Sports

SAO PAULO –– Brazilian hackers are threatening to disrupt the World Cup with attacks ranging from jamming websites to data theft, adding cyber warfare to the list of challenges for a competition already marred by protests, delays and overspending.

In a country with rampant online crime, a challenging telecommunications infrastructure and little experience with cyber attacks, authorities are rushing to protect government websites and those of FIFA, football’s governing body.

Furious about the 33 billion reais (8 billion pounds) in federal funds being spent on World Cup preparations, more than a million Brazilians took to the streets last June in a wave of mass demonstrations, calling for better public services, greater transparency, and a crackdown on corruption.

Now, hackers say they will join the fray.

“We are already making plans,” said an alleged hacker who goes by the nom de guerre of Eduarda Dioratto. “I don’t think there is much they can do to stop us.”

Reuters contacted Dioratto and other self-proclaimed members of the international hacker network known as Anonymous by finding them online. Though unable to confirm their true identities, Reuters spoke with them in the interest of understanding their threats and what impact they might have on the World Cup.

They said the event offers an unprecedented global audience and an opportune moment to target sites operated by FIFA, the government, other organisers or corporate sponsors.

“The attacks will be directed against official websites and those of companies sponsoring the Cup,” a hacker known as Che Commodore said in a late-night Skype conversation.

While most of the fretting ahead of the tournament is focused on the completion of stadiums by kickoff on June 12, experts agree that little attention is being paid to Brazil’s telecommunications infrastructure.

Problems include overstrained networks, widespread use of pirated software and low investment in online security. To make matters worse, Brazil is home to one of the world’s most sophisticated cyber-criminal communities, which is already disrupting ticket sales and other World Cup commerce.

“It’s not a question of whether the Cup will be targeted, but when,” said William Beer, a cyber security expert with the consultancy firm Alvarez & Marsal. “So resilience and response become extremely important.”

Brazil says it is ready, or as ready as it can be.

“It would be reckless for any nation to say it’s 100 per cent prepared for a threat,” said General José Carlos dos Santos, the head of the cyber command for Brazil’s army. “But Brazil is prepared to respond to the most likely cyber threats.”

A FIFA spokesperson declined to comment on online security.

AMMAN –– The 2nd Jordan Qarashai Tennis Tournament will kick off on May 2 at Al Orthodoxi Club tennis courts with the participation of more than 50 tennis players representing various diplomatic missions, professional and amateur players.

The tournament was initiated by Jordanian tennis player Nanci Qarashai who decided to organise this event in order to allow more interaction among tennis players and give amateurs and tennis enthusiasts the opportunity to rub shoulders with professional players.

“I found it really possible for amateurs to play against professionals through an event where they can learn, experience and enjoy a one-day tournament without any pressure,” Qarashai told The Jordan Times.

“Registration is free for participants. The tournament is for ages 25 and up, and based on the success of last year we will have more participation and more competition this year,” she added.

According to Qarashai, players have already registered to be part of the event.

“Registration is open for all participants and we would like to see more female players taking part in the event,” she said. 

Last year, Iraq’s Hassan Sa’di won the first place and Jordan’s Nabil Morqos settled in the second place.

“We had a very interesting event last year where young and old, amateurs and professionals competing against each other. All players benefited from the experience they had and hopefully we will see more new faces this year in May,” Qarashai who started playing tennis in 2010 said.

Qarashai is toying with the idea of establishing a professional tennis academy in Jordan for youth who are willing to take this road seriously and become professionals at an early age.

“I am currently talking to parents and players in addition to several entities that are interested in this initiative and so far I received positive response especially from parents,” she added.

So far few clubs and only a handful of coaches, whether through the Jordan Tennis Federation or personal trainers, offer tennis lessons.

According to Qarashai, tennis as a sport has changed a lot in Jordan.

“The cost of playing tennis long time ago was really high and you had to pay a lot of money to buy the racquet and accessories or even hire a professional coach but today things have changed and tennis equipment are affordable and available for everyone,” Qarashai, who started as an amateur and then turned to professional,  said.

