SHARJAH // Valeriu Tita, the new "first choice" coach of Sharjah, is in a hurry to make up for lost time after taking over the reins with less than a month before the league starts.
The Romanian replaces Carlos Azenha, after the Portuguese stepped down last week to be with his wife, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
While Tita has little time to prepare the team, club officials are pleased with the turn of events as it has allowed them to recruit their original choice for the job.
"Tita was our first choice, but he was in negotiations with [Kuwaiti's] Al Naser club at that time so we backed out," Nasser Kashwani, the chief executive of Sharjah Football Company, said.
"Then he informed us that he had cancelled his contract with Al Naser and we went back to him. Tita's CV is really impressive and we are confident he will take Sharjah to the top in the Pro League … "
This will be Tita's fourth job this year. In January, he led Syria to third in their group in the Asian Cup in Qatar. He then signed with the Syrian club Al Shorta, but returned home because of the political unrest in the country, and he later joined Al Naser, before terminating his contract to take over at Sharjah.
"I have come here to change the situation Sharjah are in currently," Tita, 45, said. "I want us to play good football and achieve good results. Of course, I cannot promise you where we will finish in the league or the cups, but I can promise you Sharjah will be competitive and play good football.
"At the moment, I am not even thinking about any goals. Right now, I have to focus on our training and prepare the team as well as I can. Later on, we can set our targets once we know the team.
"There is no coach in the world who does not want to win titles, but there is no coach in the world who can promise you the title." Tita has spent a big part of his life, both as player and manager, in the Arab world, and he is confident he knows enough about football in these parts to turn around Sharjah's fortunes. The club have not won a trophy since their President's Cup triumph in 2003.
Starting his playing career as a midfielder with his hometown team Drobeta-Turnu Severin, Tita moved to Olympique de Casablanca in 1993 and won the Moroccan league and the Arab Cup Winners' Cup in the 1993/94 season.
"I know Arabic football and I am comfortable in this environment," he said. "I have worked in this part of the world for 10 years now and I believe that is enough time to know what is needed here."
Tita's first game will be the Etisalat Cup clash at Al Ahli on Friday, while their league campaign starts against Diego Maradona's Al Wasl on October 16.
"Tita is a top professional and we have more than 35 players who, I am confident, will grasp any changes the coach suggests," Kashwani said. "With the three matches of the Etisalat Cup before we start the league, I am confident the team will be ready for the first game against Maradona.
"Our target is to be really strong competitors in all three competitions. We have seen the team's performance improve gradually and we hope it will continue to go up."
arizvi@thenational.ae
EXPATS
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
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RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
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Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
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
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
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COMPANY PROFILE
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Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS
6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m
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9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
