logo
Sharjah secures 2024–2025 men's basketball league title

Sharjah secures 2024–2025 men's basketball league title

Sharjah 2401-05-2025

Heading into the clash, Sharjah needed to win by a margin of at least eight points in order to seal the title. The team rose to the challenge and delivered the required result, finishing level on 11 points with Shabab Al Ahli, but taking the title based on point difference.
Final held in home-and-away league format
This year's final was structured as a home-and-away league-style competition. The first leg of the final took place at Shabab Al Ahli's court, while the decisive second leg was hosted by Sharjah Club.
Sharjah celebrate eighth league championship
With this victory, Sharjah have now claimed their eighth league title, adding to their previous triumphs in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1991, 2004, and 2020. The win also marks their second major success this season, having lifted the UAE Federation Cup just last month.
Champions honoured by top sporting officials
The trophy was presented to the winning team by His Excellency Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council, and His Excellency Major General (Rtd.) Ismail Al Gergawi, President of both the UAE and Arab Basketball Federations. Also in attendance were His Excellency Khalid Issa Al Midfa, Chairman of the Board of Sharjah Sports Club, and His Excellency Mohammed Obaid Al Hosani, Board Member and Head of Team Sports at the club.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

World Cup qualifier: UAE out to spoil Uzbekistan's party
World Cup qualifier: UAE out to spoil Uzbekistan's party

Al Etihad

time3 days ago

  • Al Etihad

World Cup qualifier: UAE out to spoil Uzbekistan's party

5 June 2025 00:04 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)The UAE national football team is gearing up to resurrect its joint qualification campaign for both the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2027 Asian Cup when they take on Uzbekistan in a must-win Group A match at Al Wahda's Al Nahyan Stadium on Thursday (8pm kick-off).Two matches remain in this round of qualifying; two teams from each of the three groups go through automatically. Iran have already qualified from the first are in second on 17 points, needing only a point, while UAE are in third on 13 points. Cosmin Olaroiu's men need both wins – the next one is away in Kyrgyzstan five days later – and also hope Uzbekistan lose to them and Qatar Uzbekistan will hope the pressure on the UAE will make it easy for them, the hosts can only hope the nerves get the better of the Uzbeks, who are out to make history by qualifying for the Finals – in US, Canada and Mexico – for the first coaches are experienced but fairly new to the job. Olaroiu was parachuted in place of Paulo Bento after Match Day 8 while Timur Kapadze had to be brought in after Srecko Katanec asked to be relieved due to health conditions. Both leaders in the dugout will also be sizing each other up with took charge last month after fulfilling duties with Sharjah, while Kapadze came on board in February. The latter paid a visit to Abu Dhabi to check on conditions in April and has Katanec, a former UAE coach, by his side for advice.'His condition is improving and he is assisting me,' Kapadze told the media at a pre-match news conference on must have followed Olaroiu closely over the past two months, and how he sparked a revival since taking over Sharjah in 2021, a club where the Uzbek manager had a short-lived stint of six months in chose the operative word well – belief – to explain his team's approach on Wednesday, displaying a positive mindset in training in the build-up at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Al Jazira's home, down the road from the match venue.'We must believe we will be there in the finals, and we will try to take each game as a final,' said Olaroiu, who included five Sharjah players in the preliminary squad. The coach has spent 10 years in the UAE with three clubs, including Shabab Al Ahli and Al Ain. 'I know my [Sharjah] players very well but they are national players now just like everybody.'Sat by his side was the Khaled Essa, the man in the last line of defence for the Whites. 'We are closer to the World Cup than ever before, having come a long way. We must believe each... us, fans; everyone is in this together,' said the and the defenders will need to be on guard if Kapadze chooses to field Eldor Shomurodov, the AS Roma forward, who joined the squad four days history-seeking Uzbekistan won't be easy, with the White Wolves having suffered defeat only once in their qualifying campaign. The players, said defender Rustam Ashurmatov, are determined to realise the dreams of their nation. 'We give our all in every match. We go to the field only to win. I think our team is capable of this – we will win,' said Ashurmatov to the local media, who have assembled in hordes in anticipation of witnessing a historic moment materialising in the UAE capital. Kapadze, meanwhile, arrived late to the press conference and only got to answer a couple of questions as a result. It is up to Olaroiu and his men to put Uzbekistan's party on hold. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi

FMPL Season 1 set to ignite Sharjah with cricket, camaraderie, and corporate spirit
FMPL Season 1 set to ignite Sharjah with cricket, camaraderie, and corporate spirit

Khaleej Times

time3 days ago

  • Khaleej Times

FMPL Season 1 set to ignite Sharjah with cricket, camaraderie, and corporate spirit

