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BERLIN — Borussia Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp wants his team to wake from their slumber against Hoffenheim on Friday after a shocking start to the season reached its lowest point last weekend when they slipped to the bottom of the standings.

Back-to-back German champions from 2011 and Champions League finalists last year, Dortmund have lost eight of their 13 league games to date and prop up the Bundesliga table on 11 points.

With undefeated leaders Bayern Munich seven points clear at the top as they march towards yet another Bundesliga title, the attention has turned towards the fate of former European champions Dortmund and their struggle to avoid relegation.

“Friday is high noon,” Klopp told reporters. “Football has to be played then.”

Dortmund have been hit by injuries and some bad luck, having hit the woodwork eight times so far this season.

They have not necessarily been disastrous in their games but they have been lacking their usual efficiency in front of goal with the absence of last season’s top scorer Robert Lewandowski, who joined Bayern, becoming more and more evident.

“I want to change this situation with everything I have at my disposal,” said the German coach, who has been in charge of the club since 2008.

“I am still convinced that our work is correct. It is just seems to bear fruit faster at other times. It is not that we became a little stupid overnight and suddenly we do not know what works or doesn’t.”

Dortmund will be facing an in-form Hoffenheim side, who are seventh in the standings and boast one of the best attacks in the league.

What might be of some consolation for Klopp is that Hoffenheim also possess a less than stellar defensive record, having conceded 21 goals in 13 league games.

Still Dortmund, who could have central defender Mats Hummels back from injury, would have to improve their conversion rate in front of goal if they are to get anything out of the game.

“We will analyse our opponent but what is more important is our attitude and not what the opponent has to offer,” Klopp added.

“We cannot demand seven chances to score. We have to do it the first time of asking in the situation we find ourselves in at the moment”.

Bayern host third-placed Bayer Leverkusen while second-placed VfL Wolfsburg, three points ahead of Leverkusen, take on Hanover 96.

SINGAPORE — Andre Agassi has seen many tournaments come and go in his long and illustrious career and the American great believes the new International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) has all the ingredients to be a long-term success.

The 44-year-old joined up with his Singapore Slammers teammates on the second leg of the Asia-based mixed team event this week and was quick to echo the sentiments of all the players involved, who have been united in their enthusiasm for the innovative competition.

“There’s a lot of upsides in this for me,” he told reporters in Singapore, one of a quartet of Asian cities hosting the IPTL along with Manila, Delhi and Dubai.

“Watching the sport go to places where there should be tennis and enthusiastic fans who can enjoy a format that is motivational to the younger generation in these cities, in these communities,” he added.

“It’s great for them and for the players, acting like a team out there. You want it bad but you also want to keep it relaxed so it’s a fun environment for us.

“You also get to see so many different match-ups and the game played in so many different ways and that also lends to a better future for the sport.”

Agassi is one of the “icons” on the four teams, who have also recruited a host of big names including Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Maria Sharapova.

He predicted fans would warm to the tournament once they fully understand its complex scoring system.

“It’s a bit like our ranking system in that once you kind of get it then you are fine... you understand it,” said the eight-time Grand Slam champion.

“So those things are being worked out day-to-day but only a few days into it and everybody is getting a lot more comfortable.

“This will grow for the crowds as next year they will know what to expect. I think that enthusiasm and knowledge will translate but it already is pretty high.”

Regarding the future of the event, Agassi sees it as a welcome addition to the existing tour, but not a game-changer.

“Can you ever say that the pillars of the sport will morph into this? That’s a stretch as we are a sport of great tradition,” he said.

“This needs to be a supplement to it in my opinion. It’s a great release for the players and an opportunity to communicate their personalities more.”

AMMAN — HRH Prince Ali, FIFA vice president representing Asia, AFC executive committee member and president of both the Jordan Football Association and the West Asian Football Federation, is set to open the Soccerex 2015 Asian Forum, according to a statement from the Asian Football Development Project (AFDP).

The event is held in partnership with the AFDP and returns to the beautiful shores of the Dead Sea on April 14-15.

At the forum, Prince Ali will be looking back on his career in football to date, the future he sees for the game in Asia and the challenges he feels that need to be overcome for his dream of the future to be realised. 

The session will also look at social development through football, something Prince Ali is very passionate about. He will be talking about the work of the AFDP, a non-profit youth commission he founded to provide effective, needs based assistance to football organisations, and development through football organisations, working in Asia, in a fair and transparent manner.

