DUBAI // Grafite, the Al Ahli captain, says the UAE champions cannot afford to drop more points at home this season if they are to have any chance of retaining the title.
The Dubai club have opened the Arabian Gulf League campaign with two victories on the road, but their early form at the Rashid Stadium has been nowhere near as impressive. Thus far, Ahli have been defeated by Al Shabab and held by Ajman in a scoreless draw.
It marks a stark contrast to last season, when Cosmin Olaroiu’s side were commanding at home, winning 11 and drawing one from 13 league matches. Their only defeat was in the fixture against Al Dhafra in January, although the result – originally a 3-1 victory for the hosts – was reversed once it emerged Ahli had fielded an ineligible player. Dhafra were awarded a 3-0 win.
“Of course, it’s been disappointing at home,” Grafite said. “We know the league will not be so easy this season, even when we play in our stadium. But if we want to be champions again we cannot drop points like this.
“The championship is long, but when it comes to the final table you can miss these points. Already, we see in the league that one or two points can make the difference and we’ve dropped five. Maybe come May next year we’ll regret those points, although I hope not. We need to take care.”
Grafite acknowledges a first title in five years means Ahli are now viewed differently among the division’s other clubs. He says, though, that the onus is on his side to provide the answers when facing teams whose sole focus is keeping Ahli at bay. Against a resolute Ajman, who defended in numbers, Ahli clearly struggled.
“It’s normal after we’ve been champions that opponents will be stronger and more determined when they come here, more prepared to not let us play,” Grafite said. “But we should find another way, to find space, create chances.
“We need to work this week because in the next game against Fujairah [on Sunday] we’ll find the same difficulties. We need the three points.”
Grafite conceded the absence of Ciel has impacted the team. The Brazilian forward, who suffered a broken ankle in the league opener at Sharjah, is expected to be out until March, at least. Ahli are actively seeking a replacement before the transfer window shuts Thursday.
However, there was some welcome news on the injury front, with Grafite reporting he is fully recovered from a knee problem that limited his game-time during the past few weeks.
“It’s good,” he said. “After four or five months I’m back to playing 90 minutes. I feel good, I don’t have any more concerns with the knee and now it’s just step-by-step to get to 100 per cent physically.
“After the next match we have the international break, so I can work on it to be at a high level and help the team more.”
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
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- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
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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
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Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
