• Quarter-finals: Portugal v Poland, Thursday, 11pm (UAE time)
Portugal ought to prepare themselves for a patient wait to open up Poland on Thursday in their Euro 2016 quarter-final tie. Germany could not score against the Poles in the group phase. Nor could Ukraine or Northern Ireland. It took a very special goal indeed – Xherdan Shaqiri's scissored volley – to inflict the first dent on a hermetic defence. Shaqiri's Switzerland, beaten via penalty-kicks at the last-16 phase, needed 82 minutes to penetrate the Polish barrier.
That brought to an end a run of well over seven hours of football without conceding a goal, an impressive, confidence-building statistic to arm Poland in their quarter-final as they take on the serial winner of Golden Shoes, Cristiano Ronaldo. That defensive solidity looks even better when you remember Poland lost their first-choice goalkeeper, Wojciech Szczesny, to injury after their first match.
• In pictures: Ronaldo, Portugal train | Lewandowski, Poland
But one thing Poland have always seemed capable of producing is good goalkeepers. The tradition goes back at least to Jan Tomaszewski, eccentric, elastic and a totem of the successful Poland teams of the 1970s. Szecesny's deputy through the two unblemished matches against Germany and Ukraine here in France, and through the long afternoon against Switzerland, was Lukasz Fabianski, of Swansea City. He and Szczesny are close, the latter having overtaken Fabianksi in the hierarchy at Arsenal, where they were colleagues for many years. Now, Szczesny has recovered from his thigh problem and the decision on who to select against Portugal has been a tricky one for coach Adam Nawalka.
• More: Richard Jolly on Portugal
The coach has opted for 26-year-old Szcezsny, who spent last season on loan at Roma, and was determined to perform well at these championships. Doing so would remind Arsenal, his parent club, of his credentials. It would also make amends for Euro 2012, when he was sent off in Poland’s opening match. That was one of several mishaps for the Poles, playing in front of their own supporters, during that tournament. They were underwhelming hosts. They did not win a match, and were spectators once the group phase was over.
Four years on, a far less brittle side has gained an authority, and indeed, as far as their Swiss opponents were concerned, a provocative arrogance. The Swiss players and fans took umbrage at the way several members of the Polish squad celebrated, including directly in front of the area where Switzerland fans were concentrated in Saint-Etienne. Szcezsny, who sat on the bench throughout the contest, was not among the most discreet of the celebrators.
One of the more discreet of their performers so far has been the captain, Robert Lewandowski. It's fair to report that this is both a surprise and perhaps an ominous strength of the Poles. Lewandowski, leading scorer in the Bundesliga this season with Bayern Munich, is Poland's superstar, their lodestar through impressive qualifying for Euro 2016. So far at the actual event, he is without a goal.
If he is frustrated by that, all the better, said Nawalka. “I feel certain that, sooner or later, things will open up for Robert, and that’s going to be a bad thing for one of our opponents,” said the coach. “He has been working incredibly hard for us. He creates space for other players, he draws the attention of defenders and frees up the rest.”
Poland's standout senior player so far has been Lewandowski's former team-mate at Borussia Dortmund, Jakob Blaszczykowski, now of Fiorentina, and scorer of two of their three goals in the tournament. Among the beneficiaries of the nervous attention paid by opponents to the tall Lewandowski has been Arkadiusz Milik, the junior striking partner, who came to France off the back of his own impressive season at Ajax. Milik, 22, represents the new guard, as do Milik's contemporaries – Piotr Zielinski and 20-year-old Bartosz Kapustka, effective off the bench and along the flanks.
Poland may need the energy of both today. There were symptoms of fatigue – at least until the vivid celebrations – into the second hour of their match against Switzerland. What they have yet to show, deep into the country’s best ever run at a European Championship, are signs of vertigo.
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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.”
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
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
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
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The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
