiers, national team coach Abdullah Abu Zam’eh has recalled mainly younger players, including Olympic team players. “We aim to have the biggest number of friendlies possible which will help team cohesion and preparedness ahead of the final phase of the qualifiers, “ Abu Zam’eh was quoted as saying on the Jordan Football Association website.

The team will regroup for friendlies and camps until the start of the Asian qualifiers from which group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + one slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup. 

Jordan is now 79th in the latest FIFA rankings and is now 9th in Asia behind Iran, South Korea, Japan, Uzbekistan, Australia, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and China. The squad last played at the King’s Cup, an international football tournament organised in Thailand where they lost to the hosts in the final. Last week, Jordan lost 3-2 to Qatar in the first of seven friendlies and the squad is set to play Bahrain on September 4.

The Kingdom had the most memorable World Cup qualifying journey in 2013 when they lost a possible chance to play at the World Cup for the first time and advanced to play then World’s 6th ranked Uruguay in an intercontinental qualifying tie for a place in the 2014 World Cup. They lost the home game 5-0 and held the former World Cup champs 0-0 in the away match. Jordan had never reached that far in World Cup qualifying since taking part in the qualifiers as of 1985. Round 3 had been the furthest Jordan reached in the past seven times in the qualifiers since 1986.

In the Asian Cup, Jordan reached the championship three times since first taking part in qualifiers in 1972: the pinnacle was at the 13th Asian Cup, when they lost to Japan in the quarterfinals and jumped to the best ever FIFA rank of 37th in August 2004. In 2011, Jordan again reached the quarter-finals. 

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — He’s very fast, very young and very confident. He races on the limit, upsets other drivers and cares little when he does. He’s also great for Formula One (F1).

Max Verstappen may not be winning many friends among other drivers — especially those from Ferrari — but his aggressive, unapologetic, fearless driving is wonderfully entertaining for fans.

The 18-year-old Dutchman is the youngest to win a race and to start from the front row of the grid, and he’s also just what F1 needs in an era of fading former champions.

Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen and Jenson Button are all in their mid-30s. Although three-time champion Lewis Hamilton is clearly very much on top of his game, and his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg is highly competitive, both drivers are 31.

Verstappen’s star factor drew more than 20,000 Dutch fans to the Belgian Grand Prix (GP) last weekend. Legions of orange-clad fans queued at the entry gates. Dutch flags were dotted around the Spa grandstands.

“He is refreshing for me. He is a young boy that I like a lot,” Mercedes head of motorsport Toto Wolff said. “He comes in here, no fear, no respect. He puts the elbow out and it reminds me of the great ones. It reminds me of Lewis and it reminds me of Ayrton Senna.”

High praise indeed, from Wolff, who might have added that Verstappen also has some of the brashness that typified seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher. Wolff has expressed regret that Mercedes was not able to snap Verstappen up before Toro Rosso did last year.

“You can clearly see that some guys around are starting to think twice how to overtake him,” Wolff said, before adding a note of caution about Verstappen’s high-risk driving. “I just fear that it might end up in the wall heavily one day. For me it is refreshing, but it is dangerous.”

In May, Verstappen drove brilliantly to win the Spanish GP on his Red Bull debut — joining from feeder team Toro Rosso after just four races of this season — and he followed that up with three more podium finishes.

At the Belgian GP, his second place in qualifying set another record as the youngest driver ever to start on a front row of the grid.

His talent is unquestionable, but his attitude is, and the feeling in F1 circles is that Verstappen’s tender age means he gets away with things that other drivers do not.

“The FIA has not penalised him. The only thing that happened was that he was given a hard time in the drivers’ briefing,” Wolff said. “Maybe next time he will have an even harder time in the driver briefing.”

Especially from Raikkonen and his Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel.

Raikkonen criticised him after last month’s Hungarian GP and again after the Belgian GP.

There was a high-profile tangle between Verstappen and both Ferraris on the first turn on Sunday. Later in the race, Verstappen infuriated Raikkonen with some aggressive blocking moves when the 36-year-old Finn tried to get past him at high speed.

“Maybe it needs an accident before things get more clear to everybody,” Raikkonen said. “Hopefully not because it can be bad for somebody, and nobody wants to see something like that happen.”

Verstappen, however, appears to care little for reputation, does not get pushed around, and his vitriolic words match the intensity of his driving.

