Fifa 21 is the game franchise's last significant showing on the current generation of consoles, and an opportunity to put right the wrongs of its predecessor, the below-par Fifa 20.
But does it hit the back of the net this time around? Well, actually yes: and maybe all too frequently if you're controlling megastars such as Lionel Messi and Mohamed Salah.
While this year's offering doesn't represent a major overhaul from developer EA Sports, it provides a few new tricks and flicks that move it in the right direction.
Regular players of last year's version pointed to rather stale, predictable gameplay, with each match feeling like the one before.
This time around, the on-pitch game experience has been juiced: that is until EA release any update patches, which have been known to shift the game play in different directions after the initial release.
The good
The in-match experience has been made much more exciting. This is, in part, down to the speed of the action which certainly feels faster than the beta version we tested back in July.
When playing online, matches swing from end to end, tackles fly in and the ball is pinged around the pitch with greater urgency.
Fifa is known as a simulation, but it feels more arcade-like this year, and the result is extra fun. High-scoring games are frequent with less AI-assisted defending making it more of a challenge to keep a clean sheet. My last two matches played online finished 5-3 and 7-2. This will please some, but infuriate others.
Passing is more fluid and players make more intelligent runs thanks to the new Positioning Personality feature, while dribbling has been made more responsive.
Then there's the new creative runs option, whereby you control the player after he makes a pass, allowing for greater variety in the attacking third.
All in all, you come away from matches – more so when playing online – needing a moment to take in the 15 minutes or so of carnage that has just taken place. Mind you, that's what it's like watching Liverpool play these days.
Beginners will be beaming as they rocket another shot in the top corner, and hopefully the serious players will find the defensive difficulties a test of skill.
The bad
It's a widely held view that Fifa needs a reboot with its on-pitch action. The changes between now and, say, three years ago are minimal, both in how it looks and plays.
The ball physics need an overhaul. Not every shot should be on the rise as it hits the net, and EA need to find a way to get the ball to curve and spin as it does in real life.
Goalkeepers this year – so far – are horrendous. Their save percentage from shots taken inside the box must be well below 50 per cent. Think Chelsea's Kepa Arrizabalaga, but worse.
Through-balls are overpowered and another reason for so many goals, although these could also be partially down to the Positioning Personality feature, which is providing strikers with more dynamic movement off the ball.
Tacking still seems a little random: you win some, you lose some whether you time it perfectly or not, but that is football, you may argue.
Ultimate Team and other game modes
The most popular game mode is Ultimate Team, where players build a squad by earning coins and opening packs, just like football-man kids did with stickers in the 1990s, and still do these days.
This year's offering is much the same as in Fifa 20, again with a few updates. Players can build their own stadium, which is a nice touch as the more you play the more options are given for kitting it out.
Co-op play is an excellent addition given the social restrictions in place from the pandemic. It allows two players on two different accounts to play on the same team online, with both receiving the rewards from the match for their own account.
Another nice, albeit small, touch is in Division Rivals, where it shows the skill rating of your opponent after a match is completed. So, if you've just been beaten 6-0, you can rightly blame EA's matchmaking system when it's confirmed your opponent is three divisions higher than you.
The controversial pay-to-win element is still prevalent, with players able to purchase loot boxes with real money. Just be watchful with the kids on this one.
Elsewhere, the Volta street football now has co-operative play and a new narrative-based mode called The Debut. It's a pleasant enough sideshow from the main action in Ultimate Team.
Career Mode has been given added depth with a revamped player growth system and an active training system, while players can jump in and out of matches with the new interactive match simulation.
It's an attempt at moving more towards Football Manager, but don't expect anywhere near the same level of detail.
The final score
In some respects, it may have moved away from being the closest to real football you can get on a console (PES being the alternative), yet it will provide hours and hours of fun.
Hopefully, once the PS5 settles in, and Fifa 22 comes around, EA will have the perfect football game, while for now they have a decent one that should keep gamers of most skill levels happy.
Just make sure you practise defending.
This review is based on the PS4 edition. The game is due for general release on Friday, October 9.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Teams
India (playing XI): Virat Kohli (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami
South Africa (squad): Faf du Plessis (c), Temba Bavuma, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, Dean Elgar, Zubayr Hamza, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Senuran Muthusamy, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Vernon Philander, Dane Piedt, Kagiso Rabada, Rudi Second
RESULTS
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Last five meetings
2013: South Korea 0-2 Brazil
2002: South Korea 2-3 Brazil
1999: South Korea 1-0 Brazil
1997: South Korea 1-2 Brazil
1995: South Korea 0-1 Brazil
Note: All friendlies
Abu Dhabi World Pro 2019 remaining schedule:
Wednesday April 24: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-6pm
Thursday April 25: Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu Championship, 11am-5pm
Friday April 26: Finals, 3-6pm
Saturday April 27: Awards ceremony, 4pm and 8pm
