Mahdi Ali, during a Gulf Cup training session. Courtesy UAE FA
Mahdi Ali, during a Gulf Cup training session. Courtesy UAE FA

Mahdi Ali banks on Omar and Khalil to come good against Iraq in Gulf Cup



The UAE coach Mahdi Ali said he believes his players are ready for their decisive match against Iraq on Thursday night and insisted he will be looking to finish top of the group to avoid the possibility of facing hosts Saudi Arabia in the semi-finals.

He also hoped that the luck that has deserted them in the last two matches will return and confirmed that, with the exception of a knock to midfielder Amer Abdulrahman, there are no injury worries.

“The standard of all four teams are very similar,“ he said at the UAE’s news conference in Riyadh on Wednesday.

“We hope to progress to the semi-final but all the teams have a chance to qualify and it’s impossible to predict who will.”

Mahdi Ali dismissed the idea that his team will be facing a team intent on revenge after the UAE’s defeat of Iraq in last year’s final.

“All I’m focusing on is the team giving all they’ve got and gaining a positive result,” he said. “The Iraqi team is not that different from the one we played at the last Gulf Cup.”

On misfiring striker Ahmed Khalil, the coach said he was confident the team’s top scorer in the last Gulf Cup in Bahrain would come good and recalled that he faced similar criticism last year before he hit top form when the team needed him most.

Mahdi Ali also revealed his delight at the form of playmaker Omar Abdulrahman against Kuwait. “Omar played an excellent match and everyone could see his improvement from one match to the next, especially that he has just returned from injury,” Mahdi Ali said.

“But Omar is the type of player who always performs to his best every time he plays.”

Saudi Arabia and Qatar go through

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are through to the last four of the Gulf Cup, clinching the two berths from Group A in contrasting styles on Wednesday night.

Saudi Arabia defeated Yemen 1-0 to top the group with seven points, while Qatar featured in another sleep-inducing affair, sharing points with Bahrain in a goalless draw. They reach the semi-finals after having scored only once in three matches.

Nawaf Al Abid opened the scores for the Saudis in the 28th minute with a blistering volley from outside the box, becoming the first person to breach the surprisingly doughty Yemeni defence in this tournament.

Qatar, on the other hand, played second fiddle to Bahrain for most of the night, but a point was all they needed to qualify for the knockout stages.

Their opponents needed a win and tried their best, but without much luck. Drubbed 3-0 by the hosts Saudi Arabia in their previous encounter – a defeat that led to the sacking of their coach Adnan Hamad – Bahrain looked a lot more resolute last night and created plenty of worries for the Qatari defence from the start.

Their best opportunity of the first session came in the 40th minute when Abdulwahab Al Malood got into a good position to receive Sami Al Hussaini’s cross, but he failed to get any power into his shot.

Two minutes into the second session, Ismail Abdullatif had another chance to put Bahrain ahead, but he blasted over from close range.

Five minutes from the final whistle, Bahrain substitute Mohammed Al Alawi beat the Qatari goalkeeper Qasem Burhan with a header, but Boualem Khoukhi managed to pull off a goal-line save.

The two teams now wait for the two qualifiers from Group B, with Qatar squaring-off against the group winners in the first semis on Sunday night, before Saudi Arabia take the pitch against the group runners-up.

UAE v Iraq in numbers

5 – The number of unanswered goals Iraq scored in their record win over the UAE at the 1979 Gulf Cup held in Baghdad.

1984 – The year that the UAE finally took a point off Iraq. In Muscat, Oman, the Emiratis finished 0-0 against the team that would go on to win their second Gulf Cup title.

2 – The number of matches between the two teams that have been annulled for Iraq pulling out of the competition before its conclusion: Iraq's 2-0 win in 1982 and the 2-2 draw in 1990.

107 – The minute in which Ismail Al Hammadi scored his extra-time winner as the UAE beat Iraq 2-1 to win the 2013 Gulf Cup in Bahrain.

5 – The number of times the UAE and Iraq have played out a Gulf Cup draw, the most common result between the two. Iraq have won twice, while the UAE's only win came in the 2013 final.

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Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

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)

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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989

Director: Goran Hugo Olsson

Rating: 5/5

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The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

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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How to register as a donor

1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention

2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants

3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register. 

4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope

The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ

Price, base: Dh1,731,672

Engine: 6.5-litre V12

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm

Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm

Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km

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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL CARD

6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m

7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m

8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m

8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m

9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m

 

The National selections

6.30pm: Gifts Of Gold

7.05pm Final Song

7.40pm Equilateral

8.15pm Dark Of Night

8.50pm Mythical Magic

9.25pm Franz Kafka

Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding