As much as Manchester City fans have come to love May, the traditional time for dishing out domestic trophies in England, the month of November also has a place fixed in their hearts.
Not only is it the time of the year when the reigning Premier League champions nearly always shift into overdrive on the pitch, it is also now the month Pep Guardiola chooses to deliver news on his future.
There will come a time, of course, when he tells supporters what they don’t want to hear.
But, for the third time since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, he has quickened their pulses in November with an announcement that he is to stay beyond this season with a new two-year deal until 2027.
Guardiola staying to complete a decade and more in charge of City in a bid to add to the 18 major trophies he’s already won is a decision that has elicited relief and joy in equal measure.
Crucially, he will be the man calling the shots as the first-team squad undergoes a necessary overhaul across the next three or four transfer windows, and at the same time, he will be the public face of the club when the independent hearing delivers its verdict on the 115 charges brought by the Premier League.
City’s senior management were always confident that Guardiola would not jump ship when they needed him most. There had been a feeling, first expressed privately last June, that he would see out at least a decade in charge.
However, owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, and club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak have not exerted any pressure on the Catalan maestro as he grappled with the alternatives of a year off, or a move into international management with England and Brazil reported to be among those keen to make use of his extraordinary skills.
Conversations were had in Abu Dhabi earlier this season but no deadline for a decision was set. There is complete trust, respect and admiration between the three key men, each grateful to the other for playing such a major role in City’s recent domination of the Premier League.
In signing for another two years, 53-year-old Guardiola becomes only the fourth manager in City history to reach double figures in terms of years in charge.
Wilf Wild still leads the way with 14 years (1932-46), Les McDowall managed for 13 years (1950-63), and Ernest Magnall for a dozen seasons (1912-24).
As he approaches 500 games in charge, Guardiola has already surpassed everyone but McDowall who oversaw 590 matches.
The Catalan’s scarcely believable 72 per cent win percentage over more than nine seasons, eclipses every other City manager who has completed a whole year or more and his trophy haul of 18 is a huge 13 more than Joe Mercer, the man in second place.
While Guardiola has won four Premier League titles in succession – a unique historical feat – and brought City a domestic treble, 100 points in a season, a first ever Uefa Champions League crown and a Fifa Club World Cup, he is entering what promises to be the toughest 18 months since his first year in charge.
Not only are City lagging behind Liverpool at the Premier League summit but they lost their last European outing 4-1 in Portugal to Sporting Lisbon and are operating with an injury-depleted and ageing first-team pool.
In addition, Guardiola will soon be without the day-to-day counsel of his long time friend and Director of Football Txiki Begiritstain, who has decided to step down from his role at the end of the season and will be replaced by Hugo Viana from the aforementioned Sporting Lisbon.
Crucial decisions are coming at Guardiola thick and fast. He will have to deliver verdicts on the futures of long-time collaborators Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Kyle Walker, Ederson and Ilkay Gundogan.
The fact that he is staying may crystalise the thinking of some or all of those players, and should deliver an immediate boost after weeks of constant speculation and loss of form.
Begiristain’s decision to depart for an extended rest and then a new challenge didn’t impact on Guardiola’s own choice to stay, as he had known for two years that his former Barcelona colleague was leaving.
Of course, Guardiola is now much nearer the end of his reign at City than the beginning, and he won’t get close to the 20-year plus stints of Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, but he is still a relatively young man in managerial terms and will undoubtedly coach again after City.
Such are the long hours that he works and the intensity that he brings to the job of winning and improving players, that he is likely to want a rest when he departs the Etihad – as he did after leaving Bayern Munich.
Managing City to amazing heights has not only taken a mental toll on Guardiola but has exerted a physical one, too. He has been battling a painful back issue for the past couple of years but ultimately decided the buzz he gets from winning and from pitting his wits against the new breed of Premier League bosses was just too big a lure.
His decision was never about financial reward or just about him – it never is. Guardiola asked himself if he could bring more success to City and at the same time remain content in his work and home life. The affirmative answers came after some soul searching and lengthy discussions with his wife, Cristina, and family.
Now the hard work begins again with a visit from Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and then a vital home Champions League game against Feyenoord on Tuesday evening.
Guardiola is sure of a hero’s reception on Saturday at a packed stadium where only last month the 1894 fan organisation raised £1,000 in 24 hours to create a banner that read ‘Pep Guardiola, we want you to stay’ in his native Catalan.
He told those fans that he’d been in love since the first day he arrived at the club, it seems that love is not yet ready to die.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
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MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
English Premiership semi-finals
Saracens 57
Wasps 33
Exeter Chiefs 36
Newcastle Falcons 5
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Racecard
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The biog
Name: Maitha Qambar
Age: 24
Emirate: Abu Dhabi
Education: Master’s Degree
Favourite hobby: Reading
She says: “Everyone has a purpose in life and everyone learns from their experiences”
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
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
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BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday Stuttgart v Cologne (Kick-off 10.30pm UAE)
Saturday RB Leipzig v Hertha Berlin (5.30pm)
Mainz v Borussia Monchengladbach (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v SC Freiburg (5.30pm)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (5.30pm)
Sunday Wolfsburg v Arminia (6.30pm)
Werder Bremen v Hoffenheim (9pm)
Bayer Leverkusen v Augsburg (11.30pm)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
Yuki Means Happiness
Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
