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NBA expands fan events surrounding Abu Dhabi games 2023

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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the LA Lakers skyhooks over Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets during a game played in 1988 at the Great Western Forum, Inglewood, California. (Getty Images)
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Updated 05 September 2023
Arab News
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NBA expands fan events surrounding Abu Dhabi games 2023

  • NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi will debut at Etihad Arena on Oct. 6; NBA District will return to Manarat Al-Saadiyat from Oct. 5–8
  • Events will feature appearances by NBA legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Hardaway Sr., Gary Payton and Kenny Smith
Updated 05 September 2023
Arab News

ABU DHABI: The National Basketball Association and the Department of Culture and Tourism — Abu Dhabi today announced an expanded series of fan events surrounding the NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 Presented by ADQ, which will see the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves play two preseason games on Thursday, Oct. 5 and Saturday, Oct. 7 at 8 at Etihad Arena on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi.

The first NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi will take place on Friday, Oct. 6 from 4:30 p.m. GST at Etihad Arena. The unique fan experience will feature appearances by Mavericks and Timberwolves players and NBA legends including 19-time NBA All-Star and six-time NBA champion Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and two-time NBA champion Kenny Smith. Activities will include a skills challenge and three-point contest featuring Mavericks and Timberwolves players, performances by the Mavericks Entertainment Team, the Timberwolves Dunk Team, and the team mascots, and a slam dunk contest featuring professional dunkers.

NBA District, an interactive event that last year welcomed nearly 10,000 fans, will return to Manarat Al-Saadiyat from Thursday, Oct. 5 to Sunday, Oct. 8. Fans will be able to meet five-time NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway Sr., and nine-time NBA All-Star and NBA champion Gary Payton, participate in basketball activities on a full-size NBA court, watch NBA highlights and programming, take photos with the Larry O’Brien Trophy, purchase limited-edition NBA merchandise, and more.

First access to NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi tickets will be offered to NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 ticket holders via a unique link starting today and for a one-week period prior to tickets going on general sale on Sep. 14. Tickets for NBA District, which cost AED 55 ($15) for a one-day pass and AED 180 for a four-day pass, are now on sale at ticketmaster.ae.

“We are excited to expand our fan programming around this year’s games by introducing NBA Fan Appreciation Day in Abu Dhabi and bringing back NBA District,” said NBA Europe and Middle East Head of Fan Engagement and Direct-to-Consumer George Aivazoglou. “Through these events, fans of all ages, from Abu Dhabi and abroad, will have more opportunities to interact with the NBA, the Mavericks and the Timberwolves.”

The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 will air live in the UAE and across the Middle East and North Africa on beIN SPORTS, The Sports Channel and NBA League Pass, reaching fans in more than 200 countries and territories on television, digital media and social media. In addition to presenting partner ADQ, the games and surrounding events will be supported by a roster of marketing partners, including Aldar, Experience Abu Dhabi, Gatorade, Nike and Tissot.

The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 follow last year’s preseason games between the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks, which marked the league’s first games in the Arabian Gulf. In January, the NBA and DCT Abu Dhabi launched an expanded second season of the Jr. NBA Abu Dhabi League, featuring boys’ and girls’ leagues each composed of 450 players ages 11-14 from schools across the UAE capital. The collaboration also includes a variety of interactive fan events featuring appearances by current and former NBA players, a series of NBA FIT clinics promoting health and wellness, and an NBA 2K League exhibition event. The collaboration sees DCT Abu Dhabi, under Experience Abu Dhabi, the tourism promotion initiative of the UAE’s capital, serve as the official tourism destination partner of the NBA in the Middle East, North Africa, Europe and China.

NBA fans in the UAE and across the Middle East can shop online at NBAStoreME.com and at the NBA Store at Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi for the widest selection of authentic NBA products ever available in the region.

Tickets for the NBA Abu Dhabi 2023 are on sale at etihadarena.ae and ticketmaster.ae.

Topics: National Basketball Association (NBA) NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2023 dallas mavericks Minnesota Timberwolves Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

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World No.1 Sinner shocked in Halle second round by Bublik

Updated 17 sec ago
AFP
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World No.1 Sinner shocked in Halle second round by Bublik

  • Earlier world number three Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to see off Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego and advance to the quarter-finals on grass in Halle
Updated 17 sec ago
AFP

HALLE WESTFALEN, Germany: Defending champion Jannik Sinner lost his second-round match on grass at Halle on Thursday to Kazakhstan’s Alexander Bublik, the Italian’s first tournament since his French Open final defeat.
The world number one fell 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 to the 45th-ranked Bublik for the 23-year-old’s first defeat to a player ranked outside the top 20 since the summer of 2023.
A few days before his defeat to Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in the title match at the French Open, Sinner had easily dispatched Bublik in the quarter-finals at Roland Garros, dropping only six games.
On Thursday, ten days before Wimbledon, Bublik claimed his second victory in six ties against Sinner.
The Kazakh will play Tomas Machac in the quarter-finals after the Czech beat Hungarian Fabian Marozsan 6-2, 6-3 earlier in the day.
Earlier world number three Alexander Zverev rallied from a set down to see off Italy’s Lorenzo Sonego and advance to the quarter-finals on grass in Halle.
The 28-year-old German won 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7/2) against the 46th-ranked Sonego and next plays another Italian, Flavio Cobolli for a place in the semifinals.
A finalist in Halle in 2016 and 2017, Zverev recorded his fifth victory in as many meetings with Sonego, a year after beating him at the same stage of the same competition.
Sonego took advantage of his only chance to break in the first set at 4-3. The German struggled throughout to break his opponent’s serve.
Zverev dug deep in the second set, leading 5-4, to win the set before dominating the tiebreak in the final set.
Argentina’s 63rd ranked Tomas Martin Etcheverry also reached the quarter-finals after a three-hour duel against fourth seed Andrey Rublev 6-3, 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (8/6).
The Argentine saved two match points in the tiebreak of the deciding set to set up a meeting with Russia’s Karen Khachanov.

