Madjid Bougherra is not exactly displaying an international defender’s sense of timing.
To be fair, he has a pretty valid excuse. It is late August and the Algeria captain, who parachuted into the Arabian Gulf League after a summer at the Brazil World Cup, has just returned from a pre-season training camp in Germany with Fujairah, his new employers.
There is little opportunity to catch breath, though. In less than 48 hours, Bougherra will be in Algeria, en route to Ethiopia, to lead his national team as they embark on qualification for the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
In the ever-decreasing window between assignments for club and country, he has a few, slightly more important, chores to complete.
There is finalising his new residence in Al Barari, Dubai, from where he will make the daily commute to Fujairah, while he must also organise school for daughters Ines, 6, and Hilya, 7.
No wonder, then, that he arrives at a sponsors engagement – Bougherra is a brand ambassador for Adidas – more than a little late. His regret is obvious. Genuine, too.
“Sorry, sorry, sorry – I’m very busy at the moment,” he says in perfect English, taking his seat in the Adidas store at Deira City Centre. “Things have been a little crazy.”
That could describe Bougherra’s appearance at Fujairah. The newly promoted side, tucked away on the country’s east coast and until this summer situated even further from the its footballing conscience, were not an obvious fit.
Bougherra, 32 on Tuesday, was most recently seen helping his country to the last 16 of the World Cup where they fell to Germany, the eventual world champions, in extra time.
That he resurfaced at a club who have not played in the UAE top flight since 2007 came as a surprise.
Fujairah have been intent on making their mark, though, and, aware that Bougherra was a free agent after the conclusion of his contract with Lekhwiya – the team he guided to the 2013/14 Qatar Stars League title – they sold him an ambitious plan.
A big fish had been hooked.
“I was thinking about it for maybe two months,” he says. “Fujairah contacted me to say they had a project to be one of the best teams in the UAE within the next two years. So in July I thought about it with my family and they said, ‘Let’s go’.”
Within 24 hours of agreeing to Fujairah, the former Glasgow Rangers centre-back received several alternative offers from teams in the top divisions in America, Turkey and Russia. But he had already committed to Fujairah.
“To be honest, it wasn’t an easy decision,” he says.
“In my mind I wanted to go back to Europe first, but after playing in two World Cups I thought I’m in a good atmosphere in the Gulf, my family is comfortable and I like it here because people respect you like a big player in everything you do. So it pushed me to sign for Fujairah.”
He soon pulled for a friend, and international teammate, to join him.
Weeks later, the club recruited Hassan Yebda, the Algerian playmaker. Bougherra was key to his arrival, confirming Yebda possessed fine technique, impressive fitness levels and a strong work ethic.
Having played for a selection of prominent European clubs, including Benfica and Napoli, Yebda also brought experience to what is a comparatively youthful squad.
The pair have integrated well, although, among a group of wide-eyed youngsters, they hold a certain celebrity.
“When I came, the young players were a little shy and surprised,” Bougherra says. “Some asked about the World Cup, about the Germany match. It’s good, because they respect me a lot.
“When you come as a new player and people inside the club respect you, after this you want to respect them. So our relationship started very well.”
The connection has continued to flourish. A tight bond fostered optimism for the new season and has led to a bright start to the campaign.
Although Fujairah, still learning under new manager Abdulwahab Abdulqadir, have not won in three matches, they have only one defeat and an encouraging result with a 2-2 draw at title-chasing Al Jazira. It suggests that Fujairah plan on sticking around.
They have been intent on not just making up the numbers, as indicated by their summer spending.
If a bid to sign Jorge Valdivia, the Chile World Cup playmaker, proved fruitless, in Bougherra and Yebda they had players with significant pedigrees. The acquisition of Boubacar Sanogo, 31, the former Al Ain striker, was also a shrewd move.
“I talk with Sanogo. He’s also old, so it means he has experience,” Bougherra says. “We talked the first day about the team, how we need to do this and do that, so it’s good to have two professionals looking after the team.
“We’ve come here to keep our image. It’s not coming here to take money, or to live in Dubai or whatever. That is not my target. I have an image to protect so I want to give everything to be on top.”
Fujairah are strong from the bottom up. Faith has been placed in several talented youngsters, who have proven so good that they have surprised Bougherra.
