Ali Khaled

Twenty-five years after qualifying to the 1990 World Cup in Italy, the UAE’s Golden Generation are once again ready to face the cameras.

With the expensive packages from beIN Sports, watching the World Cup matches with home comforts is a costly affair, and outdoors is not suitable on everyone’s watch.

Pre-tournament dark horses rarely deliver at the Fifa World Cup. It’s the teams who emerge during the tournament that defy the odds. This year’s could be far more obvious than most people think.

The martial arts scene across the UAE has seen a remarkable rise in popularity during the last few years, and with that have come new opportunities for those who dare dream

History has shown the folly of that, even when injuries occurred during the tournament.

On Friday, a second-half free-kick winner set the Palestinians celebrating. But nothing ever comes straight for them. The road to Australia has been a long and winding one.

Fighting in a Muslim country for the first time, Badr Hari won over a Dubai crowd of 3,000 spectators and then walked away with a big cheque, writes Ali Khaled.

Dubai favourite Fatih Ulusoy proves too strong for India's Jaideep Singh at successful Global Fighting Championship in Dubai. Ali Khaled reports.

Ali Khaled looks back at the 1982 World Cup, the 'football Woodstock' to Argentina 1978's 'happy summer daydream'.

While Paolo Rossi was Fifa’s official player of the 1982 World Cup in Spain, Ali Khaled writes Brazil's Zico was the real eye-catcher.

Australian fighter Peter Graham says the martial art is on the up again, and promises fans in Dubai for the Dh 1million Global Fighting Championship on Thursday that they are in for a treat.

Badr Hari is self-motivated but 2005 loss to Leko is driving Moroccan kick boxer further to beat him at Global Fighting Championship in Dubai on Thursday, writes Ali Khaled.

Their era of dominance looks to be over, for now, but their brand of tiki taka football should always be revered.