ABU DHABI // Josef Hickersberger, the Al Wahda coach, is furious his side will be without Hamdan al Kamali for their game against Baniyas on Sunday after the young central defender was sent off in the Club World Cup and must serve his ban in the Pro League fixture.
"It's stupid. That's my opinion," Hickersberger said after Wahda were beaten by Pachuca, the North American champions, in a penalty shoot-out last night.
Hickersberger was left fuming over the new rules that state any player suspended or booked will carry forward the penalty to the next game, irrelevant of whether it is a domestic tournament.
"I'm not responsible for the rule, but I cannot understand the rules because Al Wahda are punished now for competing and playing three matches in the Fifa Club World Cup, and al Kamali, an important player, is suspended for the next match in the local competition against Baniyas," he said.
"If anyone can explain to me the reason for this, I would like to know it. But I cannot change the rules. I can only ask the officials to think about it. It's a completely different competition. One is a Fifa competition, the other is a local one. So why the mix-up in these two competitions, I don't know. It's against fair play."
Wahda were leading 2-0 when al Kamali, 21, was booked for a second time which resulted in his sending off and a penalty that Edgar Benitez fired over the bar.
"It was very unfortunate I got booked twice," al Kamali said. "It was a game we could have won. I felt like I let down my team at a time when we were leading 2-0 and sniffing victory. I thought that was the turning point."
Pachuca's Dario Cvitanich scored twice in the last 10 minutes to send the game to a penalty shoot-out.
"We went into this game without feeling any pressure unlike the previous one against Seongnam [the Asian champions]," al Kamali added. "We were more focused and we settled down well to play a more tactical game.
"We defended solidly and that created a few chances for our forwards, and they scored twice. We had a good grip on the game until we had to play with 10 players."
apassela@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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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.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
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
PRIMERA LIGA FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Atletico Madrid v Sevilla (3pm)
Alaves v Real Madrid (6.15pm)
Malaga v Athletic Bilbao (8.30pm)
Girona v Barcelona (10.45pm)
Sunday
Espanyol v Deportivo la Coruna (2pm)
Getafe v Villarreal (6.15pm)
Eibar v Celta Vigo (8.30pm)
Las Palmas v Leganes (8.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Valencia (10.45pm)
Monday
Real Betis v Levante (11.pm)
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
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- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
