Trying to put into context a shocking result involving a sports superpower. Al Ahli 6, Al Ain 3 … in the UAE domestic soccer league. The Crimson Tide of Bear Bryant or Nick Saban being routed by, say, South Carolina. The Man United of Alex Ferguson going down heavily to Stoke. That is like Al […]

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Supply your own punchline. One might be … “or are you just excited to be headed to Dubai?” Another wacky story out of our neck of the woods. And here it is, in the pages of The National: A man was arrested in New Delhi just ahead of boarding a flight headed for the UAE. […]

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Perhaps the craziest part of this story is … I know how it could happen. It is astonishing, on its face. The Dubai police write around 2,000 traffic tickets per month for “reckless backwards driving,” as noted in this story in The National. And, yes, that’s fairly nutty. About 70 tickets a day for people […]

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Insults are a serious matter, here in the UAE. Walter Zenga can vouch for that. His wallet is 2,000 dirhams lighter because he indulged himself in a fit of pique aimed at a local reporter. The UAE is one of the handful of places in the world where a major sports figure can insult a […]

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The United Arab Emirates in many ways resembles another “United” country — the United States. And perhaps the most direct correlation is the Emirati preference for the same sort of fast food and rich food that many Americans also enjoy. To it: The Cheesecake Factory.

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This was a nice day in the realm of international sports for the UAE. An Emirati shooter won gold and a wheelchair sprinter won silver in the London Paralympic Games today. How big a deal is that?

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Beginning to think this guy is like chewing gum on the UAE sneaker. Impossible to get rid of. Diego Maradona, who fairly conclusively demonstrated, again, during the 2011-12 UAE Pro League season that he cannot effectively coach the game he played with such flair, was fired in June by the Dubai club Al Wasl … […]

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I cling to this memory. It isn’t a fantasy. It happened. In a country that always feels as if it is on the wrong side of the microwave door, I find myself indulging in this reverie. The day I wore a sweater.

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In the spring of 2010, the sports section at The National newspaper in Abu Dhabi was a shambles. Several staffers were solid and energetic, but the section was not well led and had become an afterthought. Three sports editors had cycled through in the two years of the newspaper’s existence, and the section had ridiculous […]

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Last week, we brought you the taxi driver from India who won the drawing for a Lamborghini Gallardo 550 sports car worth about $200,000. And the Abu Dhabi resident made so little money he seemed unlikely to be able to afford the insurance on the car. I am pleased to report — via my colleagues […]

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