As is the case in most countries located on this football-shaped planet, the UAE's appetite for the beautiful game is insatiable.
More than 10,000 Emiratis, Spaniards, Indians, Britons, French, Italians and even a sprinkling of Brazilians filled the Rashid Stadium Wednesday night to watch AC Milan face Paris Saint-Germain.
That much was to be expected.
It was the fourth Dubai Football Challenge the emirate has hosted and each year the event flirts with every event organisers' favourite phrase: "Sold out".
Yet what was perhaps not so expected was the news that five kilometres along the road, at the Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, approximately 5,000 spectators had turned out to watch Al Shabab take on Al Ain.
Such an attendance would have been highly unlikely in previous years, and it is testament to the improving quality of the UAE Pro League that a raucous throng of vocal locals supporting Al Ain would opt to show their purple passion rather than witness the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Javier Pastore - who between have commanded transfer fees exceeding £92 million (Dh418m) - in the flesh. However, delve deeper and the numbers still fail to stack up.
Wednesday night's match at Shabab was the league leaders versus second in the table. Domestic games do not come much bigger, and yet the attendance was only marginally larger than last season's average of 3,240.
Exhibition matches such as the Dubai Football Challenge have a dual purpose: to promote the city as a tourist destination and to provide the community with high-quality entertainment. Wednesday night's game ticked both boxes.
"Events such as these can only be good for the local football," said Massimiliano Allegri, the Italian coach of Milan. "This year not only AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain are here, but Juventus are here training, also, so it is good for football, and also the UAE in general."
Samar Narayen, a Milan fan from Delhi, flew into Dubai especially to watch his beloved Rossoneri, while Thiago Abrao and his father, Paulo, spent the final night of their vacation from Parana in south Brazil watching compatriots Robinho, Alexandre Pato, Thiago Silva, Nene and Marcos Ceara.
Andy Jackson, on leave from the Royal Navy, said he was attending the game because it was "big teams with big names", but added that had the two matches not clashed he would have also attended the Pro League tie along the road as well.
One spectator suggested a better idea would be to pair the games together as a means of showcasing the local league to football fans who are not familiar with it.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
More from Aya Iskandarani
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
More coverage from the Future Forum
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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