Team Wellington will embrace their "underdog" status at the Fifa Club World Cup, said manager Jose Figueira, as the club from New Zealand realise a four-year ambition by competing in the tournament.
Wellington booked their place in the 2018 tournament - being staged in the UAE for a second successive year - with a comprehensive 10-3 aggregate victory over Fiji’s Lautoka FC in the OFC (Oceania) Champions League final in May. It will be Wellington's first appearance at the Club World Cup, which comprises the six continental club champions and the host nations' league champions.
Wellington kick off the tournament against UAE champions Al Ain in the play-off on December 12 at Al Ain's Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. The winners progress to the quarter-finals for a showdown with African champions Esperance de Tunis, of Tunisia.
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Read more:
One week to go for Club World Cup: Lowdown on Fifa tournament being hosted by UAE
Mario Barcia: Team Wellington midfielder prepares for Club World Cup 'dream' after unconventional journey
Carlos Salcido: Guadalajara captain targets clash with Real Madrid at Fifa Club World Cup
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The Club World Cup will be a unique experience for semi-professional Wellington - a club that was only founded in 2004 - as they prepare to face a professional team from another continent in a competitive game for the first time. In comparison, their opponents Al Ain are celebrating 50 years in existence, while defending champions Real Madrid boast more than 116 years of history.
“We are expecting the Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2018 to be a huge but exciting challenge for us. It is our first experience playing at this level, something we are very excited about and we are honoured to be representing our Oceania Football Federation region,” Wellington manager Figueira said.
“This tournament means a great deal to our club. Team Wellington are determined to use the experience to further strengthen our OFC Champions League title defence – and we hope to return to this tournament again in the near future.
“We are under no illusions that we enter this year’s Fifa Club World Cup as firm underdogs. Whilst the expectations for us may be low amongst many observers, we are a team that dreams big – and that dream starts in our opening match against Al Ain.”
Wellington's presence at the Club World Cup ends a seven-year stretch for Auckland City, who they beat on away goals in the OFC Champions League semi-finals.
Wellington general manager Peter Becker has said the club's participation in the UAE is a result of a long-term project, and sights are already being set on qualifying for next year's tournament.
“This is an incredible opportunity to not only represent our club, but our city and country on the world stage. We are playing against top professional players and we want to perform to the best of our ability. As long as we give a good account of ourselves, I will be happy,” Becker said.
“Four years ago, we set out to play in the Fifa Club World Cup. It has taken us four years to achieve this goal. Now we want to qualify for next year's competition.
"We’ve gotten this far thanks to good coaches, good off-field management and, above all else, a great group of players that have really bought into the team vision.”
Asian champions Kashima Antlers and Central American champions Guadalajara are the other teams confirmed for the Club World Cup, and will play each other in the quarter-finals. The winners will then take on Real Madrid in the semi-finals.
Only one place remains open and will go to the winners of Sunday's Copa Libertadores - South America's equivalent of the Champions League - when Argentine rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate face off in the rearranged and relocated second leg.
The score is tied at 2-2 after the first leg at Boca's Bombonera stadium, but the return fixture at River's Monumental was twice postponed after the Boca bus came under attack from fans en route to the venue. That game has now been moved to Real Madrid's Bernabeu and will be played on Sunday evening.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10
ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons
Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page
Hawks
Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar
Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish
Falcons
Coach: Najeeb Amar
Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
more from Janine di Giovanni
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
if you go
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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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North Pole stats
Distance covered: 160km
Temperature: -40°C
Weight of equipment: 45kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 0
Terrain: Ice rock
South Pole stats
Distance covered: 130km
Temperature: -50°C
Weight of equipment: 50kg
Altitude (metres above sea level): 3,300
Terrain: Flat ice
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