AMMAN –– The 62nd Jordan Professional League will be paused for 10-day due to the national team’s preparations to play Syria on March 5 in Amman as part of Group A Asian Cup 2015 qualifiers. Jordan has already booked a place in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup finals –– to be held in Australia –– after a 3-1 win over Singapore on February 4. The professional league will resume on March 7. Faisali is set to play Baqaa on March 13 as part of week 11. The Jordan Football Association competitions committee has now set the season’s agenda to end May 31. 

FRANKFURT, Germany — Real Madrid ride a big wave into Schalke for their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday having just shot to the top of the Spanish League for the first time since 2012.

Madrid are unbeaten in 26 games, their best run since 1988-89 when they went a record 34 games unbeaten. Schalke are riding a more modest unbeaten run of seven matches, and failed to win at home against Mainz on Friday in the Bundesliga.

Ronaldo returns  

Cristiano Ronaldo returns to Real Madrid’s lineup after sitting out a three-match suspension in the Spanish League. The world player of the year has nine goals in the Champions League, only one behind tournament leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic of Paris Saint-Germain. 

While his absence in the domestic league did not hurt, Ronaldo’s Champions League experience could be crucial in an away game, where goals take on special importance. Real’s 20 goals in the group stage led the competition.

Madrid’s woeful record in Germany  

Real Madrid have won only once in 25 previous visits to German opposition, losing 18 times, including a 4-1 defeat at Borussia Dortmund in last season’s semifinal first leg which set up a 4-3 aggregate defeat. The only victory was a 3-2 success at Bayer Leverkusen in 2000-01. Coach Carlo Ancelotti won the title four times as player and coach.

Schalke defiant 

Schalke coach Jens Keller believes the odds are stacked firmly against his team being able to knock out Real Madrid. “We’ll need a little miracle,” Keller said. “It’ll be difficult but we’re not going into it to exchange jerseys.” 

Midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng said Schalke can go into the match with confidence despite the tepid 0-0 draw with Mainz, and goalkeeper Ralf Faehrmann adds: “Borussia Dortmund showed that Real also are beatable.”

More goals for Gareth 

For Ancelotti, there is no secret to getting Gareth Bale going. He needs goals. Bale scored a memorable long-range screamer in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Elche, a goal that perhaps only teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are capable of. 

Ancelotti was clear the Welshman needed to score more of them. 

“There is no uncertainty in analysing Bale’s game: He had no confidence before that incredible goal and after it, he played an entirely different game,” Ancelotti said. “That goal will help his confidence. 

He played well enough before the goal but fantastic afterward.” Another newcomer this season, Asier Illaramendi, is also finding his feet after a rocky start since his move from Real Sociedad, with the young player often having to wait to fill in for Xabi Alonso. 

“I don’t know how he hits the ball but he makes it do incredible things,” Ancelotti said after the holding midfielder also scored against Elche. “He’s a great player and he’s showing it.”

Defence wins 

Madrid’s defence has played a pivotal role in its unbeaten run. It has allowed 16 goals over the run, and just three times in its last 14 matches. To appease his two goalies, Ancelotti has Iker Casillas starting in the Champions League and Copa del Rey, and Diego Lopez in La Liga. 

The move has worked out great. Casillas, the Spain captain, has helped Madrid make the Copa del Rey final without conceding a goal. Centre backs Sergio Ramos and Pepe have been steady and France international Raphael Varane has also returned strongly from a knee injury. 

“I’m getting better and finding my form little by little,” Varane said. “We’re defending very well and we can still improve. We’re communicating well and playing with intensity. The team is in great form.” 

Ancelotti also has ample choice at both fullback positions, with Marcelo or Fabio Coentrao available on the left side and Alvaro Arbeloa and Dani Carvajal sharing duties on the right.

AMMAN — Jordan’s Shabab Urdun and That Ras kick off their 11th Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup 2014 matches on Tuesday as 32 clubs from across the continent compete in eight groups with the top two in each group going on to the Round of 16.

