COSTA DO SAUIPE, Brazil // Fortified by home advantage, Brazil are bursting to set out in pursuit of their sixth World Cup and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari says he has a good idea of his starting XI.
“Big Phil” Scolari already has the kudos which comes from having coached the Selecao to their fifth crown in Japan in 2002, as well as a Confederations Cup final win over world champions Spain six months ago.
But following a 5-0 friendly success over Honduras and a 2-1 win in their final friendly of 2013 against Chile, he says his current vintage is maturing nicely and will rise to the challenge.
“I haven’t as yet defined the 23-man squad and am still observing players – but this is my team,” said Scolari after his side defeated a Chilean team, which impressed in the regional qualifiers, in Toronto.
Scolari, who took over the reins for a second time 12 months ago, does not have to name his squad until May 7 – they will play a final tune-up on March 5 against South Africa but will know their opening phase opponents after the December 6 draw at Costa de Sauipe.
After the Brazilians unveiled their new kit in Rio on Sunday, Scolari expressed confidence in his charges.
“I think we have a great chance. We shall be competing at home and we have a great team, excellent players and have our home fans behind us.”
Brazil famously lost the final of the only World Cup it has staged to date to tiny neighbours Uruguay in 1950. But the giant nation bounced back to win its first crown in Sweden eight years later, inspired by a teenage Pele.
And further wins followed in 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002.
After replacing Mano Menezes, Scolari was blunt as he insisted that Brazil have an “obligation” to lift the trophy at home.
Their swamping of Spain in the Confederations Cup final did blow away many of the recent clouds of doubt which had hung over the team and had caused many fans to question their capabilities of winning the world title.
“I think we have what it takes to be champions. With Felipao, the team has improved,” said Pele recently, giving a belated seal of approval having voiced doubts before the Confederations Cup.
A pragmatist who prefers to get results rather than prioritise the “jogo bonito” (beautiful game), Scolari has been here before, having taken over a mediocre side struggling in 2001 to qualify for the 2002 World Cup.
In 19 matches in charge, his record this time around reads 13 victories, four draws and just two losses.
Looking forward to the draw, Scolari said that “we will be ready from the first moment to go up against whoever we must to reach the final.”
Admiring the latest variant of the famous yellow, green and blue kit Scolari joked: “There’s only one thing missing – a sixth star” which the Brazilians hope to sew on next July.
Having qualified as hosts, Brazil are short on recent competitive experience but Scolari has still been able to examine the options open to him.
He brought back striker Fred – dropped by Menezes – and he responded with an excellent Confederations showing, dovetailing well with the mercurial Neymar.
Coupled with Oscar’s ability to read the game and the attacking muscle of Hulk, Scolari has been able to build a strong base.
He now has to decide whether to find a berth for Robinho, back in his plans after Atletico Madrid’s Diego Costa elected to pin his colours to the nauralised Spanish mast.
“He is turning his back on the dream of millions, representing our five-time champions at a World Cup in Brazil,” blasted Scolari.
Willian of Chelsea is another to benefit from the Costa decision.
As their team takes shape under a commander who has already demonstrated his ability to get results, Brazil know above all they need only remind themselves of a single word as they look to go better than their 1950 counterparts, shocked at the Maracana by the Uruguayans.
Maracanazo is the term firmly lodged ever since in the collective Brazilian psyche and which Scolari is now pledging to exorcise once and for all.
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.”
Sleep Well Beast
The National
4AD
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESmartCrowd%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiddiq%20Farid%20and%20Musfique%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%20%2F%20PropTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24650%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2035%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVarious%20institutional%20investors%20and%20notable%20angel%20investors%20(500%20MENA%2C%20Shurooq%2C%20Mada%2C%20Seedstar%2C%20Tricap)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
LIKELY TEAMS
South Africa
Faf du Plessis (captain), Dean Elgar, Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Quinton de Kock (wkt), Vernon Philander, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Morne Morkel, Lungi Ngidi.
India (from)
Virat Kohli (captain), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik (wkt), Ravichandran Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah.
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
