عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

Algeria's Cerbah, Star of '82 World Cup Run, Dies at 68

General View of Whaddon Road, also known as Jonny-Rocks Stadium in Cheltenham, England. Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ian Smith
General View of Whaddon Road, also known as Jonny-Rocks Stadium in Cheltenham, England. Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ian Smith
TT
TT

Algeria's Cerbah, Star of '82 World Cup Run, Dies at 68

General View of Whaddon Road, also known as Jonny-Rocks Stadium in Cheltenham, England. Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ian Smith
General View of Whaddon Road, also known as Jonny-Rocks Stadium in Cheltenham, England. Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Ian Smith

Former Algerian goalkeeper Mehdi Cerbah, part of the team that famously beat West Germany in a major World Cup upset in 1982, died Friday aged 68 after a long illness, official media reported.

Cerbah started his career in 1969 at USM Alger before joining JS Kabylie in 1972, playing eight seasons before moving to RC Kouba until 1982.

But he will be remembered for his 62 international caps, including as part of the team that snatched a shock 2-1 victory against the Germans in the group stages of the World Cup in Spain.

That contest was followed by the "Disgrace of Gijon", widely seen as one of the most disgraceful matches in World Cup history.

The North Africans had beaten Chile the day before, so the Germans needed to win to progress and their opponents needed to avoid defeat by more than two goals to join them.

West Germany and Austria both qualified at the expense of Algeria in a contrived 1-0 German victory with both sides going through the motions.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

Tennis in Good Hands Despite High-Profile Retirements, Says United Cup Chief

Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
TT
TT

Tennis in Good Hands Despite High-Profile Retirements, Says United Cup Chief

Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)
Spain's Rafael Nadal waves to the crowd during a tribute after playing his last match as a professional in the Davis Cup quarterfinals at the Martin Carpena Sports Hall in Malaga, southern Spain, early Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (AP)

The retirements of tennis greats Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Serena Williams has made promoting events more difficult but organizers must grab the opportunity to push new talent into the spotlight, the United Cup's tournament director said.

The popular $10 million mixed team event aims to do just that when it kicks off the new season on Friday, with tournament chief Stephen Farrow confident the sport is in good hands.

"It's true to say that from a promotional standpoint, it's very easy if you've got Roger Federer or Rafa Nadal turning up," Farrow told Reuters after the draw for the 18-team tournament was held in Sydney recently.

"You're talking about people who are absolute superstars of the sports arena ... with those guys moving on, it does make it a bit more difficult to promote and tell the story of the athletes playing the event.

"I always see that as a positive, because it's on all of us in tennis to tell the story of this new talent.

"We've got a lot of them playing the United Cup. They're incredibly exciting and captivating to watch. I'm not worried about the future."

Grand Slam contenders Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Coco Guff will all be in action for their countries at the Dec. 27-Jan. 5 tournament staged in Perth and Sydney as they prepare for the Australian Open starting on Jan. 12.

Farrow also said the United Cup was still building its brand and boosting awareness with fans and players.

"Last year we saw a really big step forward when we moved to a new format with one women's singles, one men's singles and one mixed doubles. It was incredibly competitive.

"Now we've established ourselves on the tennis calendar two weeks from the Australian Open. We've seen with the field this year that players want to play this event."

Spain take on Kazakhstan while China meet Brazil on the opening day in Perth.