Sports

League leaders Shakhtar Donetsk face second-place Dnipro-1 in title showdown as a remarkable season nears its end.

LONDON: Saudi businessman and senior executive Majed Al-Sorour was appointed president of sports platform Sports.com on Friday. A worldwide entrepreneur with a reputation for identifying performance potential in growth-focused businesses, Al-Sorour’s role will include investment strategy and execution as well as strategic communications and investor relations. He has a particular interest in the sports and technology industries, said a media statement issued on Friday.

JEDDAH: WWE fans in Jeddah were treated to a day of fun and excitement at the Champions Village ahead of the the Night of Champions event on Saturday. Saudi wrestling superfans got to enjoy an immersive WWE experience with games, activities, a ring entrance experience and a chance to see their favorite WWE superstars up close and personal, such as Cody Rhodes, Gunther, AJ Styles, Trish Stratus and Becky Lynch. Mustafa Ali was one of the crowd favorites, with fans chanting his name during his segment with Gunther to hype up their upcoming Intercontinental Title match.

PARIS: Aryna Sabalenka said Friday that “it’s OK if she hates me” as the Belarusian star braced to face Ukraine rival Marta Kostyuk in a highly-charged French Open showdown. World number two Sabalenka knows that Kostyuk, an outspoken critic of tennis authorities over their handling of players from Russia and their Belarusian allies in the aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine, will refuse to shake hands after their first round match at Roland Garros. “If she hates me, OK. I can’t do anything about that,” said 25-year-old Sabalenka.

Tunisia defeated Iraq 3-0 in the all-Arab clash at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup on Thursday to keep their second round hopes very much alive and leave the losers stunned and looking at early elimination. Despite the scoreline, Iraq dominated much of the game against the clinical North Africans but two goals in two minutes early in the second half turned the game at La Plata in Argentina on its head.

ZOLDO ALTO, Italy: Geraint Thomas said he had a “decent day” on his 37th birthday on Thursday as he kept the Giro d’Italia’s leader’s pink jersey and withstood an attack by Primoz Roglic that shook off all the other leading contenders. On the first of three brutal days in the Dolomites, local boy Filippo Zana edged French veteran Thibaut Pinot in an exhausted dash to the line to win the 18th stage of the race. Down the mountain, Roglic, paced by teammate Sepp Kuss, went on the attack from the group of leading riders.

SAN SALVADOR: El Salvador’s Public Prosecutor’s Office ordered the arrest of five people allegedly responsible for the weekend stampede at the Cuscatlan stadium in the country’s capital that left 12 fans dead during the second leg of the quarter-final playoffs between Alianza FC and Club Deportivo.