In the crowded Madhattan cafe in Badaro, a Christian neighbourhood in Beirut, supporters gathered to watch the World Cup semi-final between France and Morocco seem to be equally divided between the two countries.
But most of them are actually supporting both.
Theo Hernandez's acrobatic early goal, which gave France the lead in the first half, is celebrated with joy, as are the many Moroccan attacks that made Les Bleus’ defence sweat.
For Samer, 22, with a Moroccan flag draped around his shoulders, the Atlas Lions were a natural and first choice.
“They are the underdog, they support the Palestinian cause and it is the first time that an Arab country has made it so far,” he said in perfect French.
“But France is my second choice, I will support them in the final.”
Support for both teams makes sense. Although Lebanon is an Arab country, France is its former colonial power.
The European nation has traditional links to the Christian community rooted in a long history of immigration.
Jonna, 20, and Maria, 30, said they supported the French team because some members of their family live in France.
But in the cafe, the divide between France and Morocco supporters is not always consistent with sectarian lines.
“It depends on the person and their traditional football allegiances,” said Natalie, 26.
France v Morocco fan stories — in pictures
Morocco fan Khodor, 28, standing on the pavement outside the packed cafe, said: “Maybe Christians will tend to support France because they historically have more ties with the country than Muslims do, but not everything has to be seen as sectarian in Lebanon.”
Khodor's eyes are glued to the screen as French player Kolo Muani scores France’s second goal in the 79th minute, sealing a 2-0 victory and ending the Atlas Lions’ World Cup dream.
A sigh of disappointment spread among the Moroccan fans, while some French supporters started dancing to the country's patriotic football song, Ramenez la Coupe a la Maison.
The friendly atmosphere was a stark contrast with last week when residents of the mainly Christian Ashrafieh neighbourhood clashed with football hooligans celebrating Morocco’s astonishing win.
The procession of fans waving Moroccan, Palestinian and Syrian flags, was regarded by residents as an unnecessary instigation of civil war-era tension.
For the semi-final, Sassine Square in Ashrafieh was packed with police and army vehicles before the game to prevent similar sectarian clashes. The match passed by without incident.
Neither France nor Morocco are especially popular teams. The French have a dedicated following and Morocco’s surprise win against Portugal, which took the team to the semi-finals, made them an overnight sensation.
Apprehension also seemed far away in the mixed neighbourhood of Mar Elias, where many families and groups of friends with differing team loyalties gathered in cafes.
High school pupil Omar Salamoun, a France supporter with family in the European nation, watched the match with two friends.
Ali also supported France but was happy about Morocco’s advance to the semi-finals. The third friend, Mahmoud, supported Morocco.
“It makes me raise my head with pride that an Arab team advanced to the semi-finals,” Ali said.
Omar nodded. All three rejected the notion that supporting one team over another meant disregarding part of their identity.
“Football is a game that unifies people all over the world, despite sect and politics,” Omar said.
About 1km away in the Mar Elias refugee camp for Palestinians, a cheery, communal atmosphere prevailed despite France’s first goal.
Residents had built a small viewing area in the narrow street of the camp’s entrance, and a crowd of children was seated in front of a screen while the adults watched over them.
“We made this viewing area for them so they don’t go out and make trouble,” joked Moataz, one of the organisers of the watch party.
It was a light-hearted reference to the uneasy presence of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, where they are often used as scapegoats by politicians for being a drain on the struggling state’s resources, leading to resentment.
The match is highly symbolic to those in the refugee camp because of the Moroccan team’s visible support for Palestine in every match.
“Every Palestinian house in the world is Moroccan today,” Moataz said.
“We were divided in 1948” — when Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes during the creation of Israel — “but today we were reunited through the World Cup.”
“But maybe we should cheer on France for a little while,” a resident near Moataz quipped with mock superstition.
“Maybe then Morocco will score a goal. Because clearly our support is making them lose.”
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Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scores:
Kashima Antlers 0
River Plate 4
Zuculini 24', Martinez 73', 90 2', Borre 89' (pen)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final, second leg (first-leg score):
Manchester City (0) v Tottenham Hotspur (1), Wednesday, 11pm UAE
Match is on BeIN Sports
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
Match info
Manchester City 3 (Jesus 22', 50', Sterling 69')
Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 65')
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Day 3, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Just three balls remained in an exhausting day for Sri Lanka’s bowlers when they were afforded some belated cheer. Nuwan Pradeep, unrewarded in 15 overs to that point, let slip a seemingly innocuous delivery down the legside. Babar Azam feathered it behind, and Niroshan Dickwella dived to make a fine catch.
Stat of the day - 2.56 Shan Masood and Sami Aslam are the 16th opening partnership Pakistan have had in Tests in the past five years. That turnover at the top of the order – a new pair every 2.56 Test matches on average – is by far the fastest rate among the leading Test sides. Masood and Aslam put on 114 in their first alliance in Abu Dhabi.
The verdict Even by the normal standards of Test cricket in the UAE, this has been slow going. Pakistan’s run-rate of 2.38 per over is the lowest they have managed in a Test match in this country. With just 14 wickets having fallen in three days so far, it is difficult to see 26 dropping to bring about a result over the next two.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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.”
