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AMMAN — Jordan's Olympic team settled for second place after losing 1-0 to Palestine in the final of the Palestine International Championship. Jordan beat Sri Lanka 4-0, Pakistan 1-0 and lost to Palestine 1-0 in the opening match. Palestine beat Pakistan 3-0 to top the standings. Palestine and Pakistan earlier beat Sri Lanka  3-0. Jordan is preparing for the 2016 Olympic qualifiers and the squad has played a series of local friendlies.

BARCELONA — Luis Enrique promised "attractive and effective football" as he took the reins at Barcelona on Wednesday and set about putting the Catalan giants back at the summit of the European game.

"This is a very special day," Luis Enrique, who has signed a two-year contract, told a news conference. "We are beginning the building of a new, exciting Barca."

"My team will attack, we'll play attractive and effective football, the kind of football that millions across the world have come to love, which means we need to defend well too," said the former Barca B coach, who had an impressive stint in charge of Celta Vigo last season.

The former Barca and Spain midfielder, a fan favourite during his playing days, has replaced Gerardo Martino. The Argentine had a disappointing debut season without major silverware and stepped down on Saturday.

Barcelona lost out to Atletico Madrid in the La Liga title race and were knocked out in the quarter-finals of the Champions League by the club from the Spanish capital. They also lost to Real Madrid in the final of the King's Cup.

"I'll be laying out my plans to the players and talking to them so that they take them on board as their own," the 44-year-old Luis Enrique said.

"I don't think I'll need to impose myself very much and bark out orders — we're in this together, though I'll be demanding hard work. I'll be looking for plenty of hunger from the players and they'll have to show me that every day."

Barcelona President Josep Bartomeu and his board are hoping Luis Enrique will be able to recreate the success that the club enjoyed under another former midfielder, Pep Guardiola, who had a spectacular run in charge between 2008 and 2012.

Barca have already moved to replace departing goalkeeper Victor Valdes by luring Marc-Andre Ter Stegen from Borussia Moenchengladbach, while midfielder Rafinha and forward Gerard Deulofeu return from loan at Celta and Everton respectively.

Other reinforcements needed include at least one centre-back and possibly a centre-forward who is strong in the air and can give Barca an extra option in attack.

Another important task for the new coach will be to help four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi rediscover his best form. Luis Enrique said he was looking forward to working with the Argentine.

Messi, who has been out of sorts in an injury-disrupted season, agreed a new deal with Barca last week that reportedly makes him the game's best-paid player.

"I am delighted and overjoyed to have the best player on the planet in the squad," Luis Enrique said. "It's something that motivates me a great deal and I can see the club thinks the same and Messi is delighted to continue here.”

Messi's performances have not been as incredible as in previous seasons but he still has the level of a number one.

He brings a lot more than merely goals and he is necessary and indispensable for the group. I hope he can find his best version with me.

BARCELONA — Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo is confident he will have recovered from a persistent thigh injury in time for Saturday’s Champions League final.

The FIFA Ballon d'Or winner, top scorer in La Liga this season with 31 goals, has been suffering recurring thigh problems since early April and has spent the last two weeks concentrating on being ready for the Lisbon showdown against Atletico Madrid.

His last match was away to Valladolid on May 7 where a 1-1 draw practically ended Real's La Liga title hopes and Ronaldo lasted less than 10 minutes before limping off.

“I feel good but still not 100 per cent. I hope to be ready for Saturday,” the Portuguese told Real Madrid TV on Tuesday.

The Portuguese missed the last two games of the season and is still not back to full training.

"It is my first day out on the pitch and I feel ok and happy,” he said.

"Playing during the week and weekends means it is normal that the body has a negative response. Unfortunately I have had a few problems but if you look around Europe the same thing is happening and players are getting injured.

"Nobody wants to miss a final, a final we have been aiming for and it is obviously important. If the body can’t do it then it is not the end of the world but I will be there, I am confident."

There is more concern over whether defender Pepe and striker Karim Benzema, with calf and adductor injuries respectively, will be ready in time.

