Pochettino Understands Chelsea Fans’ Frustrations After Poor Start 

Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Chelsea - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - September 17, 2023 Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Chelsea - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - September 17, 2023 Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. (Reuters)
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Pochettino Understands Chelsea Fans’ Frustrations After Poor Start 

Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Chelsea - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - September 17, 2023 Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - AFC Bournemouth v Chelsea - Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth, Britain - September 17, 2023 Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino. (Reuters)

Mauricio Pochettino understands Chelsea fans' frustrations with their poor start to the season but says his side have been hampered by injuries to more than a dozen players and that he will not change the way they are doing things.

Chelsea's poor form continued with a 0-0 draw at Bournemouth on Sunday, the second game in a row in which Pochettino's side failed to score after they lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest earlier this month.

Chelsea sit 14th in the Premier League with five points from five games, despite spending around $1 billion in transfer fees since the new ownership led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed their takeover of the club in May 2022.

"I think the fans know if you invest the money that people talk about in the media, there is expectation," Pochettino said after the game. "If you do not win, it is normal that the fans are not happy.

"What I can tell the fans are the circumstances, which we cannot change. There are too many players not available."

Defender Marc Cucurella, forward Noni Madueke and British record signing Moises Caicedo missed Sunday's game, joining a lengthy injury list that includes captain Reece James, Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia.

"We have extraordinary belief but bad luck, because we have 12 injured players, plus then Cucurella, Madueke and Caicedo today," added Pochettino.

"Am I going to cry or complain? No. I need to accept this challenge and keep being positive. We are not going to change the way that we are going to do things."



Saudi Arabia’s Participation in Paris Olympics Part of Quality of Life Program, Al-Bakr Says

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Participation in Paris Olympics Part of Quality of Life Program, Al-Bakr Says

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)
The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program. (SPA)

CEO of Saudi Arabia’s Quality of Life Program Khalid bin Abdullah Al-Bakr said on Friday the Kingdom’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is part of integrated and comprehensive efforts to build a distinguished future for the sports sector in the Kingdom.

This will help reach the goals of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 in achieving sports excellence and building a vital and stimulating sports sector for young Saudi men and women.

Al-Bakr said the participation reflects the support of the country’s wise leadership for the sports sector, as well as the efforts made by the Ministry of Sports and the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee to develop the sector under the supervision of Sports Minister and Chairman of the Olympic and Paralympic Committee Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal.

The efforts of the sports system have combined to achieve the strategic goal assigned by Vision 2030 to the Quality of Life Program, which is “achieving excellence in several sports regionally and globally” by launching several initiatives on supporting and empowering Saudi athletes and contributing to increasing the number of athletes participating in the Olympic Games.

Since its launch in 2018, the program has offered many initiatives to develop the sports sector, Al-Bakr said. He cited the Elite Athletes Development Program, which trained and empowered Saudi players participating in the Paris Olympics, in addition to initiatives concerned with supporting and empowering women to contribute to the sports system, the Saudi Games, and building sports academies, including the establishment of Mahd Academy.

The program seeks to discover, develop, and support sports talents with the aim of creating a sports generation capable of competing in and representing the Kingdom in various regional and international events, he added.