That Ras, who won the Jordan Cup last year, play their first AFC matches against Lebanon’s Safa in Beirut on Tuesday with a tough task in their first Asian experience.

They are just out of a 1-0 win over Wihdat in the league, but coach Imad Khankan sounded apprehensive of the upcoming match ahead of the team’s departure to Beirut. 

“We lack competitive experience on the Asian level. We have not had enough friendlies against tougher teams. We are nevertheless in high spirits and have prepared well,” he was quoted by the local media as saying.

That Ras will play in Group A, which also includes Tajikistan’s Ravshan and Oman’s Suweiq. 

Khankan said his team know the task ahead is not easy, adding that they have a national duty after Jordanian teams have left their mark in the second-tier Asian club competition, which was won by Faisali in 2005 and 2006 and Shabab Urdun in 2007.

On the other hand, Jordan league champs Shabab Urdun will host Iraq’s Erbil on Wednesday. Shabab Urdun lost 1-0 to Shabab Hussein this week and are now 7th in the league.

Shabab Urdun will play in Group D alongside Bahrain’s Rifaa and Kyrgystan’s Alay Osh.

Last year, Shabab Urdun won the 61st Jordan Professional League for their second time after the 2005/06 title in their first season in the league.

This season, Shabab Urdun were eliminated by Bahrain’s Al Hidd in their inaugural match of the preliminary round of the AFC Asian Champions League.

Shabab Urdun also lost to Bahrain’s Al Hidd in Round 1 of the Arab Football Association Clubs Cup losing on aggregate following 1-1 and 0-0 draws. The previous season saw Baqaa eliminated from the inaugural cup losing to Algeria’s USM.

FRANKFURT — Borussia Dortmund, last season’s runner-up, have reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in two successive seasons for the first time in 16 years. 

Supporters hope history repeats itself as the last time this happened, in 1996-7, the club went on to win the trophy under Ottmar Hitzfeld. 

Dortmund travel to St Petersburg for Tuesday’s match against Zenit without several injured stars.

Zenit qualified for the knockout phase for only the second time, with six points, a record low tally for a Champions League group stage. Zenit drew all three home matches.

Dortmund have been trying to deal with injuries to some of their top players all season and suffered another blow over the weekend — on top of the 3-0 loss in Hamburg — when influential midfielder and Germany international Sven Bender was ruled out for 10 weeks with a groin injury.

Striker Robert Lewandowski is battling a cold, and defender Mats Hummels remains doubtful with a strain in his right foot.

Midfielder Jakub Blaszczykowski and defender Neven Subotic are out for the season and midfielder Ilkay Gundogan remains out with a back problem.

Winter break 

Technically, Zenit are still on the winter break as the Russian league waits for the spring thaw to resume. 

The team has been training and playing friendlies in warmer climates. The Russian side has not played a competitive match since the 4-1 group stage loss at Austria Vienna on December 11.

Former Bayern Munich player Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, who is now with Zenit, believes this gives Dortmund an edge, although he also thinks that Dortmund is not what it was last season.

“It is not the same team that reached the final last season. They were much stronger then. Their advantage is the fact they will be in the middle of the season by the time our tie takes place. Their players will be in good shape for sure,” the midfielder said.

Zenit coach Luciano Spalleti has seen Brazil striker Hulk score regularly in friendlies and reliable goalkeeper Vyacheslav Malafeev is back after injury.

Twin power

Robert Lewandowski is not the only threat in Dortmund’s attack. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been almost as effective — and perhaps even more so since he’s played fewer minutes than Lewandowski.

In the Bundesliga, Lewandowski has scored 14 goals and Aubameyang 13. They’ve scored in four of the previous six Champions League matches this season and counting all competitions, they have accounted for 35 of Dortmund’s 70 goals.

Dortmund’s coach Juergen Klopp has promised his team will bounce back after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Hamburg, which had lost eight consecutive games until then.

“You are going to see a different team, we’ll be much better,” Klopp said. “It was a defeat we brought on ourselves.”

