عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Sports

First Arab-Israeli Player to Play in Gulf League

Israeli player Dia Saba (File Photo: Saba’s official Instagram)
Israeli player Dia Saba (File Photo: Saba’s official Instagram)
    Dubai, London- Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

First Arab-Israeli Player to Play in Gulf League

Israeli player Dia Saba (File Photo: Saba’s official Instagram)
Israeli player Dia Saba (File Photo: Saba’s official Instagram)

The UAE Football League seems to be one facet of the the recent normalization of relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

A source in the Dubai-based al-Nasr Football Club was quoted by AFP as saying that Dia Saba will be “the first Israeli player” to play in the UAE league since its launch in 1974.

The midfielder, 27, who is of Palestinian origins, is on his way to Dubai and will undergo the routine medical tests before officially joining the team, the source affirmed.

Saba is scheduled to sign a three-year contract, earning about $3 million per year, reports noted.

He is currently playing for the Chinese Super League club Guangzhou R&F and is set to leave the Far East outfit after a year-and-a-half stint.

Saba posted an image on his official Instagram page of himself on a Dubai-bound Emirates flight confirming his transfer from China’s Guangzhou R&F.

Nasr Club’s contracting with Saba comes as Israel and the UAE agreed to formally normalize their relations in mid-August and signed the normalization agreement at the US White House on September 15.

The UAE and Bahrain were the first two Gulf States to announce normalizing ties with Israel, preceded by Egypt in 1979 and Jordan in 1994.

Israeli Army spokesman for the Arab media Avichay Adraee posted a picture of Saba on his Twitter account.

“Israeli soccer player Dia Saba on his way to Dubai to join the Emirati Al-Nasr team to become the first Israeli player in the Gulf League,” he tweeted.

Emirati tweeters also welcomed the deal.

“Dia Saba, the first Israeli player in the Arab Gulf League, is an excellent step, and we wish him all success and welcome him in the homeland of tolerance,” Fahd al-Hosani wrote.

Saba was born to an Arab-Israeli family in Majd al-Krum and has previously played for Maccabi Netanya in 2014 and Hapoel Be'er Sheva in 2018 before signing for Guangzhou R&F in 2019.

Al-Nasr has welcomed four new players this season. These are Sebastian Tagliabue from Al Wahda, Ryan Mendes from Cape Verde from Sharjah, Abdul Rahman Youssef from Al Dhafra Club, and the 19-year-old Brazilian player, Caique Jesus.

Most Viewed

 
 
Sports

French Open Boss: Prize Money Will Not Change Despite Players' Complaints

A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
TT
TT

French Open Boss: Prize Money Will Not Change Despite Players' Complaints

A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
A ballgirl stands during the draw for the French Open tennis tournament, Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

The French Open prize money will not change this year despite players complaining they deserve a bigger share, tournament director Amelie Mauresmo said on Thursday.

Top players have criticized the Open organizers for reducing the players’ share of revenue to an alleged 14.3% — compared to 22% at standard ATP and WTA events.

To show their discontent, many competing at Roland Garros, where play begins on Sunday, are planning to limit their interaction with reporters to 15 minutes during Friday’s traditional pre-tournament media day.

Mauresmo, a former Australian Open and Wimbledon champion, said she remained open to dialogue and was confident of a solution. A meeting is expected on Friday between tournament organizers and the players and their representatives.

But asked whether there was a chance the prize money would change this year, Mauresmo said: "No, we are not going to change anything. We are going to initiate discussions and that is what everyone wants.”

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka and No. 4 Coco Gauff were among leading players this month who supported a boycott of the Grand Slams if they don’t start receiving more compensation.

Roland Garros organizers increased the prize money by about 10%, after the US Open last year raised their's by 20% and this year's Australian Open by 16%.

The entire French Open pot was 61.7 million euros ($72 million), up 5.3 million euros from last year. But the players claimed their share of Roland Garros revenue declined from 15.5% in 2024 to 14.9% projected in 2026. They say the event generated 395 million euros in 2025, a 14% year-on-year increase, yet prize money rose by just 5.4%, reducing players’ share of revenue to 14.3%.

The singles champions at Roland Garros will each receive 2.8 million euros, an increase of 250,000 euros compared with 2025.

“I’m not going to tell you that everything will be resolved with the snap of a finger," Mauresmo said. “But the discussions will continue, probably after the tournament.”

Sports

Sinner, Djokovic Kept Apart in French Open Draw

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
TT
TT

Sinner, Djokovic Kept Apart in French Open Draw

FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Italian Open - Foro Italico, Rome, Italy - May 17, 2026 Italy's Jannik Sinner reacts during his men's final match against Norway's Casper Rudd REUTERS/Ciro De Luca/File Photo

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic will not be able to meet until the French Open final after the pair were placed in opposite halves of the draw on Thursday.

Sinner, the red-hot title favourite in the absence of injured rival Carlos Alcaraz, will start his bid for a maiden Roland Garros crown against French wildcard Clement Tabur, the world number 165.

World number one Sinner is slated to meet big-hitting American fifth seed Ben Shelton in the quarter-finals.

Daniil Medvedev is a possible semi-final opponent for the Italian, AFP reported.

The Russian gave Sinner a rare scare in the Italian Open semis earlier this month before eventually succumbing in three sets.

Djokovic will kick off his latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title against home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard.

Second seed Alexander Zverev is a potential semi-final opponent for Djokovic.

The German has played Djokovic twice before at Roland Garros, suffering quarter-final defeats against the Serb in 2019 and last year.

The stand-out first-round tie sees in-form French number one Arthur Fils take on former champion Stan Wawrinka, featuring at the tournament for the last time before retirement.

 

 

 

 

Sports

Saudi Arabia Tops AFC Club Rankings for Sixth Consecutive Year

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
TT
TT

Saudi Arabia Tops AFC Club Rankings for Sixth Consecutive Year

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Arabia has retained its top position in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) club rankings, according to the latest update for the 2025–2026 season.

The Kingdom leads the standings with 132.545 points, followed by Japan in second place with 120.410 points, and South Korea in third with 87.334 points.

This marks the sixth consecutive year Saudi Arabia has topped the AFC rankings, reflecting the strong performances of Saudi clubs in continental competitions and their consistent competitiveness in Asian tournaments.