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Dethroned Bundesliga Champions Leverkusen Face Uncertain Future

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (R) and midfielder Florian Wirtz could make their last home appearances in Sunday's game with Dortmund. INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (R) and midfielder Florian Wirtz could make their last home appearances in Sunday's game with Dortmund. INA FASSBENDER / AFP
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Dethroned Bundesliga Champions Leverkusen Face Uncertain Future

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (R) and midfielder Florian Wirtz could make their last home appearances in Sunday's game with Dortmund. INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso (R) and midfielder Florian Wirtz could make their last home appearances in Sunday's game with Dortmund. INA FASSBENDER / AFP

After conceding the Bundesliga title to Bayern Munich last weekend, Bayer Leverkusen host Borussia Dortmund on Sunday with rumored big-name exits clouding the club's immediate future.

With two games remaining, Leverkusen are guaranteed to finish second, but the final home match of the season could be a farewell for coach Xabi Alonso and star midfielder Florian Wirtz.

Alonso, the rookie coach who banished the 'Neverkusen' nickname by taking Leverkusen to the Bundesliga title last season, could be headed for Real Madrid, where he won the Champions League as a player, AFP said.

While Alonso's departure was always on the horizon -- the Basque has often spoken of Leverkusen as the perfect place to develop -- Wirtz's exit will sting, particularly if the 22-year-old Germany regular moves to Bayern, as German media have reported this week.

Born 20 minutes away in Pulheim, Wirtz was plucked from neighboring FC Cologne's academy and made his debut aged 17, taking Kai Havertz's record as Leverkusen's youngest debutant and later briefly becoming the Bundesliga's youngest goalscorer.

After recovering from an ACL injury in 2022, Wirtz was instrumental in Leverkusen's league and cup double and was named Bundesliga player of the season.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated published Thursday, Wirtz said "it definitely appeals to me to leave my comfort zone at some point and experience something new."

The chatter around the duo's exit has obscured what has still been an excellent season at the BayArena.

After last year's record-breaking campaign, where Alonso's side became the first team in Bundesliga history to go through a season unbeaten, Leverkusen were bound to come back to earth.

Like Bayern, Leverkusen have lost only twice all campaign, but have been held to 11 draws -- four more than the title winners.

Wins in their two remaining games will bring Leverkusen to 74 points: the second-best tally in their history and enough to win the league two seasons ago.

Leverkusen's upcoming opponents Dortmund will want to make to most of the uncertainty, as they push for a Champions League spot.

As low as 12th this season, Dortmund have picked up 16 points in their last six games. They sit one point and one place behind Freiburg, who travel to plucky battlers Holstein Kiel on Saturday.

One to watch: Thomas Mueller

Bayern Munich midfielder Thomas Mueller will play his final match at the Allianz Arena on Saturday.

Regardless of the result against Borussia Moenchengladbach, Mueller will bid farewell to the home fans by lifting the Bundesliga shield -- doing so for a record 13th time.

No player in Bayern's recent history has embodied the club better than the two-time Champions League winner; Bayern however declined to extend his deal.

Mueller wants to play on and it will be strange to see him wearing another club's kit, for Bayern fans and neutrals alike.

Former mentor Jupp Heynckes, who coached Bayern to the treble in 2012-13, told AFP subsidiary SID on Thursday the veteran should opt not to continue his career elsewhere.

"If I were Thomas, I'd call time on (his career)," Heynckes said, adding Mueller was "predestined" to continue at Bayern in some kind of leadership role in the future.

"Such a gem should not be ignored. Thomas is a witty man and is also very intelligent. He understands an incredible amount in football."

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Sports

Sudan Dream of AFCON Glory as Conflict Rages at Home

Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
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Sudan Dream of AFCON Glory as Conflict Rages at Home

Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)
Sudan's players pose for the team picture before the Africa Cup of Nations group E soccer match between Algeria and Sudan in Rabat, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025. (AP)

When war broke out in Sudan in April 2023, Ammar Taifour was in a training camp with his club Al Merrikh in Khartoum.

"I just remember the surprise, the shock of the first gunshots. It was very surprising," the 28-year-old midfielder with the Sudan team at the Africa Cup of Nations tells AFP.

"Then in the days after that there were power cuts and constant gunshots. It was just unbelievable.

"I just pray for peace and for everyone who's in this situation to be safe and make it out."

Taifour, who was born in the United States, is among the lucky ones. He says he is "grateful and blessed" that family members in Sudan were able to leave the country.

Goalkeeper Mohamed Al Nour, meanwhile, had to deal with the anguish of his brother being taken prisoner by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

"Luckily I have not lost any members of my family but my brother was taken prisoner for nine months by the RSF before being released," says Al Nour.

"We have experienced terror, people being killed. We just hope things improve."

The war that erupted close to three years ago between the country's army and its former allies the RSF has had a devastating impact on the population.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed and 11 million driven from their homes in what the UN has declared "the world's worst humanitarian disaster".

