BASRA: It was almost the perfect tournament for Iraq, a dream on and off the pitch. Perhaps it was too good to be true.
On Thursday night, as the nation prepared for the Arabian Gulf Cup final against Oman in Basra — a game Iraq eventually won 3-2 in sensational circumstances — reality crashed the party.
A crush outside the stadium, hours before kickoff, led to at least two people being killed and dozens more injured. Tragedy cast a shadow over the joyous celebrations, and who was to blame has yet to be determined.
It is a shame. Because while such an event cannot be ignored — and is not — Basra had put on a welcoming, sporting and culturally wonderful tournament up to that point.
After months of preparation and two weeks of intense football the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup came to an end with Iraq crowned champions.
Not only has the Iraqi national football team finally tasted international glory for the first time in 16 years, but the bigger victory was the Lions of Mesopotamia succeeding on home territory after decades of isolation and restrictions.
Being one of the most displaced populations because of war and sanctions, Iraqis across the globe have been celebrating the feat in Basra, which many felt they might never see in their home country.
Iraqis have made their homes in all parts of the world, with families often divided. But the Arabian Gulf Cup gave them something to celebrate. Even London’s Trafalgar Square filled with Iraqis minutes after Iraq’s victory.
“Witnessing Iraq host and win a tournament has brought much excitement and hope for the future of Iraqi football and has allowed us Iraqi expatriates to feel great pride in our heritage,” said Basim Amin, a 30-year-old Iraqi accountant living in Dubai.
“After growing up seeing Iraq suffer with years of war, it was hard to imagine Iraq hosting any sport.”
While the opportunity to celebrate Iraq’s reemergence on the international scene was cherished, many Iraqis were also disappointed at not being able to attend the tournament.
“Having had the amazing opportunity to be living in Qatar while the FIFA World Cup games took place, it made it even more heartbreaking that I wasn’t able to be a part of the Arabian Gulf Cup in my home country,” said Yasmin Jawad, a 31-year-old marketing specialist.
“To see a victory for our nation is something we could have only ever dreamed of and it’s such a proud day for all Iraqis.”
That sentiment was echoed by Shams Albayati, an Iraqi living in Vancouver.
“My heart was filled with joy and pride the last few days. Seeing how Iraqis united to make a transformative impact is a powerful message,” she said.
“It is proof that Iraqis will always have each other’s back to create Mesopotamian magic.”
Hassanane Balal, who lives in England and hosts an Iraqi football podcast, said staging an international tournament was a special moment for Iraq.
“I’m delighted that people back home had the opportunity to see their national team. It’s something that a lot of people take for granted.
“In England people can go and see their national team play whenever they want. In Iraq they don’t have that luxury,” he said.
“Overall, football is a huge factor in bringing Iraqis together. To have so many people turn up to these games shows you just how much football means to us.”
But that passion led to thousands of fans without tickets trying to get inside the ground for the final. And having not learned from the chaos outside the stadium ahead of the opening ceremony, the organizers’ poor crowd management cost lives.
“We shouldn’t just point fingers at Iraq,” said Jaffar Saraj, a property developer from London.
“What about the chaos that happened when Wembley hosted the Euro 2020 final?”
Aws Haidari, an Iraqi television producer in California, said he hoped the tragedy would prompt change.
“I am definitely happy to see Iraq host its neighbors and reunite with people and countries that we were separated from for decades,” he said.
“But I can’t help feel sad and worried that this tournament has glossed over the failure of the government to truly serve Iraqis desperate for tangible change.”
It was clear Iraq was able to host a quality tournament, Haidari said, but he wondered “if locals are deserving of that same enthusiasm when it comes to fighting corruption and supporting the dysfunctional health and education systems.”
With the tournament over, Iraqis can look back with pride and hope that it leaves a legacy for a population that has been through so much trauma. It will allow the children of Iraq to once again dream of being successful footballers and athletes, and show the rest of the world that Iraq is open to visitors.
