Luis Fabiano, the Brazil striker, has said he would dedicate a World Cup win to his late grandfather. Fabiano was raised by his grandfather, Benedito, whom he credits with helping him become a footballer. Fabiano said: "Unfortunately he has passed away, but the title would be for him." The striker, who plays for Sevilla in Spain, said his grand-father would brag about him, adding: "He was my biggest fan and an idol to me. I think about him in all my victories."
Lars Lagerback, the Nigeria coach, has named his final 23-man squad for South Africa, cutting players including Victor Anichebe, the Everton striker. Anichebe had only returned to action with Everton in the English Premier League at the beginning of May, but scored only one league goal all season for the Goodison Park club. Lagerback also omitted the only two Nigeria-based players in the team - Bassey Akpan and Peter Suswan.
Adidas has hit back at criticism that the Jabulani World Cup ball is difficult to control and a nightmare for goalkeepers by saying it was widely tested and approved long ago. Thomas van Schaik, a company spokesman, said yesterday that he was surprised to hear the criticisms, made by top goalkeepers such as Spain's Iker Casillas and Brazil's Julio Cesar, because the balls had been used since December without any complaints from players.
One hundred lucky Ivory Coast fans are heading to the tournament in South Africa on an all-expenses paid trip to watch their team. The country's national fan club, the National Elephants Supporters Committee, drew the 100 names at random from their membership. "Their plane ticket, hotel, meals, transportation will all be taken care of," Kassoum Diakite, the fan club media officer, said. "The only thing they'll need is a passport and a vaccination card."
Jonathan Dos Santos, the young Barcelona midfielder, was yesterday cut from Mexico's final 23-man squad. The 20-year-old, who made his national team debut last September, was overlooked by Javier Aguirre, the Mexico coach. However, there was better news for his older brother, Giovani, who was included after spending last season on loan at Galatasaray from Tottenham Hotspur under Frank Rijkaard, his former Barcelona manager.
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
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
F1 2020 calendar
March 15 - Australia, Melbourne; March 22 - Bahrain, Sakhir; April 5 - Vietnam, Hanoi; April 19 - China, Shanghai; May 3 - Netherlands, Zandvoort; May 20 - Spain, Barcelona; May 24 - Monaco, Monaco; June 7 - Azerbaijan, Baku; June 14 - Canada, Montreal; June 28 - France, Le Castellet; July 5 - Austria, Spielberg; July 19 - Great Britain, Silverstone; August 2 - Hungary, Budapest; August 30 - Belgium, Spa; September 6 - Italy, Monza; September 20 - Singapore, Singapore; September 27 - Russia, Sochi; October 11 - Japan, Suzuka; October 25 - United States, Austin; November 1 - Mexico City, Mexico City; November 15 - Brazil, Sao Paulo; November 29 - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi.
THREE
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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.
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Monster Hunter: World
Capcom
PlayStation 4, Xbox One