No: 17264 Friday, June 23, 2017

MONTREAL:  It’s time to put the fun back in F1. Formula

One’s new owners are hoping to dial down some of the

intensity of the high-power and high-pressure racing circuit

this season, swapping the paddock for paddling at the

Canadian Grand Prix this month with the return of the Great

Montreal Raft Race .

Just hours before strapping rock star drivers into multi-

million-dollar cars traveling at more than 200 mph, team

crews - and executives - traded their firesuits for life pre-

servers in a beer-soaked beach party on the erstwhile

Olympic rowing venue next to the Circuit Giles Villeneuve.

There were no protests, no post-race inspections, no con-

structor points. Just a few dozen team members - from

mechanics to principals - soaked but smiling as they paddled

their hastily assembled crafts across the murky lagoon with

nothing at stake except bragging rights.

“We take Formula One very seriously; that doesn’t mean

we should take ourselves seriously,” said Sean Bratches, F1’s

managing director of commercial operations. “We let our

hair down a little bit - or let our hair get wet today,” he said

after toweling off and taking a swig from a beer bottle to

wash the taste of the lagoon from his mouth. “And it was

quite enjoyable.”

Since taking over Formula One this year, new owner

Liberty Media has said it wants to liven up race week with a

more American - meaning fun - approach to the events.

(Executives were also careful to stress that they want to

maintain the cachet that makes the races popular with its

European base.) So when the traveling circuit returned to

Canada this month, so did the raft race.

‘The spirit of the event’ 

A staple of the Canadian Grand Prix until the late 1990s,

the raft race fizzled out when the demands on the mechan-

ics increased and they became too busy to design and build

their own crafts.  Before it was discontinued, the “rafts” grew

increasingly complicated; in 1990, for example, Ferrari

brought in a one-man craft with an outboard engine. To

eliminate the technological arms race and maintain the

focus on fun, this year’s competitors were each given a cou-

ple of wooden pallets for the structure and some empty

plastic water jugs for flotation. (There also was no shortage

of beer.) They had 45 minutes.

“Please build with the spirit of the event in mind,” teams

were told. “Utilization of that secret America’s Cup project

file you have tucked away on your laptop will be frowned

upon.” They were required to have seven people on the boat

and encouraged to include the team principal among them.

(Haas worked around this by having a life-sized cardboard

cutout of principal Guenther Steiner, in full yacht club attire,

at the stern.) Toro Rosso wore silly wigs, Renault had jaunty

sailor’s caps, a third group went with a pirate theme.

Formula One management also floated a team, as did the

media relations department. 

Crews were given rope to hold the craft together, a

megaphone for taunting opponents and paddles. Other

than the mandatory life vests, and the goal of paddling up

and back across the canal, there didn’t seem to be many

rules. Tennis balls were lobbed back and forth like inert can-

nonballs; a fire hose sprayed teams that got too far in front

or otherwise looked too comfortable. “There may be some-

thing you think is a shark in the water,” they were warned

by the announcer, who also served as the DJ and gave

updates during the race. “Please don’t get too violent with

it. It is a bloke in a black suit.”

Micah Desforges, who waved the checkered flag, was part

of the Tribu event-planning team that was hired by Red Bull.

“Everyone is in a good mood, and we’ll try to get some funky

stuff happening,” he said. “It’s good to get the community

together, have a good vibe, good event. Get the pressure

down, and that’s what it’s all about.” McLaren easily won the

race - good for a chuckle, since the team has struggled all

season in Formula One itself . That didn’t stop them from cel-

ebrating with the traditional champagne spray from a

makeshift podium.

“It’s a good message for Formula One: To all work togeth-

er to make Formula One great,” said Ross Brawn, the circuit’s

managing director for motorsports. “It’s a serious business;

we know that. But evenings like this make it all worthwhile

as well.”Bratches said the raft race was a natural, because it

had a history and the lagoon was already there next to the

track. He said he’d like to see other fun events added during

the season, “taking advantage of unique circumstances like

rowing lakes that somebody else might have.” “This is just a

Montreal thing. But I think there’s other creative things

where we can engage one another and really extend the

community,” he said. “It’s a great community of people at

Formula One, and this was a fantastic event.” — AP 

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

MONTREAL: In this image from video, competitors take part in the raft race at the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix. — AP 

‘Great Montreal Raft Race’ 

puts fun back in Formula 1

Record at stake 

on LPGA Tour

CROMWELL: As the scores kept going lower and lower at Erin

Hills, more than one observer suggested the US Open looked

more like the Travelers Championship. There is one big differ-

ence. The Travelers Championship might have more top-10

players on the weekend. Rory McIlroy and Jason Day, now No

3 and No. 4 in the world, are part of a field that is stronger

than usual at the TPC River Highlands. Both had the weekend

off at the US Open. Joining them at the Travelers

Championship are Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

McIlroy has played only seven times this year because of a

rib injury, so he’s gearing up for a busy summer schedule.

