Andres Iniesta was looking uncertain. It was his first day as a member of Barcelona's first team, in 2002, and he had automatically headed for his old dressing room, where the B team changed. His nerves were put at ease by the senior player in the first team, the lungs of the Barca side around the turn of the century.
“I told the doorman to bring Iniesta down to our dressing room,” explains Luis Enrique. “I introduced him to the other players in the manner I would have liked had I been him.
“I didn’t really know who he was, but that’s what should happen for any new player. I remember Kevin Moran shaking my hand when I started at Sporting Gijon.
“I saw Iniesta, pale skin, slight. But oohh, what a player. A lot of players don’t realise that Iniesta and Xavi had lots of games on the bench. Only Messi walked into the first team.
“Young players have to understand, adapt and learn. They have to learn little by little, otherwise there is too much pressure on them. Only Messi went straight into the first team.”
Enrique and Iniesta will meet again by the dressing rooms of Camp Nou tonight as the man offered the top job at Barcelona nine months ago returns for the first time as a coach with his Celta Vigo side.
Barcelona are buoyed by their incredible 4-3 win in el clasico on Sunday, that reduced Real Madrid’s advantage over them to one point. The first goal was scored by that slight, pale-skinned, young man who also scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final.
Iniesta is the Enrique of the current side, an attacking midfielder from outside Catalonia idolised by Catalans.
Enrique knows all about Spain’s big two, having played for both before turning to management with Barcelona’s B team, where he replaced Pep Guardiola and stayed for three years before moving to Roma.
He lasted a season in Italy and returned to his home by the sea near Barcelona, where he competed in Ironman competitions and travelled around Europe as a fan to watch big derby matches.
As he weighed up his options, he was approached by Barcelona and sounded out about becoming their coach. He asked for time to think about it and consult his wife, then Barca offered the job to Gerardo Martino.
With Martino’s future unsure, Enrique is among the favourites to replace him. The Asturian has done well at Celta, taking a team who finished 17th last season and only avoided relegation with two wins in their final games to a stable mid-table position. Celta had spent the previous five seasons in the second division.
They have improved as the season progressed and have an impressive away form with six wins – more than fourth-placed Athletic Bilbao. Those away wins against Villarreal, Sevilla, Malaga, Granada, Real Betis and Levante have contrasted with their home form – just three victories, the lowest in La Liga.
A win at Camp Nou tonight is unlikely, but Enrique’s reputation has risen since his move to Galicia. He has also switched formation from 4-2-3-1 to the 4-3-3 he knew so well at Barcelona.
Enrique joined a club who had sold their best player and local hero, Iago Aspas, to Liverpool. With La Liga survival his aim, he busied himself and brought in three of his former players from Barcelona B: left winger Nolito, defender/sweeper Andreu Fontas and attacking midfielder Rafinha.
Celta’s top scorer, the Brazilian Charles, joined as the leading striker in the second division last season with Almeria. Along with defender Inigo Lopez, the new arrivals have been Celta’s best players this season.
Enrique will progress and can call on his experience of playing under excellent coaches such as Vicente del Bosque, Sir Bobby Robson, Louis van Gaal and Jorge Valdano.
“You learn something from everyone, even the bad coaches,” he says. “Because they tell you something and you think: ‘I’ll never do that in the future.’ It’s far better to learn positive and interesting things, though.
“The trainer I learnt most from about the field of play was Van Gaal, even though he’s the one I’ve had the most confrontations with – well, disagreements. He’s got an obsession with work ethic, the way he plans. Maybe I preferred a lighter style to his.”
Barca are feeling better than at any point this season. But you can understand how much this legend would love to burst their bubble.
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Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
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The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
How to vote in the UAE
1) Download your ballot https://www.fvap.gov/
2) Take it to the US Embassy
3) Deadline is October 15
4) The embassy will ensure all ballots reach the US in time for the November 3 poll
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
Cherry
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo
1/5
Wallabies
Updated team: 15-Israel Folau, 14-Dane Haylett-Petty, 13-Reece Hodge, 12-Matt Toomua, 11-Marika Koroibete, 10-Kurtley Beale, 9-Will Genia, 8-Pete Samu, 7-Michael Hooper (captain), 6-Lukhan Tui, 5-Adam Coleman, 4-Rory Arnold, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1-Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16-Folau Faingaa, 17-Tom Robertson, 18-Taniela Tupou, 19-Izack Rodda, 20-Ned Hanigan, 21-Joe Powell, 22-Bernard Foley, 23-Jack Maddocks.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
