ABU DHABI // Perhaps the team shield of TP Mazembe should have been a fair warning. It shows a crocodile about to crush a football in its mouth.
If it were fanciful bluster a year ago, when the Congolese side lost twice in the 2009 Club World Cup, the reptile rampant has been the embodiment of "Tout Puissant" (all powerful) Mazembe at this year's event.
Mazembe, dismissed as just another "naive" and "tactically unaware" African club side a few days ago, have sealed their place in the final against Inter Milan on Saturday following their historic 2-0 victory over Internacional of Brazil in the semi-final on Tuesday.
The result set off celebrations back in their home of Lubumbashi, with one blogger there describing the Katanga provincial capital in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the world's "loudest and happiest city".
Amia Ekanga, the Mazembe midfielder, said the club should now be taken seriously by global football.
"You journalists will start to respect us now," he said, a day after Internacional's coach was asked about "being lucky" to face Mazembe in the semi-final rather than Pachuca of Mexico, who lost 1-0 to the African champions.
"You did not respect us before," Ekanga added. "Now you must give us priority as winners who deserved the victory."
Tim Vickery of BBC Sport wrote that "this result is great for the game and an excellent justification of this tournament. Mazembe's victory clearly is good news for the Club World Cup ... having an African team in the final is a positive development".
Mazembe's semi-final victory was the first by a team from outside Europe or South America in 11 Club World Cup meetings, making it notable not just for Africa but Asia and North America, too. The giants from South America and Europe can, clearly, be beaten.
The pertinent question now for Mazembe: can they defeat two giants in one tournament?
Internacional clearly were a flawed side, skilled at creating scoring chances but inept at seizing them, a reality Celso Roth, their coach, conceded after the game.
"That was the big problem we have before the match," he said. "We dominate the game but don't score goals. It worried me."
Do Inter Milan have some of the same shortcomings? Their form has been shaky, but their squad contains names Internacional cannot match.
The final may lack some of the thousands of fans who followed Internacional to these shores, but it will not lack for colour. Not with Mazembe's players, practically an African all-star, all-dancing team, and not with Mazembe's fans and their never-tiring brass band and dancing supporters, some wearing tribal dress and black-and-white face paint.
Instead of the usual Europe-South American showdown, interesting but almost jaded, we have something new and potentially revolutionary heading our way on Saturday night.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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.
The team
Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
Videographer: Jear Valasquez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
With thanks to Jubail Mangrove Park, Jubail Island, Abu Dhabi
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
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Specs%3A%202024%20McLaren%20Artura%20Spider
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V6%20and%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20power%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20700hp%20at%207%2C500rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20torque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20720Nm%20at%202%2C250rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Eight-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3E0-100km%2Fh%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.0sec%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETop%20speed%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330kph%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh1.14%20million%20(%24311%2C000)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
