Like all sports, football is full of surprises and lucky breaks. If it were easy to predict the winner of a match, there wouldn’t be much reason to watch it. Yet some people believe the game can be understood purely in statistical terms. This has led them to consider the possibility that mathematics can inform losing teams when it’s time to make radical changes.
As The National reported yesterday, a technique known as a sequential probability ratio test has long been used to monitor the occurrence of production-line failures and indicate when there is a serious error that needs rectifying. The suggestion now is that it can be used to determine when a poorly performing football team has reached the stage where its manager should be sacked.
While it’s hard to argue against applying science to improve sporting performance, it would be a great shame if all decisions in the beautiful game were governed by mathematics.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
New schools in Dubai
EA Sports FC 25
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
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While you're here
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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