Congratulations to Iraq, not only for success in football but also for a cultural victory.
Final day tragedy shouldn’t dampen Iraqi pride after Gulf Cup victory
https://arab.news/gvu3f
Final day tragedy shouldn’t dampen Iraqi pride after Gulf Cup victory
- Crush outside stadium cost two people their lives
- But sadness should not overshadow what until then had been a wonderful event
Fireballs, Garcia claim wins at LIV Golf Hong Kong
- Spanish star leads his team to double tries as Mickelson makes first podium
HONG KONG: Sergio Garcia and his red-hot Fireballs GC team captured both trophies on Sunday at LIV Golf Hong Kong, while HyFlyers GC Captain Phil Mickelson appears to have recaptured his Hall of Fame form.
Led by their captain Garcia, the Fireballs have now won back-to-back tournaments, having claimed LIV Golf Adelaide last month. They will head to next week’s LIV Golf Singapore presented by Aramco seeking to become the first LIV Golf team to win three consecutive tournaments since the league expanded to a full 14-tournament schedule in 2023.
Garcia shot a bogey-free 7-under 63 to finish at 18 under and claim the individual title by three shots over hard-charging Dean Burmester, whose 62 was the low round of the day. Garcia, who finished third in the season-long Individual Championship race last season, moved atop the points standings after the first three events in 2025.
The 45-year-old Garcia played the final hole on Sunday with a comfortable individual lead but needed to make par to avoid dropping into a team playoff with Burmester’s Stinger GC. Facing a lengthy birdie putt, he rolled it to within tap-in range to seal the Fireballs’ sixth LIV Golf team title in club history. They climbed atop the season-long team standings by 10 points over Legion XIII.
“It was nice to see not only that I was doing well and leading the tournament, but my teammates were playing great,” said Garcia, who follows teammate Abraham Ancer as individual champions in Hong Kong. “They were keeping us there with a chance to win. Obviously when you can pull the double, it’s a lot sweeter than if it’s just one of them. Very proud of them.”
The Fireballs and Stingers appeared headed for a playoff until Luis Masaveu, the 22-year-old Spaniard signed by Garcia in the offseason, birdied his final hole, the short par-4 10th. “It feels incredible,” said Masaveu. “… Very happy for the team to be able to hole that putt and help them.”
Masaveu shot an even-par 70, with Ancer shooting 65 and David Puig a bogey-free 67 for a three-day team total of 37 under. The South African Stingers shot 17 under as a team Sunday to finish one shot back. Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC tied for third at 34 under with Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC, the reigning Team Champions. It was the HyFlyers’ third podium result in team history.
Individually, Mickelson finished solo third after his 64 left him at 14 under. It is the first podium finish for the 54-year-old Mickelson since joining LIV Golf as an original member in 2022, and it could not have come at a better time with golf’s first major just a month away at the Masters.
“The fact is, I’m hitting a lot of good shots. I’m playing some good golf,” said Mickelson, who has won three of his six majors at Augusta National. “This is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win in LIV as well as winning another major or getting ready for Augusta.”
Garcia is also a past Masters champion, and his form has been superb for more than a year. Since the start of the 2024 LIV Golf season, he has two wins, three other runner-up finishes, and 13 top 20s in the last 16 LIV Golf regular season events, including 10 straight after Hong Kong.
He entered Sunday’s final round with a share of the lead but made an early statement by holing a lengthy eagle putt at the par-5 third after finding the green in two with a 6-iron. That gave him a two-shot lead, which he never relinquished.
“It really got me in a good mood,” Garcia said of the eagle. “I was very focused on what I wanted to do. But obviously when that happens, it gets you going even more.”
Always one of golf’s best ball-strikers, Garcia’s putting was dialed in at Hong Kong Golf Club, as he ranked third in the field in fewest putts during the week after switching to one of his old putters.
“I played with him yesterday,” Masaveu said. “He’s a machine.”
