Qatar Sport

Riyadh: History lies in wait for the latest recipient of the AFC Player of the Year trophy, when the winner is unveiled at the AFC Awards Riyadh 2025 on Thursday evening at the King Fahad Cultural Center. Qatari superstar Akram Afif could become the first player to clinch the accolade thrice, while Salem Al Dawsari is in the running to be the first Saudi Arabian to win it twice and Arif Aiman Hanapi is already the first-ever Malaysian nominee. The trio, whose nominations were announced last month, enjoyed stellar 2024/25 campaigns for both club and country, and are in contention to clinch the prestigious prize at the 29th edition of the AFC Awards. Afif, who is the sixth player to be nominated thrice since the award was first given out in 1994 (after Ali Daei, Ali Karimi, Hidetoshi Nakata, Omar Abdulrahman and Zheng Zhi), told the-AFC.com: “It’s a great honour…to be among the very few players who achieved this means a lot to me. I always try to represent Qatar and my club in the best way possible, so being recognised again is truly special. “It’s been a long and demanding season. When you play for a club like Al Sadd, you’re always competing for every local and Continental title, and at the same time, with the national team we’ve had important World Cup qualifiers. I’ve done my best with the help of my teammates in both the club and the national team, and also thanks to the great effort from the coaching, medical, and administrative staff.” The 28-year-old playmaker, who provided both assists in the 2-1 victory against the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday night that sent Qatar to the FIFA World Cup 2026, added: “Individual awards are always special, but what matters most to me is the success of the team. There are many great players who deserve it as well. If I win, it will be a reward for everyone I work with — my wife and my teammates, coaches, the fans who always support me, and of course, my family.” The two-time winner’s (2019, 2023) sentiments were echoed by Al Dawsari, who is looking to add to his 2022 prize. At 34, the Saudi maestro continues to be one of Asia’s leading lights and arrived at the pre-event press conference on Wednesday evening fresh off leading the Green Falcons to a third consecutive FIFA World Cup. Vowing not to rest on his laurels, the Al Hilal SFC attacker said: “What is most important to me are the team’s achievements, after which individual awards and accolades (will follow). If I win tomorrow, we will celebrate, and it will be motivation for me to achieve more. I will prove that age is just a number because a professional must continue to do his best to keep himself ready for matches, and what is important is also that Saudi players have proven that they have the talent.” For Arif, who turned in arguably his best individual season by making his mark both domestically and on the Continental stage, being listed alongside Afif and Al Dawsari already serves as great impetus to keep pushing his limits. “I always give my best for my club and country and I am excited to be the first Malaysian to be here,” said the 23-year-old Johor Darul Ta’zim forward, who is only the second Southeast Asian nominee after Therdsak Chaiman of Thailand in 2003. “It’s just the beginning for me. I must prepare to work harder and dedicate myself to reaching the same level as Salem and Akram; I will take them as my role models, to take responsibility for myself (and reach the highest levels).”

Football

London: Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was given a one-match touchline ban on Wednesday for dissent and over-celebrating a last-gasp goal in a 2-1 Premier League win over Liverpool on October 4. The Italian will now be banned from the touchline for Chelsea's match away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday. He has also been fined £8,000 ($10,685) and the Football Association said Maresca openly admitted the misconduct charge. He was given a yellow card for railing against a penalty decision and picked up a second one in the sixth minute of stoppage time for wildly celebrating Estevao Willian's angled winner during a desperate onslaught. Chelsea had lost their previous two matches before tackling Liverpool at home, and the win lifted them to sixth place at that time as under-fire Maresca avoided a third successive league defeat. Maresca is reported to have told the Italian media that running down the touchline and celebrating with the players had been "an instinctive reaction" and added that it had been worth it even if he got sent off.

Qatar Sport

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd SC announced on Wednesday the mutual termination of its contract with Spanish head coach Felix Sanchez, ending his tenure with the club's first football team. In an official statement, the club confirmed that Sanchez will step down, with his assistant Sergio Allegri taking over managerial duties effective immediately. Allegri is set to lead the team in its upcoming league fixture against Umm Salal on Friday at Al Khor Stadium, part of Matchday 7. Sanchez, who previously coached Qatar's national team to its historic 2019 AFC Asian Cup victory, joined Al Sadd in June 2024 on a two-year deal. He guided the team to a domestic double last season, winning both the Qatar Stars League and the Qatar Cup. Although his contract was set to run through summer 2026, Al Sadd's recent dip in form prompted the club to seek a change. The reigning champions currently sit seventh in the league table with eight points from six matches, six points behind leaders Al Shamal. The team has also struggled in the AFC Elite Champions League (West Zone), earning just two points from matches against Iraq's Al-Shorta and the UAE's Sharjah. At 48, Sanchez's most notable achievement remains Qatar's 2019 Asian Cup triumph, where his side defeated Japan 3-1 in the final. He also led Qatar to the semifinals of the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup. Following Qatar's group-stage exit at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Sanchez left his post as national team coach and took charge of Ecuador's national team. His stint ended after the 2024 Copa America in the United States, where Ecuador was eliminated in the round of 16 by Argentina on penalties.