Boloni is Wahda's new manager

ABU DHABI // Laszlo Boloni will head to Abu Dhabi this week to sign a contract with Al Wahda, the Pro League champions who have wasted no time in appointing a new coach as they plan ahead for the Club World Cup (CWC) in December. Boloni takes over from Josef Hickersberger, the Austrian who led Wahda to CWC qualification. The club will represent the UAE.

"The new coach will arrive this week to complete the formalities and draw up his training schedule before the team leave for Germany for a three-week camp on July 22," said Khaled Awadh, the deputy chief executive, without disclosing any other details. In the CWC, Wahda will face Hekari United of Papua New Guinea, the Oceania champions who beat Waitakere of New Zealand 4-2 in the O-League final. Wahda are determined to do better than Al Ahli, the 2008-2009 league champions, who were beaten 2-0 by Auckland City, an amateur side from New Zealand, which led to a first-round exit.

"All this early preparation is for a special season ahead, particularly to do the UAE proud at the CWC," said Awadh. "Boloni has the experience, having spent a season in Abu Dhabi, and will surely know a great deal about the players and what we would require from him." The Romanian, 57, spent a season at Al Jazira in 2007/08, when the team were runners-up in the league and Gulf Club Cup winners. He moved to Standard Liege, the Belgian side, where he spent two years. He won the league title in 2008/09 before resigning in February following a series of disappointing results.

Boloni was also linked by the Portuguese press with Porto, the 2004 Champions League winners, to replace Jesualdo Ferreira, whose contract expires this summer. He was also considering a move to the Croatian side Hajduk Split before deciding to join Wahda. Boloni is well known in Portugal for his success with Sporting Lisbon and as the coach who discovered and encouraged Cristiano Ronaldo, the 2008 World Player of the Year, while he was playing for them from 2001 to 2003.

Haider Ali, the Wahda captain, said he and his teammates were willing to work with any manager and would do their best to achieve more success for the club. "I have worked with several coaches, both at the club and the national team, and everyone has their own way of doing things," Ali said. "So it doesn't really matter as long as we all adapt to a system to produce results. "Boloni was at Jazira and he did a pretty good job with them. We have all seen his work and hope we can help him to achieve better results."

Wahda are also in talks with Hassan Ashjari, the Iranian international, 30, who plays at left-back for Zobahan. He would complete the "three plus one" foreign quota as the club's one player of Asian origin. "We are in talks with him but nothing concrete has come out of it," said Awadh. The club is looking to replace Hassan Mudhafer, the Omani international. apassela@thenational.ae

Born March 11, 1953, Romania Clubs/Player Romania 108 games, 25 goals ASA Targu Mures 1970/84 Steaua Bucharest 1984/87 Racing Jet Wavre 1987/88 US Cretel 1988/89 US Orleans 1989/92 Clubs/Coach AS Nancy 1994/2000 Romania 2000/01 Sporting 2001/03 Stade Rennais 2003/06 AS Monaco 2006 Al Jazira 2007/08 Standard Liege 2008/10 Honours Romanian Footballer of the Year, 1977 and 1983; Belgian Manager of the Year, 2009

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The Kites

Romain Gary

Penguin Modern Classics

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association

Analysis

Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more

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Europe’s rearming plan

Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital

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.”

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

THREE

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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)

Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai

Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi

Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia

A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

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The biog

Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates

Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.

Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.

Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.

Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile

Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran

Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep

Like a Fading Shadow

Antonio Muñoz Molina

Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez

Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)

2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.

Tonight's Chat on The National

Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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