Sana'a - Saba:
The final stage of the Second Division Basketball League (Group One – Sana'a Cluster) will begin tomorrow, Wednesday evening, at Al-Ahli Club Hall in Sana'a, running from May 21 to 24.
The clubs May 22, Shaab Ibb, and Al-Hilal Al-Hodeida will compete for the qualifying ticket from this group to the First Division, playing in a single round-robin format to determine the group leader and the advancing team.
The matches will open tomorrow, Wednesday, with a strong clash between May 22 and Al-Hilal. On Thursday, Shaab Ibb and Al-Hilal will face off, while the cluster’s matches will conclude next Saturday with a game between Shaab Ibb and May 22.
The three teams qualified for the final stage (Sana'a Cluster) after securing victories in the first-round matches. Shaab Ibb defeated Talia' Taiz in both house and away matches, Al-Hilal Al-Hodeida overcame Shabab Al-Jeel in the away match after losing the home game, advancing on aggregate, while May 22 triumphed over Shabab Al-Mahwit and Al-Ahmadi Rada'.
Meanwhile, the second group of the final stage (Seiyun Cluster) of the Second Division League is scheduled to begin the day after tomorrow, Thursday, with the participation of Talia' Lahj, Wahdat Tarim, and Tadamon Al-Mukalla.
In this regard, Jamal Ibrahim, Secretary-General of the Yemeni Basketball Federation, anticipated that the second-stage matches would be more intense, as the leader of each group will directly qualify for the First Division. A later match will then be held between the two group leaders to determine the Second Division champion.
He explained that with the completion of the Second Division League, the federation will have executed 80% of its plan for the 2024-2025 season, leaving 20% of activities, including the Republic Cup, which will take place after the participation of the national junior team in the West Asia Championship next July, as well as Yemen's participation in the Arab Championship and the 3×3 Arab Championship.
Ibrahim noted that despite the difficult circumstances, the federation was keen to implement its plan and achieved notable success in the current sports season, which began with the Super Cup, followed by the First Division League, the Republic Youth Championship, and now the Second Division League.
He added that the federation is working diligently to conclude its season successfully by completing the remaining competitions and external participations.
The Secretary-General of the Basketball Federation praised the clubs' cooperation in making the season a success, acknowledging the efforts of specialized committees, coaches, technical staff, referees, players in supporting the federation's activities and events.
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