There’s also that matter of a new PGA Tour regulation that

requires players who had fewer than 25 tournaments last sea-

son to play somewhere they haven’t been in four years.  Ditto

for Spieth. For all of them, the Travelers typically is a good

way to wind down.

This was only the third time in US Open history that the

winner finished at double digits under par. For the Travelers,

the last time a winner finished in single digits under par was

Nick Price. That was in 1993, the year Spieth and Thomas were

born. The LPGA Tour heads to Arkansas for the Walmart NW

Arkansas Championship, where Stacy Lewis is celebrating the

wrong kind of anniversary. That was her most recent victory

on the LPGA Tour, but it was three years ago.

The European Tour is in Germany for the BMW

International Open, when Henrik Stenson as the defending

champion. Stenson pulled out of the US Open on Friday last

year with neck pain, then won the following week in

Germany. He pulled out of the US Open on Friday this year,

but that was because of his score. He missed the cut. Also on

tap is the American Family Insurance Classic, hosted by Steve

Stricker, who this year finally gets to play because he’s 50.

PGA TOUR

If not for Russell Knox throwing his hat at a speed that

would make Aroldis Chapman proud, he might be the forgot-

ten defending champion. Jim Furyk captured most of the

headlines last year by becoming the first player in PGA Tour

history to post a 58 , and he did it with a par on the final hole.

Alas, all that got him was a tie for fifth, but his name in the

record book is quite the consolation. Furyk now is the only

player to post two sub-60 rounds on the PGA Tour.

Knox, meanwhile, wasn’t throwing his hat for attention. He

was so pumped by making that par putt to win because he

thought for sure that would lock up a spot on Europe’s Ryder

Cup team. Turns out, European captain Darren Clarke over-

looked him. Knox is no less proud of his achievement. And the

Scot has a sense of humor on the dry side. Chris Berman of

ESPN usually helps to present the trophy, though he missed

out on the honor last year. So when Boomer ran into Knox at

the Deutsche Bank Championship, he came over to apologize

for not being there and praise Knox for winning a trophy that

had some of the biggest names in golf on it. Sam Snead.

Arnold Palmer. Billy Casper. Lee Trevino. Curtis Strange. “Ken

Duke,” Knox interjected. “I love Ken Duke,” Knox said later.

“We play a lot of practice rounds together.” — AP 

CROMWELL: Jordan Spieth watches his drive from the

first tee at the Travelers Championship at TPC River

Highlands. — AP 

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

ROME: Chinese businessman Jiang Lizhang’s

Desports group has agreed to purchase a 60

percent stake in Italian side Parma, club vice-

president Marco Ferrari said yesterday. Former

UEFA Cup winners Parma have earned a Serie B

berth next season, two years after bankruptcy

led to demotion to the Italian fourth division.

Ferrari told a press conference in the north of

Italy that the club had been looking for “a for-

eign partner” for several months. “We identified

this partner in the person of Jiang Lizhang,

president of the Desports group,” he said. Jiang

already owns Spanish La Liga club Grenada and

is co-owner of the Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA franchise. He is the founder of Double-

Edged Sports (DeSports), a company specialis-

ing in marketing and sports rights.  Desports

recently acquired retransmission rights for

Champions League and Europa League match-

es in China for the period 2018-2021.

“The first phase of the operation has ended

in recent weeks with the arrival of this new part-

ner and a capital increase which has led to a

minority stake of 30 per cent,” explained Ferrari.

“The transaction is expected to be concluded in

the first week of July with an increase in its

stake to 60 percent.” Both Inter Milan and AC

Milan are already under Chinese ownership.

