DUBAI // They came together only last week, but they already are Al Wasl's "Three Amigos", the trio of Spanish-speaking South American imports around whom Diego Maradona hopes to build a league-winning team.
"To play for him is an honour," said Mariano Donda, a midfielder from Argentina. "I am happy to be here for this new venture, and especially under Diego Maradona, who was the best player in the world."
Donda was joined at Wasl yesterday by the Uruguayan striker, Juan Manuel Olivera, and the Chilean midfielder, Edson Puch, at a press conference to introduce them to members of the local media.
They denied feeling extra stress to prove their worth in Maradona's Wasl side, who are likely to receive international scrutiny because of the notoriety of the manager.
"It's not pressure," said Puch, "quite the contrary. I think we are motivated here at Wasl and to play for Diego Maradona, but it's not stress. It's an excitement about playing and a yearning to start the season and create great results."
Olivera and Donda were hand-picked by Maradona, the Fifa co-player of the 20th century (with Pele), and Argentina coach at the 2010 World Cup.
"Maradona called me and wanted me," Donda said, smiling at the memory. "This is a good thing, a good pressure. This is a great opportunity for me."
Donda, 29, played for Godoy Cruz, the Argentine side, and Bari of Italy's Serie A before. He likely will be used as a holding midfielder in Wasl's 4-2-3-1 formation.
Puch, 25 and a former Chilean international, last played at Universidad de Chile. The compact midfielder is expected to take up an attacking role on the left side.
Olivera, 30, is a tall and lean striker who will be at the apex of the Wasl attack. He scored a startling 37 goals in 42 matches in 2009/10 with Universidad de Chile, and most recently played with Penarol in Montevideo.
The triumvirate clearly are individuals. Olivera is the elder statesman, a husband and father who has played in leagues from China to South Korea, Chile and Saudi Arabia.
Puch is the eager little brother, liberally tattooed and playing outside his homeland for the first time. Donda projects an almost European hipster sophistication; he has closely cropped hair and a cool detachment.
But the three already seem at ease with each other and their surroundings.
Olivera and Puch played together on the 2009/10 Universidad de Chile club that won a domestic championship. Olivera and Donda were acquainted before they arrived, and Donda landed in Dubai knowing chapter and verse of the life and times of Diego Armando Maradona, his compatriot.
They also are linked by language. Spanish is one of the most-spoken tongues in the world, but few in the UAE understand it.
"The three of us all speaking Spanish, it's very important," Donda said. "I will be alone for eight months far from my country and my language, but I know I will be able to speak to my teammates and the coaches."
The trio are still getting to know their Emirati teammates, but they expect few difficulties integrating into the side.
"We don't speak much because they have another culture," Donda said. "But our professional culture is on the field, and that is where we need to demonstrate that we are friends, that we are brothers.
"The ball will talk."
They also are adjusting to the local climate; each came to the UAE from the southern hemisphere, where it is winter. Each is expected to play tonight when Maradona makes his UAE coaching debut in a home friendly against Kalba, the Division One side.
Each of the amigos resisted suggestions that Wasl should be expected to win the league.
"We will try very hard," Donda said. "All we can promise is that we will work very hard and play like professionals."
Said Olivera: "For me, the coach and the team, I hope we have a good year. We know it's a strong league with big players, but if we are training well and if we play as a team, we can finish very well."
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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Name: Capt Shadia Khasif
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Family: Five sons and three daughters
The first female investigator in Hatta.
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Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
Know your cyber adversaries
Cryptojacking: Compromises a device or network to mine cryptocurrencies without an organisation's knowledge.
Distributed denial-of-service: Floods systems, servers or networks with information, effectively blocking them.
Man-in-the-middle attack: Intercepts two-way communication to obtain information, spy on participants or alter the outcome.
Malware: Installs itself in a network when a user clicks on a compromised link or email attachment.
Phishing: Aims to secure personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.
Ransomware: Encrypts user data, denying access and demands a payment to decrypt it.
Spyware: Collects information without the user's knowledge, which is then passed on to bad actors.
Trojans: Create a backdoor into systems, which becomes a point of entry for an attack.
Viruses: Infect applications in a system and replicate themselves as they go, just like their biological counterparts.
Worms: Send copies of themselves to other users or contacts. They don't attack the system, but they overload it.
Zero-day exploit: Exploits a vulnerability in software before a fix is found.
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
Malcolm & Marie
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: John David Washington and Zendaya
Three stars
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Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
