Sevilla players including Danish defender Simon Kjaer, centre, takes part in a training session in Sevilla, Spain ahead of Sunday's Spanish Supercopa match against Barcelona at Stade Ibn Battouta in Tanger, Morocco. EPA
Sevilla players including Danish defender Simon Kjaer, centre, takes part in a training session in Sevilla, Spain ahead of Sunday's Spanish Supercopa match against Barcelona at Stade Ibn Battouta in TShow more

Sevilla threaten to pull out of Supercopa against Barcelona



Sevilla have threatened to pull out of Sunday's Spanish Supercopa clash with Barcelona if the Primera Liga champions field more than three non-EU players.

The Spanish football federation (RFEF) said on Saturday that there would be no restrictions on players from outside the EU for the Supercopa, despite only three being allowed in squads for league matches.

Sevilla said they could withdraw from the game in Tangier, Morocco, if Barca name an "improper lineup".

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"Sevilla FC is surprised by the RFEF's announcement 24 hours before the Super Cup," Sevilla said in a statement.

"It has said that as many non-EU players as desired can be registered. In their last statement for the 2018-2019 season, only three were due to be allowed, without exception.

"The club's legal department is studying the matter and should FC Barcelona line up with more than three non-EU players, it would present possible ground for withdrawal due to an improper line-up."

New signings Malcom, Arturo Vidal and Arthur Melo will likely be Barca's three non-EU players on Sunday, although Brazilian centre-back Marlon has also travelled with the squad.

Philippe Coutinho has reportedly acquired a Portuguese passport through his wife in the last week, while his fellow South Americans Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are already EU citizens.

Sevilla qualified for the match as last season's Copa del Rey runners-up, after Barcelona won the league-and-cup double.

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Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Director: Venkat Prabhu
Rating: 2/5
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Date started: October 2021 

Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh 

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Investment: $1 million 

Investors: Seed funding, angel investors  

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The Freedom Artist

By Ben Okri (Head of Zeus)

The struggle is on for active managers

David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.

The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.

Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.

Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.

Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.

At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn. 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultants

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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

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