2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs - Al Ahli Tripoli (Libya) And Al Ittihad (Egypt) Advance to BAL Semifinals in Pretoria
The second game of the night was arguably the most thrilling in Pretoria so far, as Al Ittihad (Egypt) edged out FUS Rabat (Morocco) in an 86–83 overtime victory to stay alive in the competition. FUS Rabat's Nisre Zouzou hit a clutch three-pointer to send the game into overtime, but Al Ittihad held firm in the extra period, preserving their perfect record. Al Ittihad delivered a balanced offensive effort, led by Lual Acuil's double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Kyle Vinales also scored 16 points and added seven assists, while Majok Deng contributed 15 points. FUS Rabat's Jonathan Jordan led all scorers with 23 points.
The BAL Quarterfinals continue tomorrow as APR (Rwanda) takes on Rivers Hoopers (Nigeria) at 4 p.m. before US Monastir (Tunisia) faces Petro de Luanda (Angola) at 7 p.m. CAT.
Postgame Press Conference
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
2 days ago
- The National
Cristiano Ronaldo still Al Nassr's main man but can Kingsley Coman and Joao Felix thrive in his shadow?
As always with Cristiano Ronaldo, it is all about the numbers. The headline one, of course, is 200 million: his eye-watering annual wage in euros, which makes all other salaries in football look like chump change. There is 1,000. That is the milestone career goal target that is looming tantalisingly close. Forty-one. The age he will turn midway through the season, which his Al Nassr side will start on Tuesday with a Saudi Super League semi-final against Al Ittihad in Hong Kong. There is 15, which is the age of Cristiano Jr, his son, who is part of the academy ranks at Al Nassr. If the 1,000 goals target is not motivating Ronaldo's longevity, then maybe it is the idea of one day playing in the same starting XI as his son. Then there is zero, which is the number of significant trophies his team have won since his headline-grabbing move to Riyadh in 2023. It goes without saying, Ronaldo's influence on football in the Kingdom has been transformative. The Saudi Pro League (SPL) would hold nothing like the intrigue it now does beyond its borders if it wasn't for him. The cash on offer to play at the big clubs would always have brought a certain strata of players to the league. But Ronaldo's switch there from the Premier League and Manchester United gave it the credibility the Saudi Arabian football project required. It is because of him that it is not altogether a shock that the leading goal scorer in Italy's Serie A, Mateo Retegui, opted to join the SPL's fourth-best team from last season. At the peak of his powers, the 26-year-old striker has swapped Atalanta for Al Qadsiah, a club of minimal international renown, but vaulting ambitions. And yet for all the residual effects of his presence in the Kingdom, Ronaldo's own club have had a frustrating time while he has been in their ranks. In each of his two complete seasons, he has been the SPL's top goal scorer. In the first of those, Nassr finished second, while last term they dropped a place. It means they will not even be playing AFC Champions League Elite football in the coming campaign. That was a competition they departed last term after a sorry semi-final display against Kawasaki Frontale, with Ronaldo himself largely culpable, because of a hat-trick of misses late on. To try to remedy the situation, Nassr have gone large. Stefano Pioli was cut loose as manager after that dismal end in the Champions League in Jeddah. Jorge Jesus was the extraordinary choice as his replacement, which was startling chiefly because he had been at bitter local rivals Al Hilal for the previous two seasons. Jesus' arrival was given Ronaldo's seal of approval, but quite how the marriage of two stratospheric egos works will be intriguing to see. As Portuguese compatriots, they speak the same language. Clearly, they both have reams of experience of great successes to call on, and understand the league now, too. But each experienced dysfunction and frustration last season. Jesus's time at Hilal was also ended by a shambolic showing in the last four of the Champions League. In his case, his side lost their discipline while being soundly beaten by Al Ahli Saudi, the eventual champions. On the field, too, concessions have been made to Ronaldo. Jhon Duran has been sent out on loan. The young Colombian arrived amid much fanfare direct from the Premier League in January, and scored goals. Too often, though, he found himself taking up similar positions to Ronaldo. That being the case, there was only going to be room for one of them, so he has been farmed out to Fenerbahce instead. The attack is being reshaped to suit its most famous player. Joao Felix, the young Portuguese forward who idolises Ronaldo, has arrived from Chelsea. Bayern Munich's Kingsley Coman is expected to be next, another creative player brought in straight from one of Europe's top leagues, with the capabilities to provide ammunition for Ronaldo. Coman's high salary has been lingering over Bayern from the excesses of the previous administration. They have wanted him off the wage bill for some time, and Coman has been linked to Riyadh clubs for the past two summers. Last year it was Hilal. This time it has been their neighbours. The careers of Coman and Felix both need a reboot. Now, though, they have joined a side organised around someone else. The league might bask in Ronaldo's reflected glow, but will they be able to shine in his shadow? Nassr's opposition in the Super Cup, Al Ittihad, were deserving league champions last season. Yet they have been conspicuous by their lack of transfer business this summer. That is almost unique in a league which continues its voracious appetite for spending. The traditional powers have strengthened. Theo Hernandez and Darwin Nunez have joined Hilal from AC Milan and Liverpool respectively. Enzo Millot, a highly rated No 10 from France, has gone to Ahli from Stuttgart. It is a sign of the growing strength of the league that sides beyond the core powers are making a push, too. The investment made in sides like Qadsiah and Neom, for example, means it isn't just the Jeddah and Riyadh clubs who can win on any given week. Neom are the promoted side from the Tabuk region in the far north-west of the country. Taking on the name of the planned city which is under construction, they are trying to build a football team of similar ambition. They have raided France's Ligue 1 for five players, including Said Benrahma from Lyon, and have spent in the region of $100m doing so. They also got close to signing Granit Xhaka from Leverkusen, only for him to end up returning to the Premier League with Sunderland. Qadsiah, from Khobar in the east of the country, have spent even more, with the €65m outlay on Retegui being the standout move of the transfer window so far.
