Gabriele Marcotti reveals the passion that drove a father
Sport is littered with fathers who believe: Richard Williams, Earl Woods, Frank Lampard Sr. Fathers who see in their children what might be and - crucially - what wasn't in their own lives.
Abdellatif Fellaini had the tools to become a top goalkeeper. After all, hadn't Raja Casablanca, arguably the biggest club in Africa, signed him in the prime of his career, with the promise of a glittering future?
Once there, he was told he would have to be patient. You can only play one goalkeeper at a time, they told him, your moment will come.
When it didn't, Abdellatif walked out. He moved to Belgium intent on making it on his own. But when Raja wouldn't release his registration, he was left in a bureaucratic nightmare, unable to sign with the Belgian sides who had shown interest.
Rather than returning, he packed it in. He took a job as a bus driver in Brussels. Football became something to do on Sunday mornings. Until 1987, when his son Marouane was born.
Abdellatif became determined that Marouane would have every chance of fulfilling it. From a young age, he taught his son every secret he could muster. He worked nights and overtime to raise the funds to enrol Marouane in private football schools as a toddler and, at age of seven, took him to Anderlecht's academy.
Father and son seemed attached at the hip. And, usually, some kind of training was involved. Marouane would run to school every morning, Abdellatif following on a bicycle, with a stopwatch.
Every night Marouane would take shooting practice, Abdellatif keeping goal and showing no mercy. By his early teens he was bigger and stronger than teammates and opponents, he dominated matches, not least because Abdellatif made it clear he must never be "a gentle giant".
No, Marouane would grow into his body, proud of his size and who he was: a process helped along by playing against kids who were older, bigger and tougher. It's not surprising then that, by the time he made his professional debut for Standard Liege, a few months shy of his 19th birthday, he was already more than comfortable.
His huge frame - 6ft 4in and 13st 5lb - moved across the pitch under the watchful eye of Abdellatif, always at his son's side.
Last summer, he moved to Everton for US$25million (Dh91.8m), a record for a Belgian footballer and an Everton transfer. Everything about him spoke to the issue of size: the fee, his own proportions and, of course, his signature hairstyle. here clearly was going to be nowhere to hide, he would sink or swim at Goodison.
This afternoon, he mixes it with one the Premier League's biggest, most physical sides as Everton host Stoke City.
But then this is no different from those nights when Abdellatif would tower over him in a makeshift goal and dare him to get the ball past his old dad.
gmarcotti@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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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
Pathaan
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Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
Result
2.15pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,950m; Winner: Majestic Thunder, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
2.45pm: Handicap Dh80,000 1,800m; Winner: Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
3.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,600m; Winner: Native Appeal, Adam McLean, Doug Watson.
3.45pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,950m; Winner: Conclusion, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh100,000 1,400m; Winner: Pilgrim’s Treasure, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,400m; Winner: Sanad Libya, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
5.15pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,000m; Winner: Midlander, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
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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
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10