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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
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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.

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Liverpool Close on Champions League but Salah Limps off

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
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Liverpool Close on Champions League but Salah Limps off

Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)
Football - Premier League - Liverpool v Crystal Palace - Anfield, Liverpool, Britain - April 25, 2026 Liverpool's Mohamed Salah applauds fans as he walks off the pitch after being substituted. (Reuters)

Liverpool moved ever closer to securing Champions League football next season with a 3-1 win over Crystal Palace on Saturday but will be hoping Mohamed Salah has not played his final game for the club.

Salah limped off in the second half at Anfield holding his hamstring with less than a month of his glittering career with the Reds remaining.

"It's too early to say but we all know Mo and how hard it is for him to leave the pitch," said Liverpool boss Arne Slot. "We have to wait and see how bad it is."

Two goals in five minutes just before half-time tightened the grip of Slot's men on a top-five finish.

British transfer record signing Alexander Isak scored his first goal since returning from a leg break as he smartly controlled Alexis Mac Allister's wayward effort on goal and swiveled on the ball to volley it past Dean Henderson.

Andy Robertson then marked one of his final appearances at Anfield with a fine finish at the end of a lethal Liverpool counter-attack after third-choice goalkeeper Freddie Woodman had denied Palace an equalizer.

Salah went to ground just before the hour mark holding the back of his left leg and was given a standing ovation as he made way for Jeremie Frimpong.

Daniel Munoz reduced the Eagles' arrears in controversial fashion as Liverpool wanted the game stopped with Woodman down injured.

"It was a lot more nervy because of the goal. I don't think we deserved to concede it in that fashion," added Slot.

"Is there a game we play where there isn't a talking point about the referee?"

But Florian Wirtz secured the three points deep into stoppage time with just his fifth Premier League goal since a £100 million ($135 million) move from Bayer Leverkusen.

Victory moves Liverpool up to fourth and opens up an eight-point lead on sixth-placed Brighton with just four games of the season remaining.

Sports

Report: Brazil’s Militao Risks Missing World Cup with Hamstring Injury

Real Madrid defender Eder Militao (C) leaves the pitch during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real Madrid and Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, 21 April 2026. (EPA)
Real Madrid defender Eder Militao (C) leaves the pitch during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real Madrid and Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, 21 April 2026. (EPA)
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Report: Brazil’s Militao Risks Missing World Cup with Hamstring Injury

Real Madrid defender Eder Militao (C) leaves the pitch during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real Madrid and Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, 21 April 2026. (EPA)
Real Madrid defender Eder Militao (C) leaves the pitch during the Spanish LaLiga soccer match between Real Madrid and Deportivo Alaves at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, 21 April 2026. (EPA)

Real Madrid's Brazil defender Eder Militao is at serious risk of missing the World Cup after suffering a hamstring injury, sources close to the club and the national team told Reuters.

Real confirmed in midweek that Militao felt a twinge in a challenge shortly before halftime ‌in Tuesday's ‌win against Alaves and ‌signaled ⁠straight away to be ⁠replaced.

While Real coach Alvaro Arbeloa initially struck an optimistic tone after the game, an MRI scan later revealed a muscle injury to the hamstring in Militao's left ⁠leg.

Spanish radio COPE first reported ‌it was a ‌recurrence of the injury he sustained ‌in December, which could require surgery ‌and rule him out of the World Cup, which starts in less than 50 days. Reuters has confirmed that ‌report with several sources.

The 28-year-old now faces an anxious wait. ⁠Sources ⁠told Reuters a final decision will be made and announced on Monday, when Militao undergoes a new series of examinations with Real's doctors to determine the next steps.

The latest blow marks another setback for the Brazilian center back, who has endured a succession of injuries in recent seasons, including ACL tears in back-to-back years.

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Real Madrid’s Mbappe Suffers Hamstring Issue at Betis

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Betis v Real Madrid - Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain - April 24, 2026 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Betis v Real Madrid - Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain - April 24, 2026 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts. (Reuters)
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Real Madrid’s Mbappe Suffers Hamstring Issue at Betis

Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Betis v Real Madrid - Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain - April 24, 2026 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts. (Reuters)
Soccer Football - LaLiga - Real Betis v Real Madrid - Estadio de La Cartuja, Seville, Spain - April 24, 2026 Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe reacts. (Reuters)

Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe suffered a "muscle overload" in his left hamstring during the team's 1-1 draw at Real Betis in La Liga, a club source told AFP on Friday.

Mbappe asked to be substituted in the final 10 minutes of the game, which left his side eight points behind league leaders Barcelona.

The France captain's problem does not appear to be serious, pending further tests, easing any potential concerns ahead of the World Cup this summer.

"I have no idea (how Mbappe is), he had some discomfort and we will see how it develops in the coming days," said coach Alvaro Arbeloa when asked by reporters about the forward, Madrid's top goalscorer, after the game.

On Wednesday Barcelona's teenage winger Lamine Yamal suffered a hamstring injury which ruled him out until the end of the season, although he is expected to be fit to play at the World Cup for Spain.