Paris—World football’s governing body FIFA on
Friday announced its decision to suspend the
Iraqi Football Association (IFA) until further
notice “because of government interference”. “In
accordance with FIFA statutes, the clubs and
representative teams of Iraq are no longer
permitted to take part in international matches,
whether friendly or competitive,” read a
statement on the FIFA website.
Karachi—Karachi Whites recovered after a
shaky start to reach 314 for the loss of seven
wickets in their first innings on the opening
day of their 4-day Quaid-e-Azam Cricket Trophy
match at National Stadium here on Saturday.
Inserted to bat first by SNGPL, Karachi Whites
lost Mohtashim Ali (2) and Murtuza Majeed (0)
with 17 runs on the board.
Islamabad—Grave irregularities took place due
to violation of rules as Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB) functioned like a “super store” during the
previous government, Public Accounts Committee
(PAC) was told on Saturday. The board management
installed by General Pervez Musharaf, who was
Patron-in- Chief of PCB, was involved in massive
administrative and financial mismanagement, thus
causing losses of millions to the Board.
Doha—The world No 14, nephew of squash great
Jansher Khan, beat the Frenchman 11-6, 11-7,
12-10, 11-9 in 53 minutes to reach the
quarter-finals in Doha. In doing so, the
Pakistani avenged his semi-final defeat at the
Macau Open 12 months ago, a tournament which
also saw him score a significant victory over
England No 1 Nick Matthew.
Paris— France’s tainted qualification for the
World Cup football finals, won at Ireland’s
expense thanks to a blatant handball, plunged an
embarrassed country into a bout of anguished
soul-searching Friday. Striker Thierry Henry’s
illegal fumbling of the ball, setting up an
extra-time strike that saw his side through to
next year’s competition, continued to dominate
front pages and radio phone-in shows two days
after the match.