Asked if Garcia with a hot putter is as good as it gets in professional golf, Ancer offered a one-word response: “Yes.”
LeBron James has ‘not much concern’ after exiting loss to Celtics with late groin injury
- LeBron James didn’t sound overly concerned about the strained groin that he suffered in the waning minutes of Los Angeles’ loss to Boston
- He also wasn’t willing to put a timetable on how fast he could be back on the court as the Lakers look to maintain their recent surge in the standings
BOSTON: LeBron James didn’t sound overly concerned after straining his groin in the waning minutes of Los Angeles’ 111-101 loss to Boston on Saturday night.
He also wasn’t willing to put a timetable on how fast he could be back on the court as the Lakers look to maintain their recent surge in the standings.
“Not much concern,” James said. “Obviously, I’m day-to-day. I’ll look at it each day and see if it gets better, and take the proper measures to see what I need to do moving forward.”
James exited during a timeout with 6:44 to play after contesting a layup by Jaylen Brown. He walked gingerly to the huddle during an ensuing timeout and then barely moved before making his way to the locker room with trainers. He finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists.
He said his first thoughts went to his first season in Los Angeles in 2018 when he suffered a groin injury during a Christmas Day matchup with Golden State. He missed the next 17 games and the injury bothered him for most of the remainder of the season
“I’ve been there before and I know what type of injury we’re dealing with.,” James said.
The good news is he doesn’t believe this latest injury is as severe as the 2018 one.
He also said he thought about former teammate Anthony Davis, who incurred his current groin injury in his first game in Dallas following his trade for Luka Doncic.
“That’s crazy. But I thought about AD,” James said.
Doncic just wants James to give the injury the rest it needs.
“Obviously, he’s got to take his time,” Doncic said. “Those injuries, I won’t say are the worse, but they’re tough to deal with.”
In the meantime James has confidence that his team, which had its eight-game win streak snapped by Boston, can fill in the gaps as it looks to maintain its place in the West standings. The Lakers (40-22) fell to third place behind Denver after Saturday’s loss and face a tough upcoming stretch.
The Lakers continue a four-game trip Monday night at Brooklyn. It concludes with matchups at Milwaukee and Denver on Thursday and Friday. They then return home March 16 for a four-game homestand that begins with Phoenix and bookends with return visits from the Nuggets and Bucks.
“It doesn’t matter who’s in the lineup, we have to play our game,” James said. “We’ve had guys in and out of the lineup the majority of the year. And we’ve had guys in and out of the lineup the last six weeks. ... Nothing changes.”
Magomed Ankalaev wins undisputed light heavyweight belt with unanimous decision over Alex Pereira
- All three judges scored in favor of Ankalaev (21-1-1), with scores of 49-46 and two at 48-47
- In the co-main event, the No. 3-ranked lightweight and fan favorite Justin Gaethje (27-5-0) earned a unanimous decision over No. 11 Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0)
LAS VEGAS: Magomed Ankalaev’s plan coming into Saturday’s light heavyweight bout at UFC 313 was to pressure Alex Pereira.
And then add more pressure. And more.
The strategy worked, as Ankalaev scored a stunning upset with a unanimous decision to take Pereira’s undisputed light heavyweight belt.
“I can’t even put it into words,” Ankalaev said in the ring during the post-fight interview through a translator. “It’s been such a long way, and it’s my dream. It’s on my waist.”
All three judges scored in favor of Ankalaev (21-1-1), with scores of 49-46 and two at 48-47.
Ankalaev was never intimidated by his well-decorated opponent, even after enduring a barrage of leg kicks in the first round.
Rather than play things cautiously, Ankalaev went on the offensive and stayed aggressive in backing down Pereira while using an overpowering left hand that continued to stagger UFC’s top active star.
Bruce Buffer’s announcement with the result propelled a chorus of boos from the pro-Pereira crowd.
