Only four teams have won the last 10 editions of the Saudi Pro League. Al Hilal lead with five titles, while Al Nassr have three titles and each of the two Jeddah rivals, Al Ittihad and Al Ahli, have lifted the trophy once in the past decade.
So naturally, when Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund acquired majority stakes in the 'big four' over the summer, bankrolling an unprecedented level of spending on some of the world's top talents, it was expected that that same quartet would take their dominance of the league to new heights.
But a glance at the standings seven matches into the 2023/24 season reveals a different picture; neither Al Nassr nor Al Ahli are in the top four at this early stage of the season. Instead, it is Al Taawoun and Al Ettifaq who occupy the two spots behind table toppers Al Ittihad and second-placed Al Hilal.
The past decade looked very different for the two dark horses; Buraidah-based Al Taawoun had already established a presence in the top half of the table, finishing in the top five four times, with their best result a third-place finish in 2018/19. Meanwhile, Al Ettifaq were plying their trade in the second tier as recently as 2015/16, having been relegated three years earlier.
And despite receiving no big money backing from the PIF, the side from Dammam invested intelligently, making waves across the transfer market through the appointment of Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard as head coach.
Gerrard went about his business recruiting names he is familiar with, either from his years at Anfield or from his managerial stint in Scotland with Rangers. Former Liverpool duo Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum were reunited at the Mohammed bin Fahd Stadium, and so were former Celtic duo Moussa Dembele and Jack Hendry, while former Everton and Leicester City winger Demarai Gray joined on transfer deadline day.
None of those names match the star power at the traditional top four, who have signed the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Neymar and Riyad Mahrez, but what the men in green and red proved to have is a fighting spirit and an understanding of their roles within their coach’s tactical set-up that has allowed them to look like genuine candidates for honours for the first time since last century.
Al Ettifaq made their intentions clear from the start, downing Al Nassr 2-1 on the opening matchday of the season, and built on that victory by winning four of their next six matches, losing only once, away to Al Hilal.
Key to their attacking play has been the telepathic understanding that developed between club captain Henderson and forward Dembele. The Frenchman is now second on the goalscoring charts behind Ronaldo with six goals. Four of those have come from Henderson assists, the most prolific combination in the league.
The arrival of Wijnaldum late into the window added a new attacking threat to Gerrard’s arsenal, with the Dutch midfielder excelling with his runs from deep, producing three goals in his last two outings. Adding to the creative prowess of the team is Gray, who marked his SPL debut with two assists off the bench.
Admittedly the fixtures have been favourable for Al Ettifaq, facing only one of the six teams that finished above them last season so far. They have faced two bottom-half sides in Abha and Al Tai, and one promoted team in Al Hazem, but Gerrard’s men have won five of seven games, leaving them within two points of the leaders.
On Saturday, Al Ettifaq face their biggest challenge since matchday 1, when they travel to Jeddah to take on the star-studded Al Ahli, with their Liverpool contingent coming up against their former teammate Roberto Firmino, and Gerrard needing to outsmart the home side’s German boss Matthias Jassile, known for his high press brand of football employed at RB Salzburg.
Travelling across the kingdom to the west coast, Al Ettifaq will hope to borrow a page from the book of their neigbours Al Fateh, who came away from their trip to Al Ahli with a famous 5-1 victory. If Gerrard can lead his men to a fourth consecutive win, he will be sending a strong statement to the rest of the league that his side are ready to shake up the league.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
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KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
The five pillars of Islam
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
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The five pillars of Islam
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
Bobby Charlton 49
Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
