Al Ain have hit back in their refereeing dispute with the Football Association, threatening counter legal action.
The club released a statement after their 2-1 win over Al Bataeh in their opening fixture of the UAE Pro League on Saturday, in which they condemned “a number of controversial refereeing incidents”.
The statement said it rejected the “continued occurrence of refereeing errors that could affect the team’s progress”.
“Al Ain Club stresses its firm and unwavering position in supporting the refereeing system in Emirati football, and is standing by all efforts made to develop it in a way that contributes to the advancement of the game and enhances its integrity and fairness,” the statement said.
“However, the club at the same time rejects the continued occurrence of refereeing errors that could affect the team's progress in local competitions.
“[It] stresses its keenness to take the necessary steps to ensure justice and equal opportunities between all teams, while emphasising the importance of developing the standards and mechanisms for selecting video technology referees to keep pace with the requirements of the stage, and limit controversial and influential decisions.”
Although the new season is only one matchday old, the complaint is not a new one by Al Ain.
After the final game of last season, before they headed off to the Club World Cup in the United States, Vladimir Ivic, the coach, said the issue had cost his side.
“We played good football and we deserved eight or nine points more [in the closing weeks of the season],” Ivic said after their win against Al Nasr in May.
“I believe this is the reason we are not second. I don’t speak about finishing fourth position; I speak about second.
“They didn’t allow us to take nine points. If you look game by game at the mistakes that were made against us, you will understand what I mean.”
Ivic also said “when you work, and you have players who fight, when you lose the game and it is not your fault, it is hard to take.” That frustration has now been made formal by way of their statement at the weekend.
The UAE FA responded immediately, saying it completely rejected “any questioning of the integrity and competence”.
“[The FA] expressed its strong objection to the inappropriate criticism of arbitration decisions published on Al Ain Club's official platforms, calling on those in charge of the club to adhere to sporting values and the principles of respect and not to detract from the work of others," it said.
“The Football Association also confirmed that it has initiated the necessary legal action against Al Ain Club, and will take similar legal action against anyone who inappropriately belittles its work or the performance of its members.”
The FA pointed out Al Ain has “no business interfering” in the evaluation of officiating, saying there are “clear mechanisms” for objecting to decisions.
It also suggested the club focus on “internal affairs”.
“It is worth noting that over the past two seasons, the club and its members have been committing many administrative errors during administrative transactions with [the FA], which the [FA] dealt with professionally and through its official channels,” it said.
“The Federation hopes that the club will further develop the performance of its members and avoid getting involved in matters that do not concern it.”
The governing body also pointed out clubs could request the assistance of foreign referees, as occasionally happens during big Pro League matches.
For example, Clement Turpin, the highly regarded French referee, was flown in to oversee Al Ain’s game against Al Wasl at the beginning of last season.
The FA’s statement was met with an angry response by Al Ain, who said they will pursue legal action of their own.
"Al Ain Football Club condemns the statement issued against it on the evening of Sunday, August 17, 2025, and confirms that the matter has been referred to the competent authorities to take the necessary legal measures to protect the rights of the club and its members,” it said.
Al Ain’s next fixture is an away trip to Dibba on Saturday.
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The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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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.”
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