Suning, a leading Chinese appliance retailer,

controlled by billionaire 

Zhang Jindong, spent 270 million euros

($301m) to buy a 68 percent stake in Inter

Milan. And in April AC Milan began life under

Chinese ownership in a 740 million-euro deal,

which ended former Italian Prime Minister Silvio

Berlusconi’s 31-year reign as the club’s owner

and president and saw businessman Li

Yonghong take a 99.93 percent stake in the

club. Parma-winners of the second-tier

European competition in 1995 and 1999 won a

play-off against Alessandria 2-0 in Florence last

Saturday to win promotion to Serie B. It was the

second consecutive promotion for the club

who finished sixth in Serie A in 2014 but could

not play in Europe the following season

because of financial fair-play rules. The cash-

strapped side finished bottom of the Italian top

flight in 2015 and was declared bankrupt in

March that year with club president Giampetro

Manenti jailed. In July 2015 Parma Calcio 1913

was created and admitted into the Italian fourth

division.—AFP 

MOSCOW:  Cristiano Ronaldo brushed

aside his off-field problems by scoring

the winner as Portugal edged out hosts

Russia 1-0 at the Confederations Cup on

Wednesday, before Oribe Peralta gave

Mexico a come-from-behind 2-1 win

over New Zealand. Ronaldo’s eighth-

minute header in Moscow gave Portugal

their first win in the tournament and vic-

tory over New Zealand on Saturday

would secure a semi-final spot.

Goals from Peralta and Raul Jimenez

saw Mexico move top of Group A later in

the day, above Portugal on goals scored,

and knock New Zealand out of the com-

petition. Ronaldo let his football do the

talking after the recent tax-evasion

accusations that have left his Real

Madrid future uncertain, with his second

man-of-the-match performance follow-

ing Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Mexico. The

forward said Portugal were worthy win-

ners after surviving a second-half

Russian fight-back.

“We’re very happy, it’s the first time

Portugal have won in Russia. The team

played very well against a side playing

at home with the support of their fans.

But we were better, we had more

chances,” he said. Ronaldo is accused by

Spanish authorities of having evaded

paying 14.7 million euros ($16.5m) in tax

and has been summoned to appear in

court next month in Madrid.

But he was all smiles, escorting a

young mascot in a wheelchair out onto

the Moscow pitch before netting his first

Confederations Cup goal. Portugal’s win

came at a cost though, as Borussia

Dortmund defender Raphael Guerreiro

had to be helped off on 65 minutes with

a suspected broken leg. “He was hospi-

talised and we think he broke his leg,”

said Portugal coach Fernando Santos.

Guerreiro’s towering cross from the left

flank hung in the air and found Ronaldo,

who rose at the far post to head back

across Igor Akinfeev.

Only a superb one-handed reflex

save from Akinfeev, who made his 100th

international appearance, stopped

Andre Silva’s bullet header just after the

break. The hosts were unlucky not to

force an equaliser after a string of

chances in a strong second-half display.

Defender Georgy Dzhikiya headed nar-

rowly over the bar from the game’s final

corner in added time.

Mexico send New Zealand packing 

Later on Wednesday, Mexico needed

second-half goals by Benfica’s Jimenez

and Peralta to grab victory over New

Zealand in a bad-tempered match at

Sochi. Juan Carlos Osorio’s side now just

need a draw against Russia in Kazan on

Saturday to be sure of reaching the

semi-finals. The Kiwis’ superb first-half

display and Chris Wood’s shock goal rat-

tled Mexico and a tense match boiled

over with a mass brawl in the dying

stages.

The match turned when Porto mid-

fielder Hector Herrera came on for the

second half and Mexico’s attacks started

to flow. “I am proud of what my team

did, it’s normal to have to suffer at this

level, but we deserved to win,” said

Osorio. “We know how to adapt to dif-

ferent opponents.” New Zealand coach

Anthony Hudson had vowed they would

bounce back after Saturday’s opening 2-

0 defeat by Russia and his team was true

to his word.—AFP 

Chinese investors buy stake in Parma

MOSCOW: Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal during the Confederations Cup,

Group A soccer match between Russia and Portugal, at the Spartak Stadium. — AP 

Tax problems? What problems? 

Ronaldo scores in Portugal win

SEOUL: Carlos Queiroz was once Alex Ferguson’s formi-

dable number two at Manchester United, but he has

now carved out a new reputation: the man who can take

your team to the World Cup. After Queiroz’s Iran became

only the second team to qualify for Russia 2018, he is

savouring the unique feat of reaching four World Cups

with three different teams. It’s a record that hasn’t gone

unnoticed, with Asian champions Australia reportedly

interested in Queiroz’s services once Ange Postecoglou

departs next year.

“I feel very proud and honoured with that (World

Cup) achievement,” the grizzled Portuguese told AFP by

telephone. “Other coaches have qualified four times but

not with different teams.” The former Real Madrid boss

has now qualified with South Africa in 2002, Portugal in

2010 — leading them to the last 16 — and now twice

with Iran, after he also took them to Brazil 2014. This

month’s 2-0 win over Uzbekistan made Iran the first

Asian team to qualify for Russia, clinching top spot in

Group A with two games to spare-and without a single

goal conceded in 720 minutes of football.

