DUBAI: Malek Jaziri’s remarkable run to the Dubai Tennis Championships semifinals was brought to an end by Roberto Bautista Agut on Friday.
The Tunisian was beaten 6-3, 6-4 by third-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut.
Jaziri became the first Arab to make it to the last four at The Aviation Club since 2002. But having seen off the challenge of world No.4 Grigor Dimitrov earlier in the week he had no answer to the powerful Spaniard who made the pair’s difference in world rankings — Bautista Agut is ranked No.22 to Jaziri’s 117 — all too apparent.
While disappointed at not making his first ATP Tour final the Tunisian was able to take a lot of heart from his surprise march to the semis.
“I took a lot of confidence from this week. I need to build all the positive things from this week, to continue for positive energy, positive way to work,” the Arab ace said.
“I’m proud I won lot of matches. Tunisians, lot of people, I make them happy I can see in the face.
“For me, as well, I took a lot of confidence from this week mentally and tennistically as well.
“I give energy to my team, as well, to work harder for the season, to put good objective to make great season, as well.”
Jaziri will return to the top 100 when the new rankings are released on Monday
“(The Top-100 ranking will) give me confidence to play more relaxed little bit. You know that you will be in the Grand Slam main draw. It will give you more opportunities. Even ATP, next entries in the Barcelona ATP, Monte-Carlo. Maybe if I play a few weeks better, I have a chance as well.”
Bautista Agut will now face Lucas Pouille in Saturday’s final. The Frenchman made it to his third ATP final in four weeks after overcoming Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-7, 7-6.
Arab ace Malek Jaziri positive despite Dubai semifinal defeat
Arab ace Malek Jaziri positive despite Dubai semifinal defeat
Man City fined more than a million pounds for delayed kickoffs
- The club accepted and apologized for the rule breaches
- City are awaiting the verdict of 115 unrelated charges of alleged breaches of the FFP rules
MANCHESTER: Manchester City have been fined more than one million pounds by the Premier League for breaching the rules around delayed kickoffs and restarts nine times last season, England’s top-flight league said on Thursday.
The fine comes a year after City paid 2 million pounds ($2.56 million) to the league for breaching the same game-delay rules.
The club accepted and apologized for the rule breaches, and confirmed they have reminded their players and staff of their responsibilities in complying with the rules.
“Rules relating to kick-offs and re-starts help ensure the organization of the competition is set at the highest possible professional standard and provides certainty to fans and participating clubs,” the league said in a statement.
“It also ensures the broadcast of every Premier League match is kept to schedule.”
Fines totalling 1.08 million pounds were imposed relating to City’s home games against Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, West Ham United and Newcastle United and their away fixtures against Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town.
The longest game delays were two minutes 22 seconds each for restarts v West Ham and Ipswich.
City are awaiting the verdict of 115 unrelated charges of alleged breaches of the Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules.
The charges cover a period starting from 2009 and continuing into the 2022-23 season. City have always denied any wrongdoing.
Soccer fans storm field in Libya and a Portuguese referee is injured during a suspended match
- The match was suspended in the 39th minute
- Al-Ittihad’s bus was set on fire, the club said in a statement
TRIPOLI: A highly-anticipated derby in Libya’s top soccer league was suspended after fans stormed the pitch and officials said Thursday the Portuguese referee and some fans were injured.
The match Wednesday between Al-Ahly Tripoli and Al-Ittihad was suspended in the 39th minute when Al-Ahli substitutes and fans stormed the pitch in protest of Al-Ittihad players’ celebration of their opening goal.
Al-Ittihad’s bus was set on fire, the club said in a statement.
Players and soccer officials fled the stadium amid a fan disturbance outside the facility. Footage circuited online showed clashes between fans and security forces in and around the stadium.
Al-Ahly blamed what they called a “provocative act” by one of Al-Ittihad players for the disturbance.
They said in a statement that security forces used “excessive force and live fire” against fans at the club’s headquarters.