Despite that backdrop, Sudan's national football team qualified for the ongoing AFCON in Morocco and on Sunday they beat Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Casablanca.

It was just their second win at the Cup of Nations in 18 matches across six tournament appearances since they lifted the trophy in 1970.

They play Burkina Faso in their final group game on Wednesday and do so with the pressure off because they are already assured of progressing to the last 16.

That is a remarkable achievement regardless of the current off-field context, given Sudan have only once made the knockout stages at an AFCON since 1970 -- they reached the quarter-finals in 2012.

- 'Big responsibility' -

"It's a big honor," says Taifour. "But also we have big expectations and we want to make it as far as possible and even to win the tournament, make our country happy."

"Obviously it's a big responsibility. I think each one of us as individuals, we know the situation that's going on, we all can relate to it, we all have someone involved.

"So whatever we can do to help, whatever we can do to bring some happiness, we try our best to do so."

Al Nour, also known by his nickname Abooja, adds: "Of course the team has been impacted. Everyone has just tried to get through this period but it has been difficult with the tension all over Sudan."

"In the end our results on the pitch are what make the people happy and boost their morale."

The impact of the conflict on Sudanese football has been enormous, leading to the domestic championship being halted and the country's two biggest clubs going into exile.

Al Hilal and Al Merrikh of Omdurman played in the Mauritanian league last season. A domestic elite league did make its return in July, but now the two rivals are playing in Rwanda.

Some players have moved to different countries like Taifour, who departed Al Merrikh for Libya and is now plying his trade in Tunisia.

Despite that the national team has flourished under Ghanaian coach Kwesi Appiah.

They qualified for the competition at the expense of Ghana and put in some good showings in their World Cup qualifying group, beating the Democratic Republic of Congo and drawing with Senegal en route to finishing third.

In August they got to the semi-finals of the African Nations Championship -- a competition for locally-based players -- and they also appeared at the recent FIFA Arab Cup in Qatar.

"We have tried to use every match as preparation and to build chemistry within the group," says Taifour.

Al Nour, meanwhile, describes Appiah as "an exceptional person. We have learned a lot thanks to him."

It has all led to this, with Sudan now building towards a Cup of Nations knockout tie this weekend and hoping to put smiles on the faces of supporters back home.

Sports

Prince Abdul Mohsin Airport Receives First Dakar Rally 2026 Arrivals

This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
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Prince Abdul Mohsin Airport Receives First Dakar Rally 2026 Arrivals

This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA
This comes as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event - SPA

Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Yanbu has received the first arrivals of competitors participating in the Dakar Rally 2026, as part of ongoing preparations to host the global sporting event.

Cluster2 Airports, the operator of Prince Abdul Mohsin bin Abdulaziz International Airport, stated that arrivals will continue from December 28 to December 31, with approximately 17 flights, both private and commercial, designated for the arrival of competitors and participating teams, SPA reported.

The process is being handled with a high level of operational readiness and full coordination among the relevant authorities.

Cluster2 Airports affirmed that operational and service preparations at the airports have been completed to ensure smooth passenger movement and the provision of high-quality services to participating delegations, reflecting the efficiency of the affiliated airports and their ability to accommodate major international events.

Sports

Knee Injury for Shaheen Shah Afridi Forces Early Exit from Big Bash League

Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
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Knee Injury for Shaheen Shah Afridi Forces Early Exit from Big Bash League

Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)
Pakistan’s ODI’s team captain Shaheen Shah Afridi attends a press conference, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on Nov. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed, File)

A knee injury has forced fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi to return home after playing four games for Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

“Due to an unexpected injury; I have been called back by the PCB and will have to take a rehab. Hopefully, I will be back in the fields soon,” Afridi wrote on X on Tuesday.

Afridi limped off the field when he picked up the injury on his right knee while bowling against Adelaide Strikers last Saturday, The AP news reported.

Apparently the Pakistan Cricket Board has called back Afridi as a precautionary step with T20 World Cup due to start from February 7.

“I’m massively thankful to the Brisbane Heat team and fans for showering me with immense love and support,” Aridi said, while adding: “Meanwhile, I will be cheering for the amazing team.”

Afridi had a challenging short stint at Brisbane Heat where he picked up just two wickets in four matches at an expensive economy rate of 11.19. In his first game of the season he was removed from the attack in the 18th over when he bowled to waist-high full tosses to Melbourne Renegades’ batters Tim Seifert and Oliver Peake.

It is not the first time that Afridi has hurt his right knee. He sustained an injury on that knee while fielding during a test match in Sri Lanka in 2022 that also ruled him out from the early stages of the T20 World Cup in Australia.

He returned at the later stages of the tournament, but again picked up injury on the same knee during the death overs of the final against England that let the title match slip away from Pakistan.

Pakistan didn’t name Afridi for next month’s three-match T20 series in Sri Lanka as a rotation policy, but he remains one of the key players for the T20 World Cup to be jointly hosted by Sri Lanka and India.