Saudi Arabia spending big for a place on the gaming map

ISLAMABAD: FIFA on Thursday suspended the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) “with immediate effect” after the recently elected PFF Congress rejected constitutional amendments proposed by world soccer’s governing body.

PFF has been mired in crisis and controversy since 2015 and this is the third time since 2017 that Pakistan has been suspended.

“The PFF has been suspended with immediate effect due to its failure to adopt a revision of the PFF Constitution that would ensure truly fair and democratic elections and thereby fulfil its obligations as mandated by FIFA as part of the ongoing normalization process of PFF,” FIFA said in a statement.

“The suspension will only be lifted subject to the PFF Congress approving the version of the PFF Constitution presented by FIFA and the AFC [Asian Football Confederation].”

In June 2022, FIFA lifted the suspension of PFF, which had been imposed due to undue third-party interference a year earlier. A group of officials led by Ashfaq Hussain Shah, which was elected by the Supreme Court in 2018 to run the PFF but was not recognized by FIFA, took over the headquarters in March 20121. They had seized control from FIFA’s normalization committee headed by Haroon Malik. The committee had not conducted elections for the body in the 18 months since it took charge.

FIFA suspended the PFF due to the “hostile takeover” but lifted the ban after confirmation the committee had regained full control of the PFF’s premises and was in a position to manage its finances.

Pakistan was also suspended by FIFA for third party interference in 2017.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands: Carlos Alcaraz eased into the quarter-finals of the Rotterdam Open on Thursday with a comfortable straight-sets win over Italian qualifier Andrea Vavassori.
The top-seeded Alcaraz had far too much firepower and accuracy for Vavassori, ranked 317 in the world, running out a 6-2, 6-1 winner in just over an hour.
“Today, I think I hit everything pretty well. I’m just hopeful I can keep going and be a bit better next round,” said the Spaniard after the match.
Wearing a breathing aid on his nose as he recovers from illness, Alcaraz got off to a flying start, breaking in the very first game and sealing the set 6-2 as the Italian pushed a forehand wide.
The Spaniard again broke early in the second set, taking the third game with a sumptuous lob. A second break followed quickly afterwards as the Italian double-faulted.
Alcaraz wrapped up the match with another break of serve, sending a powerful forehand return to the feet of the Italian, who could only poke it wide.
“I had no ups and downs today which is good for me, something I’m working on,” said Alcaraz.
Thursday’s victory was a stark contrast to his first-round match, when he required nearly three hours to dispatch local hero Botic van de Zandschulp.
“The first match of every tournament it’s never easy to get used to the conditions, so I’m just trying to make the most of the time I spent here in the first round,” he said.
Alcaraz will face Pedro Martinez for a place in the semifinals after his compatriot stunned Danish fifth seed Holger Rune 6-4, 6-1.
Earlier Thursday, Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas saved a match point and battled from a set down to overcome local hope Tallon Griekspoor in a three-hour marathon.
The world number 12 eventually overcame spirited resistance from the Dutchman with a 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (8/6), 7-5 victory in a match lasting around three hours.
“I feel like I was here for 10 hours today. I felt like me and Tallon played for ages and I feel like it was a marathon. We started yesterday and finished today,” he joked.
“I always felt that he brought the best out of me. We were both fighting pretty well out on the court. These are matches that are going to be remembered.”
Tsitsipas now faces a quarter-final clash with Italian qualifier Mattia Bellucci, who shocked second seed Daniil Medvedev in a marathon three-setter on Wednesday.
Also through to the quarter-finals in the bottom half of the draw is last year’s runner-up Alex de Minaur, who defeated Czech teenager Jakub Mensik 6-4, 6-4.