The shot — now etched in Pakistan football history as the one that brought the side its first-ever point in a FIFA competition, the FIFA ASEAN Cup, and against a side ranked more than 60 places above it — equalled the scores to 2-2 after Philippines had scored two early, and sparked celebrations in equal measure.

The delight was special because it came with a surprise element.

How could a team that had prepared for the tournament in a short training camp, without its head coach, stun a higher-ranked side in this manner? How could a team from a country without even a semblance of a proper football competition and grassroots structure challenge one from a country that has all of that and more? And how could a federation beset by a prolonged crisis field a side so competitive?

Those questions are almost as important as the result itself.

Samad provided one answer.

The Pakistan player based abroad had arrived in Indonesia on Sept 25, a day before the team’s opening FIFA ASEAN Cup match against Thailand, which Pakistan lost 4-0. Several of his fellow diaspora players also joined the squad directly in Indonesia rather than being part of the national-team camp in Islamabad.

The camp itself was brief. And head coach Nolberto Solano was not there.

The Peruvian coach missed the camp after applying for the wrong type of Pakistan visa. His documents had to be resubmitted, delaying his arrival until the team was already in Indonesia. In his absence, assistant coaches Titus Bramble and Walid Javaid oversaw the sessions.

For a national team whose players largely do not play together, those lost days matter.

Yet two days after Samad arrived, Pakistan were back on the pitch against the Philippines and, after falling 2-0 behind, produced the sort of comeback that had rarely been seen from the national side.

Mohammad Ali Akbar pulled one back two minutes after half-time before Samad equalised around the hour.

Pakistan had never previously scored in, or taken a point from, a FIFA competition. They had now done both in the same match.

“This is a fantastic result for Pakistan football, arguably its most impressive result of the 21st century,” Ismail Farooq, a football analyst at FC Nuremberg in Germany and a keen observer of Pakistan football, tells Dawn.

Ismail puts the achievement into perspective by pointing to the gulf between the two teams. Pakistan are ranked 198th in the world while the Philippines are around 60 places higher and have the kind of regular domestic football and established structures that Pakistan have lacked.

Pakistan, he said, were “massive underdogs”.

That makes the fightback significant. But it also makes what happened before it harder to ignore.

The players arrived from different parts of the world, trained together for a limited period and entered the tournament without having had the benefit of a full camp under their head coach.

The result therefore says as much about the resilience of the players as it does about the possibilities that exist within Pakistan’s player pool.

It is also where the country’s diaspora footballers become part of a much larger conversation.

The overseas-based players have increasingly provided Pakistan with a pool of talent that would be difficult for the domestic system to produce on its own. But their late arrival also highlights the absence of a sufficiently strong structure at home to prepare and develop players consistently.

Shaikh Hamdan, head coach of Karachi United Football Club and a UEFA B-licensed coach, believes the result could nevertheless have an important effect well beyond the national team.

“Any positive result for Pakistan football can only be a good thing for the game at grassroots level,” he tells Dawn. “Results inspire participation.”

Children watching Pakistan score and compete, he added, could begin to dream of representing the country, while positive performances could also help convince parents that football can be more than simply a recreational pursuit for their children.

That is the opportunity presented by Bandung.

But it is not the same as having a functioning football system.

Pakistan have not had a proper domestic league since 2015. Youth competitions remain limited and competitive opportunities for young players are scarce.

There is no consistently functioning pathway taking a talented child from grassroots football through age-group competitions and into the professional and international game.

“There are passionate coaches, academies and football communities doing excellent work across the country,” Hamdan says.

“But there is still no structured pathway that consistently takes talented young players from grassroots football through youth competitions and into the professional and international game.”

That gap has consequences.

Talented youngsters can spend crucial developmental years without enough meaningful competitive matches.

Academies can do good work but have limited opportunities to test their players against strong opposition. Coaches can identify potential without knowing where that player will go next.

And when the national team comes calling, it can be easier to look abroad.

The diaspora players are not the problem. Their presence has been an important source of quality and experience for Pakistan. The problem is that their importance has grown partly because the domestic pathway has failed to provide enough alternatives.

That Pakistan can still produce or find players capable of competing with a team such as the Philippines should therefore be viewed as encouragement rather than vindication of the existing system.

Ismail’s assessment is blunt. According to him, the Bandung result was “despite our domestic football situation, not because of it”.

That distinction could determine what happens next.

The Pakistan Football Federation has announced plans for district and youth football and has sought expressions of interest for a new league. But announcements are only the beginning. What Pakistan needs is a sustained calendar of meaningful competition that allows players to develop and coaches to work within a stable system.

More than a year after the PFF elections in May 2025, that structure remains a work in progress.

At grassroots level, football continues to rely heavily on uneven local structures. Provincial and district associations are effectively dysfunctional, while facilities and access to quality coaching remain limited in many areas.

Political chaos

The administrative uncertainty surrounding the PFF has compounded the problem.

The May 2025 elections brought former FIFA development officer Syed Mohsen Gilani to the presidency. Since then, disagreements over the federation’s direction and decision-making have continued.

Reports, as well as a document that circulated publicly — and was labelled “fake” by the PFF — referred to an alleged understanding involving Mohsen and Hafiz Zakaullah under which Mohsen would serve for a year before facilitating Zakaullah’s succession. Zakaullah has publicly referred to such an understanding, while its status and interpretation have been disputed.

The episode has formed part of a wider pattern of competing claims and factional tensions, including disagreements over the federation’s functioning and postponed Congress meetings.

All of this matters to what happens on the pitch.

A national team needs more than a group of talented players assembled for an international window. It needs a domestic competition feeding players into the national side, youth teams developing the next generation, coach education producing better trainers, regular camps and enough international football to test progress.

Hamdan believes the Philippines result has demonstrated that the potential is there.

“Rankings are influenced by many factors, including the number of international matches a nation plays, and Pakistan has historically had far fewer opportunities than most countries,” he says. “The performance against the Philippines reflects the potential that exists within our player pool and demonstrates that the gap is not as large as many people assume.”

But potential is not a development strategy.

Pakistan have experienced moments of encouragement before. The Diamond Jubilee title in the Maldives ended a 74-year wait for a standalone tournament victory and offered hope under Solano.

The FIFA ASEAN Cup was supposed to be another step.

The 4-0 defeat against Thailand exposed the gulf Pakistan still have to bridge. The performance against the Philippines showed, however, that the gulf is not necessarily reflected in the players’ appetite to compete.

They conceded twice but did not disappear. They found a goal, then another, and held on against a team with a significantly higher ranking and a deeper footballing infrastructure.

That is what made the night in Bandung special.

The danger is in asking the result to mean more than it can.

Ismail says the “biggest mistake” would be to regard the draw as proof that Pakistan football is doing things right.

“We are barely doing anything domestically,” he observes.

That does not diminish what the players achieved. If anything, it makes their achievement more striking.

The challenge is to ensure that a night such as Bandung does not remain another isolated flash of possibility.

The 2023 World Cup qualifying victory over Cambodia remains, in Ismail’s view, the biggest result of the century for Pakistan football. Yet the excitement surrounding that win did not produce the transformation of the domestic game that many hoped for.

Bandung should not meet the same fate.

The result has given Pakistan football something that cannot be manufactured by a federation, a league or a development plan: belief.

Children saw their national team score. Fans saw players refuse to accept defeat. Players who had travelled from abroad found themselves part of a team that had produced something historic.

Now the institutions have to catch up.

A functioning domestic league, meaningful youth competitions, clearer player pathways, better academy environments, improved coach education and regular international football across age groups would turn isolated moments of promise into a process.

The draw against the Philippines was an encouraging step — and Pakistan may well pull another surprise in their final ASEAN Cup group match against Vietnam on Friday.

It was also a reminder of how much more could be possible. The players have shown that they can fight back.

The bigger challenge is whether Pakistan football can finally build a system worth fighting for.

Pakistan’s men swept South Korea 2-0 in their quarter-final without needing a deciding rubber.

Mohammad Ashab Irfan set the tone in the opening match against Na Jooyoung, needing all three games but rarely looking troubled.

The 22-year-old traded early points with his 19-year-old opponent before surging to a 7-2 lead in the first game, eventually closing it out 11-5 in nine minutes.

The second followed a similar script — Jooyoung twice clawed his way back to within a couple of points, only for Ashab to restore his cushion each time and seal it 11-8.

The Korean threatened a fightback in the third, pulling back three points as Ashab served for the match, but the Pakistani finally converted on his fourth attempt to complete an 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 win in just under half an hour and put Pakistan 1-0 up.

Pakistan’s top-ranked player, Noor Zaman, then had the chance to seal the tie against Seojin Oh, and made light work of it despite a scare in the third game.

The world No. 33 raced through the first game 11-4 in six minutes and followed it with an equally comfortable 11-5 in the second, building leads of four points or more in both.

Oh, 20, produced his best squash of the tie in the third, fighting back from 8-7 down to level and then snatching the game 11-8 to keep Korean hopes alive.

But Noor responded immediately in the fourth, racing into a four-point lead and reeling off seven straight points to close it out 11-2 — sealing both the match and a 2-0 win for Pakistan without the tie needing to go the distance.

Noor and Ashab have already secured bronze medal in the singles event.

The result sends Pakistan through to face Hong Kong, who defeated Qatar in the other quarter-final, in Thursday’s semi-final.

There was no such reward for Pakistan’s women, who went down 2-1 to China in their second round-robin qualifier — a defeat that followed an opening 3-0 loss to Macau in the same play-off group and ends their hopes of reaching the quarter-finals.

Pakistan had finished third in their four-team pool behind Hong Kong and South Korea, dropping them into a round-robin decider against China and Macau for the tournament’s remaining two quarter-final berths.

Wednesday’s tie followed the same pattern as their first: an early loss in the opening singles, a spirited fightback in the middle match, and a decider that ultimately slipped away.

Thirteen-year-old Mahnoor Ali opened proceedings against Ziyi Liu and never found her rhythm.

