Philippines' Sarina Bolden, left, celebrates her goal that gave her team a 1-0 win over co-hosts New Zealand at the 2023 Women's World Cup. AP
Philippines' Sarina Bolden, left, celebrates her goal that gave her team a 1-0 win over co-hosts New Zealand at the 2023 Women's World Cup. AP
Philippines' Sarina Bolden, left, celebrates her goal that gave her team a 1-0 win over co-hosts New Zealand at the 2023 Women's World Cup. AP
Philippines' Sarina Bolden, left, celebrates her goal that gave her team a 1-0 win over co-hosts New Zealand at the 2023 Women's World Cup. AP

Participation at Women's World Cup a source of pride for UAE's Filipino community


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The Philippines football team made history at the Women's World Cup when they beat co-hosts New Zealand in only their second-ever match at a global finals.

It was the Philippines' first victory at either a men's or women's finals.

After losing their opening match to Switzerland, Sarina Bolden's first-half header secured a famous victory and leaves the South-East Asian country with a chance to progress from Group A if they can beat Norway in their final match on Sunday.

While football takes a backseat to basketball in the Philippines, in the UAE, the country's participation at a World Cup has become a huge source of pride for Filipinos.

Around 700,000 Filipinos live in the UAE, which has become home to a growing number of amateur football clubs.

Pinoy FC was founded in Dubai 12 years ago and aims to promote solidarity among Filipinos in the country who share a common love for football. With more than 400 members, Pinoy FC play competitive and social matches and host annual tournaments against clubs from other Asean countries such as Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, and China.

In Abu Dhabi, Pinoy FC's sister club, Philippine Football Club, is another dedicated to UAE-based Filipino football enthusiasts and boasts around 100 members.

These social clubs provide a growing platform for the Filipino football diaspora, with many hoping to follow in the footsteps of their 2023 heroes.

Speaking about the Philippines' achievement at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a Pinoy FC representative said: “This is a historic moment for all Filipinos on our first participation in the world’s most prestigious women’s football event, the World Cup.

Pinoy FC members during training at Star International School in Dubai. Image supplied
Pinoy FC members during training at Star International School in Dubai. Image supplied

"Of course, we are looking forward to a good performance from our team. This is a giant leap for Philippine football and we hope this will ignite interest in football, especially for women. Laban Filipinas!”

A representative for Philippine FC said seeing their compatriots at the Women's World Cup was "a dream come true for all Filipinos".

"We very well know what the team has to go through just to get there. Whatever happens with the matches, win or lose, we support them all the way. It is with great honour and pride hearing our national anthem being sung in the grandest stage of football and all of us know that we belong there.”

This year's World Cup is the largest tournament in women's football history, having expanded from 24 teams from the 2019 competition. The number of women's football teams continues to grow worldwide and that trend can also be seen in Dubai.

Founded in 2022 by four coaches including former Scotland player Lauren McMurchie and Emirati Hind Al Zarouni, Onyx FC is the UAE’s first fully owned female football club.

All coaches hold Uefa licenses with the number of social players already at 215 from over 50 countries.

In addition to social football, the club is involved in the UAE Football Association’s 11-a-side league. Onyx also has a girls' academy for children of all abilities aged 4 to 18.

Jayzel Delos Santos, a Dubai-based real estate assistant from the Philippines who plays with Onyx FC, said seeing her country play at the World Cup had given her "so much pride" and it was great to watch the games with her teammates.

“It took me years to find a women’s football group so it’s nice to be in another country and find people that share the same interest," she said. "I get to play with them on Mondays and was able to watch the World Cup with them over the weekend.”

Correspondents

By Tim Murphy

(Grove Press)

Results

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2.30pm: Handicap Dh120,000 1,950m; Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson.

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4pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,600m; Winner: Oktalgano, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.

4.30pm: Conditions Dh250,000 1,400m; Winner: Madame Ellingtina, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

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5.30pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,000m; Winner: Shanaghai City, Jesus Rosales, Rashed Bouresly.

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

UJDA CHAMAN

Produced: Panorama Studios International

Directed: Abhishek Pathak

Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla

Rating: 3.5 /5 stars

Company profile

Company: Eighty6 

Date started: October 2021 

Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh 

Based: Dubai, UAE 

Sector: Hospitality 

Size: 25 employees 

Funding stage: Pre-series A 

Investment: $1 million 

Investors: Seed funding, angel investors  

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%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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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.

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

THE SPECS

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Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

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How to get there

Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
 

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Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

Date started: May 2021 

Founder: Mamta Arora 

Based: Dubai 

Sector: Clothes rental subscription 

Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded 

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Coming 2 America

Directed by: Craig Brewer

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones

3/5 stars

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Company Profile:

Name: The Protein Bakeshop

Date of start: 2013

Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani

Based: Dubai

Size, number of employees: 12

Funding/investors:  $400,000 (2018) 

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Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

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Updated: July 30, 2023, 4:22 AM`