Basketball

Doha, Qatar: Al Rayyan will take on Al Ahli while defending champions Al Arabi will meet Al Sadd in the “Playoffs” stage of the semi-finals of the Qatar Men’s Basketball League 2025–26 season at the Al Gharafa Club Hall today. The resumption of the league comes after a temporary suspension due to prevailing regional circumstances. Al Rayyan meet third-placed Al Ahli, who secured their spot through the “Play-In” stage, at 6pm. Al Rayyan will be looking to reaffirm their dominance this season, while Al Ahli aim to continue their positive run and surprise the leaders. In the second match, Al Arabi, last season’s champions and current runners-up, will face fourth-placed Al Sadd, who also advanced via the “Play-In” stage. The game is scheduled for 8pm and promises a special competitive flavor between two teams with rich histories and strong ambitions to reach the final. The semi-finals will be played under the “best-of-three” format, with each team needing two victories to secure a place in the final. The second round of the semi-finals will take place on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Al Sadd will face Al Arabi at 6pm, followed by Al Ahli vs Al Rayyan at spm. The round could prove decisive if any team manages to secure a second win and clinch early qualification. If the series is tied 1–1, a decisive third game will be held on March 28. Al Rayyan will meet Al Ahli at 6pm, followed by Al Arabi against Al Sadd at 8pm, to determine the finalists. Should qualification be settled in the first two rounds, the third game will not be played. The league season will then conclude on March 28, with the third-place playoff at 6pm, followed by the championship final at 8pm.

Football

Berlin: Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has ended his tenure "by mutual consent", the club said in a statement released Sunday. The surprise announcement, which sees Kehl leaving with immediate effect, comes amid rumours linking the former Dortmund player, who won three Bundesliga titles during a 13-year stint with the club, to the sporting director job at Hamburg. Lars Ricken, Dortmund's board member for sport -- a position above Kehl's in the hierarchy -- said the decision came after a "very open discussion". "(We) came to the shared conclusion that the summer is the right time for changes," Ricken said in the statement. "To allow both sides to prepare, we mutually agreed to an immediate termination of Sebastian's contract. After retiring in 2015, Kehl joined the club in a player management role before taking over as sporting director in 2022. "Sebastian has made an enormous contribution to our club, and we are very grateful for his great commitment," said Ricken.

Football

Paris, France: Midfielder Idrissa Gueye said that his Senegal side deserved to be Africa Cup of Nations champions but he was ready to "hand back the medals" to Morocco if it eases tension between the two countries. Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in extra-time in the January final in Rabat but CAF punished them last week for their 15-minute walk-off during the match, overturning the result and awarding a 3-0 win and the title to hosts Morocco. "I personally commit to collecting the medals and maybe giving them back to Morocco if that can ease tensions between the two countries," Gueye told Canal+ on Saturday after his Everton side's 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Premier League. "It's just ridiculous... a football match is won on the pitch, that's what we did in Morocco. "We did what we had to do on the pitch, we won that match. "We deserve to be African champions. We are the African champions as far as we're concerned. Titles are won on the pitch, not in offices." Gueye, who captained Senegal in the AFCON final in place of the suspended Kalidou Koulibaly, took issue, however, with his federation's decision to appeal CAF's decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. "If it were up to me, I would have told the federation not to appeal," he said. The continent's showpiece football final on January 18 descended into chaos when Senegal players walked off in protest after the hosts were awarded a controversial penalty late in second-half stoppage time. Play resumed after a quarter of an hour of confusion and tension, with Senegal supporters throwing objects and trying to invade the pitch. Morocco's Brahim Diaz missed his penalty before Senegal went on to win with a goal from Pape Gueye in extra-time.