In his many roles within football, Prince Ali has been highly influential in improving the development of the game across the continent, in particular championing youth development and women’s football. 

The 28 football academies he has created in Jordan and his role in ensuring FIFA lifted the ban on the headscarf in women’s football are both testament to his commitment and he will proudly see both passions united when Jordan hosts the 2016 Women’s U-17 FIFA World Cup.

 “The Asian Forum will provide the perfect platform for all stakeholders and football leaders to come together and share their diverse experiences. We look forward to hosting our guests from Asia and across the globe to discuss the way forward to realise our full potential in Asia,” Prince Ali was quoted as saying in the statement.

“We are hugely honoured and privileged to be working again with His Royal Highness Prince Ali at our 2015 Asian Forum. He is so passionate about the game and his visionary work with the Asian Football Development Project has had significant impact on football and the opportunities it provides throughout Asia,” Soccerex CEO Duncan Revie was quoted as saying in the statement.

“We are proud to be working alongside him, the AFDP and the Jordan Football Association and hope that in some small way the Asian Forum will help contribute towards his efforts to develop football across the continent,” he added.

LONDON — The goalkeeper who won the World Cup will be challenging Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi for the Ballon d’Or.

While the footballer of the year prize has switched between the world’s top scorers since 2008, Manuel Neuer of Germany is the first goalkeeper to make the Ballon d’Or top three since 2006.

Ronaldo won the 2013 honour, ending Argentina forward Messi’s three-year run as the world’s best player since FIFA and France Football magazine merged their awards.

In the women’s category, five-time winner Marta of Brazil was nominated on Monday alongside 2012 winner Abby Wambach and Germany midfielder Nadine Kessler, who is seeking the honour for the first time.

The winners, chosen by national team captains and coaches, plus selected journalists, will be announced in Zurich on January 12.

Messi has broken the Champions League and Spanish league scoring records this month after winning the Golden Ball at the World Cup, but he will end 2014 without a team honour.

Argentina lost to Germany in the World Cup final, Bayern Munich goalkeeper Neuer keeping a clean sheet as he followed winning the German league and cup by lifting football’s biggest prize.

The last goalkeeper to make the Ballon d’Or top three was Gianluigi Buffon after Italy won the World Cup final in a shoot-out against France.

Neuer earlier this month played down his chances of winning the top individual award in football by citing his lower profile away from the pitch, particularly his lack of photo shoots wearing underwear.

Ronaldo, though, is one of the most marketable men in sport — posing regularly in adverts when wearing little and celebrating scoring in the Champions League final in May by ripping off his shirt to show his muscled body to cameras.

Although the two-time Ballon d’Or winner triumphed in the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup with Real Madrid this year, he scored only one goal at the World Cup as Portugal went out in the group stage.

That solitary goal was not enough to make FIFA’s goal of the year shortlist.

Two nominees for the Puskas Award were World Cup goals: James Rodriguez’s volley for Colombia against Uruguay and Robin van Persie’s header for the Netherlands against Spain.

The shortlist was completed by an unfamiliar name with Ireland forward Stephanie Roche nominated for her goal for Peamount United, socred in front of a handful of fans in a domestic game against Wexford Youths.

The FIFA ceremony in Zurich will also give awards to the best coaches in men’s and women’s football.

The men’s list features Carlo Ancelotti, who led Real to its 10th European Cup in May, Germany’s World Cup winner Joachim Loew and Diego Simeone, who broke the dominance of Real and Barcelona to win the Spanish league with Atletico Madrid.

HARRISON, New Jersey — Thierry Henry is leaving Major League Football after 4½ seasons, unable to lead the New York Red Bulls to the team’s first championship.

The 37-year-old French star made the announcement Monday, two days after the Red Bulls lost the Eastern Conference final to the New England Revolution. And he said he made the decision back in 2010 to leave when his contract expired.

“I am taking this opportunity to announce that unfortunately Saturday was my last game for the New York Red Bulls,” Henry said in a statement released by the team Monday. “The decision has always been that I would leave after the duration of my contract, and although that was never going to change, I didn’t want it to distract from the progress of the team.”

With Landon Donovan retiring after the Los Angeles Galaxy play New England in the MLS Cup final Sunday, the league is losing arguably its two biggest stars.

A former Arsenal and Barcelona standout, Henry did not say whether he’s retiring or intends to play elsewhere. He plans to take a few weeks to decide what to do next.

