No-nonsense French coach Philippe Troussier returns to African combat this weekend after a six-year absence when he leads CS Sfaxien against fellow Tunisians Esperance in the CAF Champions League.
Since quitting as Morocco coach in 2008 just weeks after taking over, Troussier has worked with Japanese and Chinese clubs.
But the desire to be close to his Rabat-based family led 59-year-old Troussier to sign a two-year contract with the four-time CAF title winners.
Sfaxien chairman Lotfi Abdennadher was thrilled at capturing a coach who rose to prominence by winning three consecutive Ivorian titles from 1990 for ASEC Mimosas.
“We have never had a coach of his level, experience, ability and vision. Talking with Philippe I quickly realised we were on the same wavelength.” Troussier succeeds out-of-contract Hammadi Daou, who spent a short time in charge when Dutch coach Ruud Krol moved to Esperance.
He could not have got a tougher baptism with Sfaxien than a Group B clash at home against bitter domestic rivals Esperance.
Opposing former Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and South Africa coach Troussier will be compatriot Sebastien Desabre.
When Krol was axed after Esperance suffered shock losses to Algerians Entente Setif and Libyans Al Ahly-Benghazi, Desabre took charge.
The 37-year-old rising star among Africa-based coaches stopped the rot by plotting a come-from-behind 2-1 early June victory over Sfaxien in Tunis.
This result coupled with the failure of Setif to build on a winning start, means only two points separate the table-topping Algerians from bottom club Esperance.
Were Setif and Benghazi to draw Friday – as they did last month – Esperance would rise from the bottom of the table to the top with a two-goal victory over Sfaxien.
Troussier is renowned as a strict disciplinarian and an early victim of his approach was highly-rated 20-year-old midfielder Ibrahim Ndong.
The Gabonese was kicked out of a training camp because he “lacked rigour and discipline” and a couple of fringe players suffered a similar fate.
Sfaxien won all four Champions League qualifiers with star striker Fakreddine Ben Youssef scoring in each game before defeating Benghazi at home and holding Setif away.
But the loss at Esperance left them second on the standings, one point behind Setif, level with Benghazi, and one point ahead of the ‘Blood and Gold’.
The first Tunisian derby turned in 60 seconds as Oussama Darragi cancelled the lead Maher Hannachi gave Sfaxien, and Idriss Mhirssi snatched the match-winner.
Ongoing lawlessness in Libya means Benghazi must continue to play ‘home’ fixtures in neighbouring Tunisia and a win over Setif would leave them well placed to reach the semi-finals.
The potent mix of Libyan, Egyptian, Nigerian and Zimbabwean stars has already exceeded expectations by eliminating title-holders Al Ahly from Egypt in a qualifier.
Group A is almost as tight with four-time champions TP Mazembe on six points, fellow Democratic Republic of Congo club Vita and Sudanese El-Hilal on four and Egyptians Zamalek on three.
There could be a dramatic swing here, too, with Zamalek going from the bottom to the top if they defeat Mazembe in Alexandria and Vita and Hilal draw in Kinshasa.
Mazembe edged Zamalek 1-0 last month in a bad-tempered clash that led to a three-match ban for visiting striker Dominique da Silva, who assaulted the referee.
“We have three group matches to play – two at home – and positive results in all of them will guarantee us a semi-finals place,” stressed Zamalek coach Ahmed ‘Mido’ Hossam.
A concern for Brazil-born Hilal coach Paulo Campos will be that the Omdurman club have not won away in 13 group games spanning eight years.
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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
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
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
Meydan Racecourse racecard:
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes Listed (PA) | Dh175,000 | 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden for 2-year-old fillies (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: The Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 1,600m
8.15pm: Maiden for 2-year-old colts (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,600m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,600m.
New schools in Dubai
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
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On sale: Now
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
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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
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
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
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Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
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