SINGAPORE // Singapore's plan to boost its international profile by staging a glamour football friendly between Brazil and Japan could backfire due to the appalling state of the playing surface at the centrepiece of the city-state's US$1 billion (Dh3.67bn) Sports Hub.
A sell-out crowd is expected at the 55,000-seat retractable roof National Stadium to watch the five-times world champions play the Asian Cup winners on Tuesday.
Locals are eager to catch a glimpse of the likes of Neymar, Kaka, Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa, but whether the quartet will be risked on the patchy surface is another matter.
The field seemed to have as much sand on it as grass and was cut up in several areas when it was viewed by media earlier in the week.
The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) acknowledged the poor surface but declared it fit for use late on Thursday.
“We are of the view that the pitch is playable and the game can proceed if the match commissioner and teams agree,” the FAS said in a statement.
“However, we are also of the opinion that the condition of the field is far short of expected international playing standards, which could affect the standard of play.”
Italian champions Juventus played the first football match at the new stadium in August when they beat a Singapore selection 5-0, but the Turin club did not hold back in their criticism of the surface.
Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri said after the match he had not selected first-choice players Carlos Tevez or Arturo Vidal “to avoid pointless risks because the pitch was bad.”
The hybrid pitch, made from natural grass and reinforced by millions of artificial turf fibres, had improved after the Juventus fixture, with promoters confident all would be well for Tuesday’s game.
However, the surface seems to have suffered due to the number of public events it has been expected to stage.
Last month, a protective covering was put over the pitch to minimise the effects of 20,000 runners trampling the grass in various races at the National Stadium.
And scars are still visible at both ends of the field where rugby goalposts were placed for the stadium’s first event, an international 10s tournament in June.
The stadium also hosted a school rugby tournament in August, with coaches complaining about sand kicking up in the eyes of the players and amid fears of a slippery surface causing injury.
The FAS will host some matches for the Suzuki Cup, Southeast Asia’s football championship, in November and December, but the regional body has also voiced their fears about the pitch.
“We share the ASEAN Football Federation’s [AFF] concerns about the readiness of the venue for the upcoming AFF Suzuki Cup,” the FAS said.
“The FAS is supportive of the Sports Hub’s continuing efforts to ensure a good playing surface.
“To assist in this endeavour, the FAS has opted not to schedule any home international ‘A’ friendlies at the National Stadium and is prepared to forego all of the Lions’ training sessions at the National Stadium in the lead-up to the Suzuki Cup, even though this will have an impact on home-ground advantage.”
Singapore, ranked 149th in the world by Fifa, have yet to play a match on their new home pitch.
Meanwhile, Brazil coach Dunga warned Beijing’s choking smog was likely to affect their friendly with Argentina on Saturday by forcing him to make mass substitutions.
With an "orange" pollution alert in the Chinese capital, and several complaints from his team, Dunga said that he would limit players' time on the pitch to reduce their exposure.
“The pollution in Beijing is bad for both Brazil and Argentina so both teams have to do their best and deal with it, as we cannot change it ourselves,” he said.
“Our plan is to make plenty of substitutions so that the players will not be affected by it.”
Visibility has dropped dramatically, shrouding buildings in haze, as pollution soars to 20 times the maximum daily exposure recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Argentina coach Gerardo Martino insisted the pollution was "not a factor", and he dismissed an incident where Messi was seen bent over and coughing on a smoggy training pitch this week.
“There was a small situation with Messi, but he is totally fine,” Martino said.
Brazilian players, who went through an hour-long, slow-paced training session at Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium yesterday, appeared taken aback by the pollution.
“It’s difficult to breathe. My throat is dry, it’s like we’re standing next to a bonfire, like hot smoke,” striker Robinho said.
Philippe Coutinho said it was sometimes hard to work out whether it was night or day.
“The air is a bit strange. Sometimes you think it’s the middle of the night. It’s very dusty,” he said.
David Luiz expressed sympathy for the Chinese people, for whom unhealthy air is all too common.
“Short-term you don’t notice it much, but we hope that this [pollution] can change, because the Chinese people don’t deserve to live like this,” he said.
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
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In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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.
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
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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
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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.”
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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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