“I knew it would be a war,” said Pereira (12-3-0), who was putting his belt on the line for the fourth time. “Every fight of mine is a war.”
Pereira (12-2), who turns 38 on July 7, closed -120 at BetMGM Sportsbook.
As close as the fight was, UFC President and CEO Dana White had one word when asked about a potential rematch: “Probably.”
In the co-main event, the No. 3-ranked lightweight and fan favorite Justin Gaethje (27-5-0) earned a unanimous decision over No. 11 Rafael Fiziev (12-4-0) in what was tabbed ” Fight of the Night.” Gaethje was scheduled to fight Dan Hooker, who pulled out because of a hand injury. Gatheje dropped Fiziev with a stiff right uppercut in the second round.
Lightweight Ignacio Bahamondes (17-5-0) earned a first-round win when he made Jalin Turner (14-9-0) tap after administering a triangle choke at the 2:29 mark. Turner left the cage and waited in front of press row for Bahamondes to finish his interview, intending to return to the cage to leave his gloves and signify his retirement. Security would not let him return, however.
No. 5 strawweight contender Amanda Lemos improved to 15-4-1 with a unanimous decision over seventh-ranked Iasmin Lucindo (17-6-0).
Mauricio Ruffy (12-1-0) delivered a spinning heel kick with his right foot to the temple of King Green (32-17-1) to score a vicious knockout just 2:07 into the first round of their lightweight bout.
Just after Ruffy’s knockout kick and before the women’s bout, a tribute video for Robbie Lawler played in honor of the former welterweight champion. Watching cageside, an emotional Lawler received a standing ovation as it was announced he would be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame’s Modern Wing as a member of the Class of 2025. The ceremony will take place as part of the 13th Annual UFC International Fight Week on June 26.
“Robbie was an absolute killer, and I have a ton of respect for his toughness and his fighting style, which helped grow the sport of MMA and UFC by attracting a lot of new fans,” UFC president and CEO Dana White said in a statement.
Djokovic crashes out at Indian Wells as Alcaraz sails through
- Italian Matteo Arnaldi sprung another upset, beating seventh seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-5
- Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened her campaign with a 7-6 (7/4, 6-3 victory over rising US talent McCartney Kessler
INDIAN WELLS, California: Five-time champion Novak Djokovic tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters on Saturday, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champ Carlos Alcaraz advanced.
“No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat.
“It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he added. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.”
Djokovic is just the latest in van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims.
He stunned Alcaraz at the US Open last year before beating Rafael Nadal in Davis Cup in what proved the Spanish great’s last match.
“I think I kept my cool during the whole match,” said van de Zandschulp. “I know if I go into the match and lose my cool, especially against the big players, it’s going to be a really tough day. That’s always one thing I’m trying to do well.”
After 14 unforced errors in the first set, Djokovic cleaned things up in the second, grabbing a quick break on the way to a 3-0 lead.
Djokovic pumped his fist after belting a forehand winner to the corner for his first break chance of the match and after consolidating the break nodded his head in satisfaction.
The rallies remained tense affairs and Djokovic’s frustration was clear at times, but after he was broken when serving for the set he closed it out on his next service game.
It was only a brief respite. Van de Zandschulp kept the pressure on both from the baseline and at the net and Djokovic’s errors began to pile up again.
Van de Zandschulp took control with a break for 3-1, reeling off the last five games as Djokovic was unable to stop the bleeding.
“The first three games, four games of the third set were quite close,” Djokovic, seeded sixth, said. “Had my chances. Was just some awful mistakes.”
Italian Matteo Arnaldi sprung another upset, beating seventh seed Andrey Rublev 6-4, 7-5. Djokovic and Rublev followed top seed Alexander Zverev and fourth seed Casper Ruud as second-round casualties.
With Zverev out and world No. 1Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, world number three Alcaraz is the highest seed left in the men’s draw.
