Barcelona and Spain have suffered a huge injury blow with midfielder Gavi set to miss the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery.
The teenager left the pitch in tears during the first half of Spain's 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Georgia on Sunday after landing awkwardly as he jumped to control the ball.
Barcelona confirmed on Monday that Gavi will undergo surgery to repair a complete tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee with medical examinations also revealing an injury to his lateral meniscus.
The club said the surgery will take place in the coming days and a new medical update will be released later. It did not give a timetable for the player's recovery, but the injury is expected to stop him from playing again this season.
The recovery time for an injury of that type can be eight to ten months, which rules him out of Barcelona's defence of the La Liga title and their Champions League campaign.
It also makes him a doubt for next summer's Euro 2024 finals in Germany and the Paris Olympics.
Barca currently sit third in the table, two points behind arch-rivals Real Madrid in second and four shy of surprise leaders Girona. Xavi Hernandez's side are currently top of Group H in the Champions League after four games, level on nine points with FC Porto.
The 19-year-old made his first-team debut at the age of 17 in August 2021 and has made 111 appearances, scoring seven goals and providing 12 assists.
This season, Gavi made 15 appearances for Barcelona, 13 of them as a starter. He scored against Villarreal in the Spanish league and against Antwerp in the Champions League.
He has already won 27 caps for Spain, scoring five goals, helping Luis de la Fuente's team finish top of their European Championship qualifying group having won seven and lost one out of eight matches.
Manager De la Fuente described the win over Georgia in Valladolid as the “most bitter victory I have experienced in my life” because of Gavi's injury after just 26 minutes.
“This is the ugly part of football,” he said. “This can happen at any time. It was an accident. It’s a very difficult moment. It’s difficult for him, his club, his teammates, for me and for the federation. We are devastated.”
Defender Robin le Normand, who scored the opening goal, admitted the incident took the shine off a positive end to their qualification campaign.
“We can't celebrate as we would have liked,” said the Real Sociedad centre-back. “Gavi's injury is a hard blow. I'm really gutted”
Gavi's Barcelona teammate Ferran Torres, who held up Gavi's shirt to celebrate his goal in the second half, added: “An important victory to end on a good note, but we leave with a bittersweet feeling.
“We don't know the extent of the injury but, knowing how much of a warrior Gavi is, we think it could be serious.”
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
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Race card
4pm Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m
5.10pm Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections:
4pm Zabardast
4.35pm Ibn Malik
5.10pm Space Blues
5.45pm Kimbear
6.20pm Barney Roy
6.55pm Matterhorn
7.30pm Defoe
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ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Sunday's games
Liverpool v West Ham United, 4.30pm (UAE)
Southampton v Burnley, 4.30pm
Arsenal v Manchester City, 7pm
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.
Company%20profile
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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