The 19-year-old Chinese player raced through the first game in five minutes, winning it 11-4, before edging a tighter second 11-8.

Liu pulled away in the decider, building an early six-point cushion that Mahnoor could only intermittently interrupt, and closed out the match 11-2 to hand China a 1-0 lead in the tie.

Sana Bahadar dragged Pakistan level with the standout performance of the day, overcoming Yuning Zhang in three hard-fought games.

The 20-year-old built an early 7-2 cushion in the first before Zhang, also 20, rallied to within three points; Sana held her nerve to close it out 11-7 on her second match point.

The second game swung repeatedly — the pair traded the lead seven times before Sana, trailing 9-6, reeled off three straight points to level at 9-9 and then closed it out 11-9.

Any hope of a Chinese recovery in the third evaporated as Sana, after trading the opening two points, won eight in a row to seal the game 11-2 and level the tie at 1-1.

The contest came down to a decider between 14-year-old Sehrish Ali and Ziyuan Yin, and China’s teenager proved too strong.

Yin, 14, surged to an early lead in the first game and closed it out 11-3, then weathered a mid-game wobble in the second — Sehrish had narrowed the gap to 9-5 — before finishing it 11-7.

The Pakistani teenager briefly led in the decider, but Yin responded with a burst of consecutive points to pull clear and served out the match 11-2, sealing a 2-1 win for China.

At the Aichi Prefecture General Shooting Gallery, Pakistan’s Ghulam Mustafa Bashir sits eighth in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol qualification after a strong opening stage on Wednesday.

Bashir scored 289 with eight inner tens across his 30 shots, posting series scores of 95 (8 seconds), 96 (6 seconds) and 98 (4 seconds).

The three-time Olympian, who won bronze at the 2022 ISSF World Championships in Cairo, now faces Stage 2 on Thursday — another 30 shots that will determine his final qualification score out of 600 and whether he advances to the final.

The 29-year-old was substituted at halftime during his side’s 4-2 friendly win over Australia on Tuesday, sparking concern in Barcelona-based media that they may be about to lose a key player to injury.

Raphinha was limited to 33 club appearances last season due to fitness issues and missed four games in April because of a hamstring problem in the same leg, which he also sustained while on international duty.

The Brazilian Football Confederation said in its statement that Raphinha had “a small muscle oedema” following a scan. He will miss Brazil’s third friendly match against India on Saturday and will not be replaced.

Last Friday, manager Carlo Ancelotti had selected Raphinha to play the full match in a 1-1 draw with Australia, during which he assisted Rayan’s late equaliser.

Raphinha has been in fine form this season, scoring 14 goals and providing three assists in his eight appearances for his club side.

Barcelona are next in action on October 10, hosting Getafe in LaLiga.

The continent’s biggest sporting event has been riddled with logistical problems, including a shortage of beds and issues with transport.

There are over 17,000 athletes and officials, more than the Olympics, and countries have accused local organisers of mismanagement.

“We must offer our apologies to the athletes and others affected by these inconveniences,” said Mayor Ichiro Hirosawa, who is also acting chairman of the local organising committee.

“We must sincerely reflect on the mishandling that occurred,” he added.

“There were human errors and a lack of communication with the national teams.

“We are responding based on what has happened.”

Unlike past Games, there is no athletes’ village in a bid to manage costs, with participants instead staying in temporary wooden units, on a cruise ship and in hotels.

Some teams have complained about the temporary cabins, even saying the beds are too short.

Early in the Games, local organisers apologised to South Korea after the North Korean national anthem was accidentally played.

There have been issues with buses for athletes not running when they should, not turning up at all or going to the wrong venues.

Some athletes were also stranded for hours at the airport when they landed in Nagoya for the start of the Games on September 19.

The Games, which are taking place in Nagoya and Aichi prefecture, end on Sunday.

The match at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan was Spain’s first home outing since lifting the World Cup in New York in July.

La Roja captain Rodri was handed the trophy by 2010 winner and Sevilla legend Jesus Navas, before presenting it to the ecstatic crowd.

“We were very excited to bring the trophy here,” Yamal said. “To be able to win the game and bring it home is great.”

Spain’s supporters did not have long to wait before their side provided further excitement in Andalusia as Yamal fired them into the lead inside 75 seconds.

Dion Beljo nodded in Ivan Perisic’s cross to briefly level the scores shortly before the half-hour, but Atletico defender Marc Pubill popped up at the other end three minutes later to head in a Yamal centre and restore the hosts’ lead.

After also scoring early in Spain’s 3-2 win at Wembley against England last week to kickstart their Nations League campaign, Yamal brought his tally in the 2026/27 edition of the tournament to three as he put Spain two clear of Croatia in the 63rd minute with a precise finish at Dominik Livakovic’s near post.

“Lamine is keen to keep developing and show the world the sort of footballer he is,” Luis de la Fuente said of the 19-year-old star.

“We’ve enjoyed his magic in the service of the team. In the future, he’ll be much more recognised for what he does and for his contribution to the team’s play,” the coach added of Yamal, who is among the frontrunners for the Ballon d’Or.

Nico Williams then put gloss on the result for Spain with a crisp step-over and finish with one minute remaining on the clock.

With two wins from two, Spain lead Group A3 on six points, while Croatia sit third on three points, behind second-placed England on goal difference.

‘Deserved victory’

In Prague, Thomas Tuchel’s England got their first win of the group with a 2-0 victory over a 10-man Czech Republic thanks to second-half goals from Anthony Gordon and Kane.

The home team kept England at bay in the first half at the Fortuna Arena despite being a man down after Pavel Sulc was sent off for a high challenge on Elliot Anderson in the 23rd minute.

“We played very professional, second half we stepped up… Deserved victory,” Tuchel told ITV. “Strange to get an early red card, not the best for the team and spectators. It’s an awkward one, but we kept going, got a win, and that’s what counts.”

Barcelona winger Gordon broke the deadlock shortly after the break with a header from a cross served by Trent Alexander-Arnold, who made his first England start in almost two years.

It was Gordon’s third goal in three games for England, including one against Argentina in the World Cup semi-final defeat and another against Spain.

Kane, who also scored against Spain, gave England breathing space in the 69th minute, smashing the ball past Czech ’keeper Matej Kovar after it fell to him inside the box.

England will travel to Rijeka to take on Croatia on Saturday, while Spain welcome the Czechs to Oviedo.

“The next match is important for us against a direct opponent, and we want to win,” Tuchel said to the BBC.

Elsewhere, Scotland paid for an early red card at Hampden Park against Switzerland as the visitors ran out 3-0 winners in Group B1.

Slovenia sit second in that pool after downing North Macedonia 2-0 in Ljubljana.

Nolberto Solano’s men had suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat in their Division I Group ‘B’ opener against Thailand, but they showed remarkable resilience and powers of recovery in a gritty performance. The draw delivered Pakistan their first goals and first point in their debut appearance in a FIFA competition.

The result carried extra significance given the ranking gap — Pakistan, ranked 198th in the world, faced a Philippines side sitting 135th–136th — a difference of more than 60 places.

Pakistan were put under early pressure by the higher-ranked hosts of the group stage fixture at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium. The defence dealt with a barrage of crosses, with Mohibullah Afridi putting his body on the line to turn a low cross behind for a corner, while goalkeeper Yousuf Butt denied André Leipold in a one-on-one situation.

The Philippines broke the deadlock with a scrappy goal in the 24th minute. Mohibullah, on the line, turned a header onto the bar, but Sandro Reyes reacted quickest to the rebound and bundled it home. Pakistan responded with their first real chance minutes later when Ali Akbar broke through only to see his effort saved by a diving Kevin Ray Mendoza.

The miss proved costly. Two minutes past the half-hour mark, a handball by Mohammad Fazal inside the box led to a penalty. Bjørn Kristensen sent Yousuf the wrong way from the spot to make it 2-0. The Philippines continued to press, with centre-back Haris Zeb blocking a diving header and Yousuf called into action again. Late in the half, Pakistan countered but Alamgir Ghazi shot high from distance.

Solano made two changes at the break, introducing Ali Agha and Hayyan Khattak for Alamgir and Umar Nawaz. The adjustments paid immediate dividends. Two minutes into the second half, skipper Abdullah Iqbal found Ali Akbar on the left. The forward weaved past a defender and slotted the ball between Mendoza’s legs for his maiden international goal.

Pakistan kept pushing. Hayyan shot wide moments later, and on the hour mark a cutback failed to reach Ali Akbar. The equaliser soon arrived: Abdul Samad Arshad won the ball on the right, drove into the box, cut onto his left foot and fired past a helpless Mendoza for his second international goal, making it 2-2.

Solano later handed international debuts to left-back Abdul Rehman and Abdul Samad Khan, replacing Fazal and Ali Uzair, as Pakistan continued to attack. At the other end, Mohibullah produced another vital block from point-blank range on a Philippines counter. With Pakistan fans in the stands urging them on, the Green Shirts pressed for a winner but the Philippines held firm.

The hard-earned point keeps Pakistan’s campaign alive in Group ‘B’ ahead of their final fixture against Vietnam.

Pakistan finished third in the 12-match competition with 100 points, behind gold medallists Thailand, who accumulated 128 points, and China, who took silver with 114.

The bronze came after Pakistan finished third in the final match of the competition, scoring 12 points — four placement points and eight elimination points. Japan won the match with 18 points, while Thailand finished second with 14.

Pakistan’s medal tally at the Games now comprises five bronzes — the women’s cricket team, modern MMA fighter Asim Khan, squash players Noor Zaman and Ashab Irfan, and the PUBG Mobile team.

The women’s cricket team secured its medal on Sept 22 by defeating Bangladesh by 31 runs, while Noor and Ashab both guaranteed bronze medals by reaching the men’s singles squash semi-finals before losing their respective last-four matches.

Pakistan’s PUBG Mobile team, comprising Mohammad Huzaifa, Shayan Asad, Falak Sher, Hasnain Rehman and Syed Sameer, finished strongly after entering the second day of competition in medal contention.