Blaming Ferrari, he was quoted as telling Dutch TV after Sunday’s race “I’m not going to let them past, I’d rather force them off the track”, reportedly adding “in the end I’m the victim”.

AMMAN — The second event on the 2016/17 football calendar — the Jordan Football Association (JFA) Shield — ended Round 1 with the competition giving a good indicator of line-up readiness for the Jordan Professional League starting October 22.

Four teams made it to the knockout semis where it will be Faisali taking on Wihdat and Shabab Urdun against Sahab. Super Cup champs Ahli, as well as Ramtha, Jazira and Baqa’a all had a shot at advancing to the knockout Round 2, but were also eliminated along with Manshieh and That Ras.

Shabab Urdun took the lead from Wihdat in Group B while Faisali led Group A followed by Sahab after Week 5 results which saw Wihdat holding Ramtha 2-2, Faisali beating Baqa’a 2-0, Sahab defeating Hussein 3-0, Shabab Urdun beating Manshieh 3-0, Jazira beating Sarih 2-0, while Ahli were held 1-1 by That Ras.

The top two from each group moved to the semis set for September 8 with the winners advancing to the final on September 16. The winner will receive JD15,000 and the runner-up JD10,000.

It is not yet clear if Wihdat will play the semifinal match and how the JFA will resolve the disagreement after the club announced it was suspending participation following the brawl that ensued after their match against Ramtha. Several fans were injured after Ramtha fans threw stones from outside the stadium. Others were injured trying to flee the scene and were stopped from going onto the stadium pitch by security.

The 2016/17 football season started with Ahli making history when they beat reigning league champs Wihdat 2-1 to win the 34th Super Cup — the first major competition on the calendar. The Jordan Cup preliminary round will kick off October 31 after the conclusion of the U-17 Women’s World Cup. 

Last season, Wihdat won their third consecutive and 15th league title since they moved up to the professional league in 1975. Faisali beat league and Super Cup holders Wihdat 1-0 to clinch the Super Cup while it was Ahli who were the overall better team of the season. After years in the backstage, Ahli beat Shabab Urdun to win their first Jordan Cup final. 

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Although Nico Rosberg trimmed rival Lewis Hamilton's lead in the Formula One title race after winning the Belgian Grand Prix, (GP) it was Hamilton who seemed the happier driver on Sunday after turning a back-row start into a third-place finish.

Starting from pole position, Rosberg avoided trouble in an incident-packed race featuring a chaotic first turn, wild overtaking, a heavy crash, safety cars, a red flag and heated language between Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen — the youngest and oldest in the race.
Rosberg moved to within nine points of his Mercedes teammate, but Hamilton got a victory of sorts after picking his way through the field for a 97th podium finish.
"I really cannot believe that we came up so far," said Hamilton, praising his team. "Today was about having the right approach, not too aggressive."
Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo finished second. Rosberg's win was his 20th but first at Spa.

"It's not disappointing, I'm happy with today," a tight-lipped Rosberg said when asked about not closing the gap further. "Fair play to Lewis."

Rosberg had teen driver Max Verstappen next to him on the front row, while Hamilton was joined at the back of the class by Fernando Alonso. That was because both drivers incurred a myriad of complex grid penalties for extra engine part changes this weekend.

It was Verstappen's first-turn incident with the Ferraris of Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel that shaped a dramatic race.

It helped Hamilton and Alonso, who avoided the early carnage up front, then gained places when the safety car came out after Danish driver Kevin Magnussen's crash. Magnussen walked away from the wreck with nothing worse than a cut to his left ankle.

Rosberg got away cleanly, but it was intense behind him.

The 18-year-old Verstappen, the youngest driver to ever start on the front row, was overtaken by Raikkonen and Vettel and then aggressively tried to squeeze past them on the inside, heading into the first turn.

The Ferraris were pushed wide and, as a consequence, Raikkonen nudged into the side of Vettel.

Verstappen became the youngest driver to win a race with a brilliant victory at the Spanish GP in May; but his aggression is not to everyone's liking. He infuriated Raikkonen, a rare feat considering the Finn's nickname is "The Ice Man" for his usually unflappable demeanor.

"I'm all up for fair battles and close racing," an exasperated Raikkonen said after the race, adding that Verstappen's racing style is "not correct" because his aggressive driving could have caused a "big accident".