“They are the only two players over whom we have doubts," Real coach Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference.

"I am not optimistic or pessimistic. Right now they wouldn’t be able to play but we are not taking the decision now. If Pepe isn’t ready then Varane would take his place.”

Real have faced Atletico four times this season, losing to them and drawing in La Liga but winning both legs of the King’s Cup semi-final.

“I don’t think there is a favourite, it will be an even game," Ancelotti said.

"Atletico have shown plenty of quality during the season but normally in finals like this there aren’t favourites. Maybe Atletico are in high spirits and we have the desire to win,” said Ancelotti, who denied he felt under pressure to win Real’s 10th European Cup.

“For me it is an honour to be in the final with Madrid and I am just happy to be in this position," he said.

"It is not an obsession but a big opportunity. We can become part of the history of this club but this doesn’t make it an obsession but a one-off opportunity.”

AMMAN –– With two more weeks remaining for the  62nd Jordan Professional League, leaders Wihdat will be fighting to win the title when they play That Ras on Wednesday, while three clubs are also mired in the relegation battle.

Wihdat failed to secure the tile after a 0-0 draw with Hussein, keeping them four points ahead of Faisali who managed a 3-2 win over Sarih. 

Faisali will play Sheikh Hussein.

Wihdat need one victory to win back the title, while Faisali need to secure two wins and hope that their archrivals, Wihdat, lose one of their two matches. 

That Ras follow in third place after a 3-2 win over Arabi. 

Shabab Urdun, holders of last year's title, went down to ninth place on the table after a 1-1 draw with Jazira.  They next play Hussein Irbid, hoping to improve in the standing and to exit the relegation fears.

Sheikh Hussein have been relegated to the first league despite embarrassing Ramtha  5-1, while Manshieh secured their place in the Pro League after a 3-0 win over Baqaa. 

Arabi, with 19 points, and Sarih with 20 points, are on the 11th and 10th places respectively. They will be in tough positions as they will fight to remain in the professional league. 

Manshieh striker Mohammad Abdul Halim took over the top scorers list with 12 goals followed by Ramtha's Hamza Dardour with 9. 

Berlin –– Goalline technology moved back into the spotlight in Germany after a controversial decision in the German Cup final between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, less than two months after its introduction was rejected by the league.

Dortmund were confident they had scored against champions Bayern when Mats Hummels headed onto goal in the 64th minute and defender Dante cleared the ball near the line with the score at 0-0.

Television replays showed both Dante’s leg and the ball, even further behind in goal, were clearly over the line.

Instead it was Bayern who struck twice in extra-time to lift the trophy and complete the domestic double.

The incident was the second major argument in favour of goalline technology this season with Bayer Leverkusen’s Stefan Kiessling being awarded a goal against Hoffenheim earlier in the season despite the ball landing in goal through a hole in the sidenetting.

“If Dortmund CEO Hans Joachim Watzke or a representative of other clubs resuggests goalline technology, it would be something that I would support,” German Football League (DFL) chief Reinhard Rauball, who is also the president of Borussia Dortmund, told Sueddeutsche newspaper on Monday.

Yet it was only as recently as March 24 that the 36 clubs from the first and second division rejected the introduction of the technology with half of the top-flight clubs voting in favour and only three of 18 second division teams backing the idea.

A two-thirds majority was necessary with many clubs against it because of the technology’s cost. Rauball himself had said in March the issue was “now off the table”.

Dortmund were left fuming after the cup final with coach Juergen Klopp saying had the goal counted it would have changed the game but did not call for goalline technology.

“The ball was so far inside the goal that you do not need goalline technology,” Klopp told reporters. “All my substitutes saw it and they were standing behind the goal.”

DFL managing director Andreas Rettig on Monday also hinted the issue could now come back as long as it was the clubs who demanded a new vote on the technology.

“If it is the wish of the clubs then there is nothing in the way of a new vote. The DFL is well prepared,” Rettig told reporters.

The English top-flight became the first domestic league to use technology in August and the system worked well throughout the entire season.