They collected 61 points across the final six matches to finish on 100, having accumulated 39 on the opening day.

Pakistan’s best returns on the second day included 16 points in the seventh match, 10 each in the eighth and ninth, 12 in the 11th and 12 in the concluding match.

Thailand’s consistency throughout the competition saw them finish 28 points clear of Pakistan, while China held off the Pakistani challenge for silver by 14 points.

Vietnam and Indonesia finished level on 95 points, followed by South Korea on 71, Chinese Taipei on 62 and Jordan on 61.

The medal adds another sport to Pakistan’s growing haul at the Games and marks a podium finish for the country in an esports discipline.

PUBG Mobile was contested as one of the esports medal events at the Games, with 12 teams competing in the final over two days. The competition was decided on aggregate points from the 12 matches.

Pakistan volleyball push Japan to brink

Pakistan’s volleyball team ended their Pool A campaign with a 3-0 defeat to hosts Japan at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium on Tuesday, but not before pushing the tournament favourites to the brink in a fiercely contested opening set.

Japan won 29-27, 25-20, 25-22 in a match that lasted one hour and 23 minutes.

The first set was the highlight of the contest. Pakistan matched Japan point for point, forcing the set beyond 25 and saving multiple set points before the hosts finally edged it 29-27 after 29 minutes of play. It was the closest any side has come to taking a set off Japan in the pool stage.

The hosts asserted control in the second set, taking it 25-20 in 26 minutes, before closing out the match 25-22 in the third.

Pakistan’s outside hitter Ali Usman led the scoring with 13 points, while Musawer Khan added 11 and opposite Murad Khan contributed 10.

Japan finished with 79 total points to Pakistan’s 69, though the statistics showed how evenly matched the sides were. Japan edged the spikes 89-86, but Pakistan led the reception battle 62-60. Both teams registered three service points, and Japan committed more errors, 23 to Pakistan’s 19.

Pakistan won their opening game against Kazakhstan 3-1 before defeating Uzbekistan 3-0 on Monday. Their final standing in Pool A will be confirmed once the remaining fixtures are completed.

Two defeats in a day

Pakistan’s women’s squash team played two matches on Tuesday, losing to South Korea in their Pool B fixture before also going down to Macao, China in the stage 1 round-robin at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena.

Against South Korea, the trio of Mahnoor Ali, Sana Bahadur and Mehwish Ali all lost in straight games.

Mahnoor, 13, faced the 30-year-old Hwayeong Eum in the first tie, but experience prevailed over flair as the South Korean won 11-2, 11-4, 11-7 in 18 minutes.

The responsibility of pulling Pakistan back into the match then fell to Sana, but the 20-year-old could not deliver, losing to Mingyeong Heo 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 in 19 minutes.

With the tie already decided, Mehwish still tried to register a consolation win, only to be denied by Dami Kim 11-3, 11-8, 11-5.

Later in the round-robin stage against Macao, Mahnoor again lost her opening match, going down to Wain Leng Yeung 11-9, 11-3, 12-10.

Sana started strongly, winning the first game 11-4 against Weng Chi Yeung, but the 25-year-old Macao player took the next three 11-6, 11-7, 11-6 to seal the match.

Sehrish replaced her sister Mehwish for the third match but could not change Pakistan’s fortunes, losing a tight contest to Chi Cheng Cao 4-11, 13-11, 15-13, 11-7.

Pakistan had opened with a 3-0 loss to Hong Kong on Monday before beating Mongolia by the same margin later that day.

Rain delay costs Shoaib

At the Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre, Mohammad Shoaib’s campaign in the men’s singles ended as he lost 6-4, 6-4 to Indonesia’s Rifqi Fitriadi in the round-of-32.

The match had been suspended on Monday with Shoaib leading the first set 4-3, and the overnight break proved costly as Fitriadi returned on Tuesday to complete the win in one hour and eight minutes of play.

Fitriadi edged the statistical battle, winning 74 total points to Shoaib’s 65. The Indonesian also held a slight advantage in aces, striking four to Shoaib’s three, while both players committed two double faults.

Shoaib then returned to partner Aqeel Khan in the men’s doubles against Chinese Taipei’s Yu-hsiou Hsu and Chenjui Ho, but the pair lost 6-3, 6-2.

Abu Dhabi-backed City were found to have arranged “sham” contracts with several commercial partners to artificially inflate the club’s revenues and reduce costs by more than 900 million ($1.2 billion) between 2009 and 2018.

In doing so, they concealed the true state of their finances and avoided breaches of Premier League and UEFA spending limits as a result.

An independent commission also found the club guilty on the majority of charges in relation to their failure to co-operate with the league’s investigation.

No sanction has yet been imposed, and City said they will appeal against the decision.

But the ruling will send shockwaves through English football, with City’s place in the Premier League now at risk and questions over whether titles could be stripped.

“The core decision establishes the facts of what happened at Manchester City during this period. It details how the club systematically broke Premier League rules for nearly a decade,” Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in a statement on Tuesday.

“This disciplinary case, and this decision, are the most significant in Premier League history.

“Now we have the commission’s decision, we are committed to moving swiftly through the remainder of the process, to provide certainty for the league, our clubs and fans.”

The commission found City arranged commercial deals whereby companies were only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.

The remainder was funded by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan’s Abu Dhabi United Group Investment and Development (ADUG), which owned the club.

Further arrangements, funded by ADUG, enabled the club to record lower operating expenses than they actually incurred.

As a result, City failed to accurately report income and expenditure for the purposes of the Premier League and UEFA’s financial sustainability rules.

The scheme was found to have inflated revenue by more than 830 million, while income from image rights was overstated by almost 74 million, with liabilities for staff contracts under-stated by nearly 17 million.

The commission found they would have breached spending limits “by a very substantial amount” if City had reported accurately.

City set to appeal

In addition, City were found to have “made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League” during a four-year investigation.

The commission found that evidence given by several important factual witnesses on behalf of City was “false in a number of key respects”.

It added that “certain of those factual witnesses had given evidence at the hearing that they knew to be untrue and so had been dishonest”.

“It’s incredibly serious, the Premier League report is incredibly stark,” said the British government’s culture, media and sport secretary Lisa Nandy.

Since a 2008 takeover from Sheikh Mansour, vice-president and deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, City have become the Premier League’s dominant force.

They have won eight Premier League titles, four FA Cups and seven League Cups over the past 15 years and also won the Champions League for the first time in 2023.

But that same year they were hit by the Premier League with over 100 charges following an investigation into alleged breaches of rules.

The hearing by an independent commission started in September 2024 and concluded three months later.

City expressed “surprise” at the decision and vowed to continue fighting to clear their name.

“Manchester City FC will now pursue the appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe,” the club said in a statement.

According to Premier League rules, the sanction can vary from a points deduction, a fine or even expulsion from the division.

Everton and Nottingham Forest were handed points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of financial sustainability rules.

On that basis, City would face likely relegation if the same penalty is applied for each of the over 100 charges.

“If the appeal fails, Manchester City cannot stay in the league; they have to suffer. And I say that as a supporter and a fan,” said the club’s former chairman David Bernstein.

The Games in Aichi-Nagoya have been dogged by organisational problems, with accommodation and transport for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials prime among them.

South Korea’s volleyball players were forced to cancel their practice on Monday morning ahead of the group game with Taiwan later in the day following the latest logistical issue.

“An organiser-provided shuttle bus took our team to Okazaki instead of its training venue in Inuyama yesterday morning,” an official from the Korea Volleyball Association told AFP on Tuesday.

“With too much time lost to turn back, the training was cancelled.

“We lodged a formal complaint to the organisers through the KSOC,” the official added, referring to South Korea’s Olympic committee.

The volleyball team went on to beat Taiwan 3-1.

South Korea’s men’s basketball team were forced to miss training ahead of their final against Japan last week when their bus failed to turn up.

The gaffe did not affect their performance as they went on to win the title.

Also on Monday, the Pakistan men’s volleyball side were bussed to the incorrect arena for their game with Uzbekistan, forcing the contest to be pushed back by 45 minutes.

“This is another mismanagement by Japan at the ongoing Asian Games,” Pakistan captain Murad Jehan said from the bus in an Instagram video.

A spokesperson for the local organising committee said the Pakistan and South Korea teams had departed from the same accommodation and there was “an error in matching teams to vehicles”.

“Each boarded a bus heading to the wrong destination. We sincerely apologise to both teams for the inconvenience,” said Ayumi Sakamoto.

“We caused great inconvenience and the organising committee takes this seriously,” the spokesperson added.

“It is basic, but we will again make sure boarding teams and vehicle destinations are properly checked and displayed, and work to prevent a recurrence.”

In FIFA’s response in a court case in Florida, it says UEFA’s attempt to force the world body to hand over the documents is also an attempt to “influence” next year’s FIFA presidential election.

FIFA president Infantino caused uproar in July with proposals to create a commercial subsidiary to run its biggest events, such as the World Cup and Club World Cup.

The plan would have allowed private investors to acquire stakes in a company created under the FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) initiative. The backlash that followed led to the proposals being quickly shelved.

FIFA says in its court filing that UEFA makes “numerous false or misleading statements” about Infantino and the world governing body, including that “Infantino sought to profit personally from the FFE proposal”.

UEFA, home to World Cup holders Spain and football powerhouses such as France, England and Germany, is leading the opposition to Infantino, calling openly for his removal.

FIFA confirmed this month that Infantino will stand again for president in the election next March, despite the backlash over his now-abandoned private investment plan.

Infantino sent a letter to FIFA’s 211 members this week indicating that a greater amount of money could be distributed to FIFA members from its cash reserves.

In the letter seen by AFP, Infantino said he would support “the greatest level of additional funding that can responsibly be delivered”.

Infantino insisted in the letter that the abandoned proposal to sell off World Cup commercial rights had been intended to generate additional money for football.

“The recent commercial proposal, now withdrawn, was intended to enable FIFA to invest more in football,” Infantino wrote.

