Al Jazira manager Marcel Keizer praised his players’ mentality in winning the 2020/21 Arabian Gulf League title, but could not commit to whether he will lead the club’s defence of their crown next season.
The Abu Dhabi club secured a third top-flight trophy in their history on Tuesday night, when a 3-1 victory against Khorfakkan ensured they ended the campaign three points above runners-up Baniyas.
However, Keizer, in his second stint as Jazira manager following a brief spell in 2018, was relatively coy on his future in the immediate aftermath of clinching his first title in Abu Dhabi.
Asked about plans for next season given the reporter thought his contract ran until 2023, the Dutchman said: “I think you’re misinformed, but let’s see what happens for the next season. I’m not saying [I’m leaving]; I only say I go home now, I go to Holland and go to my family, and let’s see what happens. But the contract ends.”
Keizer added: “I like the players and team – we’re champion, so of course I like it. So let’s see what’s going to happen.”
Pressed later in the post-match press conference regarding his continuation with the club, Keizer said only: “I don’t know yet. We’ll have to wait and see what’s happening in the summer.”
The former Ajax manager, 52, spent less than a year at Sporting Lisbon in between stints at Jazira. He returned to the UAE capital in October 2019, succeeding compatriot Jurgen Streppel on a two year-contract, and promptly guided Jazira to third in last season's Arabian Gulf League before the campaign was halted with seven rounds remaining because of the coronavirus pandemic.
This season, Jazira won 17 of their 26 league matches, losing only three. On Tuesday, knowing victory at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium would clinch the title, they played the majority of the match against Khorfakkan one man down after Khalfan Muburak was sent off just after the half hour.
“After four months of no football, it’s very difficult to come up in the rhythm again, but the mentality of my group of players was excellent,” Keizer said. “We started really slow and then we became better and better and better.
“In the last moment, [we were] a little tired maybe, especially now with three games in nine days, with this weather also. But the mentality of the players, even with 10 for a long time today, what a mentality for the players. So I’m very happy for the team.”
On reigning supreme in a challenging Arabian Gulf League, Keizer said: “All the big games are very difficult because the teams are Sharjah, Al Nasr, Shabab Al Ahli, Al Ain, Al Wahda… Baniyas, of course, because they’re high [in the table]. There are maybe six or seven teams, so that means you already play 12-14 really big games.
“So it’s a really big competition. And this makes it really fun to play, because everybody likes competition and [teams being] close together. You don’t see many leagues where there are seven clubs almost the same. Let’s hope next year it’s the same.
"And luckily for us, we won it this year. For now, we enjoy and we’ll see when we come back.”
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m. Winner: Majd Al Megirat, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Shehhi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: Dassan Da, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Heba Al Wathba, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Harbour Spirit, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
