Ismail Rashid, the UAE team manager, has urged his players not to be too concerned after being paired with holders Oman in the Gulf Cup group stages.
"We are in a tougher group but we really can't complain about the draw," said Rashid as he looked forward to the tournament in Yemen between November 22 and December 4 following yesterday's draw, which also pitted the national side against Bahrain and Iraq in the group stage. "We know who we play now and the players have to be prepared to face and win against them."
Oman won the competition on home turf last year, while Bahrain narrowly missed qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa when they were beaten by New Zealand in a play-off. Iraq are the defending Asian Cup winners. "The teams in our group are strong on paper, but they are not unbeatable," Rashid said. "And we are not a bad team either. We must be ready to face any team if we want to win the tournament.
"I don't think it would have been any easier had we been in the other group. Saudi Arabia and Qatar have always been strong, and Yemen, as the host, can be equally strong because the host teams have won the last three staging of this biennial championship."
The UAE's preparation will begin with a friendly with Kuwait on September 7. Rashid added: "We are also planning a friendly game against Angola, for which a date is yet to be decided, and against Chile, which we are still awaiting confirmation."
apassela@thenational.ae
Top financial tips for graduates
Araminta Robertson, of the Financially Mint blog, shares her financial advice for university leavers:
1. Build digital or technical skills: After graduation, people can find it extremely hard to find jobs. From programming to digital marketing, your early twenties are for building skills. Future employers will want people with tech skills.
2. Side hustle: At 16, I lived in a village and started teaching online, as well as doing work as a virtual assistant and marketer. There are six skills you can use online: translation; teaching; programming; digital marketing; design and writing. If you master two, you’ll always be able to make money.
3. Networking: Knowing how to make connections is extremely useful. Use LinkedIn to find people who have the job you want, connect and ask to meet for coffee. Ask how they did it and if they know anyone who can help you. I secured quite a few clients this way.
4. Pay yourself first: The minute you receive any income, put about 15 per cent aside into a savings account you won’t touch, to go towards your emergency fund or to start investing. I do 20 per cent. It helped me start saving immediately.
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
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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The years Ramadan fell in May
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
