There is one Barcelona player who will not be booed, heckled and jeered when he takes to the field at the most eagerly awaited Catalan derby in years tonight.
Five months after he scored the winning goal in the World Cup final, Andres Iniesta plays his first game at Espanyol. Iniesta celebrated his goal in South Africa by lifting up his Spain shirt to reveal the message: "Dani Jarque, always with us," to the watching world.
Jarque was the Espanyol captain who died in his hotel room during his club's pre-season last year from a suspected heart defect
"He was my friend," said Iniesta this week of his former Spain Under 21 teammate. The Barca player was in the unfamiliar surrounding of Espanyol's ground to present the shirt to sit alongside other mementos in a permanent memorial to Jarque at Gate 21 (Jarque wore 21). "I needed to do something for him," said Iniesta.
Espanyol fans spend the 21st minute of every home game applauding the memory of Jarque and, despite not liking Barca, they are sure to be equally generous with Iniesta, at least before the game.
Fourth-placed Espanyol may have won every home game this season thus far, conceding just twice during their seven victories, but they are underdogs when they host neighbours Barca.
Espanyol have to play to their strengths and one will be the feverish atmosphere created by the 40,000 sell-out crowd in their new Cornella home.
Espanyol's fans are loud when their 25,000 average are present for a normal league game. But against Barca, it's one of the best atmospheres in Spanish football.
The Barca players are used to the enmity. Espanyol's up and at them tactics frequently unnerve them. Under tough Argentine coach Mauricio Pochettino, Espanyol held Barca at home last season and only lost narrowly in Camp Nou, a stadium where they triumphed a year earlier.
Pochettino is a realist. Since taking charge two years ago, he has created a tough side on a limited budget. His side contains many homegrown youngsters, plus several who played in Barca's youth academy such as Joan Verdu, Victor Ruiz and Raul Baena.
The more experienced Ivan de la Pena and Sergio Garcia were also at Barca, with De la Pena saying: "It's obvious we can't compete with Barcelona for the Liga, but in one game anything can happen."
Pochettino also acknowledged Barca's brilliance, especially that of Lionel Messi, his compatriot.
"Like Maradona or Pele in their day, Messi is the best player in the world," said the 37-year-old coach, who rejects claims that he is the "anti-Guardiola" for his spoiling tactics.
"With their individual class, Barcelona can ruin all your plans, there are a lot of tactics to stop Barcelona."
Chastised by their recent games against Espanyol, Barca are not taking anything for granted. Carles Puyol, the club captain, is expecting "the hardest away game that we have played all season".
Victor Valdes, the Barca goalkeeper, who has not conceded a goal in 541 minutes, emphasised what the game means to the many local players. "Many of the players from here have known each other since we've been kids," he said.
"Espanyol have improved, they have a much better technical level, and they're focused and have a stronger physical presence." Intense for Valdes and most of his teammates, poignant for Iniesta.
At least until the game starts.
sports@thenational.ae
Fixtures
Today
Deportivo v Sporting Gijon 9pm
Levante v Athletic Bilbao 9pm
Villarreal v Mallorca 9pm
Espanyol v Barcelona 11pm
Real Sociedad v Valencia 1am
Tomorrow
Almeria v Getafe 8pm
Osasuna v Real Zaragoza 8pm
Malaga v Atletico Madrid 10pm
Real Madrid v Sevilla Midnight
Monday
R Santander v Hercules Midnight
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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PSA DUBAI WORLD SERIES FINALS LINE-UP
Men’s:
Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
Ali Farag (EGY)
Simon Rosner (GER)
Tarek Momen (EGY)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
Nick Matthew (ENG)
Women's:
Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
Raneem El Welily (EGY)
Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
Laura Massaro (ENG)
Joelle King (NZE)
Camille Serme (FRA)
Nouran Gohar (EGY)
Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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Top%2010%20most%20competitive%20economies
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Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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.
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Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
