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The Gulf Celebrates 25th Edition of Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra

Attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the opening ceremony witnessed a musical segment and a firework show. Photo: Issal al-Dbaisi
Attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the opening ceremony witnessed a musical segment and a firework show. Photo: Issal al-Dbaisi
    Basra - Ali Qattan
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The Gulf Celebrates 25th Edition of Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra

Attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the opening ceremony witnessed a musical segment and a firework show. Photo: Issal al-Dbaisi
Attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the opening ceremony witnessed a musical segment and a firework show. Photo: Issal al-Dbaisi

Thousands of football fans from around the Gulf attended the opening ceremony of the 25th edition of the Arabian Gulf Cup in Basra on Friday. The last time Iraq hosted this tournament was in 1979 when it won the title.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani formally kicked off the tournament at the Basra International Stadium.

“We welcome the brothers, the visitors, the teams and the fans in Iraq, the land of Mesopotamia and Basra. It’s a historic moment which demonstrates brotherhood among the Arab brothers in the Gulf,” the PM said.

Attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the opening ceremony witnessed a musical segment and a firework show.

The ceremony started with a presentation of the eight partaking teams divided into two groups.

Iraqi singer Hussam Alrassam performed the opening song at the Basra Stadium before the start of the Iraq-Oman game. The match ended with a draw.

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Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv Plays Soccer Game Without Incident in Hungary

28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
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Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv Plays Soccer Game Without Incident in Hungary

28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa
28 November 2024, Berlin: Maccabi Tel Aviv fans wave Israeli flags in the stands during the EuroLeague Basketball match between Alba Berlin and Maccabi Tel Aviv at Uber Arena. Photo: Andreas Gora/dpa

Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv's game against Besiktas in the Europa League was played without incident before empty stands in Hungary on Thursday, with the stadium closed to fans over security concerns following attacks on Israeli supporters in Amsterdam this month.
Maccabi won the game 3-1 on a cold and rainy evening in Debrecen, Hungary's second-largest city. Groups of police patrolled outside the stadium but security levels did not appear overwhelming in the city of around 200,000 residents, The Associated Press reported.
After the match, Maccabi coach Zarko Lazetic said playing in front of an empty stadium without fans is always a struggle for the team.
“We play football because of the fans, to give them some pleasure, some excite(ment) and to be together,” he said.
Israel’s soccer teams play domestic games at home despite the Israel-Hamas war. But European soccer body UEFA has ruled that the war in Gaza means Israel cannot host international games.
The Thursday match was Maccabi’s first in Europe since its fans were assaulted in the Netherlands on Nov. 7 in attacks that were condemned as antisemitic by authorities in Israel and across Europe.
Before that match in Amsterdam, a large crowd of Israeli fans chanted anti-Arab slogans, and later, youths on scooters and on foot crisscrossed the city in search of Israeli fans, punching and kicking them, according to the city's mayor.
Five people were treated in hospitals and police detained dozens of people.
Even before the Amsterdam attacks, the European soccer body UEFA announced that Thursday’s Europa League match, originally scheduled to take place in Istanbul, would be moved to a neutral venue “following a decision by the Turkish authorities.”
Hungary, which has hosted several home games for Israel’s national team since the war in Gaza began, agreed to host the game.