Iceland’s ascent to the brink of qualifying for their first major tournament has been increasingly on the cards, co-manager Heimir Hallgrimsson said yesterday as an expectant country anticipates achieving that goal on Sunday.
One victory from their last three Group A qualifiers will ensure a place at the 2016 European Championships in France for the Nordic nation.
“Some might think we have been a little naive but always it has always been our target and aim to qualify Iceland,” Hallgrimsson said following Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Netherlands.
“In the past, maybe it would have seemed strange to think we could come and beat a strong football power like Holland.
“But going so close in the play-offs against Croatia gave the players the belief we can achieve it,” he added, referring to Iceland reaching the 2014 World Cup qualification play-offs, where Croatia defeated them 2-0 on aggregate over two legs.
“We could smell going to Brazil. It gave everyone belief that has never been there before.”
Iceland’s victory in Amsterdam completed a double over the Netherlands and kept Iceland two points ahead of the Czech Republic at the top of the standings.
A win at home on Sunday against Kazakhstan, who have lost six of their seven qualifiers, will take Iceland to 21 points and confirm a top-two finish and a trip to France next year.
“Let’s hope we can do it. We are not there that yet but in a very good position in the group,” Hallgrimsson said.
Iceland must still play second-bottom Latvia at home in October and will complete the campaign away to Turkey.
Iceland’s newspapers on Friday encouraged supporters to begin booking their trips to next year’s finals.
In Amsterdam on Thursday, 3,000 travelling fans, about one per cent of the north Atlantic island nation’s population, were roaring their players to victory.
Netherlands
Midfielder Wesley Sneijder says the Netherlands cannot afford any more mistakes if they are to keep alive slim hopes of reaching Euro 2016.
The 2014 World Cup semi-finalists look all but out of contention for direct qualification after a 1-0 defeat to Group A leaders Iceland in Amsterdam, where Bruno Martins Indi was sent off in the first half.
Manager Danny Blind replaced Guus Hiddink last month after a poor start to the Euro 2016 campaign. He takes a squad missing injured Arjen Robben to Turkey on Sunday sitting in third place, six points behind the Czech Republic and another two off top spot.
Defeat at the Konya Torku Arena would let the Turks leapfrog the Dutch and, with only two matches left, almost certainly signal an end to a disappointing qualification effort.
Sneijder, who plays in Turkey with Galatasaray, says only victory will be good enough.
“We are now further away from the European Championship in France, that is clear, and it is something we have created ourselves. We must now stop Turkey taking the first step towards the play-offs but it will be a hard match,” he told De Telegraaf.
“The risks created by the kind of mistakes we made against Iceland will be much greater in Konya. The players and fans will do everything to make our lives difficult. We have to be a lot, lot sharper than we were on Thursday.”
Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk could receive his first senior cap to deputise for Indi, while Sunderland winger Jermaine Lens has been called up to replace Robben.
Turkey drew 1-1 against Latvia and remain in the hunt for third place.
Coach Fatih Terim said: “The atmosphere for the Holland game will be something else.
“It is our last chance. If we win, we will have the advantage in the race for third place. If we draw, we will have hope for the last two games.”
Germany
World Cup winners Germany are brimming with confidence ahead of Monday’s Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow that could see them book their ticket for next year’s tournament after beating Poland 3-1 on Friday to take control of Group D.
A win against Scotland, combined with a defeat for Ireland against Georgia, would see the Germans open up a seven-point gap to the third-placed team with two matches remaining and secure a top-two finish and ticket to France next year, a completely different situation from only a few days ago. The top two teams from each group automatically qualify, with some teams who finish third going into play-offs.
“The Scots lost to Georgia and so at home, if they want to have a chance of qualifying, they must invest a bit more in attack,” Germany manager Joachim Loew said. “So we don’t expect to have such a defensive opponent as with Poland.”
sports@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Third-place play-off: New Zealand v Wales, Friday, 1pm
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.”
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
Small Victories: The True Story of Faith No More by Adrian Harte
Jawbone Press
