Shehab Allam, who became the first person to swim the full 25 kilometres of the Dubai Canal, says it is difficult to continue in the sport when it doesn’t pay. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National
Shehab Allam, who became the first person to swim the full 25 kilometres of the Dubai Canal, says it is difficult to continue in the sport when it doesn’t pay. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National
Shehab Allam, who became the first person to swim the full 25 kilometres of the Dubai Canal, says it is difficult to continue in the sport when it doesn’t pay. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National
Shehab Allam, who became the first person to swim the full 25 kilometres of the Dubai Canal, says it is difficult to continue in the sport when it doesn’t pay. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National

Money & Me: ‘I have learnt that money doesn’t come easily and involves a lot of work’


  • English
  • Arabic

Egyptian “merman” Shehab Allam, 29, is a swimming, free-diving and fitness instructor who won the 6km Monofin Swimming World Championship in 2008. Monofin swimming uses a single, two-footed fin. He has just become the first person to swim the full 25 kilometres of the Dubai Canal in under six hours. Mr Allam lives in a studio apartment in Jumeirah Village Circle with fitness instructor wife Asmaa, 25.

How did you get into monofin swimming?

Growing up in Alexandria, my father was a government worker; mum took care of my brother and I – and our sporting careers. At 10, I got my first medal: third place in the Egypt Cup for modern pentathlon (fencing, swimming, show-jumping, shooting and running). In swimming, I was good at the butterfly stroke and the dolphin kick. So when I tried monofin swimming, the coaches were impressed. My brother Serag, 27, came fourth in the 20km Monofin Swimming World Championship the same year I won my world race. He now lives in Germany and is also a swimming instructor.

How did your upbringing shape your attitude towards money?

Unfortunately, monofin swimming requires a lot of money. In 2008, it probably cost Dh5,000 for my different monofins – a lot at the time. I have learned that money doesn’t come easily and involves a lot of work. I didn’t understand this when I was young: I thought my equipment and food came from the sky to my parents. Then I got married and I understood.

How much did you get paid for your first job?

Being a world champion and training for 10 hours a day didn’t bring me the money I needed. It’s not like football, where good players get paid very well and they just have to train. If you don’t come from a rich family, you have to leave sport. My family had sponsored me, but you cannot be sponsored by family all your life. So, although I kept training, I left competitive sport. The sea is where I belong, so it broke my heart.

I started working as a swimming instructor, then diving. At first, I was earning E£800 – less than Dh200 a month. After a few years, I started working in Marsa Alam on the Red Sea, where the tourists come, and you could be paid in Egyptian pounds or euros. By then, I was 23 and earning €1,000 a month (Dh4,300).

What led you to the UAE?

Being a freelancer in Egypt, you can be paid well for a few months, then there is a crisis and no jobs. So my wife and I moved to Riyadh for two years and then Fujairah for a year, but Dubai was always my destination. It’s the dream city. In Riyadh, we earned very, very good money but had nothing to spend it on, apart from a nice coffee shop or dinner. I was earning SAR7,000 (Dh6,855) a month in Riyadh and then Dh4,000 plus commission in Fujairah. Now I work at Enhanced Fitness in Dubai, who also sponsored my Dubai Canal swim.

Are you a spender or saver?

I spend on whatever I really need – clothes, food, going out – while, at the same time, trying to save money in case of something like the coronavirus pandemic. No one feels 100 per cent secure in any work, even as an owner or employer. But who could have imagined this? I did fitness sessions online this year, so was still paid. I save extra now because of the coronavirus.

I spend on whatever I really need – clothes, food, going out – while, at the same time, trying to save money in case of something like the coronavirus pandemic

Do you own property?

We have a two-bedroom apartment in Cairo, which we bought for E£300,000 (Dh70,000) when we were living in Saudi Arabia. It’s empty, somewhere to stay when we go back for holidays. When you buy property in Egypt, it doesn’t go down in value: it’s very safe money.

Do you find Dubai expensive?

If I could pay in cash, I would buy in Dubai. It’s one of the most expensive Arabian cities for rent. In Saudi Arabia, we rented a big one-bedroom apartment for SAR2,000 a month; here we spend Dh3,500 a month. I spent around Dh150 a month for internet and phone in Riyadh compared to Dh600 now. But I’m very happy with anything I pay in Dubai. We deserve to pay that to live in a city like this.

