Barca to face Valencia in Copa del Rey quarter-finals
Record 31-time Copa del Rey winners Barcelona will face Valencia in the quarter-finals, after they were paired in Monday’s draw.
FC Barcelona Sport News
Aziz Olajuwon set to ‘Dream Shake’ his own path at NBA Academy Showcase in Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI: Aziz Olajuwon is giving the world an early glimpse of his own “Dream Shake.” The 6-foot-7 forward, son of two-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon, is putting his footwork, versatility and ambition on display at the NBA Academy Showcase in Abu Dhabi — beginning to spin his famous surname into a career of his own.
Qatar’s Akram Afif nominated for third Asian Player of the Year award
Reigning Asian Player of the Year Akram Afif has again been included on the three-man shortlist for the Asian Football Confederation’s annual award, alongside Saudi Arabia’s Salem Al-Dawsari and Arif Aiman of Malaysia.Australian Holly McNamara, Wang Shuang from China and Japanese defender Hana Takahashi have been nominated for the women’s award.Qatari forward Afif, who also won in 2019, would become the first three-times winner of the title should he lift the trophy at a gala ceremony in Riyadh on October 16.Al-Hilal’s Al-Dawsari is hoping to win for a second time after being crowned in 2022, while Johor Darul Ta’zim winger Arif is the first Malaysian to be nominated for the award.Paris Saint-Germain’s UEFA Champions League winner Lee Kang-in from South Korea has been listed for the AFC’s International Player of the Year Award alongside Iran’s Mehdi Taremi and Takefusa Kubo from Japan.
L’Etape Dubai by Tour de France unveils new 2026 routes and expanded program
DUBAI: L’Etape Dubai by Tour de France, presented by Skoda and supported by the Dubai Sports Council, has announced new 2026 race routes and more activities, both in the buildup and during the race weekend.
UAE women’s team to make cricket history in Zimbabwe
DUBAI: The Esha Oza-led UAE women’s team are set to make history tomorrow with their first ODI in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Former Barcelona midfielder Busquets to retire at end of MLS season
MIAMI: Former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets will retire from football at the end of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season, his club Inter Miami said on Thursday. Busquets came up through the Barcelona youth ranks and spent 18 years overall at the club, making his senior debut in 2008, before joining Miami in 2023 where he was reunited with former teammates Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Luis Suarez. He played 143 times for the national team and was part of the side that won the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and the European Championship two years later in Poland and Ukraine. “I feel like the time has come to say goodbye to my career as a professional footballer. It’s been almost 20 years of enjoying this incredible story I always dreamed of,” Busquets said in a video posted on Instagram. “I’m retiring very happy, proud, fulfilled, and above all, grateful...
More than 100 Roma fans arrested in Nice before Europa League match
NICE: More than 100 Roma supporters have been arrested in Nice ahead of Wednesday’s Europa League match between the two teams. A violent altercation broke out Tuesday night and objects were thrown at police officers, while Nice fans reportedly riled up their Roma counterparts by chanting “there’s only Lazio in Rome.” Lazio are Roma’s fierce rival in the Italian capital. The two sets of fans reportedly never came into contact as they couldn’t breach the police lines. “A force of more than 200 personnel, including two mobile units, has been deployed in the city center of Nice since yesterday, to prevent any disturbance of public order and has arrested 102 individuals identified as Roma ultras in possession of weapons,” read a statement by the region’s prefecture. “These individuals have been taken into custody ... All weapons found have been seized.
Camilo Ospina set to be crowned champion jockey as Taif summer season draws to a close
TAIF: Camilo Ospina is poised to become Taif Winter Season champion jockey as 10 weeks of racing come to an end with the King Khalid Racecourse Championships on Saturday.
Afghan women’s refugee football team to make tournament debut in UAE
The Afghan women’s refugee team will take the field for the first time in an international tournament when they compete in a four-team friendly competition in the United Arab Emirates next month, world governing body FIFA said on Wednesday. The team’s creation stems from the Taliban’s ban on women’s sports following their takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, prompting players to flee the country fearing persecution. The “FIFA Unites: Women’s Series” tournament will run from October 23-29 in Dubai and feature the nearly-formed Afghan refugee squad alongside the UAE, Chad and Libya’s regular teams. “Ensuring that all women have access to football is a priority for FIFA and a key element in shaping the future of our sport,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement. “We are aware of the potential the game has both on and off the pitch.