Local media reported that Portuguese referee Fábio José Costa was injured.
FIFA hands four-match bans to Boca Juniors players sent off in Club World Cup opener
- Boca disagreed with the sanctions imposed on their players
- “We have already contacted FIFA to submit an appeal,” said the club
MIAMI: Boca Juniors players Ander Herrera and Nicolas Figal were handed four-match bans by FIFA after being sent off in their Club World Cup opener against Benfica, a spokesperson for the Argentine club told Reuters on Wednesday.
Boca disagreed with the sanctions imposed on their players after Benfica’s Andrea Belotti received a two-match ban for catching Ayrton Costa in the head with a high boot in the 72nd minute.
“We have already contacted FIFA to submit an appeal,” said the club spokesperson.
Spanish midfielder Herrera, who was subbed off due to a muscle injury, was shown a red card in the 45th minute after protesting to Mexican referee Cesar Ramos from the bench over a penalty awarded to the Portuguese side.
Defender Figal was sent off in the 88th minute with a straight red card for a foul on Florentino Luis when the match was tied at 2-2.
Boca will face Bayern Munich at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Friday in their second match in Group C.
Biaggio Ali Walsh gets support from Muslim community ahead of SmartCage return
- Grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali takes on Ronnie Gibbs on June 27 as part of PFL World Championship semifinals
DUBAI: Undefeated fighter Biaggio Ali Walsh has revealed how the Muslim community in Las Vegas, Nevada, is supporting him ahead of his highly anticipated return to the Professional Fighters League’s SmartCage.
Family, friends and members of the community gathered at Masjid As-Sabur, the oldest mosque in Las Vegas, on June 13 to show their support for Walsh ahead of his upcoming fight — a showcase lightweight bout against Ronnie Gibbs on June 27, which is part of the 2025 PFL World Championship semifinals, at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.
Walsh explained: “Some people from the community, family and friends, came and helped, supporting my fight coming up.
“I’m just super grateful for all the love and support; I feel it radiating throughout me.”
It was a special night of fellowship as everyone prayed, enjoyed food, and wished Walsh well.
Walsh, who is the grandson of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, spoke about the importance of faith and how essential it is to have a deep relationship with God.
He said: “Faith is everything in life, period. I feel like if you have good faith and deep faith in God and trust God, you can do anything.
“It’s everything, it’s the only thing I know, and that’s the only thing that helps calm me before these kinds of fights.”
He added: “I’m really excited for the fight … thank you guys so much for coming out, and inshallah, I will come back victorious.”
Initially making waves as a standout collegiate football player, the 26-year old found his way to mixed martial arts and ultimately made the full-time leap.
It was this transition to combat sports that, he said, helped strengthen his faith and his relationship with God.
In 2024, shortly after turning pro in MMA, Walsh deepened his devotion by partaking in Umrah, the spiritual journey to Makkah.
Coming from a family of elite fighters, it is no surprise that Walsh is making an impact on the MMA scene.
In addition to the Muhammad Ali connection, Walsh’s aunt is world champion boxer Laila Ali. His younger brother Nico is also a professional boxer.
Now with a 2-0 record in his professional MMA career, Walsh is determined to carry on the Ali legacy into a new era — and with faith, family, and community behind him, he has never been more ready.
DP World International League T20 and Kuwait Cricket Board sign partnership to develop the sport
- Gulf region’s biggest T20 league to promote cricket in Kuwait through tournaments and exposure for local players
- League plans to host DP World ILT20 matches in Kuwait in coming years to inspire next generation of players
DUBAI: The DP World International League T20 and the Kuwait Cricket Board have agreed on a partnership to promote and develop the sport in Kuwait.
Through the partnership the DP World ILT20 will organize cricket matches in the country that will be aimed at identifying and developing participating players.
The agreement was inked at a recent signing ceremony at the Dubai International Stadium. Under the agreement, a domestic event, such as the DP World ILT20 UAE Development Tournament, will be conducted annually in Kuwait to give players the opportunity to get selected by ILT20 franchises for the main DP World ILT20 event.
