Qatar Sport

Doha: The Katara International Ramadan Open Classical Chess Championship, organized by the Qatar Chess Association, kicked off Friday and will continue until March 1. Eighty-six players of various age groups are participating. Deputy General Manager of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation Saif Saad Al Dosari made the first move on the first board in the presence of Hamad Al Tamimi, Executive Director of the Qatar Chess Federation Hamad AlTamimi . The first round of the nine-round classical chess tournament was held according to the Swiss system (45 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move) with the participation of several players ranked on the FIDE (International Chess Federation) list. The tournament offers a total prize purse of QAR 25,000, with the first-place winner receiving QAR 5,000. Additional prizes are awarded to the top ten finishers, and special prizes are given to the best Qatari players in various age categories, as well as prizes specifically for players from the Qatar Chess Federation's training center. The tournament features a number of Qatari national team players across all age groups. Hamad Al Tamimi, Executive Director of the Qatar Chess Association, expressed his delight at the tournament's opening atmosphere and the strong participation from various age groups. He noted that the competition will be fierce throughout the tournament, providing valuable experience for the participating players, especially given the large number of highly ranked players. The Katara Chess Championship is one of the most prominent tournaments on the Qatar Chess Association's calendar, held annually during Ramadan. It has contributed to highlighting many promising talents in previous editions and has provided significant support to the national teams across all age groups.

Football

London: Michael Carrick praised Manchester United's "diversity" after the club's co-owner Jim Ratcliffe caused controversy by claiming the United Kingdom has been "colonised by immigrants". Ratcliffe was widely criticised for his outburst last week and later apologised if his remarks had "offended some people". According to reports on Friday, Ratcliffe will not face a Football Association charge after the governing body last week said it was looking into his rant. Facing the media on Friday for the first time since Ratcliffe's incendiary comments, United interim manager Carrick highlighted his club's inclusive attitude. "Sir Jim has made a statement, and then the club's made a statement on the back of it so for me to add to that is not my place. What I can say is, as I've been around this club many, many years, we always make a huge impact globally," Carrick told reporters on Friday. "We're really proud of the environment and the culture that we've got at the club, and equality and diversity and respect for each other is something that we look to carry through every day." Carrick spent 12 years as a decorated United midfielder and is in his second spell as a temporary boss following Ruben Amorim's sacking in January. The 44-year-old is deeply engrained in United's culture and has no doubts about the integrity of the club's efforts to be welcoming to people of all ethnicities. "Part of being at this club is we understand what it is like globally and the responsibilities we have," he said. "I can only speak from my experiences, I have been here for a long time with various managers, various staff, all backgrounds, different backgrounds and it is something I am fully aware of. I am proud of what the club stands for." Carrick is confident that the controversy generated by Ratcliffe's views will not have a negative affect on his multi-national squad. "We have got a really strong group whether that is the players and the staff and around the club. I think we are in constant communication anyway and speak to each other and help each other," Carrick said ahead of Monday's Premier League clash at Everton. "The boys have been in really good spirits this week. We are looking forward to the next game. We are here to help each other and support each other."

Football

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Former Brazil captain Neymar said he is thinking of retiring at the end of the year after being hampered by injuries but hopes to go to the World Cup first. The ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker returned in January 2025 to his boyhood club Santos from Saudi club Al-Hilal. After an injury-interrupted first season he extended his contract until the end of 2026 but then missed the start of the Brazilian season in January after undergoing knee surgery in late December. "I don't know what will happen from now on, I don't know about next year," the striker told Brazilian online channel Caze. "It may be that when December comes, I'll want to retire. I'm living year to year now." He made his return as a second-half replacement in a Sao Paulo championship match on February 16, 11 days after his 34th birthday. "Obviously, I wanted to come back to help my team in the best way possible, but I ended up holding back a little so I could come back 100 per cent," he said. Neymar is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil, with 79 goals, two more than Pele, but has not played for the national team since October 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury against Uruguay. Carlo Ancelotti has not called up Neymar since taking over as Brazil coach last May. "This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it's a World Cup year, and for me too," Neymar said. "So it's a huge challenge."