Dortmund defender Manuel Friedrich says it was a “one-off” and that it will not affect preparations for the trip to Russia. “If we play to our potential, then we can beat any team,” Friedrich said.

“We won our very difficult Champions League group, so we can approach the last-16 stage with confidence. This defeat against Hamburg doesn’t change a thing,” midfielder Nuri Sahin said. 

Zenit’s German opposition 

Before the 2007/08 season, Zenit had not defeated a German club in European competition. 

Under Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, however, Zenit played five games against Bundesliga sides in going all the way to win the UEFA Cup, the predecessor competition of the Europa League.

Zenit first drew 2-2 at home to Nuremberg in the group stage and won 4-1 away against Bayer Leverkusen in the quarterfinals before losing 1-0 at home. 

In the last four, Zenit followed up a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich by winning the return leg 4-0.

LONDON — For athletes and spectators at Sochi, it is time to pack up. 

But for the host cities, the real challenge begins with the end of the Olympics. 

How do they continue to use the expensive stadiums after the party is over? What happens to the athletes’ villages? What is the legacy of the Games?

Here is a look at what some past Summer and Winter Games sites around the world look like post-Olympics. 

London 2012

London continues to bask in the success of the most recent Summer Games, but the Olympic legacy is difficult to determine.

The flagship venue, renamed the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, is being converted into a massive park as big as London’s famous Hyde Park, complete with wildlife habitats, woods and sports facilities. The first part of the ambitious project will begin to open to the public in April.

The 80,000-seat Olympic Stadium at the centre of the park has been troubled by controversy since even before the Games, and its post-Games use was the subject of months of legal wrangling. 

The stadium is now being converted into a football venue and the home of the West Ham club, with an expected price tag of $323 million. 

Many argue taxpayers should not have to fund a Premier League club, though officials insist that the stadium will continue to host other major sporting events, including the Rugby World Cup in 2015.

The athletes’ village is still being transformed into the rustic-sounding neighbourhoods of East Wick and Sweetwater, but there are already signs that the process will yield less housing than originally pledged. 

Other promises, like the Olympic Museum due to open this year, have simply been quietly dropped.

Vancouver 2010

All Games venues in Vancouver remain in use, with local authorities funding a $110 million trust to make sure that they do not fall into disrepair.

The most successful venue appears to be the Richmond Olympic speed skating Oval, a widely used community sports and events facility that attracts more than 550,000 visitors a year. 

Dozens of sports groups run regular programmes at the Oval, which now houses two international-size rinks for hockey or speed skating, basketball and squash courts, an indoor track and a rowing tank. 

The venue, which has hosted numerous provincial, national and international championships in a variety of summer and winter sports, is cited as a positive legacy of the Games.

But the athletes’ village has not fared so well. The City of Vancouver had to take over financing for the 1,100-unit village after the developer stopped payment on its construction loan due to cost overruns and the 2008 financial crisis. 

The city has sold most, if not all, of the units, but it expects to lose nearly $300 million.

Beijing 2008 

Beijing, which spent more than $2 billion to build 31 venues for the 2008 Summer Games, is reaping some income and tourism benefits from two flagship venues, though many sites need government subsidies to meet hefty operation and maintenance costs.

The National Stadium, nicknamed the Bird’s Nest because of its lattice design, has become a key Beijing landmark and a favoured backdrop for visitors’ snapshots. 

But few tourists are willing to pay more than $8 to tour the facility as enthusiasm for the 2008 Games fades, and the venue has struggled to fill its space with events.

The Water Cube has been transformed into a water park popular among local families. Its operators even peddle purified glacier water under the Water Cube brand for additional income.

But other venues have withered in neglect. 

A rowing park in the city’s suburbs that cost $55 million has fallen into disuse, and visitors to this paid facility are few and far between. 

The cycling racetracks in another outlying district are covered in weeds, and the sand volleyball courts have been largely closed off to the public.

