Dominant Iran dazzle in Asian Cup annihilation

Published28 Apr 2024

IR Iran claim a record 13th continental title, seeing off hosts Thailand to win the AFC Futsal Asian Cup.

• Imperious IR Iran reel off six straight wins to claim continental bragging rights

• Tajikistan and Afghanistan also secure Uzbekistan 2024 qualification

• Iran's Saeid Ahmadabbasi named MVP and top goalscore
  
  

  Continental superpower IR Iran have claimed a record 13th AFC Futsal Asian Cup title, swatting aside hosts Thailand 4-1 in an entertaining final in Bangkok.

  Team Melli were imperious across the past fortnight in Thailand, reeling off six straight victories and trailing for less than 20 minutes all told at a tournament where they played with control, speed and a clinical edge in front of goal.
  
  

  In front of a capacity crowd at the Bangkok Arena, goals from Mahdi Karimi and tournament MVP Ahmadabbasi inside the first five minutes put Iran into a commanding early position.

  Thai captain Jirawat Sornwichian pulled a goal back five minutes after the restart but that was as close as the hosts came, with Iran immediately asserting control once more.

  Ali Asghar Hassanzadeh restored the two-goal advantage before keeper Bagher Mohammadi got in on the action, launching a long shot into an empty net to round out the 4-1 result with five minutes remaining.

  Returning to the Asian summit after a six-year absence should fill Iran with real belief that they can translate that form on to the global stage as they aim to better a third-place finish at Colombia 2016.
  
  

  Joining the finalists in securing qualification for Uzbekistan 2024 were Tajikistan and Asian Cup debutants Afghanistan. In a sign of the growing competitiveness of the sport on the continent, Vietnam – who had featured at the past two global finals – and Japan both failed to qualify. Japan’s capitulation was certainly eye-catching with the defending Asian Cup champions stunningly failing to progress from the group.

  Elsewhere, Myanmar won their first ever continental match, Kuwait failed to reach the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012 and Kyrgyz Republic came within one match of securing a maiden World Cup berth.

   

Arrests roil campuses nationwide ahead of graduation as protesters demand Israel ties be cut

Protests are roiling college campuses nationwide as schools with graduation ceremonies next month face demands they cut financial ties to Israel because of the Israel-Hamas war.

Many campuses were largely quiet over the weekend but protesters on both sides of the issue shouted and shoved each other during dueling demonstrations Sunday at the University of California, Los Angeles. About 275 people were arrested on Saturday at various campuses including Indiana University at Bloomington, Arizona State University and Washington University in St. Louis. The number of arrests nationwide approached 900 since New York police removed a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University and arrested more than 100 demonstrators on April 18.



Since then, students have dug in at dozens of pro-Palestinian encampments around the country, prompting a range of responses from administrators: arrests and criminal charges, student suspensions or simply continued pleas to leave. The plight of students has become a central part of protests, with both the students and a growing number of faculty demanding amnesty for protesters. At issue is whether the suspensions and legal records will follow students through their adult lives.

Faculty members at universities in California, Georgia and Texas have initiated or passed largely symbolic votes of no confidence in their leadership.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said President Joe Biden “knows that there are very strong feelings” but would leave managing the protests to local authorities.



“People should have the ability to air their views and to share their perspectives publicly but it has to be peaceful,” Kirby said on ABC’s ”This Week.”

In an interview that aired Sunday, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell called it “a dangerous situation” and placed the responsibility with college administrators.

Iranian dissident promotes independence for Arab minority in Iran, calls to join hands with Israel