Dubbed Goal Decision System (GDS) and developed by the Hawk-Eye company, the system gives referees a ruling within a second, their watch buzzing to tell them when the ball has gone in.

Goalline technology will also be in use at the World Cup in Brazil in June and July.

LONDON –– Manchester United returned to a tried and trusted trophy winner after an ill-fated adventure with David Moyes when announcing that Dutchman Louis van Gaal had been handed the job of reviving the club’s fortunes on Monday.

The 62-year-old, who has masterminded league titles at some of Europe’s biggest clubs including Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and won the Champions League with Ajax Amsterdam, will begin the re-building job at Old Trafford once he has finished national duties at the World Cup.

Ryan Giggs, United’s record appearance maker, will work alongside him after his four-game stint in charge following the sacking last month of Moyes, given the chance on the back of a long and worthy, but success-starved, 11-year stint in charge of Everton.

“In Louis van Gaal, we have secured the services of one of the outstanding managers in the game today, United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward said in a statement that announced the Dutchman had signed a three-year contract and would start work after leading the Netherlands in the World Cup finals.

“He has achieved many things in his career to date and Old Trafford provides him with a fitting stage on which to write new chapters in the Manchester United story.

“Everyone is very excited about this new phase in the club’s history. His track record of success in winning leagues and cups across Europe throughout his career makes him the perfect choice for us.”

Van Gaal, who has already been working behind the scenes with United officials regarding potential transfers, said: “It was always a wish for me to work in the Premier League. To work as a manager for Manchester United, the biggest club in the world, makes me very proud. 

Safe hands

A year on from the bold decision to replace English football’s most successful manager Alex Ferguson with fellow Scot Moyes — mainly on Ferguson’s recommendation — the club’s owners, stung by the financial impact of failure to qualify for the Champions League, have played it safe.

In Van Gaal they have recruited a manager who will command huge respect in the dressing room and in the transfer market and whose methods have stood the test of time.

He will need all his vast experience too as United attempt to repair the damage done by the 10-month Moyes era, which resulted in a seventh-placed finish in the Premier League.

The magnitude of the Old Trafford job was clearly beyond Moyes but Van Gaal has sat comfortably — and certainly confidently — in some of the most pressurised hot-seats in world football despite occasional glitches and fall-outs.

His first task will be rebuilding the club’s defence, which will be without Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic next season, and recruiting more pace and flair to a side that laboured last season, particularly at home.

Reviving striker Robin van Persie will also be key after the Dutchman suffered a disappointing campaign compared to his barnstorming impact the previous year when his goals fired United to a 20th English title.

United fans will be re-assured by Van Gaal’s past feats.

He was responsible for nurturing great players such as Frank Rijkaard, Clarence Seedorf and Edgar Davids at Ajax who he memorably led to Champions League glory in 1995.

At Barcelona he won two La Liga titles in three seasons during his first spell from 1997-2000 while at Bayern Munich in 2010 he became the first Dutch coach to win the Bundesliga, unleashing rising German talents such as Thomas Mueller and Bastian Schweinsteiger and signing compatriot Arjen Robben.

Influential Giggs

While Moyes made the mistake of ditching Ferguson’s backroom staff in his first days in charge, Van Gaal’s acclimatisation at Old Trafford will be aided by the fact that Giggs, a hugely influential figure at the club, will be his right-hand man.

When Giggs was put in charge after the exit of Moyes he opened with a 4-0 victory over a poor Norwich City side, prompting many to suggest the Welshman should get the job on a full-time basis.

The reality of United’s situation hit home in the following game — a 1-0 home defeat by Sunderland — and while Giggs may be a future United manager he will spend the next few years learning from the Dutch master.

“I’m delighted that Louis has chosen Ryan as his assistant,” Woodward said.

Giggs said: “Louis is a world-class coach and I know I will learn a lot about coaching from being able to observe and contribute at such close quarters.”

