ABU DHABI // It is just before midday and Mohamed Najeeb, the head of Abu Dhabi TV sports channels, arrives at his office following a meeting with the Barcelona chairman Joan Laporta.
They have been discussing whether the big names of the world's most successful club team will be able to attend tonight's Super Awards where the region's best footballers will be recognised and at which one of Barcelona's superstars is thought to have won the world's best player prize.
But despite mixing in such powerful circles, what the veteran broadcaster is most concerned about is whether holding a showcase Fifa event in the UAE's capital will transform local football into something the country can truly be proud of.
"I am sure when the Club World Cup final takes place on Saturday, Zayed Sports City will be filled to its capacity," said Najeeb.
"The demand and love for football is here, but the standard of the local league needs to improve. That is the only way the fans will come."
"The attention that the tournament has brought is great. We know these type of events can help develop the game here because we have history of doing it. We have hosted the Asian Cup and the Under 20 World Cup, which we are now hoping to organise here again.
"This region needs events like that and the supporters they bring. I just came from Barcelona's hotel and there are supporters sleeping outside just to catch a glimpse of the players. It's incredible.
"But it is not good if we don't use the Club World Cup in a positive way for the sport in general - the organisers of the league and the national team need to do this."
The Emirates' domestic Pro League turned professional last season, but has continued to struggle in its attempts to attract supporters.
Matches are televised live and match-day tickets are free, yet average attendances at the top teams' stadiums are in the region of 5,000.
In contrast, Tuesday night's match between Estudiantes of Argentina and Pohang Steelers of South Korea at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium attracted more than 22,000 spectators.
"The population of this country is not so large, so why do the [Pro League] games take place at the same time?" said Najeeb. "If there are simultaneous games in Al Ain and Al Wahda how do they expect to fill the grounds? It's not feasible. "
The Emirati watched his country reach the World Cup finals in 1990, their first and only successful qualification campaign. And he conceded the country has gone backwards in recent years. Al Ahli's first-round defeat by the New Zealand amateurs Auckland City in the Club World Cup last week was "expected" he added.
"We talk about professionalism, but the teams here are not professional. Yes, the players sign contracts for money, but they have the wrong mentality. You see the players late at night sitting smoking shisha and eating junk food. To become professional, we have to develop the younger players - the under 17s, the under 20s - and instil a sense of professionalism into them.
"Also, the teams need stability. We spend lots of money on foreign players, but they are not good enough and the players are chosen by the chairmen.
"With all due respect, they should not be picking the squad. That is the manager's job and that is why the league is failing."
Najeeb, who has been commentating on Arab football since his first job in 1978, rates the Saudi Professional League as the Middle East's strongest, with Qatar and the UAE - "similar in quality" - paling in comparison.
When asked about the Qatar's 2022 World Cup bid, he is not hopeful but recognises the tiny Gulf nation is making a big effort.
"I wish them good luck," he said. "They will be able to organise it because they have excellent infrastructure, but the weather and the size of the country are both major factors that they will have to overcome.
"I do not want to say it is impossible, but is will be very, very difficult.
Tonight's Super Awards are being held in a new studio at Abu Dhabi TV, and will be broadcast in both English and Arabic, with the programme lasting two hours.
"We decided that with the Club World Cup being held here, we should show our appreciation to the best footballers from this region and recognise the fact that the leagues have transformed to a professional status," said Najeeb. "We want to be the best at whatever we do, so as well as welcoming several major names from this region, we will also host several high-profile international figures, such as Sepp Blatter, Demetrio Albertini and one very special surprise guest.
"During the show, we will honour the best players from the leagues of Egypt, Saudi, Qatar and the UAE, as well as revealing who the public voted as the region's most popular player. This will bring awareness and attention to local football."
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
Abu Dhabi Sports 1 & 2, 6pm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Results
6.30pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes Group Three US$200,000 (Turf) 2,000m; Winner: Ghaiyyath, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Cliffs Of Capri, Tadhg O’Shea, Jamie Osborne.
7.40pm: UAE Oaks Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Zabeel Mile Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Zakouski, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Meydan Sprint Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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
Wydad 2 Urawa 3
Wydad Nahiri 21’, Hajhouj 90'
Urawa Antonio 18’, 60’, Kashiwagi 26’
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Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
'Of Love & War'
Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press
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.”
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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