In the run-up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, The National’s Gary Meenaghan looks back at the figures of World Cups past who, while not necessarily the greatest the game has ever seen, were among football’s most interesting characters.
BORA MILUTINOVIC
The New York Times once wrote, "If the United Nations had a soccer team, Bora Milutinovic would undoubtedly be its coach." The Serb became the first manager to coach five nations at World Cup finals. Having taken four of them to the second round, he lives up to his sobriquet "Miracle Worker".
Footballing Nomad
Milutinovic, born in Yugoslavia and orphaned by the Second World War, the Serb central midfielder played alongside his two brothers at Partizan Belgrade for six seasons before displaying the nomadic tendencies he would become renowned for during his managerial career. By the time he retired in 1976, he had switched clubs seven times in 10 years, taking him from Yugoslavia to Switzerland, France, then Mexico.
The Mexican Yugoslav
Milutinovic coached Mexico at the 1986 World Cup, on Mexican soil, taking them to the quarter-finals for only the second time in the nation’s history. He later said he felt “more Mexican than Yugoslav” and retains star status in the country. Two months before the 1990 World Cup, he accepted an invite from Costa Rica to repair a fractured squad. After dropping the captain, he took his new team to Italy five weeks early and encouraged them to visit discos to build team spirit. Victories over Sweden and Scotland saw the debutants unexpectedly progress.
The Miracle Worker
When Milutinovic was announced as coach of the US, he was introduced as the “Miracle Worker”, a sobriquet he liked almost as much as “Bora”. When the 1994 World Cup arrived, the group stage was safely negotiated. Three years later, he signed a deal to coach Nigeria at the World Cup in France. Despite poor results in warm-up matches, the Africans defeated Spain 3-2 and topped their group with maximum points.
Lionised in Liaoning
In 2001, Milutinovic experienced his first qualifying campaign saying that if he failed to book China a place at World Cup 2002, he would jump off the Great Wall. China qualified for the first time in history and a statue was erected in Liaoning Province to honour their remarkable coach. “After what I have achieved in such a short time, maybe they should put a statue of me in place of Mao,” he joked to World Soccer.
Mixed Opinions
Few deny his achievements, but some see Milutinovic as a mercenary, fortunate to coach countries at World Cup finals often without being involved in qualifying campaigns. A spell at Honduras in 2004 ended when his salary became the focus of the head of the country’s church. In a nation wracked with poverty, Bora’s $75,000 monthly wage had proved too much. “Nowhere have I been treated like some kind of criminal as I was here,” he told The Guardian in 2006. Since 2010, he has lived in Qatar, working as an ambassador for the 2022 World Cup.
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THE DETAILS
Deadpool 2
Dir: David Leitch
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Justin Dennison, Zazie Beetz
Four stars
THE RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Alnawar, Connor Beasley (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Raniah, Noel Garbutt, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Saarookh, Richard Mullen, Ana Mendez
6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Rated Conditions Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: RB Torch, Tadhg O’Shea, Eric Lemartinel
7pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: MH Wari, Antonio Fresu, Elise Jeane
7.30pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,600m
Winner: Mailshot, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
The years Ramadan fell in May
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
Scoreline
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17
Jebel Ali Dragons 20
Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson
Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2
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Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
The specs
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Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
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The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Teaching in coronavirus times
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
