International referee Dhakal in closed training for Olympics
International Taekwondo referee Dipendra Dhakal has left for Uzbekistan to participate in Olympic referee selection and closed training on Friday. The decisive selection and closed training is being conducted on Feb 12-14. International Referee Dhakal was recently promoted to the second class in the Kyorugi category. The World Taekwondo Referee Committee sent Dhakal a promotion certificate a few days ago. It took Dhakal four years to get promoted from the third class to the second class.
International referee Dipendra promoted
Nepali Taekwondo referee Dipendra Dhakal has been promoted to the second class international referee in the Kyorugi category. The referee committee of the World Taekwondo promoted Dhakal. He is the Tribhuvan Army Club referee. It took him four years to get the promotion. Dhakal has moved up a level based on the points he got for participating in the taekwondo ranking competition and refresher course. At least eight points is required to move from the third level to the second level. Dhakal participated in eight World ranking competitions and two refresher courses and scored 10 points. He had obtained the referee license from the 104th international taekwondo referee seminar in China. Dhakal was declared as the West Judge in the Royal Spanish International Open Taekwondo Tournament 2022.
Croatia beats Morocco 2-1 to take 3rd place at World Cup
Luka Modric high-fived and embraced his Croatia teammates after what was likely the midfield great’s last appearance at the World Cup.
Some of the Morocco players sank to their knees in dismay, while others went in search of the referee to complain.
So much for this being a meaningless game.
Croatia ended up taking third place at the World Cup after a 2-1 win over Morocco at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday, Associated Press reported.
“It is as if we have won the gold,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić, whose team lost in the final four years ago.
To some, the third-place match is considered to be little more than an exhibition between two losing semifinalists. The day before the match, Morocco coach Walid Regragui described it as a “booby prize.”
However, as the final whistle blew on Morocco’s historic run at the World Cup, the disappointment was clear to see.
So, too, was the delight on Croatian faces.
Modric, at the age of 37 and a serial winner of soccer’s biggest prizes with Real Madrid, could not keep the smile from his face as he went up to collect his bronze medal.
“This medal is very important for us, for me, for my country, for Croatia as a national team,” Modric said. “We confirm with this medal that Croatia is playing an important role in world of football. We are leaving Qatar as winners.”
The World Cup final between defending champion France and Argentina is scheduled for Sunday at Lusail Stadium.
Mislav Orsic scored the decisive goal for Croatia shortly before halftime to ensure Modric finished on a winning note, if this does indeed turn out to be his last World Cup match.
“Now it is step by step by step and continue until least the Nations League and after we will see,” Modric said.
Defender Josko Gvardiol put Croatia ahead in the seventh minute with a diving header, but Achraf Dari evened the score in the ninth, according to Associated Press.
It is the second time Croatia has taken third place at the World Cup. The team also achieved that feat in its first appearance at the tournament as an independent nation in 1998.
“These are the moments we live for, we work for, we train for,” Dalić said. “That’s the most emotional moment of the World Cup for us, tonight’s match and the win.”
After becoming the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals, Morocco’s tournament ended in two losses. But the team’s achievements in Qatar will be remembered for the outpouring of pride among Arab nations.
“For me, football makes people dream and children in particular,” Regragui said. “In Morocco and Africa, we have kept those dreams alive. It means more than a victory at the World Cup.”
France celebrates WCup victory, fans cheer Morocco team
Crowds in Paris and other French cities erupted in shouts of joy as France advanced to the World Cup final Wednesday, while disappointed Morocco fans mingled with the exuberant supporters of the winning team, paying tribute to the African country’s unprecedented achievement, Associated Press reported.
Football fans streamed to the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, shooting off firecrackers and red flares, to an unending chorus of honking cars.
On the famous avenue, many were brandishing French flags and singing “we are in the final.”
Some Moroccan fans, wrapped in the North African country’s flag, also cheered their team in the streets of the French capital.
France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the World Cup final against Argentina, in a historic match between the defending champion and Africa’s first ever semifinalist.
Supporters from both teams gathered in bars from the boulevards of Paris to the streets of Morocco’s capital Rabat, from the cosmopolitan French Riviera city of Nice to the historic Moroccan city of Marrakech.
Celebrating the victory near the Bastille square, in central Paris, Adrien Vignau, a 22-year-old Parisian, praised a “great victory for France” and said he was looking forward to the final against Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi. “Bravo to Moroccans,” said Parisian Corentin Voiseux. “Tonight it’s not only France that wins but all of the French-speaking people. ... We are together and Moroccans will be with us at the final,” he added.In central Madrid, fans celebrated on Sol Square after the match, some with red Moroccan flags draped on their shoulders, jumping up and down, and some wearing the French tricolor.
In Belgium, scuffles briefly broke out in Brussels after the game and authorities countered with water cannon and teargas after they were targeted. One and a half hours later, a tense calm had returned. Media reports spoke of 40 detentions. There also was some unrest in northern Antwerp, according to Associated Press.
In Paris, riot police vans lined the broad thoroughfare and the base of the imposing Arc de Triomphe, and white-helmeted officers roamed the crowd on the Champs-Elysees. Minor incidents briefly broke out, leading officers to occasionally use teargas to move the crowd away.
Despite their sadness, Moroccan fans expressed pride in their team, highlighting the history-making moment this game represented.
A Rabat resident, Fatima Zahra Attaq said that she was “a bit sad, but this is football. ... After all, they gave their best and made us proud to reach this stage of the competition.”
“The national team made us dream,” said Reda Hakam, also working in Rabat. “The dream is now over. I am not sad. I am actually very proud.”
Kenza El Amrani said that “I think Moroccans should wipe the tears off their faces and cheer for this team.”
Those who attended the game in Qatar also paid tribute to the performance and fighting spirit of the African team.
“Morocco played with their hearts,” said Ayaz Dhrolia, a fan from Canada whose face was painted in Morocco colors as he left Doha’s Al Bayt Stadium. “They won the hearts of millions and millions of people around the world, well appreciated. Thanks, Morocco.”
Youssra Zhhata, a Moroccan woman who was at the game, stressed that “they made it to the semifinals and that’s an accomplishment. ... And we had Africans, Arabs, everyone supporting us.”
Morocco was under French rule from 1912-56, giving the match political and emotional resonance for both nations.
Morocco has exceeded all expectations in Qatar by beating second-ranked Belgium in the group stage and then eliminating European powerhouses Spain and Portugal in the knockout phase to reach the semifinals, Associated Press reported.
In Gaza, Palestinians who thronged cafes and outdoor large screens expressed disappointment at Morocco’s loss.
“All of Gaza is now sad for this result. We were hoping they would win,” said Wael al-Riffi, a Gaza resident, as he held Morocco’s flag.
Crowds also gathered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to watch the game.
The Palestinians felt empathy from the Moroccan national team as players held the Palestinian flag several times at the World Cup.