Do you have a credit card or any loans?

I was warned not to get a credit card in the UAE. I wondered, why is everyone afraid of credit cards? But people put Dh20,000 on one card and then do whatever they dream of. I use my card very little. For instance, I’ve recently put Dh3,000 on it for a training course – it’s an investment in my career. I’m paying it off at Dh70 a month, with about Dh500 in interest. I also have a 2020 Kia Soul car with a five-year loan. I pay Dh1,500 a month and it will cost me Dh91,000 with interest.

Does money make you happy?

Holding money in the hand doesn’t make me happy. But feeling secure, not being afraid of tomorrow, being able to help other people – this makes us happy. We have no currency for this other than money right now. But I’m not that person who loves money; I like to be secure and happy, that’s all.

Mr Allam says he saves more money now after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National
Mr Allam says he saves more money now after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Photo: Antonie Robertson / The National

Do you have any financial regrets?

I became responsible very early on. I started to take care of myself at 19 and have known my wife since I was 20. So, I was preparing for us to get married, saving about E£500,000 for an apartment, the wedding and gold. When I was young, I would spend on some stupid things like games. But everything you spend, you learn from it.

Do you have a philosophy on money?

Be wise when you’re spending: that money could help you with something very important later on. I also have a deal with myself that any time I’m happy, I have to make someone else happy. I care about making me and my family safe, and I’m proud of the apartment I bought, but otherwise it’s about happy moments. I’m not very rich but I’m trying to do my best.

Do you plan ahead for your future family?

If I decide to have children, I would save a good amount before they come, for schools and for any sicknesses, but also for what they need in order to develop. Every time I wanted to do a course, I had to work a year. I want to be a shortcut for my children to develop themselves.

Do you have a financial plan for the future?

I want to save as much as I can while living a happy life. Maybe I’ll set up a swimming academy or a restaurant. My concern is to find a sponsor to continue my sports career. I dream of swimming long distances, more than the Dubai Canal’s 25km, and to places nobody has been before. But that cannot happen when I’m working eight to 10 hours a day and only training for three hours. If I weren’t working, I could train for six hours a day or more.

MATCH INFO

Chelsea 0

Liverpool 2 (Mane 50', 54')

Red card: Andreas Christensen (Chelsea)

Man of the match: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

ARGENTINA SQUAD

Goalkeepers: Franco Armani, Agustin Marchesin, Esteban Andrada
Defenders: Juan Foyth, Nicolas Otamendi, German Pezzella, Nicolas Tagliafico, Ramiro Funes Mori, Renzo Saravia, Marcos Acuna, Milton Casco
Midfielders: Leandro Paredes, Guido Rodriguez, Giovani Lo Celso, Exequiel Palacios, Roberto Pereyra, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Di Maria
Forwards: Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero, Lautaro Martinez, Paulo Dybala, Matias Suarez

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
UAE%20SQUAD
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EMen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Saif%20Al%20Zaabi%2C%20Salem%20Al%20Marzooqi%2C%20Zayed%20Al%20Ansaari%2C%20Saud%20Abdulaziz%20Rahmatalla%2C%20Adel%20Shanbih%2C%20Ahmed%20Khamis%20Al%20Blooshi%2C%20Abdalla%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Khaled%20Al%20Hammadi%2C%20Mohammed%20Khamis%20Khalaf%2C%20Mohammad%20Fahad%2C%20Abdulla%20Al%20Arimi.%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWomen%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mozah%20Al%20Zeyoudi%2C%20Haifa%20Al%20Naqbi%2C%20Ayesha%20Al%20Mutaiwei.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

Plan to boost public schools

A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.

It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.

Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.

Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):

PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)

Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports

Captain Marvel

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law,  Ben Mendelsohn

4/5 stars

Super Saturday race card

4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

MATCH INFO

First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs

Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets

Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13

 

Without Remorse

Directed by: Stefano Sollima

Starring: Michael B Jordan

4/5

RACE CARD

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 (PA) Listed Dh230,000 1,600m
6.30pm: HH The President’s Cup (PA) Group 1 Dh2.5million 2,200m
7pm: HH The President’s Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,200m.

The biog

Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."

Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell 

Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."

BRIEF SCORES:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

PROFILE OF HALAN

Started: November 2017

Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Sector: transport and logistics

Size: 150 employees

Investment: approximately $8 million

Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar