CLUB WORLD CUP
Al Ahly win six-goal thriller to grab Club World Cup bronze for the fourth time
A six-goal thriller saw African champions Al Ahly dramatically defeat Japan’s Urawa Reds 4-2 to secure the bronze medal at the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia.
Once again that fighting determination of the Egyptian giants came to the fore to help them clinch bronze in the most dramatic fashion imaginable.
In an end-to-end playoff clash, goals from Yasser Ibrahim and Percy Tau put Ahly in control before Jose Kante’s curling strike brought Urawa back into it.
Alexander Scholz levelled from the penalty spot early in the second half after VAR adjudged Mohamed Hany handled in the box to put the Egyptian giants on the ropes.
But Hany remarkably went from villain to hero in the space of six minutes, firing Ahly back in front via a huge deflection off Yoshio Koizumi.
Ali Maaloul then wrapped up the bronze deep into stoppage time, curling home a delightful last-gasp free-kick to spark jubilant celebrations.
Having suffered semi-final heartbreak against Fluminense, Ahly looked doomed after Scholz’s penalty hauled Urawa level at 2-2.
But in a speedy contest befitting their rollercoaster run to the third-place playoff, the Egyptian side emerged triumphant.
After the despair of falling short in the semis, this is a sweet consolation for Ahly’s decorated veterans like Hany and Maaloul.
They can now return home with heads held high after a heroic comeback secured the club a record-extending fourth Club World Cup bronze medal.
-CAF
CLUB WORLD CUP
Referees’ body cameras will provide fans with unprecedented views of on-field action, says FIFA
FIFA unveiled its team of 117 match officials, opens new tab on Monday for the inaugural Club World Cup and said referees would wear body cameras and enforce stricter goalkeeper time-wasting rules at the tournament to be staged across the United States.
The FIFA Referees Committee appointed the officials from 41 member associations – 35 referees, 58 assistant referees and 24 video match officials – for the June 14 to July 13 event.
Body cameras will provide fans with unprecedented views of on-field action, FIFA said, while goalkeepers who hold the ball beyond eight seconds will now see opponents awarded corner kicks rather than indirect free kicks.
“We think that it is a good chance to offer the viewers a new experience, in terms of images taken from a perspective, from an angle of vision, which was never offered before,” said Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee.
“It also has a purpose in terms of referee coaching because, of course, having the possibility to see what the referee sees is important in the debriefing.”
Collina highlighted the historic nature of the appointments for the expanded tournament featuring 32 teams from all six FIFA confederations and spanning 12 stadiums in 11 U.S. host cities.
“The selected referees are among those who have the privilege to be part of this for the first time, so I’m sure that all the match officials will be thrilled,” he said.
“We are coming from high-standard performances delivered during the last FIFA tournaments. So the bar is higher and when you set the bar higher it’s more difficult to keep the standard. But we are working very hard and ‘Team One’ will make a solid contribution to the success of this exciting competition.”
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The expanded Club World Cup holding in the US has brought another innovation to football.
Referees at the championship holding from June 14 to July 13 will be equipped with body cameras and will implement a new rule to combat goalkeeper time-wasting.
Game directors will wear “body cameras as part of an experimental phase, the tests having been approved by IFAB ,” the body that oversees the rules of the game, the International Football Federation explained in a statement.
“We believe this is a good opportunity to offer viewers a new experience, with images taken from a perspective that has never been offered before,” explained FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina.
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The change in football rules that allows goalkeepers to be punished with corner kicks will be implemented at the Club World Cup holding in June in the US.
The revelation was made by FIFA Referees Committee chairman Pierluigi Collina after the announcement that referees will wear body cameras.
This initiative is “both innovative for broadcasters and for referee training,” added the Italian, “because it is important to be able to put yourself in the referee’s shoes during the debriefing, to evaluate how the referee made his decisions, his point of view, etc. “
The competition will implement the new rule approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) on March 1, aimed at reducing time wastage by goalkeepers.
“If they hold the ball for more than eight seconds, the referee will award a corner. Previously, an indirect free kick could be awarded after six seconds.
Seminars for referees have been held recently. The one for UEFA referees was held at FIFA headquarters from March 31 to April 4. Another seminar was held in Dubai for referees from the AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), and OFC (Oceania) from February 2 to 4, and a third for referees from CONMEBOL (South America) and CONCACAF (Central America and the Caribbean) took place in Buenos Aires from February 24 to 28.
“We need to see the game and the goals, not the refereeing,” said refereeing director Massimo Busacca. “The referee is the protagonist who should not be noticed during the match. A good referee doesn’t need to be seen or known. But he must be prepared. “
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