Neutrals often find themselves charmed by Fulham Football Club. First, there is the location, a quiet spot on the banks of the River Thames where the traffic is made up of rowers and the occasional houseboat, rather than the big barges and freighters that patrol further east on London's major waterway.
Fulham is in the posh residential end of the English capital, but carries its wealth without the ostentation that surrounds, say, nearby Stamford Bridge. Craven Cottage, Fulham's stadium, is quaint, with its cottage in the corner of the ground and the redbrick Johnny Haynes stand along Stevenage Road. Fulham's history is also peppered with calculated appeals to the neutral. In the 1970s, the club, then in the second tier of the English league, had a policy of employing crowd-pleasers, players past their peaks but still with showmen's instincts. George Best, the brilliant Irish winger, and Rodney Marsh, the former England maverick, drew big crowds and got Fulham on the television frequently. They also commanded salaries the club could scarcely afford.
A decade later, debt-burdened Fulham nearly went out of existence, but were saved by another high profile neutral - Jimmy Hill, a lover of football first, Fulham second. The former player-turned-television presenter gathered a consortium of businessmen to just about keep the place solvent. That was about as much as they could do. Fourteen years and four months ago, Fulham sat 91st in England's professional ladder, one off the bottom of what was then called the Third Division. Tonight, they compete in a European final. It is a scarcely precedented modern fairy tale.
The neutral who has made this possible is Mohamed al Fayed, the Egyptian businessman who long before other Middle Eastern magnates regularly began to acquire English football clubs, bought Fulham from Hill's associates in 1997. It was a starling move at the time, even by the unpredictable standards of Al Fayed, the 81-year-old owner - until last week ? of Harrods, a more famous London icon. An affection for football had never been noted. His fondness for Fulham appeared to hit him late in life.
Yet his investment has been abundant. Andrew Cole, the former England striker and columnist for The National, recalls how much the club changed under Al Fayed. Cole joined Fulham as a teenager on loan from Arsenal during the hard times of the early 1990s and then rejoined them 14 years later when they were in the Premier League. "What a difference there was," said Cole. "First, it was a down-to-earth experience. By the time I went back, Mohammed al Fayed had spent a huge amount of money and the fans' expectations had grown quite high."
Cole, in common with most observers, credits Roy Hodgson, the manager, with raising Fulham up a further level. "What Roy Hodgson has done for them is incredible," said Cole. "He saved them from relegation two years ago and now has them in a major final. When Fulham hired him they went for experience and that usually tells." Hodgson's experience is truly global. He had a stint in charge of the UAE national team and has worked in every Scandinavian country. He guided Switzerland to the 1994 World Cup finals. He coached Inter Milan to a Uefa Cup final. At Fulham, he has rejuvenated the careers of players like Danny Murphy, the midfielder, Damien Duff, the winger, and Bobby Zamora, the striker, and has his team playing an attractive passing game with enough punch that they put five goals past Juventus on their way to this final and beat Manchester United 3-0 in the Premier League this season. Hodgson, sage, intelligent and a gentleman, sometimes seems a little too neutral for the hyped-up modern television age. Fulham fans feel anything but neutral about what he has achieved. @Email:sports@thenational.ae
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
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
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
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
The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
It
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Bill Skarsgard, Jaeden Lieberher, Sophia Lillis, Chosen Jacobs, Jeremy Ray Taylor
Three stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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.
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
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
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
