Genius does not abide by the rules. If anything, it tries to rewrite them. Genius provides an escape clause, a short cut to salvation, an immunity against the demands others face, an idiosyncratic way of operating that lesser mortals cannot pursue. Genius can win a World Cup, single-handedly.
Diego Armando Maradona is a footballing genius. With the ball at his left foot, he was as potent as any player in history. With it on his left hand, he was as audacious as any. But genius can blind its possessor to conventional wisdom. The Argentina manager has long believed in his own logic, regardless of whether it jars with anyone else's. Listening and learning have not tended to be his strong points.
This is not doing it by the book. Instinctive virtuosity and careful planning are not natural bedfellows. Nor do a pursuit of immortality and a belief in his own brilliance go hand in hand with the analytical prowess and man-management skills high-level coaching tends to require. Being a hero to a generation, if not a nation, gives him an automatic advantage, but he has to organise and galvanise the men who idolised him.
Thus far, Maradona has been both blood brother and Mr Motivator. With the unusual combination of a piratical beard and a supersized suit, the man was a magnet to cameras in Argentina's opening win over Nigeria. He will be again today against South Korea.
Thus far, genius appears to have inspired genius. In everything bar the finish, Lionel Messi has finally replicated his Barcelona form for his country. A formation has been devised with Messi in mind; two strikers ahead of him to create space, three midfielders behind to supply the passes.
So far, so good. Assess the first round of matches and Maradona may come out with more credit than England's Fabio Capello or Dunga of Brazil, let alone Raymond Domenech, the France coach. Yet the unorthodox approach to selection - more than 100 players have been chosen in his brief reign - contains its perils.
Juan Sebastian Veron, 35, appears Maradona's confidant. He starts because Juan Roman Riquelme, the playmaker who retired from international football after a dispute with the manager, is not in South Africa. Nor is Lucho Gonzalez, a classy catalyst in Marseille's title-win. Nor are Estebwan Cambiasso and Javier Zanetti, treble winners with Inter Milan.
In Zanetti's stead lurks the obvious weak link. Jonas Gutierrez, Newcastle's regular left winger, appears Argentina's first-choice right-back. It is the product of irrational faith. Nigeria, with a series of diagonal passes, exploited his uncertain positioning.
It is a tactic that should have appeal for opponents. Indeed, full-backs in general, appear unappreciated by Maradona. Clemente Rodriguez is the only one in the squad. A pedestrian defence could be exposed.
At some stage, Maradona's tactics, his choices - such as that of Ariel Garce, a 30-year-old who has never played outside Argentina - or his combustible personality may result in another televised chastening, to accompany those of the 1982 and 1994 World Cups.
Yet such is the nature of international football that a thought persists: what if it works? What if, whether because or in spite of Maradona, Argentina prevail?
They may have the most gifted group of footballers in the world and in Messi, the best forward. Individual talents win tournaments, as Maradona himself proved, let alone games.
World Cups are not always rewards for consistency. They are won by teams who excel at pivotal moments. They only consist of seven matches; perhaps only four more wins or three good performances are required. What if, rather than completing the trilogy of 1982 and 1994, 2010 is the sequel to 1986, when Maradona inspired them to victory. What if Maradona's blend of genius and madness carries Argentina to glory?
sports@thenational.ae
Maradona's World Cup career is a story of trophies, wonder goals, red cards and failed drugs tests
SPAIN 1982 After missing the squad for the 1978 World Cup on home soil - a tournament Argentina won - a 21-year-old Maradona made his first appearance in 1982. Needing to beat Brazil, their great rivals, in the second group stage, Argentina were 3-0 down with five minutes left when Maradona lost his head and was sent off for kicking Joao Batista.
MEXICO 1986 Four years later and Maradona found his redemption, captaining his side to the trophy and earning his place as a legend of the game. The midfielder played every game, scoring five and setting up five more. The topsy-turvy nature of his career was perhaps encapsulated in the 2-1 quarter-final win over England where he scored both goals, one with his hand and the other by dribbling past half the opposition defence.
ITALY 1990 Trying to defend their trophy, Argentina rarely hit top form with Maradona, again captain, hindered by an ankle injury. They still managed to scrape their way to the final, beating old rivals Brazil along the way and then Yugoslavia and Italy (both on penalties). However, their luck from the spot ran out as Andreas Brehme netted a penalty five minutes from time in the final to give West Germany the trophy.
USA 1994 Argentina's World Cup campaign was characterised by one iconic image. After scoring a cracking long-range effort in the 4-0 opening win over Greece, Maradona ran to a television camera, eyes bulging, grabbed hold of it and screamed in delight. Just days later he was expelled from the tournament after failing a drug test for ephedrine, a weight-loss supplement. His World Cup career was over.
Omar Yabroudi's factfile
Born: October 20, 1989, Sharjah
Education: Bachelor of Science and Football, Liverpool John Moores University
2010: Accrington Stanley FC, internship
2010-2012: Crystal Palace, performance analyst with U-18 academy
2012-2015: Barnet FC, first-team performance analyst/head of recruitment
2015-2017: Nottingham Forest, head of recruitment
2018-present: Crystal Palace, player recruitment manager
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Results
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m
Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Last-16
France 4
Griezmann (13' pen), Pavard (57'), Mbappe (64', 68')
Argentina 3
Di Maria (41'), Mercado (48'), Aguero (90 3')
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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MATCH INFO
Real Madrid 3 (Kroos 4', Ramos 30', Marcelo 37')
Eibar 1 (Bigas 60')
