DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The UAE commercial hub
Dubai is in negotiations
to join basketball’s Euroleague and host games, an Emirati businessman told AFP
on Monday.
اضافة اعلان
Abdullah
Al-Naboodah, founder and president of the yet-to-be-formed Dubai team, said the
signs were “positive” following a meeting of the 13 shareholding Euroleague
clubs in the city on October 11.
Euroleague, which
bills itself as second only to the NBA, is Europe’s top basketball club
competition and has been won a record 10 times by Real Madrid.
It could become
just the latest sports franchise to forge ties with the resource-rich Gulf,
whose monarchies are often accused of trying to “sportswash” their image overseas.
“Negotiations with
the European league began eight months ago, and its goal is to involve a club
from Dubai in the prestigious tournament, in addition to hosting some matches
in the city,” said Al Naboodah, the former president of Dubai’s Al-Shabab Al-Ahli
football club.
“There is nothing
official yet, and negotiations are continuing,” he said, adding: “The initial
indications are positive towards the participation of a club representing
Dubai, in addition to hosting matches in the Coca-Cola Arena.”
Euroleague CEO
Marshall Glickman had earlier confirmed reports of the meeting at the
17,000-seat arena in Dubai, where he said league and club officials discussed
“potential cooperation opportunities”.
But Naboodah
denied reports of a 50–60 million euros offer for the tournament’s naming
rights, currently held by
Turkish Airlines.
Earlier this
month, the UAE capital Abu Dhabi hosted the first games between NBA teams in
the Gulf when the Atlanta Hawks and Milwaukee Bucks played two sold-out
pre-season fixtures.
Neighboring Qatar will
host the first football World Cup on Arab soil in November and December, while
the Gulf has four F1 races next year, and Saudi Arabia has been investing
heavily in several sports including golf, boxing, and football.
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