He speaks English, French and Spanish, also could turn his career to television and be a football analyst.

Henry joined the Red Bulls from Barcelona after the 2010 World Cup. He had a $3.75 million salary this year and $4.35 million in overall compensation.

“Thierry Henry, an icon of the world’s game, has been a wonderful player for the New York Red Bulls and a major influence on the development of MLS,” Red Bulls sporting director Andy Roxburgh said.

Henry played in 122 matches for the Red Bulls, scoring 51 goals and adding 42 assists, tops in franchise history. His goals total was second to Juan Pablo Ángel’s 58, 14 of his goals were winners and 11 of his assists set up winning goals, also tops in club history.

Henry also scored some of the league’s most spectacular goals, including one that went directly into the net on a corner kick against Columbus in 2012.

Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was quick to react to the news.

“What a player!” he tweeted. “The best I faced without a doubt and yes I still have nightmares about him running past me at Anfield!!”

Henry was an MLS All-Star four times (2011-2014), a finalist for the league’s MVP award in 2012 and picked for MLS Best XI in 2011 and 2012.

In announcing his departure, Henry said he enjoyed his time playing in the MLS and living in the area.

“A special mention must go to the Red Bull fans who have supported this team through the good, the bad and the ugly times in the sun, rain and snow. You guys have really meant a lot to me and thank you for all your wonderful support,” he said.

COPENHAGEN — Daniel Agger is delighted to be back in his native Denmark with Brondby, but after almost nine years in England he still has a soft spot for his former team Liverpool.

The 29-year-old central defender took a large pay cut to leave the Premier League side this year and rejoin the club where he made his name as a teenager.

“I felt like the last time at Liverpool I needed a change, after many, many years,” he told Reuters at Brondby Stadium. “It’s just a feeling, it’s difficult to describe.

“If I could write everything myself, I would have stayed there [at Liverpool] for the whole of my contract period, but I felt it wasn’t right,” the Denmark captain said.

“And when I feel something is not right, I have to take the consequences and try and do something else.

“It was a mix of football and the feeling of my body not being able to play the physical games, but the most important thing was that I wasn’t happy going to training every day,” Agger said.

Agger’s unhappiness was partly due to the fact that his relationship with manager Brendan Rogers had deteriorated to the point where the two men were barely on speaking terms.

“Of course there were reasons. I haven’t really shared my reasons with anyone — I have them, and that’s why I did what I did, and I’m happy with that,” he added.

Agger rejected offers from a host of top English and European teams and returned to the club he left to join Liverpool in 2006 for a nominal fee.

“Liverpool and Brondby are two completely different clubs, you can’t compare the size,” he said.

“There was no chance I could take my wages with me, and that was not the most important thing for me — the most important for me was to get back playing.

“It was a big decision to leave Liverpool, it was good on one side, and a bit sad on the other side.” he added.

Though still troubled by injuries, the change in environment has done him good and five clean sheets in his last six games for Brondby prove he is back to his commanding best.

“To come back, not only to Brondby but to Copenhagen, to where I’m from, my family, my friends, it’s been a great thing, a big boost for me,” he said.

Defensive stability

Liverpool would welcome that kind of defensive stability.

They have lost six Premier League games — the same number of defeats they suffered in the entire 2013-14 campaign when they finished as runners-up to Manchester City.

“It was a fantastic season last year and I think we were a bit unlucky not to win the league, and after that the expectations go up,” Agger said of a year in which the team won 18 of the 20 league games he appeared in.

Much has been made of the departure of striker Luis Suarez but Agger believes their stuttering start reveals an uncomfortable truth about last season’s success.

“Maybe we over-achieved last year with the squad we had, so when we start a new season the expectations would be really, really high. It’s always difficult after such a great season,” he said.

“Also in the Premier League now there’s not just one, two, three, four good teams. There’s seven, eight, nine, 10,” he said. “The other major difference from when I started is that everybody can beat everybody.”

Agger is not ruling out another move abroad before the end of his career.

“I had a great home there, my family enjoyed it, my kids enjoyed it there, they felt a big part of Liverpool,” he says.

The bonds run even deeper than that. The knuckles of his right hand are tattooed with the letters “YNWA” in homage to the anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, which is synonymous with Liverpool.

“I’ve been at Liverpool for so long, I still have contact with them and I’m hoping I can go there soon,” he said.

