Al Jazira have no intention of selling Omar Abdulrahman, as the club continue to look to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season.
Reports this week claimed the Abu Dhabi side were entertaining offers for the playmaker from clubs within the Arabian Gulf League, with champions Sharjah and Dubai’s Al Nasr linked.
Abdulrahman, 29 this month, joined Jazira on a free transfer last summer following a lengthy spell on the sidelines because of injury, but went on to feature in all 19 league matches last season. The 2016 Asian player of the year, Abdulrahman is still considered the country's most talented player.
Speaking about the UAE international's future, Jazira’s new director of football, Mads Davidsen, said: “I can be very clear: Omar Abdulrahman is a very important player for us. For me, he’s one of the best players in Asia. Omar has a contract here and we consider him as a very important part of our future, so that’s it.”
Davidsen, whose past experience includes a successful spell in the Chinese Super League, attempted to sign Abdulrahman during his time as technical director at Shanghai SIPG.
Asked if the former Al Ain and Al Hilal midfielder would definitely be a Jazira player for the season ahead, Davidsen replied: “There are no other plans.”
Appointed in July, Davidsen’s remit at Jazira encompasses all age groups, from the academy through to the first team. The two-time UAE champions have two foreign slots remaining to fill in the senior squad, with manager Marcel Keizer saying last week that he would like to sign at least one winger.
Davidsen said a wideman could be an option, but that the focus was more on finding players in any position that could bring real value to the club. The Dane said he has been offered players from the top five leagues in Europe, but also emphasised a desire to develop the youth talent already at the club.
Last season, Jazira finished third in the curtailed league, while the 2020/21 AGL campaign, set to begin next week, was on Wednesday postponed until next month.
“In terms of foreign players, it’s actually quite simple,” Davidsen said. “It’s not that we’re not looking - we are definitely always in the market; we’re always looking can we strengthen our team. But we’re also critical. I’m quite critical in terms of recruitment: it has to be significantly better than what you have. You have to be as sure as possible.
“We could bring in players tomorrow - I can guarantee you that I’ve been offered many players the last couple of months - so it’s not a problem. The problem is it has to be the right standard. It’s not because we don’t want to buy, we just have to be sure of what we’re getting.
“So it depends on what opportunities come out. And it’s a line between me and Marcel. We obviously analyse the squad and the league: what are the demands to play in the highest possible way in the league; how’s our team looking; how’s our future looking; how’s the academy. And in the end, what do we need to look for if there is anything.”
On adding to their already impressive Emirati contingent, Davidsen said: “We have top, top players on the local market, I have to say. Of course, we’re always looking to see what’s out there, but again, I have been really impressed with what the academy has done here.
“The average age of our squad now is below 24, so that gives you an idea that we are two or three years ahead of our peak time, which means you can buy peak players now of course, but then you will also not develop the players needed to peak in the near future. So we need to find this balance.”
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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