Infantino is not without friends – 2034 World Cup hosts Saudi Arabia came out in support last month, with African football’s governing body CAF and South America’s CONMEBOL also supportive.

The four-time Grand Slam winner topped the rankings for 99 weeks before ceding her position to Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, who also beat her in the US Open final this month.

It means Sabalenka has not won a title since March and will end the year without a major for the first time since 2022.

“This time I feel like, because I didn’t play that many matches, I feel fresh,” the 28-year-old Belarusian told reporters ahead of the China Open in Beijing.

Despite a lacklustre few months by her standards, her New York showing was “the moment when I started to feel healthier and stronger”, she said.

“The middle part of the season… didn’t go that well. I struggled a little bit with different stuff.

“At the US Open I started to enjoy tennis again because of being healthy mentally and physically.” Sabalenka, who withdrew from Beijing last year due to injury, begins her bid for a first title there in the round of 64, against either Hungary’s Anna Bondar or Mexico’s Renata Zarazua.

She is seeded second behind Rybakina, who faces either Yulia Starodubtseva of Ukraine or Alina Charaeva of Armenia.

Last year’s champion Amanda Anisimova will not be taking part, having announced on social media that she was ending her season early over a wrist injury.

In the men’s draw, fan favourite Novak Djokovic is looking to add to his six titles at the China Open, where he has never lost a singles match.

“My record speaks for itself on Chinese soil. Knowing that, it also brings this dimension of confidence that I really need,” the Serbian, 39, told reporters on Monday.

“Overall it’s been really good so far with the body, the way I’m feeling and playing.” Djokovic has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles but is currently ranked 11th in the world. He begins his Beijing campaign against Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the first round.

The Olympic champion, competing under heavy skies and on a slick runway, had a difficult start, managing 76.69m on his first attempt before a foul on his second.

He improved drastically on his third with 80.29m to climb to fourth, but could not build on it — three consecutive fouls followed, ending his challenge.

Pathirage, the World No. 1 and heavy favourite, lived up to his billing.

Third after three throws with 83.56m, he unleashed 88.33m on his fourth attempt, beating his chest in delight as he moved ahead of both Indians. He improved again in the sixth with 88.55m.

The Sri Lankan’s dominance is all the more remarkable given the disruption to his season. Just two weeks before the Games, all five of his javelins — the same implements he used for every 90m throw this year — were found shattered after a flight from Budapest, where he had won the World Athletics Ultimate Championship.

India’s Yashvir Singh took silver with a personal-best 85.72m on his final attempt, while compatriot Rohit Yadav claimed bronze with 84.35m. Yashvir had set the tone early with 83.56m on his first throw, before Rohit briefly moved ahead with 84.35m in the third round.

Pakistan’s Mohammad Yasir finished ninth, his best effort 73.50m.

The result caps a difficult season for Arshad, who has struggled to rediscover the form that saw him win Olympic gold in Paris with a record 92.97m throw.

He finished ninth at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and fifth at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest.

Pathirage, by contrast, has been unstoppable. The 23-year-old has won 11 of his 12 competitions this year, thrown beyond 90m three times, and claimed the Diamond League Final, Commonwealth gold and the World Ultimate title.

The Sri Lankans will meet India in the last four and Bangladesh play Pakistan, with both matches scheduled for Thursday.

Organisers are now racing to get the converted baseball field at Korogi Athletic Park ready in time.

Sri Lanka progressed when their quarter-final with Nepal was washed out – higher-ranked teams go through in the event of a wash out or no-result.

Bangladesh were awarded victory over lower-ranked Malaysia for the same reason.

Pakistan and reigning champions India sealed their semi-final spots after rain also washed out both matches on Monday, against Hong Kong and Afghanistan respectively.

“Cricket, like baseball, you can’t play it in the rain,” said Jarrad Shearer, who is in charge of the cricket tournament.

There has been heavy rain in Games host Nagoya and Aichi prefecture in recent days, but better weather is forecast from Wednesday.

“Come tomorrow morning, it will be all hands on deck to dry up the areas that aren’t under the covers,” said Shearer.

“We’ve got some soppers, we’ve got some squeegees, some big old brooms, we’ve got sponges.

“Plus it’s supposed to be sunny and 32 degrees Celsius, so with any luck we’ll soak up as much water as we can in the morning and the sun will do its work in the afternoon.”

The dominant Premier League force for more than a decade, swingeing sanctions against City would send shockwaves through English football.

Rival clubs are set to launch their own legal action seeking hundreds of millions of pounds in compensation, while there is debate over whether some of City’s many titles and trophies over the past 15 years could be stripped.

AFP Sports looks at the next steps and potential fall out from the case:

Sanction and appeals process

The Athletic first reported on Friday that City had been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges they faced. However, no sanction has yet been approved.

Even once a decision is made on how City will be punished, should they be found guilty, the club are almost certain to appeal.

In a letter to City fans on Saturday, the club’s chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “Our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began.”

A case that began after German outlet Der Spiegel published leaked documents from City executives in 2018, could still take a lengthy time to fully resolve.

According to Premier League rules, the sanction can vary from a points deduction, a fine or even expulsion from the division.

Everton and Nottingham Forest were handed points deductions in the 2023/24 season for single breaches of financial sustainability rules. On that basis, City would face almost certain relegation if found guilty of over 100 charges.

Whether the sanction is applied before an appeal is heard will be another bone of contention.

If it is, City could face relegation before overturning any guilty verdict.

On the other hand, if City, who currently sit top of the table, are not punished until after an appeal, it could cost other clubs their place in the top-flight or lucrative European qualification.

Even after the Premier League process if over, there is also the chance that City’s Abu Dhabi-backed owners seek redress in England’s High Court if they challenge a legal issue regarding how the arbitration process was conducted.

Who stands to gain?

City’s rivals were quick to revel in the news of their potential demise.

“Another Premier League medal to be added to the cabinet,” posted former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand, who was part of the United team to finish second to City in the 2011/12 season.

The reality is that stripping and retroactively awarding titles is a messy process.

City’s charges relate to the period between 2009 and 2018. In that time they won four league titles, with United and Liverpool twice finishing second in those seasons.

Yet City have won another four since, arguably built on foundations that were fraudulently gained.

They also won four League Cups and one FA Cup, the club’s first trophy for 35 years, in the period between 2009 and 2018.

“I don’t seriously believe any other trophies and titles will be handed back over either,” Tony Pulis, whose Stoke side lost the 2011 FA Cup final to City, told the BBC.

“A points deduction and a massive fine feels far more likely. But I still feel cheated.” A more likely source of recompense for clubs that missed out is through financial compensation.

In June, Everton were told they must pay Burnley 35 million ($46 million) after they edged out the Clarets to Premier League survival in the same season they broke financial sustainability rules.

What about City’s stars?

Less than a month ago, City completed the biggest ever transfer spend in one window, splashing out around 460m on the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Elliott Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.

The impending verdict on the charges has to this point made little impact on City’s ability to attract and retain their star names.

Talismanic striker Erling Haaland signed a nine-year contract in 2025 that could keep him tied down till his 34th birthday.

How many, if any, of the players managed to negotiate exit clauses in the case City were heavily sanctioned remains to be seen.

Djokovic will return to action for the first time since his shock opening-round defeat by Mariano Navone at the US Open late last month, when the 39-year-old struggled with shoulder and back problems and vomited midway through the match.

The world number 11 will look to put those problems behind him when he takes on Portugal’s Nuno Borges in the first round in Beijing this week.

“Yeah, feeling good so far,” six-time China Open champion Djokovic told reporters on Monday.

“Let’s see. Obviously it’s completely different when you’re playing an official match compared to practice sets or practice sessions. But so far so good.

“I was looking forward to coming to China, as I always have. My record speaks for itself on Chinese soil.

“Knowing that, it also brings this dimension of confidence that I really need. Overall, it’s been really good so far with the body, the way I’m feeling and playing.”

The former world number one is a massive draw in Beijing, where he won the title in 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 and holds a 29-0 win-loss record at the ATP 500 tournament.

The pursuit of a record-extending 25th Grand Slam title remains one of the few major targets left for Djokovic, who has become increasingly selective about his tournament schedule in recent years.

“At this stage of my career it’s really also about the tournaments where I enjoy to play, where I’ve had the success in the past, where I feel like I’m also welcomed by the fans in a positive light, in a positive way,” Djokovic added.

“The history of my results on Chinese soil has been incredible. I haven’t played here 11 years. I was trying to make it work in the past years with the schedule, but it worked in such way where I played only Shanghai.

“This year Beijing was on the priority list.”

In Brussels, both teams had wasted chances before Michael Olise scampered through the home defence after 88 minutes and drilled a shot inside the post.

It gave Zinedine Zidane a second victory to start his long-awaited debut as France coach.

Roberto Mancini’s return to run Italy had ended in Roman jeers on Friday as Italy lost their opener at home to Belgium.

His team dazzled in the downpour in the first half in Turkiye.

“The players all put in an excellent performance today. It was a tough match, and we approached it in the right way, staying high up the pitch and playing aggressively throughout the game,” Mancini told Italian television at the final whistle.

The hosts quickly fell three goals behind with errors in their muddy goalmouth.

Twice Altay Bayindir struggled to reach low cross-shots from the right.

After nine minutes, the Celta Vigo goalkeeper scooped a drive from Pio Esposito round the post.

From the corner, Bursa-born fullback Zeki Celik, who plays for Juventus in Italy, swung wildly at a low near-post cross, deflecting the ball to Alessandro Bastoni. The Inter Milan centre-back lunged to fire into the roof of the net.

After 23 minutes, Bayindir flapped at an identical cross-shot from Michael Kayode into the path of Lazio’s Davide Frattesi, who tucked the ball home.

Intricate Italian passing around the penalty area repeatedly found a player free on the right side of the box.

When Brentford’s Kayode again found himself in that space, his shot for the near post eluded the plunging Bayindir.

