Croatia Defender Dejan Lovren Returns to Lyon 

Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 Croatia's Dejan Lovren celebrates after the match as they finish in third place. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 Croatia's Dejan Lovren celebrates after the match as they finish in third place. (Reuters)
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Croatia Defender Dejan Lovren Returns to Lyon 

Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 Croatia's Dejan Lovren celebrates after the match as they finish in third place. (Reuters)
Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Third-Place Playoff - Croatia v Morocco - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - December 17, 2022 Croatia's Dejan Lovren celebrates after the match as they finish in third place. (Reuters)

French club Lyon has signed Dejan Lovren to a contract until June 2025 as the Croatia defender makes his return to the seven-time champions. 

Lovren, who joined Monday from Zenit St. Petersburg, played 102 matches over three years and won the 2012 French Cup with Lyon. He left the club in 2013 and went on to play with Southampton and Liverpool. 

The 33-year-old Lovren was part of the Croatia squad that made it to the semifinals at the World Cup in Qatar last month. He has 78 international appearances and also featured at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, where Croatia lost to France in the final. 

Lovren is expected to reinforce the heart of Lyon's defense, with the club already trailing 20 points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain in the league standings after 17 games. 

“I left Lyon in 2013 with regrets because I felt I hadn’t shown everything," Lovren said in a club statement. “I want to prove to everyone what kind of player I really am.” 



Saudi Fencing Team Ranks First in Arab World with 60 Medals

File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
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Saudi Fencing Team Ranks First in Arab World with 60 Medals

File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.
File photo of Saudi Arabia's flag.

The Saudi fencing team concluded its participation in the Arab Fencing Championship, which ended Monday in Bahrain, securing first place in the team rankings with a total of 60 medals (16 gold, 17 silver, and 27 bronze).

The championship featured the participation of 12 countries: Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Lebanon, Tunisia, Yemen, and Libya, SPA reported.

Oman came in second place with 21 medals (eight gold, eight silver, and five bronze), while the UAE ranked third with seven medals (three gold, one silver, and three bronze).
The Saudi team participated with 127 athletes (42 women and 85 men) across all categories (senior, under 15, under 13, and under 11 years old) and in all three weapons of épée, foil, and sabre (individual and team events).