AMMAN — Jordan's Olympic Men’s team plays Palestine on Monday for the title of the Palestine International Championship. Jordan beat Sri Lanka 4-0 to finish second in the standings. The team lost to Palestine 1-0 in the opening match, and beat Pakistan 1-0. Palestine beat Pakistan 3-0 to top the standings. Palestine and Pakistan earlier beat Sri Lanka 3-0. Jordan is preparing for the 2016 Olympic qualifiers, and the squad has played a series of local friendlies, but the team has been unable to fully regroup with the local league as well as the senior team's agenda hampering the coach's efforts.

MADRID — If anyone had suggested before the start of the La Liga season that Atletico Madrid could pip vastly wealthier rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid to the title they would have been dismissed as hopelessly naive.

Predicting that Diego Simeone's side, who wrapped up their 10th domestic league title and their first since 1996 thanks to Saturday's 1-1 comeback draw at Barca, would also be through to the final of Europe's elite club competition would have seen them laughed out of town.

Yet that is exactly what Atletico have achieved thanks to an inspirational coach and a group of talented and fiercely committed players who, due to the relative thinness of their squad, have toiled for more minutes and run more kilometres than any of their rivals.

Much of Atletico's recent success is down to the influence of Simeone, a combative midfielder who was in the Atletico team that won a La Liga and King's Cup double in 1996 and who took over a club grown used to mediocrity at the end of 2011.

Said to have played "with a knife between his teeth", the former Argentina captain has transformed Atletico, whose annual income is about a fifth of that of Barca and Real, into contenders both in Spain and among Europe's wider elite.

Prowling the touchline during matches, bellowing instructions and urging his troops on while whipping up the fans, his passion, desire for success and intensity clearly rubbed off on the players.

Proof of the coaching staff's commitment to the cause came in one recent Madrid derby when it literally took eight men to restrain Simeone's number two, another former Atletico player German Burgos, when he lost his temper with the referee.

Simeone has managed to wrest the very best from a number of players who had not performed to their full potential before, including top scorer Diego Costa, attacking midfielder Raul Garcia and play maker Arda Turan.

But it is perhaps the tireless work of the defence and midfield that has contributed most to Atletico's consistency as they kept pace with Spain's big two despite the gruelling calendar and what many considered a limited squad.

Under Simeone's guidance, Atletico have conceded by far the fewest goals in La Liga with 26 in 38 matches and leaked only six in 12 outings on their way to the Champions League final in Lisbon on May 24.

Captain Gabi, an Atletico academy graduate who returned to the club in 2011 after four years at Real Zaragoza, has been a revelation as ball-winner and distributor-in-chief in central midfield, ably supported by Tiago and Mario Suarez.

Centre backs Diego Godin and Miranda have been rock solid, and have also scored important headed goals from set pieces including Godin's equaliser from a corner on Saturday, while fullbacks Juanfran and Filipe Luis have provided attacking width while ably fulfilling their defensive duties.

Time and again, goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has pulled off seemingly impossible saves to deny Atletico's opponents and the on-loan Belgian international will surely be recalled to parent club Chelsea to replace Petr Cech before long.

Up front, the performances of prickly Brazil-born forward Costa have earned him a place in the Spain squad and he has netted 27 times in La Liga and eight times in the Champions League, by far his best season.

Spain's record scorer David Villa, who is coming to the end of an illustrious career, and Adrian have also contributed with vital goals and assists.

Crunch game

Simeone and his players may remember March 29 and their 2-1 comeback victory at Athletic Bilbao as the moment they truly started to believe the title was within their grasp.

The match at fourth-placed Bilbao's daunting San Mames arena was considered as one of Atletico's toughest of the season finale. As part of their preparations for the crunch game in the Basque Country, Simeone decided to call in some outside help.

He invited Irene Villa, who lost both her legs in a bomb attack by Basque separatist group ETA in 1991 when she was 12 years old, to speak to the players at the team hotel a few hours before kick-off.

After listening to Villa's message and heading across town to Bilbao's stadium, where Barca lost 1-0 and Real could only manage a 1-1 draw this season, Atletico fell behind in the sixth minute but hit back through Costa in the 22nd.

Koke struck the winner 10 minutes into the second half to complete a memorable comeback.

