Dia Saba is the first Israeli football player to join a Gulf league, following signing his contract with the U.A.E.'s Al Nasr Club, according to media reports published on Sunday.
The attacking midfielder of Palestinian origin conducted routine medical examinations before officially joining the team.
Avichay Adraee, Israeli spokesperson for Arabic media congratulated yesterday, Saturday, Saba on joining the U.A.E.'s football club, becoming the first footballer from the Jewish state to play for an Arab-Gulf team.
Media reports indicated that the contract of Saba, coming from Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao F.C. of China, will be for a period of three years, revealing that the 27-year-old player will receive 3 million dollars annually.
Saba, the advanced playmaker, was born in Majd al-Krum, 16 kilometers east of Acre, to a Muslim-Arab family. In summer 2011, Saba joined Maccabi Tel Aviv and played under manager Motti Ivanir.
On August 13, a peace deal between Tel Aviv and Abu Dhabi was announced stipulating that Israel will halt its contentious plan to annex the occupied West Bank land sought by the Palestinians.
The new decree allows Israeli citizens and firms to do business in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula. It also allows for the purchase and trade of Israeli goods.
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