Verstappen saw things differently, saying Ferrari "ruined my race in the first bend. I'm not going to let them past".

Others struggled, too.

Spaniard Carlos Sainz lost control when his rear right tire blew out, sending him pirouetting to an improvised halt on the grass. He then acrobatically drove back across the track, with his rear right wheel up in the air, before parking at the side of the track.

Sainz, Marcus Ericsson, Jenson Button and Pascal Wehrlein — who hit Button from behind — all retired after four laps.

Magnussen lost control of his Renault coming out of the top of the hill at Eau Rouge, spinning at speed and slamming backward into the barriers. After the safety car came out, the race was halted on lap 10 of 44 as the battered barrier needed repairing.

When the race resumed 20 minutes later, the top five was Rosberg, Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg, Alonso and Hamilton.

In a fascinating sub-plot, Verstappen and Raikkonen were involved in another incident as Verstappen appeared to nudge him wide.

"His only interest is to push me off the track," Raikkonen yelled in frustration over team radio.

Then, Verstappen zig-zagged in front of him as he tried to hold position, prompting Raikkonen to use an expletive when describing Verstappen's driving as "ridiculous".

Verstappen, who finished 11th, hit back at Raikkonen, who placed ninth.

"It's a big lie. I was defending my position, if someone doesn't like it that's their problem," he said after the race. "It's good TV if someone is moaning."

Raikkonen criticised Verstappen at the Hungarian GP last month, and others have also said he races recklessly at times.

Considering the next race is the Italian GP in Monza — Ferrari's home race — Verstappen will have the crowd against him.

AMMAN — Mohammed Shaker on Friday was crowned champion of the 5th round of the Jordan Drift Championship held at SOFEX racetrack with the participation of 44 drivers.

Shaker came first with 253 points followed by Omar Kukhen with 248 points and Othman Takriti with 246 points.

Mohammed Fuqaha scored 239 points, Ra’fat Haroun 236 points, while Mohammed Kukhen came in 6th place with 233 points.

AMMAN — Riyadi-Aramex U-16 team will be competing in the UAE this week as the 2nd Dubai International Basketball Tournament tipped off Saturday evening.

The tournament which runs until September 2 includes eight teams in two groups: Egypt’s Ahli, Germany’s Bayern Munich, UAE’s Nasr and Ahli will play in Group 1 while Group 2 includes Serbia’s Partizan Belgrade, Jordan’s Riyadi and UAE’s Wasl and Shabab. The top two will advance to the knockout Round 2. Last year, Spain’s Barcelona won the title.

Riyadi Club’s basketball teams have had a packed summer agenda. The junior team travelled to Italy for the “Brindisi Porta del Salento” 4th International U-13 Basketball Tournament which brought together 16 other teams from Europe and Africa. Earlier, the youngest players — the U-11 mini-basketball team- played at the 24th Mini-Basket in Piazza Tournament in Matera, Italy where they participated for the 16 time. Riyadi were the first Arab team to compete in Matera — the biggest annual European event for players under 11. With basketball enthusiasts gathering from around the globe, this year, Riyadi was one of record 62 clubs from over 14 countries playing in the tournament. 

“This is part of our club’s strategy to invest in younger teams and build a strong base for the game in Jordan. We are happy to participate in regional events and help raise the competitive bar for our teams,” Riyadi Secretary General Fadi Sabbah said in a press release.

Since 1998, Riyadi now also sponsored by Zain, was the first Jordanian club to reinstate a mini basketball programme after a 26-year hiatus. Besides playing in the official U-14 league, one of Riyadi’s many basketball programmes is the Super League, which has 300 players from ages from 6-12 competing in the club’s year-round mini-basket programme.

Last season, Riyadi won the Jordan Basketball League crown to clinch the title that had eluded them for twenty years. Riyadi beat titleholders Orthodoxi 4-0 in the best-of-seven playoffs. The last time they had won the league was nearly 20 years ago in 1997 by then Jazira-Aramex team (whose players later on formed Riyadi’s line-up).

AMMAN — Jordan’s U-23 football held its Iraqi counterpart to a goalless draw in their second friendly at Prince Hamzah Stadium in Aqaba over the weekend.

The match marked a milestone as it was the first friendly played in Aqaba for national teams in 25 years.

The Jordan Football Association website noted that the “U-23 team’s two matches were played in Zarqa and Aqaba in efforts to spread the game and allow for the maximum number of fans to attend national team matches”.

