Win over Shabab proves depth of Jazira is their strength

ABU DHABI // We now have settled the great hypothetical of what would happen if Al Jazira started a match without seven of their first XI players and Al Shabab made do without their two best.

Not that any particular clamour had been detected from UAE football fans to have that "what if" answered. Certainly not in a Pro League match.

Jazira took advantage of quality reinforcements at half time, an option not available to a less talent-rich Shabab side, and the Abu Dhabi club took a 2-0 victory at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, which lifted them into second in the league, seven points behind Al Ain.

The game had been characterised by both coaches, Jazira's Caio Junior and Shabab's Paulo Bonamigo, as being likely to determine which side would have a slightly less impossible chance of catching the leaders, who have nearly disappeared over the horizon.

It seemed something less significant at kick-off, however, as supporters totted up the wounded and missing.

Jazira had decided to rest the legs of most of their key players ahead of two major matches in the next 10 days: the Asian Champions League home game against Esteghlal of Iran on Wednesday and the President's Cup final versus Baniyas on April 23.

Abdullah Mousa, the left-back, was out with a one-match ban, and Matias Delgado and Lucas Neill may have been carrying minor injuries, but Ricardo Oliveira, Ibrahim Diaky, Subait Khater and Salem Masoud just had the first half off.

Shabab had no choice in the absence of the Brazilian winger Ciel and the Chilean playmaker Carlos Villanueva.

The former was out on a one-match ban and the latter had his knee wrecked by a vicious tackle in the Al Wasl game two weeks ago and is out for the season.

Lacking their best scorer and playmaker, respectively, Shabab were left with the little Brazilian Kieza leading the attack, and his lack of form had been established even before he floated around impotently at the top of the Dubai side's 4-2-3-1 formation.

His most memorable moment came in the ninth minute, when he was cautioned for diving.

Jazira at least had a real target man at the top of their 4-2-3-1, in Bare, the big Brazilian, and some second-team players who have shown some proficiency in the attack, particularly Sultan Bargash and Abdullah Qassem, as well as the Olympic team forward Ali Mabhkout, known as a skilled producer of scoring chances, albeit not a finisher of the same quality.

Caio Junior and Bonamigo had spoken of Al Ain's potentially difficult final five matches, which include a date with Al Wasl tonight, home games against Jazira and Shabab, and away matches at relegation-battling Emirates and Ajman, the season's surprise team.

The chance to cut their league deficit to seven points did not seem at the top of Caio Junior's to-do list, however, and it is perhaps understandable.

Jazira can, for the first time, clinch a berth in the knockout stages of the Champions League if they manage a draw with Esteghlal, and the significance of the President's Cup requires no explanation.

Caio Junior sent on Oliveira and Diaky after half time, and it was no coincidence that Jazira scored almost immediately, Diaky lofting a soft pass in front of goal that Mabhkout headed home decisively.

A half-hour later Mabkhout turned provider, chipping a ball that Oliveira subsequently chipped over Ismail Rabea, and with the Jazira goalkeeper Ali Kasheif nearly back to top form, that was that.

Shabab have their own Champions League date on Tuesday, in Riyadh against the Saudi side Al Hilal. The UAE club are last in their group, but an upset victory would put them back in contention.

poberjuerge@thenational.ae

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

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

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Skewed figures

In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.

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

Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.

How to apply for a drone permit

Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
Submit their request

What are the regulations?

Fly it within visual line of sight
Never over populated areas
Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
Should have a live feed of the drone flight
Drones must weigh 5 kg or less