Turkiye gave the restless crowd hope in the 47th minute when Gianluigi Donnarumma was drawn to Oguz Aydin beyond the far post. He found Baris Yilmaz, who gleefully drilled into an empty net.

The comeback lasted five minutes. Tottenham’s Sandro Tonali, in space, hit the post but Pio Esposito dived to nod home the rebound.

After the game, the Inter Milan striker’s thoughts turned to family.

“I dedicate today’s goal to my grandmother, who is going through a difficult time,” said Pio Esposito, who was playing alongside older brother Sebastiano of Sassuolo, who was making his Italy debut.

“Sharing the pitch with him was incredibly moving; I tried to support him before the match without putting too much pressure on him. Let’s hope we get to wear these colours together many more times.”

Galatasaray attacker Yilmaz then curled a shot home but Aydin of Besiktas, bouncing up and down in front of Manchester City’s Donnarumma, was offside.

Monday’s slick display may ease the pressure on Mancini, while piling it on his former Sampdoria club-mate and fellow ex-Italian international Vincenzo Montella.

Montella led Turkiye to the quarter-finals at Euro 2024, but his side finished bottom of their group at the summer’s World Cup.

‘Fresh and ready’

For their next match, Italy visit the Stade de France on Friday.

“We’ll try to recover our strength and be ready for the match in Paris,” Mancini told Italian media. “I’m confident. We’ve got plenty of young players who are fresh and ready.”

In League B, Sweden won for the second time in Group 4, beating Poland 3-1 in Solna.

Benjamin Nygren of Celtic pounced at the far post in the eighth minute to give the hosts the lead.

Sebastian Szymanski of Rennes levelled for Poland with a shot that hit both posts before going in.

Brighton’s Yasin Ayari restored the home lead when he finished neatly even as he was losing his footing. Arsenal’s Victor Gyokeres added the coup de grace.

Bosnia and Herzegovina are second after winning 4-2 against Romania in Bucharest.

In Group 2, Northern Ireland remained top after they drew 0-0 at home against Hungary, while Georgia and Ukraine also ended goalless in Tbilisi.

The volleyball team were taken to the wrong gymnasium by their bus driver, leaving the players with little time to warm up before the match. In a video posted on Instagram, a visibly frustrated Murad described the episode as “another mismanagement” and said players had been forced to change into their playing kits on the moving bus.

“We have a very important match and the bus driver doesn’t know which gymnasium we are going to play,” he said. “He took a wrong way and came to a wrong gymnasium and now we are short of time. It’s an embarrassing situation.”

Murad said the team had not expected such problems in Japan and added that food was also not always available at dining areas after training sessions.

“This is not the only mismanagement that athletes are facing here,” he said.

The organisers did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Pakistan, however, brushed aside the disruption to secure their second successive victory, defeating Uzbekistan 25-18, 25-18, 25-20 at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium.

Murad led Pakistan’s scoring with 14 points, while Musawer Khan contributed 13, Usman Faryad Ali 10 and Mohammad Hamad 11. Pakistan produced 48 successful spikes and dominated at the net, scoring 18 points from blocks compared to Uzbekistan’s five.

The victory followed Sunday’s 3-1 win over Kazakhstan and leaves Pakistan with two victories from two matches ahead of their final Pool A game against hosts Japan.

Complaints about logistics have been a recurring feature of the Games, with the chief organiser apologising on Saturday for widespread operational glitches. He attributed the problems to a late influx of around 2,000 additional athletes and team officials, which had overwhelmed preparations.

Hockey side finish strongly

Pakistan completed their Asian Games hockey pool campaign with a commanding 7-2 victory over Oman, recovering from their defeat by Malaysia to finish the group stage strongly and keep their medal hopes alive.

Pakistan completed their Asian Games hockey pool campaign with a commanding 7-2 victory over Oman, recovering from their defeat by Malaysia to finish the group stage strongly and keep their medal hopes alive.

Rana Waheed scored a hat-trick, while Sufyan Khan struck twice from penalty corners — taking his tournament tally to 11 goals in five matches. Ghazanfar Ali and Mohammad Ammad added a goal apiece.

Pakistan could not break the deadlock in the first quarter, with Sufyan missing from a penalty corner before Oman goalkeeper Ibrahim Al Farsi saved efforts from Hannan Shahid, Abu Mahmood and Sufyan as the opening period ended goalless.

Al Farsi denied Hannan and Rana again early in the second, but penalty corner specialist Sufyan finally broke through in the 22nd minute.

Oman shocked Pakistan when Al Baraa Al Nofli equalised in the 27th, only for Sufyan to strike again from a penalty corner barely a minute later.

Pakistan added three more in the third quarter. Rana’s shot was saved early, but he got on the scoresheet in the 34th minute from a penalty corner.

Oman pressed for a way back, with efforts from Aliyas Al-Noufali, Maitham Al Wahaibi and Rashad Al Fazari kept out before Aiman Madit finally scored in the 36th.

Ghazanfar then restored Pakistan’s two-goal cushion with a field goal, and Rana added another from a penalty corner in the 44th.

Pakistan began the final quarter with a field goal from Ammad, and Rana completed his hat-trick right before full time from Pakistan’s 11th penalty corner of the match.

Pakistan had earlier beaten Thailand 9-0, Uzbekistan 5-1 and China 3-0 before suffering their only defeat, a 5-4 loss to Malaysia. Monday’s victory took their pool-stage record to four wins from five matches.

The top two teams from each pool advance to the semi-finals, with the last-four matches scheduled for Oct 1.

Squash teams open with wins

Pakistan’s squash teams also made winning starts to their respective pool campaigns.

Pakistan’s men opened their campaign in commanding fashion, beating the Philippines and Kuwait 3-0, with bronze medallists Noor Zaman and Mohammad Ashab Irfan, alongside veteran Nasir Iqbal, all winning their ties in straight games.

Nasir set the tone against the Philippines, beating Van Aero Dalida 11-7, 11-1, 11-4.

After trading points early, he pulled 5-1 clear before Dalida clawed back three to close to 6-5. The 32-year-old responded with three consecutive points and, though Dalida again reduced the deficit, wrapped up the first game 11-7 in eight minutes.

He was even more ruthless in the second, reeling off nine straight points to take it 11-1, before closing out the third 11-4 on his first match point.

Noor then stepped up with the chance to seal the tie, racing to a four-point lead over David Pelino before taking the opening game 11-4 in five minutes.

The second was a seesaw until Noor ended it with seven consecutive points to win 11-5, and though the third proved tighter — Pelino leading 6-3 before Noor drew level — the 22-year-old closed it out 11-9 on his second match point to give Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead.

That left Ashab to round off the tie against Jonathan Reyes, and the bronze medallist wasted little time, racing to a four-point lead and extending it to 9-2 before taking the first game 11-4.

Reyes drew first blood in the second, but Ashab levelled immediately and edged ahead to take it 11-9 on his first game point.

In the third, after the pair traded points and Reyes briefly led, Ashab fired eight consecutive points to wrap up the perfect victory 11-4.

The trio returned later to face Kuwait and again emerged victorious. Nasir once more gave Pakistan a bright start, beating Jassim Alghareeb 11-4, 11-1, 11-5.

Noor then dropped the first game against Ammar Altamimi 11-8, but the World U-23 champion responded strongly, levelling with an 11-6 second game before wrapping up victory 11-2, 11-4 in the next two.

Ashab kept Pakistan perfect, downing Bader Almoghrebi 13-11, 11-5, 11-9.

In the women’s event, Pakistan lost their opening fixture 3-0 to Hong Kong before bouncing back with a comfortable 3-0 win over Mongolia.

Against Hong Kong, Mehwish Ali lost to Yee Lam Toby Tse 11-3, 11-8, 11-9 in 19 minutes, Sana Bahadur went down comprehensively to Sin Yuk Chan 11-5, 11-1, 11-1 in 16 minutes and Mahnoor Ali lost the third tie to Tze Lok Ho 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 in 18 minutes.

They responded strongly against Mongolia, winning all three ties in straight sets.

Mehwish overpowered Khongorzul Bat-Erdene 11-3, 11-2, 11-3, before Sana dispatched Ariunbileg Altankhuyag 11-4, 11-0, 11-3. Mahnoor then completed the sweep with an 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 triumph over Oyungerel Khasbaatar.

Pakistan had entered the team events after winning two bronze medals in the men’s singles through Noor and Ashab Irfan.

Noor beat Ashab 3-0 in the third-place playoff on Sunday, with the two players sharing the bronze medals after losing their respective semi-finals.

Rabia finishes 33rd in pistol

There was little joy for Pakistan in shooting as Rabia Kabir finished 33rd in the women’s 25m pistol qualification with a score of 567-13x.

Ayesha was unable to progress to the final, which was led by Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan with 587-25x.

Pakistan also finished seventh in the PUBG Mobile Asian Games competition, accumulating four points in the completed results. China won the event with 20 points, ahead of Japan and South Korea.

Pakistan’s attention now turns to athletics, with Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem set to compete in the men’s javelin final alongside compatriot Mohammad Yasir. Ansar Abbas will also contest the men’s long jump final after qualifying with a personal-best 7.28 metres.

Doubles disappointment in tennis

At the Higashiyama Park Tennis Centre, Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi and Muzammil Murtaza lost their men’s doubles first-round fixture to South Korea’s Seongchan Hong and Soonwoo Kwon 7-5, 6-4.

The women’s pair of Ushna Sohail and Mahin Aftab Qureshi also fell in the first round, going down to Mongolia 6-1, 6-0.

The first quarter-final, scheduled at Korogi Sports Park, was called off at the time of the toss after incessant showers left large parts of the ground under covers. Officials determined there was no realistic chance of play, even in a heavily reduced format.

Pakistan, one of four seeded teams alongside India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh that received a direct entry into the last eight, advanced under tournament regulations that award the higher-ranked side progression in the event of a no-result.

Hong Kong, ranked significantly lower, exited the competition without taking the field.

