DUBAI // When the UAE captain Abdulraheem Jumaa leads his team on to the field for their all-important World Cup qualifier against Iran tomorrow night, they will be carrying the "responsibility" of continuing the mood of celebration sweeping through the country. Football in the country has been in party mode since the triumph of the youth team in the AFC Under 19 Championship in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Friday. The festivities have raised the spirits of Jumaa's side, who face an uphill battle to qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
The UAE have not won a point in the first three games of the final round of Asian qualifying and only victory against Iran can keep alive their dreams of qualifying for the world's biggest football show. There is great optimism in the side, though, and the victory of the U19s is serving as an inspiration. The star of the U19 campaign, Ahmed Khalil, was called into the UAE squad and visited the training camp on Sunday night to be greeted by a round of applause by his new teammates. He was given the night off though by coach Dominique Bathenay, and joined training last night.
"We wholeheartedly congratulate the youth team for their success," said Jumaa. "This win augurs well for our game against Iran. We hope we can continue this atmosphere of joy flooding the hearts of all football fans in the country. We have a responsibility to do that and we will do our best to revive our hopes of qualifying for South Africa." Subait Khater, the veteran mid-fielder from Al Jazira, shared his captain's sentiments. "We are proud of their achievement," he said. "I hope their success will reflect in our performance against Iran. We have no alternative but to win against Iran to cling on to our hopes of qualification, and we will be seeking just that when we take the field."
Nawaf Mubarak, the Al Sharjah midfielder, added: "It was a great pleasure for us to see our brothers win and we will strive to continue this chain of success and the mood of celebration. God willing, we will join the U17 and U19 teams in qualifying for the World Cup and triple the joy." Abdullah Malallah said victory for the young team had "doubled the responsibility" on the senior team. "Now we have to make sure we put in that extra effort in the game against Iran," said the Al Ain player. "We have to keep the smiles on the faces of our fans and continue the good work of our young brothers. We need to build on the success of their great win."
arizvi@thenational.ae Matar on a mission, s2
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
RESULTS
2.30pm Jaguar I-Pace – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt)
1,600m
Winner Namrood, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
(trainer)
3.05pm Land Rover Defender – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D)
1,400m
Winner Shadzadi, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
3.40pm Jaguar F-Type – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner Tahdeed, Fernando Jara, Nicholas Bachalard
4.15pm New Range Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
4.50pm Land Rover – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 2,400m
Winner Autumn Pride, Bernardo Pinheiro, Helal Al Alawi
5.25pm Al Tayer Motor – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 T) 1,000m
Winner Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
6pm Jaguar F-Pace SVR – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,600m
Winner Scabbard, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
