After the President’s Cup round of 16, Amith Passela offers his take on the biggest talking points from the tournament.
No defence for Jazira
The shock early exits of the Abu Dhabi powerhouses Al Jazira and Al Wahda were the headline news of the President’s Cup round of 16 this week.
Jazira have invested heavily in on-field talent this season but ended up without any silverware in the three domestic competitions and missed an Asian Champions League qualification through the play-offs.
The results have cast a doubt on the future of their coach Eric Gerets, the Belgian who arrived from Qatari club Lekhwiya on a two-year deal last summer with the hopes of putting Jazira on a title path.
After coming up short, Gerets said he would wait for the verdict from the Jazira board, expected this week, on whether he will see out his contract at the Mohammed bin Zayed stadium next season.
Jazira’s main woe was their leaky defence and it would be too harsh to put the blame on Gerets even though he did his best to fix it with the limited resources at his disposal.
The foreign quartet had already been decided before Gerets’s arrival and they included the all-attack options of Mirko Vucinic, Manual Lanzini, Jonathan Pitroipa and Jucilei da Silva.
Jazira signed veteran centre-back Basheer Saeed, 34, from Al Ahli in the second half of the season but that, too, looked inadequate as the season progressed.
The defence line-up would be one of the main topics for discussion when the club management meet technical staff this week to evaluate the players and the team’s performances.
Al Jaber’s future
In the coming weeks Al Wahda will have to decide if they are going to continue with Sami Al Jaber, who took charge in mid-February after the club parted ways with the Portuguese Jose Peseiro.
The former Saudi Arabia international has since made clear that he “would love to continue” if provided the opportunity, despite Wahda’s first-round exit from the President’s Cup and fourth-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League.
Dubai sprang the biggest surprise when they sent Wahda packing in a penalty shoot-out 4-2 after a 2-2 draw.
They meet Al Ahli in the quarter finals.
Ahli are desperate to end their campaign on a high by winning the cup and with it a passage to the 2016 Asian Champions League. If they progress through the next two games a possible showdown with Al Ain also awaits, giving them one last chance this season to pit themselves against the team that deposed them as AGL champions.
Garden City side look strong
Al Ain proved they will be the team to beat with a five-star performance against the promoted Dibba Al Fujairah, hammering them 5-0.
It was the most impressive display of the eight games played over the weekend.
Next for the Garden City club is Al Nasr and it is hard to look beyond the Arabian Gulf League champions lifting another trophy before the end of the season on current form.
apassela@thenational.ae
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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.
How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
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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UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Bio
Born in Dubai in 1994
Her father is a retired Emirati police officer and her mother is originally from Kuwait
She Graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2015 and is currently working on her Masters in Communication from the University of Sharjah.
Her favourite film is Pacific Rim, directed by Guillermo del Toro
