Tottenham Hotspur's inaugural season in the Champions League is doubling up as a deluxe tour of Europe's grandest clubs.
After the Milanese masters, AC and Inter, come the most illustrious of all, Real Madrid. Overcome them and the garlanded greats of Barcelona probably await.
The fixture list still seems surreal. These are days to be savoured, partly because of their long wait and partly because a second excursion around the continent's highest-class clubs grows more unlikely.
With every Premier League point dropped, the probability increases that Spurs will be plying their trade in the Europa League next season.
There is a temptation to brand as schizophrenic a side that can scare the continent's best and struggle against the division's worst.
It could be argued, however, that this merely means Harry Redknapp's current collective are the rightful successors to plenty of their predecessors at White Hart Lane.
Glory, glory Tottenham Hotspur has a more glamorous ring than consistent, consistent Tottenham Hotspur.
If one player epitomises the dichotomy, it is Peter Crouch. The man whose goal eliminated AC Milan has struck seven times in eight starts against European opposition.
Against the English, however, he has mustered a mere two goals in 27 games. He has become that rarity, a target man to take on the status of an enigma.
Or, perhaps, he has been found out. Crouch's unique physique is no longer a surprise to those who face him regularly. For the unfamiliar, however, he poses a novel problem.
It explains why his goalscoring record in the Champions League and international football is vastly superior to his return in the Premier League and why, although Jermain Defoe and Roman Pavlyuchenko started Saturday's stalemate at Wigan Athletic, Crouch is likely to be the lone front-runner in the Bernabeu tonight.
Yet there are few strangers in the higher echelons of the world game. Last week, his former Liverpool teammate, and current Real full-back, Alvaro Arbeloa, outlined a game plan against Crouch: defend high and keep him out of the penalty area.
Ricardo Carvalho, an old adversary, has reasons to be confident: he has faced the Englishman 12 times, without Crouch scoring in his 726 minutes on the field. Jose Mourinho is accustomed to planning to halt him.
There is a sense, too, that a man Redknapp has spent much of his career signing and selling (for Southampton, Portsmouth and Spurs) is at a defining point in his Tottenham career.
Should they fail to finish in the top four, the strikers could bear the brunt of the responsibility.
Between them, Crouch, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko and the departed Robbie Keane have contributed a mere 11 league goals (in comparison, Wolverhampton Wanderers' specialist forwards have struck 17 times and West Ham United's 19, and both teams are in the bottom three).
Redknapp's fondness for a transfer is legendary and a striker appears a priority. Atletico Madrid's Diego Forlan and Villarreal's Giuseppe Rossi have attracted his attention, as did Luis Fabiano, now back in Brazil and Andy Carroll, who moved to Liverpool.
The demands have changed. Rafael van der Vaart's presence in the hole necessitates a multidimensional player if he is to be alone in attack; but, as Real have noted, pace is not Crouch's forte.
Increasingly, goalscoring is not either, although his alliance of opposites with the Dutchman proved prolific in the autumn.
It is Crouch's misfortune that he has been misunderstood for much of his career. His gangling 6ft 7ins (2.01m) frame can blind onlookers to the reality he often volleys the ball better than he heads it, for instance.
However, Redknapp knows him better than most, and he appears to have come to the conclusion that the professional predators are the likelier league scorers.
The precedent is worrying, too: Crouch became surplus to requirements at Liverpool when a truly world-class forward, Fernando Torres, was bought.
It was Crouch's goal against Manchester City that earned Tottenham their chance in the Champions League and his finish in the San Siro that clinched a place in the last eight.
Yet as Spurs arrive at the Bernabeu for what could prove a one-off, their European talisman could be forgiven for wondering if it is the beginning of the end for him.
>>>
While injuries are a regular complaint of many a manager, few have as much right to grumble as David Moyes. Everton kicked off against Aston Villa on Saturday with a bench that could not boast a single minute's experience in the Premier League. Factor in the goal that wasn't - Jermaine Beckford's shot which crossed the line - and none can argue they were unluckier.
>>>
Fulham's 3-0 win over Blackpool may become known for the unveiling of the ludicrous statue of Michael Jackson and may have greater implications for the visitors, now in their lowest position of the season. Nevertheless, it also took Mark Hughes's team into the top half of the table. Had Bobby Zamora stayed fit all season, they may have been stationed there for much of the campaign.
>>>
With only eight points separating ninth place from 20th, Newcastle United may not be safe yet. But a 4-1 win over Wolves was an emphatic response to a 4-0 thrashing at Stoke and that was achieved without arguably their two best players, the injured Jose Enrique and the banned Cheik Tiote, was proof of Alan Pardew's ability to conjure results from a depleted group.
sports@thenational.ae
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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
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
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
WWE TLC results
Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles
Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax
Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre
Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match
Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
More coverage from the Future Forum
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
OPINIONS ON PALESTINE & ISRAEL
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
