A couple of months into his career in Italy’s Serie A, Sofyan Amrabat had already gained a reputation.
One day, it was put to Ivan Juric, his coach at Verona, the club who bought him from Bruges, that the then 23-year-old was so industrious, so seldom substituted, his diary so stacked with trips with Morocco across Africa, that he must be ready for a break.
“Give him a rest?” exclaimed Juric. “Sofyan would stay on the pitch until he passed out. And he’s that important to us.”
Amrabat’s stamina, self-sacrifice and vital responsibilities were, until about three weeks ago, the shared secret mainly of Italy’s top division, some clubs in the Netherlands and Belgium, and anybody who had studied the short period of Walid Regragui’s time managing Morocco. During this World Cup, Amrabat has made himself a star, coveted by Premier League heavyweights, considered the ideal anchor midfielder.
He is the motor of a Morocco side who on Wednesday night take on the World Cup holders, France, for a place in the final.
The opponents tamed by Ambrabat so far read like a who’s who of the game’s celebrated creators: Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard of Belgium; Pedri of Spain; Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva of Portugal.
Next up for the enforcer and on-field strategist of the Atlas Lions? France’s Antoine Griezmann, with whom Amrabat can one day compare notes when they reminisce about Qatar 2022’s various surprise storylines, and about what it takes to master new disciplines as a footballer and make service to the team your priority ahead of your flashier instincts.
Regragui, Morocco’s coach, namechecked Griezmann as a principal threat to the remarkable run of his team – one goal conceded in five games – because of his “excellence moving between the lines”.
Griezmann, a striker throughout his career and six goals shy of becoming Atletico Madrid’s all-time highest goalscorer, has reinvented his role at short notice for Les Bleus. He has made the territory at the front of midfield a platform for him being considered as player of the tournament.
Amrabat would be in the conversation for that award, too, and the duel to command their area of the pitch looks key to tonight’s semi-final.
Certainly, Regragui hopes to wake up on Wednesday without the same news he heard ahead of the quarter-final against Portugal, when Morocco’s physiotherapists reported they had been up until 3am working with Amrabat to soothe his acute back and muscle pain. “They asked if I was able to play,” Amrabat revealed after the 1-0 win. “I couldn’t let the team and the country down.”
He was needed all the more, given he had to protect a defence that, by the end of the quarter-final, was missing three members of Regragui’s first choice back four. By the time the final whistle had ushered Morocco into the World Cup’s last four, Amrabat had taken his total of ball recoveries to 41 in the tournament, more than any other player ahead of the semis.
Morocco v Portugal player ratings
Those marshalling qualities have been noted since – as his older brother Nordin, a former Morocco international, reports – Sofyan reshaped his game from attacking playmaker to a deeper midfielder. “His idols used to be Zidane and Iniesta,” Nordin Amrabat told L’Equipe, “then he started studying Yaya Toure and Thiago Motta.”
At Feyenoord and Bruges, two previous clubs, he would often be asked to combine vigilance with his sharp pace, to man-mark, in wide roles, quick opposition wingers or full-backs. At Fiorentina, who bought Amrabat from Verona two years ago, the coach in his first season there, Cesare Prandelli, praised his “unusual qualities, and his fantastic engine”.
When Regragui visited Florence to watch Amrabat in club action in September, he told him he wanted to build Morocco’s World Cup tactics around him. And that, as possession would be conceded to the opposition where necessary, that tireless engine would be thoroughly worked.
At about the same time, France manager Didier Deschamps was formulating a novel tactical switch for Griezmann. Midfield generals were suddenly vanishing from Les Bleus’ World Cup road map, N’Golo Kante and Paul Pogba long-term injured, and Deschamps reassessed the versatility of his most trusted outfield player.
He observed that Griezmann, who has moved back and forth between Atletico and Barcelona since he played his influential attacking role in the last World Cup, “changes position well, and when he finds himself in a midfield triangle, it’s no problem for him”.
In Qatar, France have found him adapting diligently to all points of that triangle. In a scenario few would have foreseen, they find Griezmann and Pogba’s stand-in, Adrien Rabiot, have so far made more tackles than any other Frenchman. Griezmann, operating behind the front three, also set up both goals in the 2-1 quarter-final win against England.
“Antoine has that mentality of great players, to be there when they’re needed,” purred Deschamps, echoing the thoughts of his Moroccan counterpart, Regragui, about the essential, inexhaustible Sofyan Amrabat.
The%20Roundup
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Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Race card for Super Saturday
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dh918,125) (Dirt) 1,900m.
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m.
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m.
TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
The five pillars of Islam
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETuhoon%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYear%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFares%20Ghandour%2C%20Dr%20Naif%20Almutawa%2C%20Aymane%20Sennoussi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ehealth%20care%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%20employees%2C%20%24250%2C000%20in%20revenue%0D%3Cbr%3EI%3Cstrong%3Envestment%20stage%3A%20s%3C%2Fstrong%3Eeed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EWamda%20Capital%2C%20Nuwa%20Capital%2C%20angel%20investors%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
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Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
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The Bio
Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
Favourite food: A Sunday roast
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
