The decision made by British football legend David Beckham, who played his last game with Paris Saint Germain (PSG) on Saturday, to end his 20-year career has come as a major surprise to some of his former associates and competitors. John Burridge, a goalkeeper coach at the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) al-Wasl football club, told Al Arabiya English that he was surprised to see Beckham retire so soon. Burridge added that he thought Beckham would have even considered coming to the Middle Ea ... More

Raha Moharrak made history by becoming the first woman from Saudi Arabia to reach the world's highest peak Mount Everest. The 25-year-old is also considered to be the youngest Arab to climb Everest, the BBC reported on Saturday. Moharrak is part of a four-person expedition that also includes two Arab men climbers from Qatar and Palestine, both attempting to be billed the first of their nations to reach the summit. The expedition aims to raise one million dollars for education projects in Nepal, ... More

A King’s Cup final defeat against Atletico Madrid capped the worst season of Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho’s career, the Portuguese said on Friday after the 2-1 loss left him without a major title this season. Widely expected to move on at the end of the campaign and linked with a return to Chelsea, a grim-faced Mourinho gave little away about his future but said Real, the world’s richest club by income, had suffered a “disastrous” season, with only a Spanish S ... More

David Beckham’s longevity and his ability to reinvent himself were “absolutely incredible”, retiring Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has said. Beckham and Ferguson, who were synonymously linked with Manchester United until the former England captain moved to Real Madrid, both announced in the past 10 days they would retire from soccer at the end of the current season. The 71-year-old Ferguson’s final game in charge after 26 years at Old Trafford will be on Sunda ... More

USA Wrestling says that Iran has pulled out of a dual meet set for Sunday in Los Angeles. The organization said Friday that the Iranian Wrestling Federation told them the team's schedule has changed and that it has returned to Iran. No further reasons were given for Iran's departure. USA Wrestling says it will instead host Russian and Canadian teams Sunday in a “United 4 Wrestling” event at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. The Iranians and Americans wrestled Wednesday in New ... More

After nearly 27 years and 1,499 matches at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson heads into his last game as a football manager surprised by his own longevity and desperate to end his illustrious career on a winning note. The 71-year-old Manchester United manager will retire after Sunday’s Premier League match against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns, a week after bidding an emotional farewell to Old Trafford following a 2-1 victory over Swansea. “1,500 matches – it’s qui ... More

Hardcore fans of Egypt’s Zamalek Football club stormed on Thursday the Egyptian sports minister press conference. Public prosecutor Talaat Abdallah ordered a swift and broad investigation into the incident, after hundreds of Zamalek Ultras bombarded the press conference held in a hall at the Cairo Stadium. The fans broke several cameras belonging to different television channels and lit up flares inside the hall. The attack left the sports minister’s undersecretary wounded. Abdallah ... More

David Beckham is retiring from football, ending a career in which he became a global superstar who transcended the sport. The 38-year-old Beckham, who recently won a league title in a fourth country with Paris Saint-Germain, said Thursday he will retire at the end of the season. “I'm thankful to PSG for giving me the opportunity to continue but I feel now is the right time to finish my career, playing at the highest level,” the former England captain said in a statement. Beckham h ... More

Jose Mourinho faces ending a season without a major trophy for the first time in a decade if his Real Madrid side fail to beat city rivals Atletico Madrid in the King's Cup final at the Bernabeu on Friday. Since starting out in his first full season as a coach with Porto in the 2002/3 campaign, through spells with Chelsea, Inter Milan and Real, the Portuguese has amassed two Champions League trophies, a UEFA Cup, seven league titles and six national cups. In what looks increasingly likely to b ... More

England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand announced his retirement from international soccer on Wednesday. The decision, in a statement on the United and Football Association websites, came nearly two years after Ferdinand last played for his country in a Euro 2012 qualifier against Switzerland on June 4, 2011. The FA said the central defender, who made his England senior debut against Cameroon at Wembley in 1997 and won 81 caps, had informed England coach Roy Hodgson of his decisio ... More

The official FIFA U-17 World Cup 2013 mascot was unveiled Monday in the host country, the UAE, reported Emirates 24/7 on Tuesday. The mascot, “Shaqran,” is named after a popular type of falcon, a bird that is a strong symbol of the country’s heritage and falconry tradition. Tournament director, Mohammed Abdulla bin Bdoua, said: “I am delighted to introduce our tournament mascot, Shaqran, to all football fans in the UAE, many of whom are familiar with the falcon that the m ... More

Egyptian rivals al-Ahli and Zamalek were paired together in the African Champions League for a second successive year when the draw for the group phase of this year’s competition was conducted in Cairo on Tuesday. Al-Ahli won last year’s competition and have a dominant record in recent years over their neighbors, whom they meet in the first group match on the weekend of July 19-21. The pair were drawn in Group A alongside Orlando Pirates from South Africa and Congo’s AC Leopa ... More

Manchester City sacked manager Roberto Mancini on Monday after the Italian’s future had been in doubt for several months following his team’s feeble defense of the Premier League title. Manchester United regained the title last month with four games to spare and City were then beaten 1-0 by Wigan Athletic in last Saturday’s FA Cup final. “It is with regret that Manchester City Football Club announces that Roberto Mancini has been relieved of his duties as Manchester Cit ... More

Bayern Munich crushed European heavyweights Barcelona and Juventus en route to the Champions League final but they should not expect the same to happen against Borussia Dortmund, Dortmund coach Juergen Klopp said on Monday. Bayern face their Bundesliga rivals in the first all-German Champions League final in London’s Wembley stadium on May 25. The Bavarians beat former European champions Juventus 4-0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals before exploding past Spain’s Barcelona 7-0 in ... More

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini mastered the conditions and controlled their pace to perfection to secure a comfortable victory in the 2013 Jordan Rally, round three of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), on Saturday. The Qatari duly clinched his 48th career MERC victory and his seventh in Jordan by the margin of 1min 42.2sec to take a 24–point championship lead into the summer break. The success also marked the 11th win for Ford ... More

Amid a carnival atmosphere at a rainy Old Trafford, Manchester United gave the retiring Alex Ferguson and Paul Scholes a perfect send-off in their final home match by beating Swansea 2-1 in the Premier League. Ferguson, who is stepping down at the end of the season after nearly 27 years as United manager, jumped out of his seat and punched the air in delight after Rio Ferdinand volleyed the winning goal into the back of the net in the 86th minute. Scholes played 66 minutes in his last home mat ... More

The Emirati rugby team meets Philippines next Saturday in a vital match that will decide whether the UAE will remain part of the Asian Five Nations, The National reported. The UAE coach Duncan Hall told the newspaper he was impressed by his team’s “improved performance” against Japan. “The guys know what they have to do in the Philippines and that is win the game, whether it be by one point or 10 points, it doesn't matter,” Hall said. “We are going there to wi ... More

Kenya's world record holder and Olympic champion David Rudisha had to work hard to secure victory over Ethiopian teenager Mohammed Aman in the 800 meters at the opening Diamond League meeting of the season in Doha on Friday. London Games sprint champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce of Jamaica won the women's 200 and American Justin Gatlin snatched victory in the men's 100 as a host of Olympic medalists began their build up to August's world championships in Moscow. Gatlin, who claimed Olympic bronz ... More

An Emirati driver was seen hanging over a cliff during the first stage of the Jordan Rally on Friday, with no further information provided on why the car went off track. Abu Dhabi Racing's Emirati driver, Mohammed al-Sahlawi, and his Irish co-driver, Allan Harryman, were captured in a picture by Jordan Rally photographers veering off a cliff, which is located near the Dead Sea. Some 27 drivers from eight different countries are taking part in The Jordan Rally, the third round of the 2013 FIA Mid ... More

Fans across the United Arab Emirates will sorely miss one of the most charismatic and well-known figures in British football, Sir Alex Ferguson, who announced his retirement as manager of Manchester United after almost 27 years at the helm. Mustafa Ibrahim, chairman of the official Manchester United Supporters Club UAE, said he was shocked and in tears when he heard the news. “It was like being hit by a freight train,” he added. “He’s of an age where you might expect him ... More