Omar Abdulrahman’s international teammates have wished him a speedy recovery from injury so that the UAE star can return in time for the 2019 Asian Cup.
The Al Hilal playmaker, Asian player of the year in 2016, damaged his right knee playing for the Saudi Arabian club on Saturday and had to be stretchered off, with initial reports suggesting he had suffered a medium tear of the anterior cruciate ligament.
Abdulrahman was due to have a scan on Sunday, but the swelling around the knee was said to be too severe. Instead the MRI was pushed back to Tuesday, before both his club and national team would then confirm the prognosis.
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With the Asian Cup to take place in the UAE from January 5-February 1 for only the second time in the country's history, Abdulrahman is viewed as the poster boy of the event. The former Al Ain captain, who signed this summer for Hilal, is also seen as integral to the national team's hopes of a successful showing on the pitch.
Speaking on Monday at an event to mark 75 days until the UAE kick off the tournament against Bahrain, Abdulrahman’s former club colleagues and current international teammates said they were waiting for good news regarding the injury.
“Omar is a very big player for us: he’s our superstar and he’s always supporting us when he’s outside the field and inside the field,” said Rayan Yaslam, the Al Ain and UAE attacking midfielder. “I hope it’s not a big injury. Because we need Omar around us, and everybody for the Asian Cup.
“I hope he makes it. But if he can’t I’m sure he will be supporting us in a big way when he is with us anyway.”
Should Abdulrahman not recover in time for the Asian Cup, Yaslam could be one player to help fill the void. The Emirati, 23, is a relatively recent call-up to the national team having grown in stature last season at Al Ain, alongside Abdulrahman. Yaslam made his UAE debut last December and has gone on to become a regular member of Alberto Zaccheroni’s squad.
“Like I said, Omar is a big player and if he stays with us it will be an advantage for us,” he said. “But if he is not with us, I think we have some players who can make up the difference. And I hope that I can be one of them.”
Mohanad Salem, the experienced UAE centre-back, echoed Yaslam’s sentiments on Monday. The Al Ain defender has been part of the same UAE side that has enjoyed significant success with Abdulrahman as their creative fulcrum, including the team that finished third at the most recent Asian Cup, in 2015.
Asked about Abdulrahman’s potential absence from the January event, Salem said: “Obviously Omar’s presence is very important, not just for the national team, but any team he represents. We wish him the best of luck and hope he’s back in time for the tournament. We need him together with us for the national team’s ambitions.”
The Asian Cup, the continent’s marquee football tournament, features for the first time 24 teams, with matches played in eight stadiums across Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Sharjah. The UAE finished runners-up the last time it was staged in the Emirates, in 1996 – their best result to date.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
SPECS
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If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
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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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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
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Rating: 4.5/5
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The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