“To be honest, I miss it.”

MANILA — The public are growing tired of hearing about allegations of wrongdoing against Qatar winning 2022 World Cup bid, according to organisers, with the Gulf state more interested in improving worker’s rights than publishing Michael Garcia’s report.

The 42-page summary of the ethics investigator’s inquiry into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cup earlier this month has posed more questions than answers, and failed to quell the push for the vote for both tournaments to be restaged.

Qatar and Russia, both of whom have long pleaded their innocence, were cleared of wrong doing but the New York lawyer swiftly complained his work had been misrepresented by FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, who delivered the summary.

The ethics committee did, however, open a number of formal cases against unidentified individuals and FIFA confirmed it had lodged a criminal complaint in Switzerland.

That, Qatar say, is not their issue.

“Our opinion is this report isn’t in relation to Qatar, as a lot of people make it sound,” Nasser Al Khater, member of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, told reporters in the Filipino capital. “The report, I understand, they are looking at certain individuals.”

A report in British newspaper “The Sunday Times” said it had passed on a dossier revealing further allegations of corruption regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, to a House of Commons committee and which were published on Saturday.

Khater, queried why they needed the protection of parliamentary privilege to make the “tired” accusations.

“I’m pretty sure people are feeling tired of this story already, I think there is reader fatigue in terms of this story.

“I think the same stuff is being regurgitated so many times, people are questioning the motive now, not the story.”

Many have called for the Garcia report to be published in full, but FIFA President Sepp Blatter told members of the Asian Football Confederation on Sunday at their annual awards that no matter what was revealed, the tournament was going to Qatar.

Meanwhile, Qatar have their own report coming next week into welfare rights of migrant workers building infrastructure for the tournament, amid heavy criticism of the labour conditions.

“We recognise there are some problems but we recognise there has been tremendous progress on this issue as well,” Khater said.

Likewise intensive work continues to go into the air cooling technologies, despite the general acceptance the tournament will be staged in the winter months to avoid the stifling heat of the Middle East in June and July.

Successful tests were completed in July on cooling fan zones, to following the work on keeping temperatures down in stadiums.

Qatar say they are ready to host in any month the football world deems best.

“I think for us, at this stage, it doesn’t create so much of a concern. It’s always better to have things cleared but whether they select the date end of 2022 or beginning it doesn’t matter.

“We know its a sensitive subject, we just want to make sure at the end of the day the consensus is reached, whether it be summer or winter, spring, or the fall.”

AMMAN — The Jordan Olympic Committee (JOC) is continuing its probing into poor results from the Asian Games in September with the investigation panel meeting with the Kick Boxing Federation, according to a statement from the JOC. The meeting discussed the disappointing performance of the wushu athletes who fall under the Kick Boxing Federation’s umbrella. Following the meeting, where all aspects of the preparation and participation were discussed, it was agreed that the federation will launch its own internal inquiry and submit its findings to the relevant JOC panel. “The JOC is keen to work closely with the sports federations to provide the help and support to produce stronger results on the playing field in the future,” JOC Secretary General Lana Al Jaghbeer was quoted in the statement as saying. The investigation was ordered by the JOC Board following a disappointing games in Incheon, South Korea, where only four medals were won despite sending Jordan’s biggest ever delegation. Three of those medals came in boxing.

MANILA — A defiant FIFA President Sepp Blatter declared there was no moving the 2022 World Cup from Qatar, despite widespread concerns about the bidding process that took the tournament to the Middle East for the first time.

“2022, it is Qatar, and ladies and gentleman, believe me, with all that has been said around the world by whom? Those not involved with what happens in football. The World Cup in 2022 will be played in Qatar,” the 78-year-old Swiss told Asian Football Confederation members in Manila on Sunday.

The remarks, cheered and applauded loudly by Asian delegates, come as FIFA faces heavy criticism for not publishing a report by ethics investigator Michael Garcia into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Garcia’s findings were summarised in a 42-page statement published by FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert last week, which cleared the two winning bids, but which Garcia himself complained included misrepresentations.

FIFA has said it cannot publish the full report for legal reasons.

A report in British newspaper The Sunday Times said it had passed on a dossier revealing further allegations of corruption regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids, to a House of Commons committee and which were published on Saturday.

Blatter, however, appeared untroubled by the ongoing saga, taking the opportunity to throw his weight behind preparations for Qatar’s World Cup.

