Brazilian Italo Ferreira remembers idol Ayrton Senna with celebration at Surf Abu Dhabi Pro

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Brazil's Italo Ferreira celebratres after winning at Surf Abu Dhabi Pro (Supplied)
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Updated 21 February 2025
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Brazilian Italo Ferreira remembers idol Ayrton Senna with celebration at Surf Abu Dhabi Pro

  • First World Surf League Championship Tour event in Mideast ends with winner taking inspiration from other Brazilian greats

ABU DHABI: They say not all superheroes wear capes, but Italo Ferreira certainly does.

Having won the inaugural Surf Abu Dhabi Pro final at the weekend after two waves of four, Ferreira celebrated by tying a Brazil flag around his neck and hopping back on his board.

The clip of the Olympic 2020 gold medalist and 2019 World Surf League Championship Tour winner weaving in and out of the Surf Abu Dhabi waves with his nation’s flag billowing may turn out to be an iconic sporting moment.

While many may have thought of Superman, patriotic Ferreira had another sporting superhero in mind — Brazil’s late, great three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna, who celebrated in similar fashion.

“That was a really cool moment for me,” said Ferreira. “It was like Ayrton Senna, one of the idols from Brazil. We have so many good sporting talents in Brazil who inspire us, both from the past and right now. It was a really cool moment for me.”

For confirmation of the adoration for Brazil’s sports stars, you only had to look at the capacity crowd at Surf Abu Dhabi on Hudayriyat Island over the three days of action.

There was a sea of yellow including many Brazilian jerseys with the numbers of Ronaldo or Neymar on their backs. But the most important number for Ferreira, who surfs wearing 15, is now No. 1 as the champion.

“That was really special for me making history here,” said Ferreira of his victory at the debut Surf Abu Dhabi Pro, which was also the first time the Middle East has hosted a WSL Championship Tour event.

“I’m so glad to live in this moment, that was very special. It’s great to be here and have this kind of wave pool in the middle of the desert in Abu Dhabi,” the 30-year-old added.

Surf Abu Dhabi’s state-of-the-art technology was designed by another superhero, Kelly Slater, widely considered the greatest surfer of all time. Surf Abu Dhabi’s system holds multiple Guinness World Records, including for the longest and largest artificial wave pool, and world’s biggest barrel.

Ferreira, a national hero who has some 3 million followers on Instagram, won his quarterfinal on Sunday against Kanoa Igarashi, in a repeat of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics gold medal match.

Ferreira then soared through every run in the semifinal versus Jack Robinson with increasingly higher scores, building to a 17.37. And Indonesian star Rio Waida, so impressive in the competition, could only watch as the Brazil flag fluttered from the back of Ferreira in the final.

“It was incredible having a lot of Brazilians right here,” said Ferreira, who is from Baia Formosa, the easternmost city in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Norte.

“I had big support from all the fans, not only here but all around the world. The Brazil fans are special, and I can’t wait to surf again with them right here.”

The Surf Abu Dhabi Pro was the second of 12 global events in the 2025 WSL Championship Tour. Next on the roster is Portugal in March. All the top surfers, including Ferreira, are competing.

But beyond that, the legacy of the inaugural Surf Abu Dhabi Pro is something that matters greatly to Ferreira, who is keen to inspire surfers in the Middle East.

“We are making great moments right now, aren’t we?” he said. “We are making history; building new wave pools and making something special for the sport.”

It is perhaps apt that Ferreira, cape and all, was the first superstar to write his name in the Surf Abu Dhabi Pro record books. His Wikipedia page states that he learned to surf on the 91-centimeter lid of a cooler box his father used to transport fish to sell to restaurants in Baia Formosa.

“My history is really special,” smiled Ferreira. “I’m so glad to live this life, you know, it’s like I came from the bottom and right now I’m at the top and this is motivating me more and more.

“My family have been supporting me every year and pushing me always, and my team as well. It’s really cool.”


UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach

Updated 5 sec ago
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UAE appoint Romanian Olaroiu to replace Bento as head coach

The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento
Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah

DUBAI: Cosmin Olaroiu has been appointed United Arab Emirates head coach, the country’s FA announced on Saturday.
The 55-year-old Romanian takes over from Portuguese Paulo Bento, who was fired last month despite a last-gasp win over North Korea in Asia’s World Cup qualifiers.
The UAE are third in Group A of the preliminaries for the 2026 finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The first two finishers in each of Asia’s three groups progress automatically to the World Cup while the third- and fourth-placed teams advance to another round.
Iran have already claimed one of the two berths available from Group A while second-placed Uzbekistan are four points clear of the UAE with two matches remaining.
Olaroiu has spent the last three-and-a-half seasons with UAE club Sharjah, and last week guided the team into the final of the AFC Champions League Two.
He has worked extensively in the Gulf region, coaching Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, Qatar’s Al-Sadd and Emirati side Al-Ain before moving to China, where he won the Chinese Super League title with Jiangsu Suning in 2020.
Olaroiu’s first game in charge of the UAE will be their World Cup qualifier at home to Uzbekistan on June 5. They then visit Kyrgyzstan in Group A five days later.

Former Croatia midfielder Nikola Pokrivač dies in car accident at age 39

Updated 19 April 2025
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Former Croatia midfielder Nikola Pokrivač dies in car accident at age 39

  • The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident
  • Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team

ZAGREB: Nikola Pokrivač, a former Croatia national team midfielder who played at the 2008 European Championship, has died in a car accident, his country’s soccer federation said. He was 39.
The federation announced that Pokrivač died Friday night in a car accident in the city of Karlovac.
Pokrivač played for Dinamo Zagreb, Monaco and Salzburg before being diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2015.