Hong Kong had reached the quarter-finals by finishing second in Group ‘B’ having defeated Malaysia by eight wickets before suffering a 41-run loss to Oman.

Pakistan had arrived in Japan after a training camp in Karachi and a practice session in Nisshin that was also disrupted by overnight rain and a wet outfield.

The side, captained by Sahibzada Farhan and coached by Mike Hesson, will face the winners of Tuesday’s quarter-final between Bangladesh and Malaysia in the semi-finals, scheduled for Thursday at the same venue.

This would have been the third T20 meeting between the two sides, with Pakistan having prevailed in both previous encounters at the 2022 Asia Cup and the 2023 Asian Games. Pakistan won bronze in the men’s cricket event at the 2010 Asian Games.

The second quarter-final between India and Afghanistan, scheduled to be the later fixture at the same venue was also abandoned without a ball bowled due to rain.

India, being the higher-ranked side, advanced to the semi-finals where they will meet the winners of the quarter-final between Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The semi-finals are set for October 1, with the bronze-medal match and final scheduled for October 3.

Ireland’s players also bowed their heads as the Israeli national anthem was played at the near-empty Debrecen stadium in Hungary.

The teams skipped the traditional pre-match handshakes and did not exchange pennants either.

Troy Parrott made a heart sign with his hands after opening the scoring on 14 minutes, while Jack Moylan kissed the Irish badge on his jersey and his black armband after netting the third goal 25 minutes in.

Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson said his team had “raised awareness worldwide” about the Gaza conflict after they chose not to shake hands with Israeli players.

The game, in which Israel were the nominal hosts, had been in doubt earlier in the week until Ireland’s players voted overwhelmingly to fulfil the fixture, despite pressure from back home to boycott the match.

Only one player, goalkeeper Gavin Buzunu, pulled out, saying “it would be wrong to participate” in either this match or the return fixture in Serbia on October 4 due to the “killing of innocent people”.

“It has been so difficult for so many players,” Icelander Hallgrimsson told broadcaster RTE after the game.

“I hope that will not be in the next game because they have shown support to the protest, they have raised awareness worldwide, not only in Ireland, on the subject and that is normally the reason for protesting, to raise awareness of a situation.

“I think these players have done that with all their actions, with all that they have been saying. No more than Gavin Bazunu, but the others have done it here on the pitch and how they have shown their actions, so I hope people understand that.”

Since Ireland were drawn in the same Nations League group as Israel in February, prominent Irish figures including sportspeople, fan groups and pro-Palestinian campaigners have protested against the matches going ahead.

The Irish federation did not reserve any tickets for fans to attend the match and public broadcaster RTE was due to show it without commentary.

Israeli minister irked

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ireland of being “on the wrong side of history” over the players’ actions.

In a lengthy post on X, Saar referenced the Irish team of 1939 giving the Nazi salute ahead of a match against Germany in Bremen.

He also referred to Irish neutrality during the Second World War and the condolences offered by then-prime minister Eaemon de Valera to the German representative in Dublin following Adolf Hitler’s death.

“Almost 90 years have passed. Ireland’s unique talent for finding itself on the wrong side of history remains intact,” he added.

“Sports, soccer, basketball, everything is for the public, the people, and not for politics,” 31-year-old software development teacher Mol Michael, draped in an Israeli scarf, told AFP.

“Once you decide, because of politics, to cancel the Irish audience, this is a really stupid move from Ireland, in my opinion.”

Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, with sympathy often linked to the country’s own history of British rule.

Dublin formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway, and has repeatedly criticised Israel over its relentless bombardment of Gaza.

It was the first ever victory for the Greeks in 11 matches against the Germans, and they now lead their group on six points from two matches. Germany are on one point.

The hosts were in control for most of the game and had close to 80% possession in the first half alone, but they were ultimately punished for sloppy defending, especially in the second half, which gave the Greeks space to attack.

Klopp, who took over in July after Germany’s early World Cup exit, has now failed to win either of his two matches in charge following a 1-1 draw against the Dutch in Amsterdam on Thursday.

“I could have lived with us not winning, but you cannot lose such a game,” Klopp said. “We have been together for a week now, all mixed together, and that needs time.

“The result is not cool, but it is absolutely part of the process,” he said.

Germany next play Serbia on Thursday before travelling to Greece three days later.

Two wins in a row for Greece

Despite enjoying a dominant first-half, it was only after they upped their tempo and started pressing higher that Germany carved out scoring chances.

Felix Nmecha fired wide in the 54th, a minute after Greece keeper Konstantinos Tzolakis had palmed a Joshua Kimmich free kick over the bar.

The Greeks, however, almost scored in the 66th after Kimmich lost possession in his own half, but substitute Fotis Ioannidis fired just wide of the post.

They did better in the 74th with Kourbelis’ deflected low drive that gave them the win to make it two victories in a row after their last-gasp 2-1 win over Serbia on Thursday.

In the same group, Netherlands earned a 2-1 victory over Serbia thanks to Mexx Meerdink’s double strike on his second appearance for his country.

It was the first win under new coach Xavi Hernandez following their draw with Germany on Thursday.

“It’s a boyhood dream. I actually don’t have any words for it,” Meerdink said. “Everything is happening so quickly. You just don’t realise what can happen in the space of a week. It’s also great that we managed to win here.

“Sometimes you need a bit of luck. This time it went my way. Then you have to be there and be important for the team. I did feel a little pressure, I was a bit nervous. But you play that out of your system. And then to be allowed to score two is fantastic.”

Joao Felix scored for the second consecutive Nations League match as defending champions Portugal, with Cristiano Ronaldo on the bench throughout, edged past hosts Norway 2-1 to top Group A4 with two wins from two matches so far.

The Norwegians cancelled out Felix’s 17th-minute lead with Erling Haaland’s equaliser before Goncalo Ramos’ chip won it for the visitors.

Ben Davies scored a 53rd-minute own goal, and Gustav Isaksen added another on the hour as Denmark eased past Wales 2-0 to earn their first points in Group A4.

In a politically charged encounter in Group B3, Ireland scored twice in three minutes early in the first half to ease past Israel 3-0.

Domestic body Cricket NSW withdrew support for Baird after Cricket Australia forged ahead with the sale of the struggling Melbourne Renegades franchise.

“After much consideration I have decided to stand down as CA Chair and Director,” Baird said in a statement.

“I believe Australian cricket continues to be well lead by the CA Board.” Baird will leave the role after Cricket Australia’s annual meeting in late October.

Cricket Australia has named former Test opener David Boon as Baird’s interim replacement.

Renowned for his bushy moustache, Boon is something of a cult figure in Australian cricketing circles. Following his playing career, Boon has held positions as a national team selector and state cricket administrator.

“It is an enormous honour to take the role of Interim CA Chair during what is a hugely exciting and also challenging time for cricket,” Boon said.

Cricket Australia has courted private investment in the domestic Twenty20 competition as it looks to shore up the game’s financial future.

But privatisation has been a thorny issue.

An initial proposal to sell stakes in each of the BBL’s eight teams stalled earlier this year amid concerns about a loss of control for the game’s local custodians.

While the Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania cricket associations voiced support and South Australia said it was open to the idea, New South Wales and Queensland rejected the move.

Pakistan recovered from losing the third set to win 25-16, 25-22, 17-25, 25-20 in their Pool ‘A’ opener at the Okazaki Chuo Sogo Park Gymnasium. They will next face Uzbekistan on Monday before taking on hosts Japan in their final group match.

Murad Khan was Pakistan’s leading scorer with 21 points, including 17 successful spikes and four blocks. Usman Faryad Ali contributed 14 points, Jehan Murad 11 and Musawer Khan nine as Pakistan dominated the attacking exchanges and finished with 92 total points against Kazakhstan’s 83.

Pakistan’s blocking, however, remained an area of concern, with Kazakhstan registering 10 blocks to Pakistan’s seven. The Pakistanis were nevertheless more effective in attack, converting 55 of 114 spikes compared to Kazakhstan’s 48 of 113.

The victory provides Pakistan with an early advantage in a pool that also includes Japan and Uzbekistan. Iran are the defending men’s champions, having won the previous three editions, while Pakistan’s group also contains the hosts, who will be among the contenders for the medals.

At the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, Noor completed a 3-0 victory over Ashab in the men’s singles third-place playoff, winning 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 in 26 minutes.

The result did not alter the medal positions, with both players already assured of bronze after losing their respective semi-finals on Saturday. Their progress into the last four had ensured Pakistan’s return to the individual squash medal table after 17 years.

Noor had gone down 3-0 to Malaysia’s Eain Yow Ng in the semi-final, while Ashab was beaten in straight games by India’s Abhay Singh. The two Pakistanis had nevertheless produced one of the country’s strongest campaigns at the Games, reaching the semi-finals of the individual event in the same edition for the first time since 2002.

The two squash bronzes take Pakistan’s medal haul to four, alongside the bronze won by the women’s cricket team and Asim Khan’s bronze in the men’s 60kg MMA event. Pakistan had entered Sunday with two medals from the two events and added the squash medals after both players’ semi-final defeats.

There was little joy for Pakistan in fencing, however, as the men’s épée team lost 7-5 to Qatar in the table-of-16 round at the Aichi Sky Expo. Mohammad Abdulali and Baryal Waqas Khan won individual relays, but Pakistan could not overturn Qatar’s advantage.

In shooting, Rabia Kabir finished 41st in the women’s 25m pistol qualification after scoring 278-4x. Kishmala Talat, meanwhile, was listed as a non-starter. South Korea’s Yang Jiin topped the qualification with 292-11x, while Iran’s Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Vietnam’s Trinh Thu Vinh occupied the next two positions.

Athletics offered a brighter note through Ansar Abbas, who qualified for the men’s long jump final with a personal-best 7.28 metres. He finished seventh in the qualification, with Uzbekistan’s Anvar Anvarov topping the standings at 8.00m and India’s Murali Sreeshankar qualifying second with 7.84m.

