SAITAMA, June 5: Saudi Arabian skipper Sami al-Jaber said Wednesday that he will miss the match against Cameroon due to a knee injury sustained in the opener against Germany.

“I hurt my right knee ligaments in the match against Germany and doctors said it takes a week to 10 days. I tried to train, but it’s still sore and painful,” said al-Jaber.

“After the game against Germany, the team had a big shock. I was very disappointed. I can’t explain what happened. It was a bad day.

“My friends and temmates are sorry about what happened against Germany, but everybody is responsible and we want to do something to put it right. It’s not our first time in the World Cup, so it can not be excused.”

Senegal captain OUT

DAEGU: Senegalese skipper Aliou Cisse has been ruled out of his country’s match on Thursday against Denmark.

Cisse, one of the mainstays of Senegal’s shock win over world champions France last week, has a left calf strain and was ruled out after failing to recover.

“He won’t play,” Senegal coach Bruno Metsu said, acknowledging he would now have to rethink his strategy for the game which could see either side qualify for the second phase with a victory.—AFP

Opinion

Editorial

A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...
GB polls’ aftermath
Updated 11 Jun, 2026

GB polls’ aftermath

The new administration must address the region’s issues proactively.
Peace in retreat
11 Jun, 2026

Peace in retreat

THE ceasefire announced in April was supposed to create space for negotiations. Instead, it has been repeatedly...
A few good men
11 Jun, 2026

A few good men

IT was a brave move, no doubt. This Tuesday, in the land of the Afghan Taliban, a few good men decided to take a...