Mumbai City, majority owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed's City Football Group, clinched a place in the AFC Champions League after finishing top of the Indian Super League on Sunday.
The City Football Group acquired a 65 per cent stake in Mumbai City in 2019, expanding their global stable of clubs to 10 across the world.
Coached by Spaniard Sergio Lobera, the Mumbai side needed to beat leaders ATK Mohun Bagan to climb above the Kolkata-based side by virtue of their superior head-to-head record.
First-half goals from Senegalese defender Mourtada Fall and Nigerian forward Bartholomew Ogbeche sealed a 2-0 win and gave Mumbai a confirmed spot in the group stage of the AFC Champions League next season.
"I am very happy because the club and the City Football Group have made a big effort to give us all that we need to work [with]," Lobera said after picking up the League Winners Shield.
"It is a moment to enjoy but also to analyse the things that we have achieved this season. We have a big challenge. I know when I came here that it was a big and ambitious project. We have worked hard to achieve our target.
"It means a lot because playing in the AFC Champions League next season is amazing."
The win meant Mumbai finished level on 40 points with ATK Mohun Bagan but topped the 11-team league having defeated their rivals twice during the regular season.
They will next meet FC Goa in a two-legged semi-final with ATK Mohun Bagan taking on NorthEast United FC in the other playoffs before the March 13 final of ISL.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
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
Ruwais timeline
1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established
1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants
1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed
1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.
1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex
2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea
2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd
2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens
2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies
2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export
2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.
2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery
2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital
2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13
Source: The National
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