In coming years, the league will also aim to host DP World ILT20 matches in Kuwait.
Chairman of ILT20 and Vice-Chairman of the Emirates Cricket Board Khalid Al-Zarooni said: “We are very proud to announce our collaboration with Kuwait Cricket Board as they join our league (DP World ILT20). It is a great honor for us, and we look forward to many more such collaborations in the future. Kuwait is very important to us; it is a great country and keen on promoting and further developing cricket.
“Kuwait and the rest of the Gulf countries are all one, the (cricket playing) communities are residing throughout the region and our aim with the DP World ILT20 is to grow and develop the game in the entire region. Our endeavor is to provide maximum opportunities to the players and for the fans to join us at this great tournament which we are trying to grow more and more.”
Kuwait Cricket President Haider Farman said: “I am honored to formalize this agreement between Kuwait Cricket and the Emirates Cricket Board to further promote the DP World ILT20 not only in our two nations but across the entire region. This partnership is a key pillar of the league’s broader vision for the growth and globalization of cricket. We firmly believe that cricket can serve as a powerful bridge between our countries, and we look forward to this collaboration bringing meaningful benefits to our players, coaches, and officials alike.”
Farman said it was “a matter of great pride” that Kuwait had become the first country in the world to be officially recognized as a strategic partner of the DP World ILT20.
Cricket continues to grow in popularity in Kuwait, with Kuwait Cricket making significant strides both on and off the field, he added.
“This landmark collaboration with the Emirates Cricket Board and the ILT20 will play a critical role in helping us realize our long-term vision to involve more Kuwaiti nationals in our cricketing ecosystem, especially as players and officials,” he said.
“With the Asian Games scheduled to take place in Qatar in 2030 and Saudi Arabia in 2034, the timing couldn’t be better. DP World ILT20 can be a transformative force in inspiring the next generation of local talent to embrace the sport across the GCC like never before.”
Meanwhile, CEO of DP World ILT20 David White congratulated Kuwait Cricket on the vision and foresight that led to the alliance.
“The DP World ILT20’s long term vision is to grow the game not only in the UAE but across the Gulf region,” he said. “This partnership provides a great opportunity for Kuwait Cricket and their young players to develop further. We have seen it in the DP World ILT20 how the young UAE players have benefited enormously through this incredible platform under some world-class coaching.
“The UAE team recently won a T20I series against Bangladesh which is indeed a testament to the success of the DP World ILT20 as a lot of the UAE team members had received great exposure at the league in recent years, surely Kuwait and other countries in the region are going to benefit as well,” White said.
Director General of Kuwait Cricket Sajid Ashraf described the partnership with the Emirates Cricket Board as a “momentous collaboration” and a milestone for Kuwait Cricket.
“It opens the door to a long-awaited dream: enabling our Kuwait players to pursue full-time professional cricket careers on the international franchise stage,” he said.
“Just as importantly, it offers a powerful platform for corporate houses in Kuwait to connect with a vibrant, cricket-loving expatriate community of over two million people, within a total population of 5 million. This initiative provides a unique opportunity for Kuwaiti brands to expand their footprint regionally, starting with the UAE. We are deeply passionate about our Kuwaiti businesses becoming an integral part of both KCC and the DP World ILT20.
“These well-established corporations in Kuwait have so much to offer in supporting the continued growth of cricket across the region, and their involvement will only strengthen the sport’s ecosystem,” Ashraf added. “This is undoubtedly a win-win for all stakeholders — players, sponsors, partners, fans, and the broader cricket community. We are excited about the ILT20 Development Tournament and eagerly await the first ball being delivered right here in the State of Kuwait.”
The DP World International League T20 Season 4 will begin on Tuesday, Dec. 2 — UAE National Day (Eid-Al-Etihad) — with the six-team, 34-match tournament set to conclude with the final on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026.