The Prince Hamza Stadium had to be rehabilitated in record time to host the official friendly, with officials hoping that a repeat of such matches will help boost the game and engage the local community and boost attendance.

The U-23 team hosted Iraq in the first match in Zarqa with the match ending 1-1 as Jordan’s squad starts their agenda of preparing for qualifiers for the third edition of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship which will be held in 2018.

The national teams is set to play Lebanon on September 21 as they begin a series of training camps and friendlies ahead of the qualifiers will be held next summer and will group 42 nations divided into 10 groups with 16 making it to the finals.

Earlier this year, Jordan was eliminated from the quarter-finals of the 2016 AFC U-23 Championship in Qatar. The Kingdom failed to make it to the top four and a possible Olympic slot with the continents top three advancing to the Olympic Games football tournament in Rio de Janeiro which was won by Brazil. 

In the inaugural AFC U-22 Championship in 2014 (now renamed the AFC U-23 Championship), Jordan took third place when they beat South Korea while Iraq won the title after defeating Saudi Arabia.

In 2015, Jordan’s U-23 squad was eliminated from the 1st West Asian Championship and in 2014 the line-up represented Jordan at the Asian Games where they made to the quarter-finals.

AMMAN — The fifth and crucial round of the popular Jordan Drift Championship kicks off on Friday at SOFEX racetrack with the participation of 43 drivers.

The event will witness the participation of Mohammed Kukhen, who will be eyeing the title, winner of the 4th round Omar Kukhen, Munir Hattar, Qais Tufaha, Hesham Baraghithi and Rafat Haroun.

Mohammed talked about his strategy for the 5th round saying: “It will be aggressive and comprehensive as I will be fighting to win the title for the 2016 season. I believe the challenge will be tough but not impossible.”

“We had a good run in earlier rounds but in drifting anything can happen to change the results. I am expecting a lot of competition from other drivers in the 5th round and I wish everyone a safe run,” he added. 

In the 4th round, Omar Kukhen overcame the 64 drivers representing Egypt, Palestine and Iraq, in addition to Jordan and registered 141 points,  followed by Haroun ( (139) and Baraghithi (138).

Friday’s event will consist of two heats with the third for the best 13 results.

Drifting is a kind of driving technique used by drivers through oversteering and causing a loss of traction whether in the rear wheels or all tyres while controlling a certain entry to exit of a corner; drivers are judged according to speed, angle and perfect track line (90 points), showmanship (5 points) and smoking tyres (5 points).

AMMAN — Round 1 of the Jordan Football Association (JFA) Shield ends on the weekend with the final week kicking off on Friday.

The top four advancing teams have not been decided yet. Two teams that are technically out of the competition: Manshieh and That Ras. The rest have a shot at advancing to the knockout Round 2. 

The final week will see Wihdat face Ramtha, Faisali play Baqa’a, Sahab take on Hussein, Jazira meet Sarih, Manshieh play Shabab Urdun and Ahli try to keep chances alive when they play That Ras.

Week 4 results changed the standings again. Wihdat stayed atop Group B after they held Shabab Urdun 0-0 as Ramtha who beat That Ras 1-0 climbed to second. Ahli improved but are still fourth after a 3 -0 win over Manshieh. 

In Group A, Faisali took over the lead after a 1-0 win over leaders Sahab who dropped to second. Jazira are third after a 0-0 draw with Baqa’a, while Hussein are fifth after a 2-0 win over Sarih.

Following the first round, the top two from each group will move to the semis on September 5 and the winners advance to the final on September 16. The winner will receive JD15,000 and the runner-up JD10,000.

The 2016/17 football season started with Ahli making history when they beat reigning Jordan Professional League champ Wihdat 2-1 to win the 34th Super Cup — the first major competition on the calendar. The league will kick off on October 22, while the Jordan Cup preliminary round will kick off October 31 after the conclusion of the U-17 Women’s World Cup. 

Last season, Wihdat won their third consecutive and 15th league title since they moved up to the Professional League in 1975. Faisali beat league and Super Cup titleholder Wihdat 1-0 to clinch the Super Cup while it was Ahli that were the overall better team of the season. After years in the backstage, Ahli beat Shabab Urdun to win their first Jordan Cup final. 

STANDINGS

Group A

Group B