1. Bahraini Clubs Sack Sports People and Executives for Anti-Government Protests

    Bahraini sports clubs have dismissed at least 12 sports people and executives , including two of the country’s top soccer players, because they participated in anti-government demonstrations...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 236 reads 2 comments

  2. Tunisia Follows Egypt in Reviving Suspended Soccer League

    Tunisia has agreed to lift a ban on professional soccer matches , a day after the Egyptian government authorized the restart of the country’s Premier League to save clubs from bankruptcy...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 79 reads 0 comments

  3. Egyptian Government Authorizes Resumption of Soccer Matches

    The Egyptian government has authorized the restart of the country’s premier soccer league after clubs warned that the continued suspension since January threatened to bankrupt them...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 145 reads 0 comments

  4. Egyptian Soccer Executive Warns League Cancellation Could Bankrupt Clubs

    By James M. Dorsey A prominent Egyptian soccer executive has warned that cancellation of the country’s Premier League in the wake of last weekend’s invasion of the pitch during an African championship match could bankrupt the sport...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 133 reads 0 comments

  5. Syria Suspends Soccer Matches Amid Anti-Government Protests

    Syria, wracked by anti-government protests, has become the latest Arab state to suspend its professional league midseason in a bid to prevent the soccer pitch from becoming an opposition rallying point...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 245 reads 0 comments

  6. Egypt Pressures CAF To Be Lenient on Zamalek After Soccer Pitch Invasion

    Egyptian soccer officials are pressing the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to limit the damage their country will suffer as a result of this weekend’s invasion of ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 131 reads 0 comments

  7. Ultras Deny Invasion of African Soccer Championship Pitch Was Political Provocation

    By James M. Dorsey Supporters of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak may have instigated this weekend's invasion of the soccer pitch during a crucial African championship ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 380 reads 0 comments

  8. Egyptian Militant Soccer Fans Freeze Activity

    Militant soccer fans of crowned Cairo soccer club Zamalek SC decided Sunday to freeze their activities in a bid to regain control of hooligans in their ranks who this weekend invaded ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 122 reads 0 comments

  9. Zamalek Ultras Disrupt African Soccer Match in Stunning Display of Nihilism

    A major Egyptian group of ultras, fanatical soccer fans who played a key role in the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak and was developing into a powerful political pressure group, ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 779 reads 0 comments

  10. Egyptian Police and Ultras Brace for Clash at African Championship

    By James M. Dorsey Egyptian security forces and militant soccer fans were bracing themselves Saturday for the first post-revolution clash as the supporters prepared to stage their ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 139 reads 0 comments

  11. Somali Soccer Tragedy: Journalist Killed While Covering Match Amid Heavy Fighting

    By James M. Dorsey A Somali sports journalist was hit in the Somali capital of Mogadishu by stray bullets and killed while covering a soccer match, according to the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 136 reads 0 comments

  12. Egyptian Soccer Players Boycott Training in Protest against Lagging Payment

    A majority of troubled Alexandria soccer club Ittihad al-Skandarya’s players have boycotted training for the second time in a month in protest against not having been paid for three months...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 86 reads 0 comments

  13. Portuguese Coach Queiroz to Sign with Iran

    By James M. Dorsey Portuguese coach Carlos Queiroz will travel to Tehran later this week to finalize his contract as Iran’s new national coach after pro-longing negotiations ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 302 reads 0 comments

  14. Egyptian Team's Tarnished Image Rides on Soccer Match Against South Africa

    Egypt’s national soccer team may be ill-prepared for this Saturday’s crucial African championship match against South Africa, but the popular revolt that last month ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about 2 years ago 442 reads 0 comments

  15. African Soccer Body Bans Matches in Libya and Ivory Coast

    The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has ordered an African Champions League match between Libya's Al Ittihad, the club that Libyan leader Col...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 85 reads 0 comments

  16. Arab Revolutionaries to Play Soccer Friendly despite Historical Animosity

    Egypt and Tunisia, the two Arab countries most successful to date in overthrowing their dictators, have agreed to play a soccer friendly in mid-April despite their longstanding football animosity...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 87 reads 0 comments

  17. FIFA: Mohammed Bin Hammam Challenges Sepp Blatter for Presidency

    Asian Football Confederation chairman Mohammed Bin Hammam, in a move designed to increase Qatari and Middle Eastern influence in global soccer, announced that he will challenge Sepp Blatter in FIFA presidential elections scheduled for June 1...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 286 reads 8 comments

  18. Palestinian Emerges Against the Odds as Israeli Soccer Star

    Taleb Tawatha’s emergence as one of Israel’s brightest soccer talents is a tale of fighting the Israeli odds of being an Arab in a predominantly Jewish society, a ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 144 reads 0 comments

  19. Egyptian Military Authorizes Resumption of Soccer Matches

    Egypt’s military rulers have authorized a lifting of a ban on professional soccer matches in a bid to limit the impact of the two-month-old suspension, prevent an exodus of players and coaches and quell growing unrest among fans...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 115 reads 2 comments

  20. Former Prisoner Accuses Egyptian Goalkeeper Coach of Beating Him in Prison

    A former political prisoner who was jailed for 12 years by the government of former President Hosni Mubarak has accused Egyptian national team goalkeeper coach Ahmed Soliman of assaulting and beating him in prison...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 83 reads 0 comments

  21. Foreign Players Threaten to Leave Egypt Because of Financial Turmoil

    Foreign players playing for Premier Egyptian League clubs are threatening to seek greener pastures if Egypt’s military rulers fail to lift the two-month ban on professional ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 186 reads 0 comments

  22. Bin Hammam Urges FIFA to Pressure Israel but Evades Soccer Peace Intiative

    World soccer body FIFA is likely to toughen its stance on Israel if Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohammed Bin Hammam succeeds in challenging Sepp Blatter in FIFA presidential elections scheduled for June...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 348 reads 0 comments

  23. Juventus Freezes Libyan Stake in Effort to Alleviate Embarrassment

    Italian soccer club Juventus SC has frozen Libya’s 7.5 per cent stake in the club following the European Union’s sanctions on Libya’s sovereign wealth fund and its subsidiaries...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 146 reads 0 comments

  24. Egyptian Reluctance to Restart League Is Rooted in Soccer's Political History

    The Egyptian military’s reluctance to authorize a resumption of professional league matches is rooted in Egyptian soccer’s history as a political football...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 116 reads 3 comments

  25. Turkey Bans Blogger for Hosting Turkish Soccer League Videos

    A Turkish court in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir has banned Google’s popular blogging platform Blogger in response to a complaint by satellite television provider ...

    James M. Dorsey Written by James M. Dorsey about over 2 years ago 356 reads 0 comments