“It is the second time we will go to organise the World Cup in Asia. The first was a lovely combination, a co-hosting, between Japan and Korea Republic. It was a great success, a big success,” said the Swiss, who is seeking a fifth term as head of FIFA next year.

“But we have the next one. It will be the first time in the Arabic world but there is another competition that I would like to underline, the under-17 women’s tournament in 2016.

“For the first time... we are coming with women’s world cup in 2016 to Jordan. It is the trust and confidence of FIFA towards the Arabic world that they can organise all the competitions.”

Following the announcement, the Qatar Football Association were named winners of the AFC’s Dream Asia Award.

Meanhile, the head of the Qatar 2022 World Cup committee said on Sunday that the Gulf nation was already feeling the benefits of staging the tournament.

Hassan Al Thawadi also assured Asian Football Confederation members they too would also feel the positive effects of a first World Cup in the Middle East.

He said five stadiums were under construction and preparations were at an advanced stage for the event, but offered no insight into when the tournament will be staged, simply saying they continued to prepare for June and July.

He told AFC members at their awards night in Manila, also attended by Blatter, that the success of the Qatari national team in winning the Gulf Cup of Nations last week was evidence of the positive impact of the World Cup.

“The inspiration that 2022 provides is evident already with the achievements this year of our national teams at the AFC U-19 Championships and the Gulf Cup,” he said.

“We hope and believe that these are the first steps toward attaining the vision that 2022 can inspire in West Asia, in a similar manner that 2002 [in South Korea and Japan] inspired and invigorated football in East Asia.

“The significance of the event coming to our region for the first time must not be overlooked, but we recognise that this event is also a showcase for Asian football on the international stage.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that the potential of 2022 is fully realised and leaves a positive legacy for the region and the Asian continent as a whole.”

The awarding of the tournament has been shrouded in negativity, with the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments criticised amid accusations of corruption by individuals on FIFA’s executive committee, who opted for Russia and Qatar.

Both nations deny any wrongdoing.

Qatar has also come under fire for the working conditions of those building much of the World Cup infrastructure.

Thawadi said a report would be published next week on the implementation of “rigorous standards for the welfare of all” workers.

“These reports will serve as a basis for ensuring that our commitments to the welfare of those working on our projects are upheld, maintained and improved,” he said.

“The health, safety, security and dignity of every individual that contributes to building our event is of the utmost importance to us and we will continue to strive every day to ensure that these principles are upheld.”

MANILA — Asian football chief Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said any non-confidential aspects of the report into the bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups should be made public as he defended Qatar and FIFA in the wake of criticism.

FIFA has been heavily criticised following a report by US attorney Michael Garcia into alleged corruption in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

Russia and Qatar deny any wrongdoing and German Judge Hans-Joachim Eckert's summary of Garcia's investigation said there were no grounds to reopen the bidding process, but Garcia swiftly appealed to FIFA's appeals committee saying Eckert's statement contained misrepresentations.

Afterwards, Germany's Football League (DFL) chief launched a scathing attack on FIFA, saying coordinated action was needed from Europe to reform world footballa's governing body, while the head of England's failed bid for 2018 called on the continent to boycott the two tournaments.

Several FIFA members have asked for the Garcia report to be published in full, but Sheikh Salman said confidentiality agreements in the 430-page report had to be respected.

"I don't mind whatever is in the report to be out. But if there are a few things that are under the confidentiality agreement then we have to respect that," the Bahraini royal told a small group of reporters in Manila on Saturday.

"It's been given to the audit and compliance committee to look at, so let them look at it, and if they decide what to publish from it, it's fine by me.

"FIFA is doing what it can, there isn't a perfect organisation, you will always have issues or problems in this game whether it is FIFA or the AFC or UEFA.

"So I think this is something normal, but this is the price you pay if you have transparency and if you issue all these decisions that are made and it just shows they are doing something about it."

Sheikh Salman was elected in May last year, becoming the first permanent AFC president since Qatari Mohammed Bin Hammam, who was banned for life by FIFA for vote buying in the 2011 FIFA presidential election.

He said he hoped the investigation by Garcia would help draw the line under the question about Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup finals as the Middle East looks forward to welcoming the tournament for the first time.

"Definitely we have to put that behind us. If there are some wrong doings by individuals, which I think the judiciary bodies have looked at, it's against the individuals.

"But you can't look into the bid unless the organisation has done something wrong."