The UAE’s 2022 World Cup qualifier with Iraq will take place next month in Baghdad after Fifa lifted its long-time ban on matches being played in the country.
The qualifier, the penultimate match day of the final round, was scheduled to be staged in either Amman, Jordan, or Qatar, because of security concerns in Iraq.
On Sunday, Adnan Dirjal, Minister of Youth and Sport and also president of the Iraqi Football Association, said: "Fifa officially agreed to holding a match between our national team and the Emirati side at Al Madina Stadium.”
Ahmed Al Moussaoui, spokesman for the Iraqi Football Association, told AFP that, "We received on Sunday an official notification from Fifa confirming the lifting of the ban for all Iraqi stadiums," while adding that, "In the future we can host matches either in Al Madina Stadium” or other stadiums in the capital.
In January, Baghdad's 32,000-seat Al Madina Stadium hosted a friendly between Iraq and Uganda - the first international match in the capital, according to Fifa, since Liberia visited in 2013, when the ban took effect.
Iraq’s qualifier against the UAE represents a pivotal encounter in the race for the play-off spot in Group A. At present, the UAE sit in that position – third in the standings – three points above fourth-placed Lebanon and four ahead of Iraq in fifth. The final set of fixtures will be played on March 29.
Group leaders Iran and second-placed South Korea have already booked their place at the November-December tournament in Qatar. The team that finishes third in Group A goes on to meet the third-placed side in Group B, before the winner of that contests the intercontinental play-off for a spot at the World Cup. The play-offs take place in Qatar in June.
Fifa said it had briefly lifted Iraq's ban in 2019 for a World Cup qualifier between their national team and Hong Kong, but imposed it once more shortly afterwards.
Iraq's national and club sides have had to play international home games abroad, with their four “home” matches in this phase of World Cup qualification held in Doha.
Iraq has qualified only once for the World Cup, in 1986.
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
SHAITTAN
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MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
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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
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Results
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
Role model: Any good man
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Recipe: Spirulina Coconut Brothie
Ingredients
1 tbsp Spirulina powder
1 banana
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk (full fat preferable)
1 tbsp fresh turmeric or turmeric powder
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
½ cup vegan broth
2 crushed ice cubes (optional)
Method
Blend all the ingredients together on high in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.
