At the first two friendlies on their 18-day tour of North America, Manchester United played to crowds of 40,000 in Toronto and Philadelphia.
A couple of productive days at the turnstiles, one might suggest, but what apparently caught the attention of club officials were the 20,000 seats at each venue which were not occupied.
United's public relations machine then kicked into action and the club made players available for interviews with the American media.
The charm offensive worked wonders, with crowds growing game on game, resulting in an incredible 70,000 sell-out crowd for a match against the MLS All-Stars in Houston.
The club-inspired cause-and-effect seemed only to emphasise United's place as the gold standard of global sport marketing, a status continually on display during the five-match, six-city tour which included a game in Guadalajara, Mexico.
United took advantage of the sojourn to unveil their new home kit, revel in acclamations of their worldwide appeal and position themselves as marketing dynamos that even the wealthiest US clubs would like to emulate.
Forbes business magazine recently listed United as the most valuable sports franchise in the world, worth US$1.87 billion (Dh6.87bn), ahead of such money-making American teams as the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and New York Yankees.
Talk of figures and franchises would be met by cynicism on the streets of Manchester, but the numbers impress in America.
"Manchester United," said a prominent sports marketing executive in Connecticut, "is what the Yankees wish they were." He outlined the club's popularity with a story about how he was once in a Cape Town Nike store hoping to buy a South Africa rugby union jersey. To his dismay, he found that the store sold three shirts: Manchester United's home, away and third kit.
United began their assault on the American market in 2003 with a series of sell-out games in major cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia.
Key sponsors were based there and a public conditioned to high ticket prices and brazen merchandising were prepared to pay hefty match fees. United returned a year later, alongside several other English and European giants, but then their usual promoters went bust and America was off limits until this year.
They returned to rave reviews. "Manchester United are undoubtedly the most popular, the most recognised and best supported foreign team in the United States," said Sean Wheelock, the BBC's North America football correspondent. "To attract 70,000 for a friendly game when the team are missing a lot of their stars is phenomenal."
Illustrating their commercial acumen, United launched their new red home strip in Chicago - home of their new shirt sponsors, AON - a global reinsurance intermediary.
Nike made sure that these home shirts were on sale in all the cities where United played - a concerted push to raise the profile of United and football in the world's richest market.
The players were rolled out for the cameras and a cast from the club's illustrious past, from Sir Bobby Charlton to Bryan Robson, were present to glad-hand any interested Americans. The players had no complaints about being paid to spend their leisure time lounging around a swimming pool in the height of summer.
In a process not dissimilar to that for an Olympic bid, United followed the money. Rival cities put their bids in and made their offers of appearance fees to bring Manchester United to town.
To justify the fees, each city would have to charge top dollar (between $30 and $200) for tickets and promote the visit extensively. Giant billboards all over Kansas City or Houston advertised the forthcoming United game, with a link to a Ticketmaster number.
The gamble paid off for all the cities and Kansas City - the riskiest of all as it is not usually on the list of cities for big football friendlies - attracted a record midwest crowd of 52,000 to see the Kansas City Wizards beat United 2-1.
United's match fees are thought to start at £500,000 (Dh2.9m). Travel is taken care of thanks to the club's commercial link with Turkish Airlines, who provide a new 777 plane with business-class seats for wherever United fly. Barcelona have the same deal and Turkish Airlines revel in the publicity.
The players were kept occupied. While they had time to distract themselves with their MP3 players or a blizzard of text messages, time to play computer consoles against each other and watch DVDs, they also saw some of the tourist sites - the type which appeal to a group of young men.
The whole touring party walked up the steps to the Philadelphia Art museum, a famous location used in the Rocky films. In Houston they visited the space centre - all of them resplendent in the latest Nike casual wear. Commercial choreography was prevalent at all times as United seized opportunities to build their massive brand.
United's huge staff - the kitmen and physios and coaches - also enjoyed the tour.
They are not on the huge salaries of the players and would not otherwise be able to traverse across North America staying in five-star hotels. The trip was good for bonding and morale.
Some commentators did adopt an untypically American and cynical view, with one describing United as a "bloated sports franchise that was too big for its own good". But the majority were won over. United's owners are Americans, too, and the Glazer family were spotted in several cities, where they receive a very different welcome to the hostile one they get in England.
The biggest potential problem for United was the absence of any of their World Cup stars (who were allowed some time off) and injured players such as Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand and Owen Hargreaves.
A United without Wayne Rooney would not win the Premier League, but the club still had enough stars in the travelling party to woo the crowds.
Javier Hernandez, their new Mexican striker, may have received a huge cheer from the thousands of Hispanics in the crowd in Houston, but that paled compared to the one which greeted the introduction of Paul Scholes, the evergreen midfielder.
Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov, Edwin van der Sar, Darren Fletcher and Nani are all known to an increasingly savvy US football public.
United justified the hype too by hammering the MLS All-Stars team 5-2. Football is doing very well across the Atlantic, with more boys and girls playing it than any other sport. Major League Soccer is now well established and new "soccer specific" stadiums with around 25,000 seats are being built across the country.
United's stars also enjoyed a degree of anonymity many found refreshing. That includes the manager.
Sir Alex Ferguson could have been just another pensioner in a tracksuit as he walked around downtown Kansas City.
He concedes that he enjoys the anonymity which America affords. He owns an apartment on New York's posh Fifth Avenue where he stays with his wife whenever United have a break in fixtures. His players love the US, too.
"I'm into American culture," enthused Fletcher, the Scotland midfielder. "The music, the sport, the cities, the magazines. I often come here with my family."
The anonymity?
"Of course, but I'm not Wayne Rooney. I can walk around a shopping centre in Manchester unrecognised if I'm wearing a cap. But I like playing pre-season games in America because the training facilities are so good - as are the stadiums.
"The opponents are always really competitive too."
And, all but forgotten in the corporate brouhaha, but not by the man at the helm, were the benefits to United's next football campaign.
"These tours are all about fitness," said Ferguson, issuing a salutary reminder to everyone of his priorities in crossing the Atlantic.
@Email:sports@thenational.ae
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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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
FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
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
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
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
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
GYAN’S ASIAN OUTPUT
2011-2015: Al Ain – 123 apps, 128 goals
2015-2017: Shanghai SIPG – 20 apps, 7 goals
2016-2017: Al Ahli (loan) – 25 apps, 11 goals
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
THE BIO:
Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.
Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.
Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.
Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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