LONDON — Chelsea will find it strange to be up against their Champions League-winning hero Didier Drogba in Wednesday’s clash with Galatasaray, said manager Jose Mourinho.

While the London club’s players and backroom staff will maintain their friendship with the Ivorian before and after the match, they will be fierce rivals during the 90 minutes of the last-16 first leg tie in Istanbul.

“It’s a strange feeling but we know him well and if you know him well you know that for him there are no friends during the game,” Mourinho told reporters after a late John Terry goal secured a 1-0 win for the Premier League leaders over Everton on Saturday.

“For us just before the game we will be big friends and have big respect for a real legend of the club. During the game we will have a job to do.

“He has his nature and that nature is to want to win.”

Drogba is Chelsea’s record European scorer with 34 goals in 69 games.

He bagged nine goals in nine domestic and European finals and his sizeable contribution to the club’s recent history is apparent from the number of posters of him still dotted around Stamford Bridge.

Drogba moved to Chelsea in 2004, Mourinho’s first season, and stayed after the Portuguese left in 2007, his goals against Bayer Leverkusen, Valencia, Napoli and in the semifinal against Barcelona helping them into the 2012 Champions League final.

In the final against Bayern Munich at the German team’s own Allianz Arena, Drogba headed a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw and then struck the winning penalty in the shoot-out.

He left the club a few days later, saying he had achieved everything he wanted with Chelsea, before spending a few months playing in China and then moving on to Turkey.

Mourinho, who rejoined Chelsea in the close season, said he had already experienced the strange feeling of playing against Drogba.

The Portuguese was at Inter Milan four years ago when he took on Drogba and Chelsea, and also held the reins at Real Madrid last year when the Spanish giants met Galatasaray.

Both times Mourinho was on the winning side.

“Last season my team was a team ready to win the Champions League and we had trouble against them,” said the Chelsea manager. “We won in Madrid but we lost in Istanbul and we were in trouble.

“They have a good team, a very experienced team, people who have had a long run at a high level... they have Champions League winners,” Mourinho said.

He cited Dutchman Wesley Sneijder, Drogba’s Ivory Coast teammate Emmanuel Eboue and Brazilian Felipe Melo as “people who have played with the best clubs in the world”.

“The Turkish guys are the best Turkish players,” added Mourinho. “They have [Hamit] Altintop, [Burak] Yilmaz, [Selcuk] Inan. They are a top team.”

Mourinho is hoping Brazil defender David Luiz and Nigeria midfielder John Obi Mikel, who missed the Everton game with minor injuries, will be fit for Wednesday as new signing Nemanja Matic is cup-tied.

“I think it’s a tie to go to the end, really to the end,” said the Chelsea manager.

NICE, France — Two-time defending European champion Spain faces a seemingly comfortable road to defend its title at Euro 2016 after being drawn in Group C along with Luxembourg, Macedonia, Belarus, Slovakia and Ukraine on Sunday.

“It’s not as easy a group as it might appear to some. We are facing emerging teams who are young and strong,” Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. “The cold conditions could play a role in the group because many of the trips will be to teams from the east.”

The Netherlands was drawn in a tougher-looking Group A and faces the Czech Republic, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Iceland and Latvia.

“The Dutch are the favourites. Together with them, it will be us, Turkey and Iceland fighting to advance,” Czech Republic goalkeeper Petr Czech said. “We have to cope with it if we want to go to France.”

There will be eight groups of six teams and one of five, each playing home and away. The top two teams from the nine groups qualify, along with the best third-placed side. The eight remaining third-placed sides will contest play-offs with four spots at stake.

Host France is the 24th team and automatically qualified. It will play matches in Group I, but no points will be awarded for their matches.

UEFA made the change because host nations can struggle to arrange suitable friendlies while others focus on qualification.

Germany, the runner-up to Spain at Euro 2008, is in Group D and has potentially awkward matches against the Republic of Ireland and Poland — led by Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski — with Gibraltar, Georgia and Scotland also in the group.

“The matches against Scotland will be great occasions,” Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill said. “It looks like a group, Germany apart, where teams might take points off each other.”