Pokrivač made 15 appearances for Croatia’s national team.
Marijan Kustić, president of the Croatian Football Federation, called Pokrivač a “great football player” who “showed great courage in life by overcoming a terrible disease.” He offered condolences to Pokrivač’s family.
Dinamo said in a statement that Pokrivač was a talented midfielder who played 69 times for the team and participated in four championship titles.


F1 fans enjoy start of Saudi Arabian GP weekend at fan zone

Updated 19 April 2025
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F1 fans enjoy start of Saudi Arabian GP weekend at fan zone

JEDDAH: Fans from around the world enjoyed the first day of the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix race weekend on Friday at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit fan zone.

The site, next to the racetrack, offered a range of experiences including F1 interactive simulators, sim racing, a pit stop challenge, an F1 show car, driver selfies in augmented reality and a virtual pit tour, all designed to bring fans closer to the sport.

There were also food trucks, live music, cutting-edge driving simulators, virtual racing games and several F1 cars for photo opportunities.

Many fans who spoke with Arab News said they had traveled from places such as Riyadh, Dammam, Hail, Taif, Madina and Jizan to experience the race in Jeddah.

“It is an amazing event and as a family we are really enjoying every bit of it. I was really looking forward to seeing a racing car close up, and this is what Formula 1 is all about,” said local Saudi businessman Fahad Al-Malki, there with his family from Jeddah.

He added: “It is an amazing experience from the moment you start arriving around the road. It is so organized. I love the way everyone is so cooperative while you walk in, people are smiling and everyone is welcoming you, I enjoy that. My family is here and you get different ages of groups and families are sitting together and they are enjoying it. It is an amazing experience.”

Meanwhile, Jimmy from Glasgow, Scotland, described the Formula 1 weekend as “amazing.”

“This is my first time to attend the F1 race and I am glad to see it here in Jeddah,” he said. “Besides watching the (racing) I also had the chance to explore the fan zone. It is incredible and the food court is fantastic. Simply, my friend and I are just having fun and enjoying everything here.”

Laisly, from the Philippines, said: “I am very surprised. I was really looking forward to seeing a racing car from close up, it is really an interesting event. I’m really excited to see the race and at the same time enjoy the atmosphere of the fan zone.”

She added: “For us as Filipinos who are working here in Saudi Arabia, it is really one of a kind and hopefully these kinds of events will continue and recently there are many opportunities to see a race like this.”


Dortmund to treat every game as a final in bid for top four, says Gross

Updated 19 April 2025
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Dortmund to treat every game as a final in bid for top four, says Gross

  • “In this stadium, with the fans, you can beat any team in the world. (Missing out) on that would hurt a lot,” Gross told reporters on Saturday

Borussia Dortmund will approach every match like a final as they push for a top four finish in the Bundesliga, midfielder Pascal Gross said ahead of Sunday’s home game against seventh-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach.
Dortmund are eighth in the table with 42 points from 29 games, their worst position since 2014-15 when they finished seventh. They trail fourth-placed RB Leipzig by six points with five games remaining in the season.
Dortmund’s confidence in securing a European spot has grown, with Gross seeing his side’s 3-1 midweek home win over Barcelona in the Champions League as a boost, despite the side losing 5-3 on aggregate, which eliminated them from the competition.
“In this stadium, with the fans, you can beat any team in the world. (Missing out) on that would hurt a lot,” Gross told reporters on Saturday.
“That’s why we need to do everything in our power in the final five games to get as many points as we possibly can. This season is crazy. We’ve almost lost too many games already to be able to reach that goal.
“But when you look at the table, you can see that anything is possible. The next five games are all finals for us.”
The 33-year-old added that the team was more cohesive now, “I feel like we’re more solid now. If one person makes a mistake, someone else smoothes it out for him. That helps you to trust in what you’re doing.”
Dortmund manager Nico Kovac called for more passion and aggression in the next five games and said captain Emre Can and midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, who missed the Barcelona game with injury, are in contention to feature against Gladbach.


Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says he will discuss his future at end of season

Updated 19 April 2025
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Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says he will discuss his future at end of season

  • Carlo Ancelotti has eluded speaking about his future after recent reports that again linked the Real Madrid coach with a move to Brazil’s national team
  • The veteran Italian manager was asked several times by reporters on Saturday at a pre-game press conference if he would leave the Spanish giant this summer

MADRID: Carlo Ancelotti has eluded speaking about his future after recent reports that again linked the Real Madrid coach with a move to Brazil’s national team.
The veteran Italian manager was asked several times by reporters on Saturday at a pre-game press conference if he would leave the Spanish giant this summer, and each time he responded that he didn’t want to speak about it.
“At the end of the season we will speak about this with the club,” he said more than once.
The 65-year-old Ancelotti is under contract with Madrid through June 2026.
Speculation regarding his career plans has once again spiked after Madrid’s exit from the Champions League this week. Britain’s Sky Sports has reported that he will step down following the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona on April 26.
Besides the Copa del Rey, Madrid is still in the fight to defend its La Liga title and is also to play in the Club World Cup this summer.
Madrid is in second place behind Barcelona in the league. It hosts fourth-place Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
Brazil has reportedly been after Ancelotti since last year as it seeks an elite coach for the 2026 World Cup. Brazil fired Dorival Júnior as coach last month.
Ancelotti is the only coach to have won the Champions League five times — three times with Madrid (2014, 2022, 2024) and twice with AC Milan (2003, 2007). He is also the only coach to have steered teams to domestic league titles in Spain, England, Italy, Germany and France.