Jose Mourinho had a fractious relationship with Real's director Jorge Valdano, right.
Jose Mourinho had a fractious relationship with Real's director Jorge Valdano, right.
Jose Mourinho had a fractious relationship with Real's director Jorge Valdano, right.
Jose Mourinho had a fractious relationship with Real's director Jorge Valdano, right.

The sporting directors are the real puppet masters


Andy Mitten
  • English
  • Arabic

Not every top-flight footballer has the foresight to think about what they will do after their playing career is over.

Financially, the top players do not need to worry, so credit to Real Madrid's Iker Casillas, Alvaro Arbeloa, Raul Albiol and Sergio Ramos for enrolling on a course on how to become a sporting director of a football club.

Unlike in England where the manager chooses which players will be bought, the sporting director identifies new talent in Spain and then works alongside his president and coach to make an offer to sign the player.

It is a vital role and successful sporting directors are both lauded and high profile. Jorge Valdano was so prominent at Real Madrid last season that Jose Mourinho did not approve.

There was only going to be one winner there and the Argentine was forced out.

Barcelona's Andoni Zubizarreta works closely with Pep Guardiola, just as Txiki Beguiristain did before he departed along with the outgoing president Joan Laporta last year.

Much of Sevilla's success in the late 2000s was attributed to Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo, or "Monchi", who identified unknown talents such as Daniel Alves, Luis Fabiano, Seydou Keita and Sergio Baptista.

He built an extensive global scouting network which fed into Sevilla's youth system and the end product saw the club enjoying the greatest spell in their history as they won successive Uefa Cups and the European Super Cup.

They also profited greatly from the sale of their stars such as Alves and Keita to Barca.

"Monchi" is now part of Malaga's Qatari revolution and blessed with far more resources than he ever had at Sevilla. A good sporting director is intelligent and media friendly. He will have extensive contacts who he can trust to be discreet, an essential element for success in this business.

The Real players cannot be faulted for thinking about the future, but one wonders how Ramos will fare.

He said earlier in the year ahead of Spain's Euro 2012 qualifier against Lithuania that the Lithuanians should not be taken lightly for they had several international players in their squad.

Make that 11 internationals, plus the subs, Sergio.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ain Issa camp:
  • Established in 2016
  • Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
  • Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
  • Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
  • 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
  • NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
  • One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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

Scoreline

Man Utd 2 Pogba 27', Martial 49'

Everton 1 Sigurdsson 77'

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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

Cultural fiesta

What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421,  Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day. 

The Saga Continues

Wu-Tang Clan

(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)

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ALL THE RESULTS

Bantamweight

Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.

Lightweight

Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.

Catch 74kg

Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.

Strawweight (Female)

Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.

Featherweight

Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.

Lightweight

Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.

Welterweight

Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.

Bantamweight

Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.

Lightweight

Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.

Lightweight

Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.

Welterweight

Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.

Featherweight title bout

Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.

Ponti

Sharlene Teo, Pan Macmillan

The five types of long-term residential visas

Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:

Investors:

A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.

Entrepreneurs:

A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.  

Specialists

Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.

Outstanding students:

A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university. 

Retirees:

Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.

Dhadak

Director: Shashank Khaitan

Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana

Stars: 3

UAE rugby in numbers

5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons

700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams

Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams

Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season

Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season

Specs

Engine: 2-litre

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Power: 255hp

Torque: 273Nm

Price: Dh240,000