Mumbai City FC manager Des Buckingham believes a pre-season under the scorching Dubai sun will prove the perfect preparation for his side ahead of another gruelling domestic campaign in India.
Buckingham and his Mumbai squad return home on Friday after three weeks of preparation in Jebel Ali under punishing conditions in which the mercury has threatened to touch 50 degrees.
The Englishman, 37, believes the work undertaken in the UAE will see his players in good stead for the upcoming season, which for Mumbai kicks off on Tuesday August 16 with the opening match in the 131st Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.
It was Mumbai’s second visit to the Emirates after their training camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of their Asian Champions League campaign in Saudi Arabia in April.
Buckingham’s side enjoyed a successful debut campaign in Asia's premier club competition, finishing second in Group B behind Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab. The group also included Al Quwa Al Jawiya (Iraq Air Force) and the UAE's Al Jazira.
When asked why he had chosen the UAE in the height of summer as a pre-season training venue, Buckingham told The National: “We had three reasons to set up our pre-season in Dubai: The first is that we have a lot of good connections in Dubai. We knew that with our experience when we were here the last time in Abu Dhabi in March.
“We also explored some opportunities in Dubai because we knew there was a possibility that we would want to come back for a pre-season here, because of the quality we get when we come to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the way we were looked after, particularly the facilities."
“The weather was quite extreme, which we were trying to prepare ourselves before going into India where the temperature is between 31 to 32."
The third, he explained, was that it was the first contact to bring the players and the staff together for the first time after two months.
“Dubai is a bit of an easier place to get people in from around the world. So, across those three things, with the combination we had here before and the quality of what we get,” he said.
“We got all of them here and we have been able to get the work done with the players from the fitness point of view and the football side of the things we built upon last year to get into a good position for the new season.”
Mumbai, one of 11 clubs under City Football Group's administration, finished fifth in last season's Indian Super League but it was their exploits in Asia that pleased Buckingham most.
“We set a target of trying to be the first team from India to win a game at the Champions League,” said Buckingham, who is a qualified pilot and holder of a Master's degree in Advanced Performance Football Coaching from the University of South Wales.
“Not only did we do that, but we won two and drew a game to finish second in the Group, which was a huge achievement for the club and a massive achievement for Indian football.
“The pleasant thing is how we went about getting those results. I thought we played some very good football and the players showed how good they can be on the bigger stage.”
Buckingham is hopeful of returning to the continental championship under the Asian Football Confederation’s new formula in which the 2021/22 ISL Shield champions Jamshedpur are set to meet the winner of this season's tournament to book their place in the ACL.
“We want to compete against the best and to get those opportunities again we need to win the league,” Buckingham said.
“As a group we are striving to try and be successful. We want to build upon the players and build upon the framework that we first put in place last year in the league.
“Then we get the opportunities to go and showcase ourselves on the Asian stage, showing that Indian football is that level.”
Buckingham has the core group of players retained with four new foreign players — Scotsman Greg Stewart, Australian Rostyn Griffiths, Spaniard Alberto Noguera and Jorge Pereyra Diaz of Argentina — added to the roster.
“What that allows us to do is to have the consistency on what we had last year. It’s a very good position to start with this season. There hasn’t been a wholesale change on the playing group.”
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
if you go
The flights
The closest international airport to the TMB trail is Geneva (just over an hour’s drive from the French ski town of Chamonix where most people start and end the walk). Direct flights from the UAE to Geneva are available with Etihad and Emirates from about Dh2,790 including taxes.
The trek
The Tour du Mont Blanc takes about 10 to 14 days to complete if walked in its entirety, but by using the services of a tour operator such as Raw Travel, a shorter “highlights” version allows you to complete the best of the route in a week, from Dh6,750 per person. The trails are blocked by snow from about late October to early May. Most people walk in July and August, but be warned that trails are often uncomfortably busy at this time and it can be very hot. The prime months are June and September.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:
Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona
Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate
Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid
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
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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
MEYDAN%20RACECARD
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Civil%20War
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Best Foreign Language Film nominees
Capernaum (Lebanon)
Cold War (Poland)
Never Look Away (Germany)
Roma (Mexico)
Shoplifters (Japan)