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Khaleej Times
MENA Golf Tour announces major 2025 relaunch in bid to boost regional golf
The MENA Golf Tour is set for a high-profile comeback this year, marking a significant boost for golf across the Middle East and North Africa region. Since its launch in 2011, the MENA Golf Tour has been a critical springboard for emerging golf professionals and amateurs, offering world-ranking points, competitive purses, and international exposure that have helped players from the Middle East and beyond break through to the game's top tours. After being abandoned for the entire 2018 season and enduring a stop-start return in 2020 that was cut short by the pandemic, the MENA Golf Tour is now poised for a full-scale comeback, aiming to reclaim its position as one of the Middle East's leading professional and amateur circuits and rebuild the momentum lost during years of disruption. Leading the Tour's resurgence is Keith Waters, former Chief Operating Officer of the DP World Tour and long-standing board member of the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), who steps in as the new Chairman and Commissioner. Waters' appointment brings heavyweight experience to the only OWGR-recognised circuit headquartered in the Middle East. Now, with over four decades of top-tier golf administration, including his pivotal role in launching the OWGR in 2004, Waters is expected to drive the Tour into an ambitious new era. The 2025/2026 season will feature 12 events, opening in Portugal following a November Qualifying School for non-exempt players. Talks are underway with both the DP World Tour and the HotelPlanner Tour to create a formal development pathway, giving the MENA Golf Tour's top performers direct access to DP World Tour Qualifying School and the HotelPlanner Tour. Waters backs Tour revival 'I'm delighted to be involved in the relaunch of the MENA Golf Tour,' said Waters. 'This Tour has tremendous potential and serves as a crucial pathway for golfers, not just from the Middle East, but internationally. 'We have already seen success stories such as Robert MacIntyre, who progressed from the MENA Golf Tour to winning prestigious titles like the RBC Canadian Open on the PGA TOUR and the Genesis Scottish Open on the DP World Tour.' MacIntyre, now a two-time DP World Tour winner and sitting second on the European Ryder Cup ranking, paid tribute to the Tour's influence on his career. 'The MENA Golf Tour opened doors, taught me how to win, and prepared me for the challenges of the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR,' said the Scot. 'I'm excited to see it return and give the next generation of players the same opportunities I had.' OWGR status, prize hike Under Waters' leadership, the revitalised circuit will retain its OWGR eligibility while significantly increasing prize purses with each event. "We're pleased the MENA Golf Tour will remain an eligible Official World Golf Ranking tour as well as prize money of $100,000 per event," said Waters. "Each tournament will be contested over 54 holes, featuring a 36-hole cut to the top 60 players and ties, with the winner taking home $18,000." Rayhan Thomas is another standout product of the MENA Golf Tour's talent pipeline and proof of its reach beyond the region. The Indian golfer, who was born and raised in Dubai, made headlines in 2016 when, at just 16, he became the first amateur to win a MENA Golf Tour event, the Dubai Creek Open. The following year, he gained international attention by tying a world record with nine consecutive birdies during the same tournament.