Pakistan’s tennis campaign, which began on Sunday, produced mixed results. Aqeel Khan and Mohammad Shoaib progressed from the men’s doubles first round with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Mongolia’s Mandakh Davaadash and Sonompuntsag Enkhjargal. The Pakistani pair dominated the match, winning 54 points to their opponents’ 23.

Mahin Aftab Qureshi, however, was eliminated from the women’s singles after losing 6-1, 6-1 to Thailand’s Patcharin Cheapchandej. The Thai player won 54 points to Qureshi’s 24 and converted six of seven break-point opportunities.

There were one-sided defeats elsewhere too.

Muzammil Murtaza lost his first-round fixture to Jordan’s Zaid Al-Mashni 6-3, 6-2, while Ushna Sohail was routed by Kazakhstan’s Yuliya Putintseva 6-1, 6-0 in the women’s draw.

The experienced pairing of Aqeel and Ushna also came up short, losing their mixed doubles first-round tie to Kazakhstan’s Beibit Zhukayev and Zhibek Kulambayeva 6-2, 6-1.

The other Pakistani pair of Aisam Qureshi and Mahin fell by the same margin of defeat, going down to Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Shevchenko and Anna Danilina 6-3, 7-5.

The day’s volleyball success came as Pakistan’s hockey and cricket campaigns moved closer to important fixtures. The hockey side, which had opened the competition with a series of victories, suffered its first defeat of the Games against Malaysia on Saturday, going down 5-4. The team will next face Oman on Monday with a place in the semi-finals at stake.

Pakistan’s men’s cricket team will also begin its campaign on Monday when it takes on Hong Kong in the quarter-final. The side, led by Sahibzada Farhan, trained in Nisshin on Sunday but its session was affected by overnight rain and a wet outfield.

For Pakistan, the coming days will therefore carry greater medal significance. Arshad Nadeem and Mohammad Yasir are also scheduled to compete in the men’s javelin final on Monday, giving the contingent another major medal opportunity.

GILGIT: For the first time in history, the final of the Ali Sher Khan Anchan Polo Tournament in Skardu will be a face-off between two teams from Chitral today (Monday).

The two semi-final matches of the week-long tournament’s sixth edition were held at Skardu’s Maqpoon Polo Ground on Saturday.

In the first match, Chitral Booni defeated Skardu Green after a fierce and closely contested game to reach the final. In the second semi-final, Chitral Winds Eagle defeated Gilgit Red after an intense battle to book their place in the final.

A total of 20 polo teams, including 18 from Gilgit-Baltistan and two from Chitral, participated in the competition, which kicked off on Sept 19 and was organised by the Skardu administration.

Thousands of polo enthusiasts, tourists and supporters of the teams witnessed the thrilling and closely contested semi-finals, applauding and chanting slogans.

Traditional sport

Mohammad Ali Anjum, a local journalist, told Dawn that freestyle polo was a traditional sport in both Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Sher Abbas, a local resident, said freestyle polo matches remained a source of entertainment for residents.

Freestyle polo is the region’s most popular traditional sport, and competitions are arranged in every district.

According to locals, in earlier times, polo competitions were organised at the state level and local rulers patronised the sport.

Before Partition, polo teams from Gilgit-Baltistan participated in international matches in New Delhi and other cities.

Ahmed Ali, another polo fan, said the traditional sport of freestyle polo continued to thrive in Gilgit-Baltistan.

“Polo is part of Gilgit-Baltistan’s traditional heritage. The local music played during its matches is also an attraction and a unique feature of the freestyle polo festival,” he added. “These events not only promote sports activities in the region but also create harmony among local people.”

Ansar Elahi, a resident of Chitral, said the Skardu Polo Ground had witnessed a scene that would be remembered as a landmark moment in the history of Chitral’s polo.

“This success belongs not just to the two teams, but to Chitral’s polo, its young talent, and everyone associated with this magnificent sport,” he said.

“The affection shown by the people of Skardu and the polo fans throughout this historic achievement can never be forgotten,” he added. “The love, sincerity, and passion with which the people of Skardu, including polo players, the administration and fans, supported both the Chitral teams is truly commendable.”

Shared culture

Another polo fan from Chitral said the polo traditions of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan were not just a sport but beautiful symbols of their shared culture, friendship, tolerance and brotherhood. “Such mat­ches will continue to stren­gthen the bond of love between the two regions,” he added.

Skardu Deputy Commis­sio­ner Hamza Murad said the event was not only a source of entertainment for locals but also encouraged tourism in the region.

In July this year, after more than a decade, the GB polo team lifted the Sha­n­dur Polo Festival title by defe­a­ting their Chitral rivals by one goal in an intense match that la­sted almost an hour at the high­est polo ground in the world.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026

Kohli, who hit an unbeaten 139, put on 151 runs for the second wicket with skipper Shubman Gill (110) as India chased down their victory target of 296 with 50 balls to spare in Thiruvananthapuram.

Kohli hit the winning six — the ninth in his 88-ball knock — as India went 1-0 up in the three-match series, which is a step in the team’s preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The 37-year-old Kohli made the evening his own as he went past 15,000 ODI runs to become only the second batter after icon Sachin Tendulkar to achieve the feat.

“My focus has never really been on these milestones,” said Kohli.

“It’s just understanding the situation along the course of just doing the job for the team. Achievements come along. Obviously, I feel very grateful and very blessed to be in this position for having played for so long.”

Kohli reached the milestone with a boundary in his 303rd ODI innings, while Tendulkar, who finished his illustrious career with 18,426 runs, took 377 innings to get to 15,000.

Gill reached his 10th ODI hundred but the spotlight soon shifted back to Kohli, who reached his 100 with a six as a raucous home crowd stood up to applaud the star cricketer.

The top-order batter is leading century-maker in ODIs with Tendulkar next with 49 hundreds. Rohit Sharma is third with 34 tons.

Kohli’s 2027 mission

Kohli and the 39-year-old Rohit are both playing only in the 50-over format after their Test and T20 retirements, as they look ahead to the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

“We’re a year away from the World Cup. I know what my goal is, and yeah, it’s pretty clear for me that whatever games we get, I just need to keep working on different aspects of the game,” said Kohli.

“Keep myself physically fit, challenge myself to be out there, run from boundary to boundary in the last 15 overs if I can, field in the inner ring, show intensity.” Kohli on Saturday told broadcasters JioStar that the 2027 showpiece would be his last World Cup appearance.

Rohit got the team off to a brisk start in his 32 as he put on 74 with opening partner Gill.

Earlier, Justin Greaves made 101 and put on 135 for the first wicket with left-hander John Campbell, who made 62, to guide West Indies to 295-7.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav struck crucial blows to return figures of 4-40 including one maiden over as India hit back in the middle overs.

Kuldeep, who was named player of the match, also struck on successive balls, sending back Greaves and Jewel Andrew before Roston Chase avoided the hat-trick.

Chase steadied the innings with Amir Jangoo, who made an unbeaten 58, as the pair put on 52 for the sixth wicket.

The second ODI is on Wednesday in Guwahati.

Banton’s commanding 126 was the cornerstone of England’s imposing total of 355-7 at the Oval.

It was his first century in 53 limited-overs appearances for England.

Together with England captain Harry Brook, who made 77 after being dropped on seven, Banton shared a third-wicket partnership of 150.

Sri Lanka never looked like chasing down a target of 356 and were dismissed for 132, with nearly 21 overs to spare.

“As a kid you dream of scoring a hundred for your country and to do it here was really special,” Banton said.

“I started really well, had a tough few years, then to put in a performance like that today is really rewarding.” Brook, hailing an “exceptional win”, added: “I thought that was a near-perfect performance there.” England’s victory, which saw them take the three-match series 2-1, was also their record ODI win against Sri Lanka in terms of runs, surpassing their 128-run win at Perth in 1999.

- ‘Eventful summer’ - It meant England ended a turbulent home season on a positive note after the international retirement of former Test captain Ben Stokes and the sacking of Brendon McCullum as their red-ball coach earlier in the campaign.

They have now won five series in a row across all formats, with McCullum – still England’s limited overs coach – presiding over T20 and ODI triumphs against both India and Sri Lanka.

“It has been an eventful summer,” said McCullum, who was replaced as Test coach by Stephen Fleming.

“Stephen Fleming is one of my great mates, I know how good a coach and how good a man he is.” Sri Lanka, whitewashed 3-0 in the preceding T20 series, were in trouble from the moment Pathum Nissanka was caught behind off Sonny Baker in the second over.

Gus Atkinson took two wickets, with Kamindu Mendis (12) and Kusal Mendis (36) both perishing to the pace bowler, while spinner Liam Dawson’s 3-26 ensured there was no way back for the visitors.

“We struggled with the batting and then we made some mistakes in the field, including me,” said Kusal.

“I think we played good cricket in the second ODI and when go to Pakistan after this, we need to be better.” England had an early let-off in their dominant innings when Brook, who had made just seven, edged Dunith Wellalage to wicketkeeper Kusal, who failed to hold the chance.

Brook took full advantage of that escape, going on to complete a 49-ball fifty.

Banton, fresh from his 73 on Thursday, went into the 90s with an audacious reverse-swept six off leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage.

A glorious drive through extra cover off Wellalage – his 13th four in 95 balls faced – took the Somerset batsman to a hundred.

Banton’s superb 105-ball innings, including 16 fours and five sixes, finally came to an end when he holed out to long-on off Colombage.

Jordan Cox kept the runs coming with 76 before he was dismissed off the penultimate ball of the innings.

It was South Africa’s sixth successive one-day series win against Australia since 2016/17.

Captain Bavuma hit 103 and Miller slammed 142 to propel South Africa to 365 for nine after they were sent in to bat for the second time in the series.

“It was an overall good team performance,” Bavuma said at the post-match presentation. “It was tricky batting upfront but we were able to handle that challenge. It was an unbelievable performance by David, then the bowlers did well. They held their nerve, we knew they would put us under pressure.” Australian captain Mitchell Marsh acknowledged his team’s failure to build on a good start by Travis Head and himself.