Cricket fever is all set to grip Sharjah as FMPL (Facility Management Premier League) Season 1 kicks off on June 13 and 14, 2025, at the DCS You Selects Arena, starting from 5pm onwards. A one-of-a-kind T10 cricket tournament, FMPL brings together leading facility management companies in the UAE for an unforgettable sporting showdown. Organised by Trendz Events powered by Farnek, FMPL isn't just a tournament; it's a celebration of the companies that work behind the scenes to make everyday living seamless. The idea was envisioned by Karthik Vijayamani, managing director of Trendz Events, who strongly felt it was time to shine a spotlight on these corporate warriors by letting them battle it out where competition meets camaraderie, on the cricket field. The buzz for FMPL Season 1 was ignited on May 23, 2025 with a pre-launch event held at Korma Sutra Restaurant. The event saw enthusiastic participation from team representatives. The eight teams ready to turn DCS You Selects Arena into a cricketing battlefield are: Transguard Group, Khansaheb FM, Engie Solutions, Whitespot FM, Al Tanmyah, GECO ME, Serve U, and Clairvoyant Technical Solutions. Team captains proudly selected their jersey colors, which they'll wear with pride as they compete. Eight teams, three matches per corporate, and ten overs of pure adrenaline, where leading facility management companies clash, not in boardrooms but on the cricket field. Each team will play a minimum of three matches, leading up to the grand finale. The event was graced by a distinguished panel including UAE national cricket team Captain CP Rizwan; Ahmed Abdeltawab, co-founder O-Gold App; Manish Dhuliya, global sales head SmartCricket Global Ltd; Ajmal Masahir,CEO You Selects Events LLC; Shibu Jacob, CEO of Uniformly Designs; and Vinu Vijayan, CEO of DCS You Select Arena. The winning team will walk away not only with the FMPL Champion Trophy but also a cash prize of Dh5,000. Let the games begin!

History beckons for UAE as Cosmin Olaroiu arrives with World Cup qualification teasingly close
History beckons for UAE as Cosmin Olaroiu arrives with World Cup qualification teasingly close

The National

time4 days ago

  • The National

History beckons for UAE as Cosmin Olaroiu arrives with World Cup qualification teasingly close

In a region where football fans are so highly skilled at tifos, the one Sharjah's fans made to see off their coach in his last match was pleasingly rudimentary. Not for them the elaborate choreographies of the giant Saudi Arabian clubs, or even their UAE Pro League counterparts – and visitors on the last day of the season – Al Wasl. Instead, they went for the tried and trusted option of some black emulsion on a big white sheet. It was the thought that counted, though, and the language used. ' Ai parasit echipa, dar alintrat in istorie,' Sharjah's fans had written, using the manager's mother tongue of Romanian. Translated, it means: You left the team but you made history. He certainly did that. Cosmin Olaroiu capped a trophy laden stint at the club by taking them to the AFC Champions League Two title in Singapore in May. That made them just the second club from the UAE – after two-time Champions League winners Al Ain – to lift a major continental title. A little over two weeks later, Olaroiu is on the brink of history again, and he has not even taken charge of his new side yet. Once the powers-that-be had decided to dismiss Paulo Bento as coach of the UAE national team back in March, there only ever felt like one viable option. Bento's side had just kept alive their chances of automatic World Cup qualification at the very last in Riyadh. But Sultan Adil's late, late stoppage time winner over North Korea still failed to save the Portuguese coach's job. The following morning, it was announced he was gone, despite there just being two matches left in this phase of Asian qualifying. The UAE trail second-placed Uzbekistan, who they face at Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, by four points, with six still to play for. Win, and they would need to better whatever result the Uzbeks achieve at home to Qatar on Tuesday when they face Kyrgyzstan at the same time to qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup. Clearly, the odds are against the national team. Given the situation they are in, the next man in after Bento needed to be the ultimate alpha. All of which meant it could only be Olaroiu. The hard-faced, no nonsense, serial winner believes it can be done. Which means everyone else must, too. 'They have to,' Olaroiu said. 'They have to be positive, and they have to believe. If you don't believe, you don't have any chance. 'Now we have this new journey, and when we go there everybody in this team should believe in it. They should believe they can make the dream of this nation come true. 'I think it is one of the countries of the world with one of the biggest improvements and developments in the last [few] years. We should keep pace also in football. This is our mission.' The can-do attitude marks quite the contrast to the final throes of the Bento regime. Back in March, it felt as though the former Portugal manager had been fighting vainly for appreciation, after a downturn in performances. 'We hope to have a different atmosphere in June because I think that is a good way to show the country supports the team with acts and not just words,' Bento said after the win against North Korea, just hours before he was officially axed. Now June has arrived, and the atmosphere is entirely different. The UAE FA have flooded their social media feeds with upbeat slogans. They have hired advertising space on billboards on major roads and in shopping malls. All the domestic clubs have joined the mission with goodwill gestures. And, with it being the Eid holiday weekend, Thursday is likely to be frenzied at the Al Nahyan Stadium. Olaroiu, for his part, has had less than two weeks with his new charges. It means if he is to bring about success immediately, he will have to rely more on the power of personality than granular planning. He may know the six-man cohort of Sharjah players in the squad the best, but his expertise is not limited to them. Olaroiu has brought trophies to three UAE clubs in the past: Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli and Sharjah. 'It is not about only Sharjah players, it is about all the players,' Olaroiu said. 'They are players who have value and players who have quality. I think they will come with the hope and belief they can do it.' Olaroiu has been recruited on a two-year contract. The national team are guaranteed a place in October's six-team repechage tournament, which for sides who miss out on a top two place in this phase of Asian qualifying. One significant feature of his successes at domestic level was the tight bond he created with his players. A notable example of that came in the aftermath of Sharjah's 2-1 win over Lion City Sailors in the Champions League Two final in Singapore. While his players celebrated, Olaroiu tenderly looked after the two young sons of Caio Lucas, the striker who will likely be his talisman at national team level, too. Whether Olaroiu can strike up such a deep affection with his new players and their families when – because of the nature of the job – he sees them so much less remains to be seen. But Lucas is optimistic it can be done. 'We have to be like a family,' Lucas said. 'It doesn't matter how, but we have to do our best inside the pitch to make our fans happy. 'Whenever we go inside the pitch it is to win, and this will be no different. When we speak about the national team, the coach [has] the best players in the league. 'I think we have a chance to qualify and we are going there to do our best and make our fans happy.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store