England will be pleased with what looks like a winnable Group E featuring Switzerland, San Marino, Lithuania, Estonia and Slovenia.

“I’m very satisfied, in particular for the fans. We’ve had some quite tough trips to get to in recent years, but there’s some good places to visit,” England coach Roy Hodgson said. “The name Switzerland always brings a smile to my face because they were four fantastic years [as national team coach].”

But Wales’ bid to qualify might mean going through the play-offs as Group B contains Eden Hazard’s Belgium and the attacking strength of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is completed by Andorra, Cyprus and Israel.

“I’m happy, positive,” Wales coach Chris Coleman said. “We managed to get a point in Belgium [in World Cup qualifying] and were unlucky at home.”

Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed out on this year’s World Cup after Sweden was beaten by Portugal in a thrilling play-off, but the prolific Paris Saint-Germain forward should grace the fields of France in two years’ time. Sweden and Russia are likely to lead Group G, where Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro and Austria look to be up against it.

Italy, runners-up to France in 2000 and Spain in 2012, will be confident of winning Group H, despite facing Croatia, Norway and Bulgaria. The other teams are Malta and Azerbaijan.

“It’s a very demanding group, we will have to prepare ourselves well,” Italy coach Cesare Prandelli said. “We’re not facing Belgium or Switzerland but I don’t think Croatia is inferior to them. Croatia and Bulgaria are potential group winners.”

Group F, however, seems to be the most open one and it is hard to call the top two from 2004 champion Greece, Finland, Romania, improving Northern Ireland and Hungary. All of them should take maximum points against perpetual minnow, the Faeroe Islands.

Having guided Portugal to the World Cup with a brilliant play-off performance against Sweden — outshining even Ibrahimovic — Cristiano Ronaldo will need to find his scoring touch to keep Portugal ahead of Serbia and Denmark in Group I, and trips to Albania and Armenia are sometimes tricky.

France completes Group I, although Didier Deschamps’ team has no bearing on the outcome.

“It’s pretty good to play a team like Portugal, they will be prestigious matches,” Deschamps said.

SOCHI, Russia — The final day of speedskating at the Sochi Olympics was nothing more than a victory lap for the mighty Dutch.

The Netherlands capped its dominant performance with two more gold medals Saturday in team pursuit, bringing their haul to a staggering eight golds and 23 medals overall.

The Dutch men cruised through the semifinals and finals, pulling away from South Korea to win gold with an Olympic record time of 3 minutes, 37.71 seconds. Sven Kramer, Jan Blokhuijsen and Koen Verweij raised their clasped hands in triumph, taking the country’s first gold ever in pursuit and making up for heavily favoured teams that flopped in both 2006 and 2010.

Then, in the only imaginable way for this competition to end, the women blew away Poland with their third Olympic record time in three races. Ireen Wust, Jorien ter Mors and Marrit Leenstra were like a runaway train, leading by more than a second and a half after the first half-lap and steadily building the advantage from there, winning by more than 7 seconds in 2:58.05.

Wust became the first athlete at these Winter Games with five medals — two golds and three silvers.

The Netherlands turned in a performance that may never be duplicated, taking nearly twice as many medals at the oval as every other nation combined. While former powerhouses such as Norway and the United States didn’t win even a single medal in Sochi, the team in orange turned this into essentially the Dutch trials.

The eight golds in 12 events broke the previous record of six golds by the Soviet speedskaters at the 1960 Winter Games. The total medals blew away the old mark of 13 by the East Germans at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.

The only consolation for everyone else in team pursuit: There was no way for the Dutch to hoard all the medals, as they did in four individual events.

South Korea seemed more than thrilled with its silver on the men’s side, with Poland rallying to beat Canada for the bronze.

Poland assured another medal on the women’s side by winning in the semifinals. But there was no stopping the Dutch, so silver was really the best anyone could do. The bronze went to Russia, which defeated Japan in the third-place race, pumping up the home crowd in really the only dramatic moment of the day.