Midfielder Khalil Khamis, 20, and striker Ibrahim Khamis, 21, have particularly impressed. Ahmed Rashid, the 25-year-old midfielder who goes by the nickname “Pato”, has been another standout. It is very much a collective effort.
“In football, if you’re by yourself on the pitch it is not enough,” Bougherra says. “I need my partners because without them I am nothing.
“But it’s very important be an example to show the young players that, in football, age does not matter. Everything is in the mind.
“If you want to work, you can work and play at any team you want. Some people think playing in the Gulf is easy, but it’s very hard. I learnt that at Lekhwiya. If you start to relax, even for a moment, you can lose everything you have done before.”
The project at Fujairah reminds Bougherra of his time in Doha. Granted, Lekhwiya boasted one of the league’s biggest budgets and they lifted the title the season before he signed – their first term in the Qatar Stars League – but they, too, were a fledging club with grand designs.
During Bougherra’s three seasons, they won the championship twice and lifted the Crown Prince Cup.
The parameters at Fujairah are slightly different.
“We’re a new team with a new challenge, just starting,” Bougherra says. “I know it’s going to be a very hard season. In seven years with Rangers and Lekhwiya I won six titles, but now it’s another test. If Fujairah gets into the top six, it’ll be like winning the championship.”
The quest resumes this evening against Al Ahli. It is exactly the sort of fixture the club board envisioned once promotion was secured in May: Fujairah Stadium, hosting the champions, with the opportunity to move within a point of their illustrious guests.
Victory may just be stretching the dream a little far, though.
“We can surprise teams at home,” Bougherra says. “When big teams come to Fujairah they won’t play with the same intensity, at the same level, because I’ve seen that during the past six years from my own experience.
“When we went to smaller teams it was never as easy as you thought, because they play with a higher spirit and you arrive thinking you’re simply the bigger team. So I know how to catch them out.
“I hope big teams come to Fujairah with a lazy mind. Because then we’ll do the job.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
MATCH INFO
Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Ovo's tips to find extra heat
- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
- Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat
- Put on extra layers
- Do a few star jumps
- Avoid alcohol
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday Benevento v Atalanta (2pm), Genoa v Bologna (5pm), AC Milan v Torino (7.45pm)
Sunday Roma v Inter Milan (3.30pm), Udinese v Napoli, Hellas Verona v Crotone, Parma v Lazio (2pm), Fiorentina v Cagliari (9pm), Juventus v Sassuolo (11.45pm)
Monday Spezia v Sampdoria (11.45pm)
How Beautiful this world is!
Eyasses squad
Charlie Preston (captain) – goal shooter/ goalkeeper (Dubai College)
Arushi Holt (vice-captain) – wing defence / centre (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Olivia Petricola (vice-captain) – centre / wing attack (Dubai English Speaking College)
Isabel Affley – goalkeeper / goal defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Jemma Eley – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Alana Farrell-Morton – centre / wing / defence / wing attack (Nord Anglia International School)
Molly Fuller – goal attack / wing attack (Dubai College)
Caitlin Gowdy – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai English Speaking College)
Noorulain Hussain – goal defence / wing defence (Dubai College)
Zahra Hussain-Gillani – goal defence / goalkeeper (British School Al Khubairat)
Claire Janssen – goal shooter / goal attack (Jumeriah English Speaking School)
Eliza Petricola – wing attack / centre (Dubai English Speaking College)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Read more from Aya Iskandarani
T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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The specs: 2018 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Price, base / as tested: Dh101,140 / Dh113,800
Engine: Turbocharged 1.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 148hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 250Nm @ 2,000rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed CVT
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT)
Tuesday
Mairobr v Liverpool
Spartak Moscow v Sevilla
Feyenoord v Shakhtar Donetsk
Manchester City v Napoli
Monaco v Besiktas
RB Leipzig v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Borussia Dortmund
Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur
Wednesday
Benfica v Manchester United
CSKA Moscow v Basel
Bayern Munich v Celtic
Anderlecht v Paris Saint-Germain
Qarabag v Atletico Madrid
Chelsea v Roma
Barcelona v Olympiakos
Juventus v Sporting Lisbon