Zawya
5 days ago
- Zawya
Youth Charter Calls for Africa's Youth to Lead a Legacy of Hope from the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games
On UN International Youth Day 2025, the Youth Charter ( is urging Africa's governments, sports bodies, communities, and young leaders to unite behind a Global Call to Action that will ensure the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games deliver a lasting legacy of hope and opportunity for the continent's young people. The Dakar Games will be the first-ever Olympic event staged on African soil – a milestone moment for the International Olympic Committee and a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Africa's youth. 'Dakar 2026 must be more than a sporting spectacle – it must be the spark for a continental movement that engages, equips, and empowers our young people,' said Professor Geoff Thompson MBE FRSA DL, Founder and Chair of the Youth Charter. 'Africa's youth are the youngest and fastest-growing population in the world. We must channel their talent and energy into building peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable communities.' A Legacy Opportunity for All – #LegacyOpportunity4All Since 1993, the Youth Charter has worked across Africa – from post-apartheid township programmes in South Africa to social coach training in Namibia and youth leadership development in Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya. This experience has shown that sport, when linked to education, health, employment, and environmental action, can transform lives. For Dakar 2026, the Youth Charter is proposing a Pan-African Youth Legacy Programme that will: Train thousands of 'Social Coaches' across all 54 African nations, using the Games as a catalyst to expand youth mentoring and leadership. Establish Community Campuses in urban and rural areas to provide Somewhere to Go, Something to Do, and Someone to Show Them – safe spaces for sport, learning, culture, and enterprise. Align all projects with the UN SDGs, ensuring measurable impact in health, education, gender equality, peace, climate action, and partnerships. From Dakar to Every African Community The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games can inspire and activate programmes far beyond Senegal: In South Africa, the Youth Charter's Mandela-inspired initiatives show how sport can unite divided communities and drive social change. In Nigeria and Ghana, sport is already creating employment opportunities for young people – from coaching to digital media and event management. In Kenya and Uganda, community sport programmes are improving health outcomes and increasing school retention, especially for girls. Across the Sahel, sport-led interventions are being used to promote peace, resilience, and climate awareness in areas facing instability. A Call to Africa's Leaders The Youth Charter is calling on: African Union&Member States: Integrate Sport for Development and Peace into national development plans and the AU's Agenda 2063. African private sector&philanthropy: Invest in community sport infrastructure and youth programmes as part of corporate social responsibility and shared value strategies. African youth leaders: Take the lead in designing and delivering projects that respond to local needs, using Dakar 2026 as a launch platform. IOC&International Partners: Commit to long-term investment in Africa's youth, ensuring the Dakar Games legacy is built and sustained well beyond 2026. From Dakar to 2030 With only five years left to achieve the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Dakar 2026 offers Africa a unique moment to demonstrate authentic, evidence-based impact in youth development. The Youth Charter's #LegacyOpportunity4All vision aligns with the IOC's Olympism365 strategy and the UN's Youth2030 plan – ensuring sport is a driver of inclusive and sustainable growth. 'From Dakar's stadiums to Africa's streets and villages, we can create a generation of young people who see sport not just as a game, but as a pathway to education, peace, climate action, and opportunity,' Thompson concluded. Download the Youth Charter UN International Youth Day Essay&Dakar 2026 Legacy Briefing: Youth Charter – From Rhetoric to Reality: Global Call to Action for Sport for Development and Peace Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Youth Charter. Youth Charter @ Social Media: LinkedIn: @ YouthCharter Facebook: @ YouthCharter Instagram: @ youthchartersdp YouTube: @ YouthCharter X: @ YOUTHCHARTER Youth Charter #Hashtags: #International Olympic Committee #Olympism #Fight4theStreets #YoungLivesLost #Call2Action #LegacyOpportunity4All #SportDevelopmentPeace #Empowerthenextgeneration #CommonwealthSecretariat #UNSustainableDevelopmentGoals About Youth Charter: Founded in 1993 in Manchester, UK, the Youth Charter is a UN-accredited NGO with three decades of experience delivering Sport for Development and Peace initiatives in the UK and internationally. Its mission is to Engage, Equip, and Empower young people through sport, art, culture, and digital activity, creating sustainable legacy opportunities for all. The Youth Charter is a UK registered charity and UN accredited non-governmental organisation. Launched in 1993 as part of the Manchester 2000 Olympic Bid and the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the Youth Charter has Campaigned and Promoted the role and value of sport, art, culture and digital technology in the lives of disaffected young people from disadvantaged communities nationally and internationally. The Youth Charter has a proven track record in the creation and delivery of social and human development programmes with the overall aim of providing young people with an opportunity to develop in life. Specifically, The Youth Charter Tackles educational non-attainment, health inequality, anti-social behaviour and the negative effects of crime, drugs, gang related activity and racism by applying the ethics of sporting and artistic excellence. These can then be translated to provide social and economic benefits of citizenship, rights responsibilities, with improved education, health, social order, environment and college, university, employment and enterprise.