On top of that, Iran, who will now contest back-to-

back World Cups for the first time, have been Asia’s num-

ber one team in the FIFA rankings for four years, helped

by a growing number of players succeeding in Europe.

Walter Winterbottom took England to four successive

World Cups starting from 1950, a record that was

equalled by West Germany’s Helmut Schon from 1966 to

1978. Oscar Tabarez could also make it four with

Uruguay if the South Americans reach Russia. But

nobody has done it with three different countries, apart

from Mozambique-born Queiroz. “To do it with these dif-

ferent countries, cultures and mentalities is at least,

unique,” Queiroz said. “Each country has its own chal-

lenges, its own strengths and weaknesses.”

‘Football animal’ 

The 64-year-old became Iran coach in 2011 and has

weathered cultural and logistical difficulties to find suc-

cess with Team Melli, helped by the talent the country

produces and the passion of the fans. “The fans love the

team and the excitement they provide is special,” said

Queiroz. “When we play at home the atmosphere is

great and there can be 100,000 fans. When we qualified,

there were celebrations in Tehran all night.”—AFP 

Queiroz, from Man United 

enforcer to Mr World Cup

Iran’s Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017

Al Roudhan football tournament

KUWAIT: Organizer of the Roudhan football tournament Abdullah Al-Roudhan (C) gives a bisht (traditional Kuwaiti cloak

worn in ceremonies) to Spanish professional footballer Iker Casillas Fern·ndez (R), goalkeeper for Portuguese club Porto

and the Spain national team and former Real Madrid goalkeeper, and goalkeeper Essam Al-Hadari of Egypt (L), during

the Al-Roudhan championship in Kuwait City on June 21, 2017. The Roudhan football tournament is held annually in

Kuwait during Ramadan and hosts iconic international football players as guests to participate in the event.

— photos by Yasser Al-Zayyat

SHANGHAI: Brazilian international Oscar was

banned for eight games yesterday for trig-

gering a spectacular mass brawl in the

Chinese Super League between his Shanghai

SIPG side and Guangzhou R&F. After the for-

mer Chelsea midfielder appeared twice to

fire the ball deliberately at Guangzhou play-

ers on Sunday, he was rushed by several

opponents. Oscar fell to the ground and a

melee broke out around him.

The Chinese Football Association issued

lengthy bans to four players, including the

25-year-old Oscar, and fined him 40,000 yuan

($6,000). Oscar, who was not booked at the

time of the scrap, is one of the most high-

profile players in the Chinese Super League

(CSL) after he joined SIPG for an Asian-record

60 million euros this season. But that has not

saved him from the mammoth ban as the

CFA said he was responsible for sparking the

ugly incident just before half-time in the

away league match.

Oscar will not return to CSL action until

late August. Among the games he will miss

will be against Guangzhou Evergrande on

July 22, as Andre Villas-Boas’s second-placed

SIPG attempt to keep up the pressure on the

league leaders. “It very badly impacted the

Chinese Super League match,” the CFA said

in a statement, referring to Oscar’s key role in

the dispute in which players, coaching staff

and substitutes poured off the benches and

waded in.

Two players, one from each side, were

sent off for their part in the brawl. One of

them, Shanghai’s Fu Huan, was banned for

six CSL games, and red-carded Guangzhou

R&F player Li Tixiang got five games.

Guangzhou’s Chen Zhizhao, who seemed to

push Oscar to the floor, was banned for sev-

en league games and both clubs were fined

and warned about their behaviour. Oscar

was unhurt and the fiery encounter finished

1-1 to leave SIPG four points behind reigning

champions Guangzhou Evergrande.

Villas-Boas defended Oscar afterwards,

saying he was “just being passionate”, and

Oscar denied he purposely aimed the ball at

R&F players. “Disrespect the opponent? It is

not true. I am a very dedicated player and

respect sportsmanship,” Sina Sports website

quoted the player as saying. —AFP 

Oscar gets eight-game ban over China brawl

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FRIDA

Y

, JUNE 23, 2017

www.kuwaittimes.net

Abdullah Al-Roudhan gives a bisht to

Spanish professional footballer Iker

Casillas Fern·ndez during the Al-

Roudhan championship in Kuwait City

yesterday. — Photo by Yasser Al Zayyat 

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