CAIRO // Some of the referees who have been in charge of the Under 20 World Cup matches involving the UAE have been accused of being biased against the Emirates by the team's captain, Hamdan al Kamali.
Ivan Bebek, a referee from Croatia, made some contentious decision during Saturday's game, denying the UAE a penalty, ignoring an ugly tackle on Ahmed Ali that forced his substitution and giving Mohammed Fawzi a straight red card for dangerous play two minutes from the end of extra time.
Bebek also gave 20 fouls against the UAE and 13 for them, missed many infringements against them and overlooked Costa Rican time-wasting. He was booed off the pitch at the end.
Al Kamali said: "Referees who are officiating at World Cups are expected to be the best in the world. But what we saw in this game - and all the fans inside the stadium and watching on television are witness to it - was simply unacceptable. We were denied a penalty and Fawzi did not warrant an expulsion. Most of the referee's decisions were against us.
"This is not the first time we have seen match officials biased against us. We suffered the same thing in the Venezuela game. I would like to know the secret of this attitude against us, which shouldn't be happening in a tournament like the World Cup."
Al Kamali said the officials in the Pro League were better than the Fifa World Cup referees, but added: "But we must turn the page on the World Cup and start planning for the future. We cannot rest on this achievement. We have the 2012 London Olympics."
Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed al Nahyan, the honorary president of the UAE FA, praised the team and the eye-catching football they played, telling the players to "raise their heads high" as they had honoured UAE football through their performance.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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A foster couple or family must:
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
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- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
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Morocco 0
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How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital