Diego Forlan writes a weekly column for The National, appearing each Friday. The former Manchester United, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid striker has been the top scorer in Europe twice and won the Golden Boot at the 2010 World Cup. Forlan's column is written with the assistance of European football correspondent Andy Mitten.
I understand why West Ham United fans are angry with Dimitri Payet. He was their best player last season – his first at the club – and one they took to their hearts.
They sang his name, they gave him their trust, they made him their hero. Of course it helped that he was scoring goals and winning matches. He looked like a top club player at West Ham, a very proud club, but not the biggest in England. He appeared to feel the same way and in February 2016 signed a new contract to stay with them until 2021, commenting at the time: “The love affair continues.”
But there is a thin line between love and hate, and love affairs can soon turn sour. Now Payet wants to leave. He says he wants to go back to Marseille, where he was also popular with supporters, before joining West Ham. Like West Ham, Marseille are famous for their passionate fans. That can be a strong pull, but Payet’s reason for wanting to go is because of family. There are a lot of people making very strong judgements without knowing all the facts.
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Taken at face value, you have to try to understand his decision, even if you do not agree with it, especially as it has also been reported that the player turned down a £500,000 a week (Dh2.2 million) offer to play in China. Payet has also said that he will earn less than he is currently being paid in London if he moves to Marseille.
It seems like Payet is trying to force the move before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Maybe he should have thought about that when he signed the five-year contract, but he wouldn’t be the first footballer to experience a change in circumstances.
I believed that I would see out my time at Atletico Madrid when I signed my final contract there, but ended up moving to Inter Milan. People change, positions change, circumstances change. It happens.
Payet’s family might have genuine reasons for wanting to return to France, they might not be settled in London. It could be any number of factors. He could be unhappy himself and making his family unhappy. Players are not robots. He also earns enough money to take a smaller offer if it means happiness.
Yet it is also difficult to take anything at face value in football, an industry where there is often more than one version of the truth, where players have versions to suit themselves, clubs tell their story to keep the fans onside and agents can play the club off against fans or do whatever it takes to get a player to move on.
Players try to force their way out using different tactics. Payet has chosen to effectively go on strike, and if any contracted player refuses to play for his team it is not a good situation for anyone.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic was critical of Payet’s stance, but 20 years ago he also left West Ham for Everton when they did not want to sell him and he was the highest paid player at the club.
I have been in dressing rooms where the situation with a player or two is awkward. In fact it is normal. Do you expect 24 men to be happy all of the time when only 11 can start matches? There are always offers flying around and players naturally get their heads turned. Wouldn’t you if you had an offer to have your money doubled tomorrow elsewhere? It does not matter if your job is not in football, for football is a job for most players. I genuinely love the game and appreciate being paid to play it, but it is still a job at the end of the day.
As much as it is good to have the fans liking you, you have to do what is right for you and your family. Leaving a club during a contract is not ideal, but that is what happens to most players, either because they are not playing or not playing well enough, like Memphis Depay or Morgan Schneiderlin, who have both left Manchester United in the past week.
Payet’s teammates have reportedly said they do not want him in the team. Maybe they feel let down that their best player has chosen not to stay with them because he can make their lives easier by helping them win matches, but even then situations can be resolved quickly. I have seen players fall out with everyone, then come back into the team slowly. I have seen players apologise and after one or two good games, people soon forget. Fans have very selective memories and would rather remember the good over the bad. Fan loyalty towards a player can be one way, too. They love Payet because he is a great player? Would they love him if he wasn’t?
The truth will come out in time. If Payet goes to China then the fans will have been proved right. They will be glad that some sprayed graffiti and sang new songs about him which are not complimentary.
But what if he does go to Marseille for his own personal reasons, and takes a pay cut too? Suddenly the foundations for those criticisms are weakened. What if he goes for a profit on the near £11 million West Ham paid for him, benefiting the club financially. All the fans will be left with are memories of some great performances and goals, but is it not worth having those memories?
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
TOUR DE FRANCE INFO
Dates: July 1-23
Distance: 3,540km
Stages: 21
Number of teams: 22
Number of riders: 198
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
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Formula%204%20Italian%20Championship%202023%20calendar
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The%20specs
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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 specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 194hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 275Nm from 2,000-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: from Dh155,000
On sale: now
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
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
PROVISIONAL FIXTURE LIST
Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Poacher
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