Marsh and Head both hit 84 but as in the first match Australia struggled in the middle overs against South Africa’s spinners. They were bowled out for 333 despite some powerful late hitting by Xavier Bartlett, who made 50 off 28 balls.

“It’s really disappointing,” said Marsh. “We haven’t been able to execute in those middle phases, which is a great learning curve for some of our younger guys. But credit to South Africa, who bowled well in those phases.”

Bavuma and Miller shared a fourth wicket stand of 156 off 135 balls with Bavuma batting solidly while the left-handed Miller made a career-best score off just 93 balls, hitting 12 fours and nine sixes.

It was the eighth ODI century by the 37-year-old Miller and his fourth against Australia.

With high totals a regular occurrence at the Wanderers, Australia seemed well on the way to chasing down the target as Marsh and Head put on 130 for the first wicket inside 17 overs.

The match changed when Marsh was bowled by Fortuin and the innings gradually lost momentum against a three-pronged spin attack, with left-armers Keshav Maharaj and Bjorn Fortuin and off-spinner Aiden Markram all bowling their full quota of 10 overs.

Assefa was on track to break the record and accelerated in the final 10 kilometres, but faded in the closing stages, visibly limping across the finish line before collapsing on the road.

The Ethiopian missed the podium ceremony as she was receiving medical treatment at the time the honours were handed out.

She finished in a time of 2hr 11min 04min, the third best in history and breaking her personal best and course record of 2:11:53, set in 2023.

Assefa’s late fade means the women’s world record of 2:09:56 remains in the possession of Ruth Chepngetich, a mark clouded by the Kenyan’s three-year doping ban handed down in 2025.

It was an all-Ethiopian podium as Bedatu Hirpa finished second in 2:16:53 and Dera Dida came third in 2:16:55.

Ethiopia’s Guye Adola won the men’s race in 2:02:50, adding another Berlin crown after his 2021 victory in the German capital.

Adola’s time was off world record pace and outside the course record of 2:01:09, set in 2022 by five-time Berlin winner Eliud Kipchoge.

The 35-year-old did not take the lead in the race until the 30-kilometre mark but was able to emerge with a lead of almost 30 seconds when he crossed the finish line.

“My goal was to hold back a bit and see what the pacemakers did so I could know exactly what was happening – and that worked wonderfully well,” Adola said to Germany’s RTL.

“I love Berlin, totally. I love being back here and there’s a pretty good chance I’ll be back again.” Gemechu Dida took second in 2:03:19, continuing an impressive event for the Ethiopians, with Gabriel Geay of Tanzania third in 2:03:59.

- World record past - Held in temperate September, the Berlin marathon is considered the fastest of the major courses. The world record has been broken 13 times in Berlin, more than anywhere else.

The late withdrawal of men’s world record holder Sabastian Sawe, the 2025 Berlin winner who became the first man to crack the two-hour barrier earlier this year, meant hopes of another world mark shifted to Assefa.

Paris Olympics silver medallist Assefa, now a three-time winner in Berlin, pledged to run “better than my best” before Sunday’s race, which would put her on track for a shot at the world mark.

Assefa began strongly and had already opened up a lead of 25 seconds by the 5km mark which grew to a minute at 15km.

Assefa largely stayed on world record pace throughout, only dropping below around the 25km mark at the flat course’s only incline, before returning to record speed.

The Ethiopian was still on track for the record at 35km, pulling 15 seconds clear of the pace needed. She was still 10 seconds ahead of the required tempo with just two kilometres to go.

But with the finish line almost in sight, Assefa began to be troubled by a foot problem and started limping. She gamely fought on but her hopes at the record were dashed.

Pakistan, ranked 198th in the world and competing as a guest side, defended in numbers during a cagey opening half hour.

Mohibullah produced a brilliant interception, and Ali Raza made a superb sliding tackle as Nolberto Solano’s men restricted Thailand to long-range efforts, with goalkeeper Yousuf Butt making a fine save on the half-hour mark.

Yousuf was powerless moments later, however, when he saved a header from Jude Soonsup-Bell only for Teerasak to tuck in the rebound and open the scoring in the 31st minute.

Thailand’s second arrived ten minutes later after captain Abdullah Iqbal’s misplaced pass led to a quick burst that ended with Soonsup-Bell slamming home from close range.

Thailand had the ball in the net again three minutes later, but the effort was ruled offside.

Pakistan needed inspiration, and coach Nolberto Solano made three substitutions at halftime, with Shayek Dost, Hayyan Khattak and Alamgir Ghazi coming on for Ali Raza, Ali Agha and Abdullah Shah.

The changes brought more enterprise, with full-backs Mohammad Fazal and Haris Zeb making forward runs, and Pakistan started the second half brightly, keeping possession and threatening without making a decisive move.

Thailand slowly grew back into the half and scored their third on the hour mark. Teerasak played a one-two with Supachai Chaided before his left-footed volley deflected off Haris Zeb and looped over goalkeeper Yousuf into the net.

Abdul Samad Arshad attempted a curler from outside the box but missed the target as Pakistan tried to respond, and veteran Kaleemullah Khan was brought on with 19 minutes to go.

At the 77th minute mark, Thailand missed a golden chance to extend their lead when a grounded cross came in from the left, but the forward completely missed the ball with only Yousuf to beat.

Teerasak completed his brace six minutes from time. Pakistan failed to clear their lines, Peeradol Chamrasamee played the ball forward, and a smart touch from Kakana Khamyok played the forward onside.

Teerasak placed the ball smartly past the goalkeeper to seal the victory.

Solano’s side face the Philippines on Sept 29 before their final group-stage fixture against Vietnam on Oct 2.

Pakistan entered the tournament on the back of winning the Diamond Jubilee International Football Tournament in the Maldives earlier this year, their first title in 74 years.

The series comprises one three-day match and five one-day games, all of which will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium from Oct 9 to 24.

The Sri Lanka squad will arrive in Multan on Oct 5.

Azan represented Rawalpindi in the National U-17 Cup held earlier this year.

The leg-spinner took 36 wickets in eight two-day matches with 4-28 his best figures in an innings during the event. He also led his side to the title as Rawalpindi beat Abbottabad by 125 runs in the final at the Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad from May 11-13.

Following the said event, 48 players were called up for the U-17 Skills Development Camp which was held in Faisalabad from July 30.

From those players, 30 were shortlisted for the second phase of the camp.

All 16 players alongside four reserve players selected for the Sri Lanka series had featured in the National U-17 Cup.

Squad: Azan Ahmed (captain), Abdullah Ahmed Butt, Arsalan Hassan (wicket-keeper), Daud Tauqeer Rana, Fahad Iqbal, Hamid Raza, Hamza Abbas Baloch, Hassan Ali, Mohammad Essa Baloch, Mohammad Ihsaan, Mohammad Naveed, Mohammad Saim, Mohammad Yaqoob, Mohammad Yousuf, Sher Wali Khan, Sudais Ahmed.

Reserve players: Ammar Khan, Imad Ali Shah, Nafees Akhtar, Saqib Khan.

Itinerary: Oct 9-11: Three-day match; Oct 15: First one-dayer; Oct 17: Second one-dayer; Oct 19: Third one-dayer; Oct 21: Fourth one-dayer; Oct 24: Fifth one-dayer.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026

The decision was announced by German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier in the south-western spa town of Baden-Baden.

Launched as a race between four candidates, the DOSB was given a choice between two after Berlin withdrew on Thursday after Hamburg pulled out in May.

“We’re thinking about all of Germany,” Bavarian state premier Markus Soeder said on stage after the announcement of Munich’s successful bid.

“The Cologne bid made things really tough for us and pretty tense until the end.

“I want that we work jointly to bring the games to Germany. It is a chance at something historic and we want to give everything to present ourselves as a united country — from north to south and from east to west.

“That’s our goal and what we’re working towards. Thank you for the trust.”

The Munich bid centres on the Olympic Park in the north of the city. Built for the 1972 Games, it has undergone extensive renovations in recent years.

In a statement issued moments after the announcement, German chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Munich.

“Germany has an Olympic candidate. Munich will enter the race on our behalf, and I warmly congratulate the state capital and the Free State of Bavaria on this,” he said.

“Now, together with our Olympic candidate, we eagerly look forward to this major event... Germany is ready for the Olympics.”

SUCCESSFUL MUNICH REFERENDUM

In order to shore up support for the bid, Munich held a referendum in the autumn of 2025. Almost two-thirds (66.4 percent) of voters cast their ballot in support of hosting the games, on a turnout of 44 per cent.

The positive result was a stark contrast to previous Olympic referenda, with votes to host the 2022 Winter Games in Munich or the 2024 Summer Games in Hamburg failing to win support.

Hamburg’s hopes were undermined by a negative public consultation while another hopeful, Berlin, decided against holding a referendum.

The DOSB is set to begin a “continuous dialogue” with the IOC ahead of a shortlisting process in March 2027.

The IOC will designate one or more preferred hosts in late 2028, with an eventual bid to be selected by the IOC in mid 2029.

The Bavarian capital has become accustomed to hosting major sporting events in recent years.

In the 10 days leading up to the DOSB’s decision, Munich was chosen as the host of the 2028 Champions League final — having done so in 2012 and 2025 — along with the 2031 World Athletics Champ­ionships.

Munich’s Allianz Arena was selected to host the first regular-season NFL match on German soil in 2022 and will do so for a third time in November.

Since the last time the Summer Games were on German soil in 1972, Germany has launched seven unsuccessful bids toplay host.

If Munich is chosen by the IOC, it will be the third time Germany has hosted the Olympics. Berlin held the Games in 1936 with Germany then under Nazi leadership, while Munich welcomed the 1972 Games, then as part of West Germany.

The 1972 edition in Munich was marred by the attack on the Israeli delegation in the Olympic Village, which resulted in the deaths of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team.

The only other Games held on German soil were the 1936 Winter Olympics, held in the southern town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026