"We invited her simply so that she could tell us the story of her life, so we could see the realities," Simeone said.

"It really did us a tremendous amount of good, we felt very comfortable and we have one more friend now at Atletico."

Atletico's achievements this season will have won them many more friends among football's purists as they proved that splurging hundreds of millions of euros on players is not the only path to success.

LONDON — Tens of thousands of raucous Arsenal fans filled the streets of Islington in north London on Sunday to hail their team's comeback victory in Saturday's FA Cup final.

In warm sunshine under blue skies, on the capital's hottest day of the year, manager Arsene Wenger and his squad laughed, danced and waved during a celebratory open-top bus tour.

Arsenal recovered from two goals down in the opening eight minutes to defeat Hull City 3-2 after extra time at Wembley and lift their first trophy in nine years.

Their previous success came after beating Manchester United 5-4 on penalties in the 2005 final.

"After 8 years, 11 months, 26 days, 38 minutes and 20 seconds... Arsenal win a trophy" declared The Sunday Times, with a Jose Mourinho-esque sense of irony.

Wenger, who said it was the most important win of his career, had signalled that he was also set to stay at the club following the imminent expiry of his contract, but there was no official statement to confirm he will extend his 18 years in charge.

"This trophy is for him," match-winning goalscorer Aaron Ramsey told Sky Sports News. "He's backed us and stood by us and he is so instrumental in the way we play."

Wenger, soaked in champagne and given "the bumps" by his players on Saturday, was once again dressed in his pristine uniform — of white shirt and black trousers — as he smiled for photographs.

His team's success had not only ended the club's second-longest spell without success since 1930, but also answered their critics, including Chelsea boss Mourinho, who had labelled Wenger as a "specialist in failure".

The parade included a pause for the squad to visit Islington Town Hall and pose for photographs with the mayor and staff before continuing to a red and white tickertape reception with thousands of fans at the club's Emirates Stadium.

"The happiness is linked sometimes with the suffering, and the time you have to wait, and that's why it's such a great moment," said Wenger, who has won the FA Cup five times with Arsenal.

LONDON – Awarding the 2022 football World Cup to Qatar was a “mistake” and the tournament will probably have to be held in the winter because of the heat, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

"Of course, it was a mistake. You know, one comes across a lot of mistakes in life," he told Swiss television station RTS in an interview.

"The Qatar technical report indicated clearly that it is too hot in summer, but the executive committee with quite a big majority decided all the same that the tournament would be in Qatar," he added.

Asked whether the World Cup was likely to be held in the European winter, the 78-year-old replied: "It's probable, yes. In fact, it's more than probable."

FIFA later issued a “media advisory” noting that Blatter was in no way questioning whether the tournament would be held in Qatar.

"The comment by the FIFA president concerning the organisation of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to Swiss TV station RTS is in line with previous comments on this matter," read the statement.

"As explained in his answer to the journalist, the president reiterated that the decision to organise the World Cup in summer was an “error” based on the technical assessment report of the bid, which had highlighted the extremely hot temperatures in summer in Qatar. At no stage did he question Qatar as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup," the statement concluded.

FIFA launched an investigation last year into alleged corruption surrounding the voting procedure for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.

The choice of Qatar was particularly controversial given that the small Arab nation has little footballing culture and summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40OC).

FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke said in January that the 2022 World Cup would not be played in the summer months but was likely to be held between November and January.

The football body has said no decision will be taken until after this year's World Cup finals in Brazil with all stakeholders and commercial partners to be consulted.

Blatter was adamant oil and gas-rich Qatar had not “bought” the World Cup, however, and indicated political pressure from France and Germany had played a part.

"I will never say they [Qatar] bought it," he said. 

"We know full well that big French and German companies work in Qatar, but they don't just work for the World Cup. The World Cup is only a small part of what is going on in Qatar."

Asked about his future at the helm of FIFA, Blatter again indicated he would stand for a fifth term in next year's election.

"At the moment I say I want to finish my mandate well. Of course I am willing to continue," he said.