 

Topics: tennis

Coco Gauff loses in Berlin in first match since French Open title, turns attention to Wimbledon

Updated 9 min 57 sec ago
AP
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Coco Gauff loses in Berlin in first match since French Open title, turns attention to Wimbledon

  • Gauff had a bye to the second round at the grass-court tournament, a warmup for Wimbledon
  • “It was a tough one today but happy to be back on court,” she wrote on her social media
Updated 9 min 57 sec ago
AP

BERLIN: Newly crowned French Open champion Coco Gauff was stunned on her return to action Thursday, losing to Chinese qualifier Wang Xinyu 6-3, 6-3 at the Berlin Open.

The second-ranked Gauff, who won at Roland-Garros less than two weeks ago for her second Grand Slam title, amassed 25 unforced errors and seven double faults in her loss to Wang.

Gauff had a bye to the second round at the grass-court tournament, a warmup for Wimbledon.

“It was a tough one today but happy to be back on court,” Gauff wrote on her social media accounts. “Tried my best to adjust with the quick turnaround but it wasn’t enough. As always, I’m learning as I go so I hope to do better next time.”

The 21-year-old Gauff added that she is “excited to get some more practices in to be ready for Wimbledon,” which starts June 30. She has not made it past the fourth round at the All England Club.

Wang, ranked No. 49, said she would have been pleased just with the first set Thursday, considering the level of her opponent.

“After I won the first set, I just told myself ‘OK let’s take a minute and enjoy this, I’m playing the French Open champion, and I won the first set,’” she said in her on-court interview.

“No matter how the second and third go, I was like, ‘OK let’s just enjoy it for a second,’” said Wang, who will face Paula Badosa in the quarterfinals. “I’m really happy with how I played today. I was serving good and putting a lot of pressure on the return, especially second-serve return.”

Top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka finished off Rebeka Masarova 6-2, 7-6 (6) in a match that was suspended Wednesday after one set because of a slippery court.

Sabalenka had lost to Gauff at the French Open final and later apologized to the American for making “unprofessional” comments after the Paris title match.

Sabalenka will meet 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina in the quarterfinals.

Topics: Coco Gauff Berlin WTA Wang Xinyu

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Palmeiras ease past Al Ahly in Club World Cup

Updated 19 June 2025
AFP
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Palmeiras ease past Al Ahly in Club World Cup

  • The match was suspended in the 63rd minute because of a weather warning
  • Victory took Palmeiras provisionally top on four points
Updated 19 June 2025
AFP

EAST RUTHERFORD, USA: Palmeiras drew first blood in Club World Cup Group A with a 2-0 victory over Al Ahly on Thursday in New Jersey.

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami face Porto later on in the group’s other clash after two goalless draws in the first round of fixtures.

The match was suspended in the 63rd minute because of a weather warning, with players and fans at the MetLife Stadium instructed to “take shelter” because of a nearby storm.

Palmeiras were leading by two goals at the time, with a Wessam Abou Ali own goal sending the Brazilians ahead in the 49th minute before Flaco Lopez doubled their lead on the Egyptians 10 minutes later.

Victory took Palmeiras provisionally top on four points, with the other three sides level on one point each.

It was the third match at the tournament affected by adverse weather at the tournament.

On Tuesday Mamelodi Sundowns game against Ulsan HD was suspended just before kick-off for just over an hour due to a weather alert.

Then on Wednesday RB Salzburg’ s match against Pachuca was suspended in the second half for 97 minutes because of a storm.

Palmeiras, led by talented youngster Estevao Willian, who is set to join Chelsea, played well but were held by Porto in their opening clash.

Al Ahly kept them at bay in a tight first half, in which English referee Anthony Taylor sent off Palmeiras midfielder Raphael Veiga for a foul on Ahmed Zizo, before overturning his decision following a VAR review.

Palestinian striker Abou Ali headed Anibal Moreno’s free-kick into his own net to hand Palmeiras the lead.

Lopez finished coolly for the Brazilians’ second after Mauricio played him through on goal.

After the suspension of around 45 minutes for the weather warning, Palmeiras played out the remainder of the match comfortably without risking their advantage.

South American sides have come into the tournament strongly, in good condition given they are in the middle of their domestic seasons, and have stayed unbeaten to this point.

Topics: Al Ahly Palmeiras FIFA Club World Cup

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Man City fined more than a million pounds for delayed kickoffs

Updated 19 June 2025
Reuters
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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
Updated 19 June 2025
Reuters

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.

Topics: Man City English Premier League (EPL) Financial Fair Play

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Soccer fans storm field in Libya and a Portuguese referee is injured during a suspended match

Updated 19 June 2025
AP
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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
Updated 19 June 2025
AP

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.

Topics: Libya Al-Ahly Tripoli Al-Ittihad

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