Fabio Cannavaro, Al Ahli's expensive Italian import, will again be missing through injury this evening and there are fears that the World Cup winner could have played his last game this season.
The former Juventus, Inter Milan and Real Madrid defender has not featured for the Dubai club since the 2-2 draw against Kalba on March 24, although he was an unused substitute against Al Ain last week.
Cannavaro, 37, who reportedly could earn as much as Dh22.5 million this season, has been ruled out of tonight's match with Al Nasr with the same knee problem and is unlikely to feature in the club's remaining four games.
The Fifa World Player of the Year in 2006 is known to have been surprised by the pace of the league and given his injury record this season and the fact that he turns 38 in September, there must be doubts as to whether he will see out the remaining year of his two-year contract.
He had appeared in 23 of a possible 24 league and Etisalat Cup matches for Ahli before sustaining his injury in March. He has missed three league matches since.
Cannavaro's absence tonight denies him a reunion, on the field at least, with Walter Zenga, the defender's compatriot, who coaches Al Nasr.
"Cannavaro is my neighbour because we live practically together in the same area," Zenga said. "We meet all the time, twice a week. He is a big friend of mine."
Before discovering Cannavaro would miss the game, Zenga said: "Our next game is against his team, so for 90 minutes we don't know each other. But then we are going to take dinner together, 200 per cent."
Ahli have won only one league game in 2011; they have five points from seven matches since the start of the year. They were joint third in the table with 17 points from 10 games in December. Now they are level with Nasr in seventh.
Also tonight, Kalba renew their battle to escape relegation when they are home to Al Shabab. The Sharjah side have amassed 13 of their 14 points in the nine matches since Jorvan Vieira took over as coach, in December, but they are four now points behind Al Ain.
Shabab, the Etisalat Cup champions, have been in form in recent months, and they still harbour hopes of climbing past Baniyas and into second place.
In the other early game, defending champions Al Wahda are home to Sharjah. Each are on 23 points and retain the hope of climbing to fourth and gaining an Asian Champions League berth.
Al Jazira can clinch their first league championship tomorrow when they travel to play Al Wasl. They could be champions even before kick off if Baniyas lose at home to Dubai in a game that starts three hours earlier.
* Additional reporting by Ahmed Rizvi
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
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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
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)
Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
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
Results
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
.
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
McLaren GT specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
Power: 620bhp
Torque: 630Nm
Price: Dh875,000
On sale: now