Alcaraz, trying to join Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only men to win three straight Indian Wells titles, eased into his defense with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over France’s Quentin Halys.
He admitted he was feeling some nerves to start the match, but they evaporated amid a strong all-around performance.
One early break staked Alcaraz to the first set. He roared to a 4-0 lead in the second behind a formidable service display and wrapped up the win in 67 minutes.
“I was nervous at the beginning of the match,” he told a supportive crowd. “The first match is never easy so I was trying to be focused on my game.
“I just tried to be relaxed, as relaxed as I can. Can always be better, but I’m ready for the (next) round and excited.”
Women’s world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka opened her campaign with a 7-6 (7/4, 6-3 victory over rising US talent McCartney Kessler.
Madison Keys, who denied Sabalenka a third straight Australian Open title as she claimed her long awaited first Grand Slam in Melbourne, subdued hard-hitting Russian Anastasia Potapova 6-3, 6-0 in her first match since then.
Americans Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff — seeded third in their respective draws, both advanced.
Fritz, the 2022 men’s champion, defeated Italian qualifier Matteo Gigante 7-5, 6-3.
Gauff survived 21 double faults to claw out a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7/4) victory over Japan’s Moyuka Uchijima.
New Zealand reach 251-7 against India in Champions Trophy final
- The Black Caps won the toss and elected to bat first in Dubai after they suffered an early blow when fast bowler Matt Henry missed out due to a shoulder injury
- India came in unchanged from their win over Australia in the semifinal and their four spinners kept the opposition on the backfoot for a large part of 50 overs
DUBAI: Half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Michael Bracewell steered New Zealand to 251-7 after India’s spinners called the shots in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday.
The Black Caps won the toss and elected to bat first in Dubai after they suffered an early blow when fast bowler Matt Henry missed out due to a shoulder injury.
India came in unchanged from their win over Australia in the semifinal and their four spinners kept the opposition on the backfoot for a large part of the 50 overs.
Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav took two wickets each on a sluggish pitch that has aided the slow bowlers in the 50-over tournament played in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
India have played all their matches in Dubai after they refused to tour hosts Pakistan due to political tensions and have been unbeaten at the venue in four matches.
Mitchell made 63 and put on key stands, before the left-handed Bracewell smashed an unbeaten 53 off 40 balls to boost the total.
New Zealand openers started cautiously before previous-match hero Rachin Ravindra took on the bowling attack.
The left-handed Ravindra, fresh from a century in the semifinal against South Africa in Lahore, smashed pace bowler Mohammed Shami for a six and two fours.
Wrist spinner Chakravarthy struck first to send back Will Young, out lbw for 15, but the runs came quickly, albeit with some help from sloppy fielding.
Ravindra survived two reprieves when Shami failed to take a return catch and Shreyas Iyer dropped a tough chance in the deep.
But Kuldeep bowled Ravindra, for 37, on his first ball of the match with a googly from the left-arm wrist spinner.
Kuldeep then got a largely Indian crowd — a sea of blue — on their feet when he had senior batsman Kane Williamson caught and bowled for 11.
Williamson, also fresh from a ton in the previous win, had looked good in his brief stay of 14 balls.
Mitchell and wicketkeeper-batsman Tom Latham attempted to rebuild as the pair took the team past 100, but soon Ravindra Jadeja struck with his left-arm spin.
Jadeja trapped the left-handed Latham lbw for 14 as New Zealand slipped to 108-4.
Mitchell, who survived a dropped catch by skipper Rohit Sharma on 38, stood firm and with Glenn Phillips, who made 34, put on 57 runs.
Phillips was bowled by Chakravarthy off a fast googly.
Mitchell put on another stand with Bracewell before he fell to Shami caught out at extra cover.
Bracewell finished with a flourish with three fours and two sixes.
India need 252 to win a record third Champions Trophy after winning the 2002 and 2013 editions.
Australia also have also won two Champions Trophies, in 2006 and 2009.
