BANGKOK, THAILAND // Thailand are hoping to spring a “surprise” against the UAE in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier and create their own piece of history, according to new manager Milovan Rajevac.
The South-East Asians, bottom of Group B and with no chance of reaching Russia next summer, host fourth-placed UAE at the Rajamangala Stadium seeking a first victory at this stage of qualification.
The qualifier represents Rajevac’s first competitive game in charge, with the experienced Serbian replacing Kiatisuk Senamuang in April. Thailand, who lost the corresponding fixture 3-1 in October, have a solitary point from their seven matches and are ranked by Fifa at 127th in the world – 52 places below the UAE.
“Although we don’t have a chance to qualify for World Cup, we can make another step with an historic win, so we are motivated,” Rajevac said. “We’re all aware of this and so are ready to give our best. We’ve prepared for this match. Any positive result is good for our future.”
Thailand are missing a number of key players, with striker Teerasil Dangda unavailable and Muangthong United trio Theerathon Bunmathan, Chanatip Songkrasin – their star playmaker – and Tristan Do all injured.
“This has affected us from the beginning, even in the friendly last week [a 2-0 defeat to Uzbekistan],” Rajevac said. “We cannot do much about that, but all the players who came to the camp did their best and I have full faith in them. I’m sure they can put in a good performance for us.
“I know the UAE team from before: it’s almost the same generation and I remember them even when they played Under 21s. They’re a great team, as you can see in them having won nine points, have great quality and so are the favourites. But we are here to try and play our game, to do our best, and to surprise them and win the game.”
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McAuley in Bangkok
■ Bauza all set: UAE 'are ready for Thailand'
■ Comment: 12 days not perfect but enough
■ Diary: Tepid interest in bustling Bangkok
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Opposition scout
Background The Asean champions qualified for this stage by winning their pool in the previous round, topping Group F ahead of favourites Iraq. Thailand have one point from seven matches this far, secured in the 2-2 draw against Australia in November. They are ranked 127th in the world by Fifa and have never before appeared at a World Cup.
Star player – Tanaboon Kesarat With undoubted star Chanathip Songkrasin injured, Kesarat will be expected to step up in driving his teammates on. The versatile midfielder, who can also play at centre-back, moved last November from Thai giants Muangthong United to Chiangrai United for a reported 50 million baht (Dh5.4m) – making it the most expensive Thai transfer in history.
Key men
• Kawin Thamsatchanan The young-but-experienced goalkeeper's status in the squad is conveyed by the fact he wears the captain's armband. Typically plays with distinction for Muangthong.
• Adisak Kraisorn The forward should lead the line in Teerasil Dangda's absence. Has 19 goals in 34 league matches since joining Muangthong last year, while he has struck eight times for his national team.
Manager – Milovan Rajevac The 63-year-old Serbian took the job in April following Kiatisuk Senamuang's resignation. Took Ghana to the World Cup semi-finals in 2010, while he has experience of Gulf football having managed Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli and the Qatar national team. Spent two games in charge of Algeria last year.
Form (last six matches) W L W L L L
UAE head-to-head In the past six meetings, Thailand have won one and lost four. The two sides met most recently last October, with the UAE winning 3-1 in Abu Dhabi thanks to goals from Ali Mabkhout (2) and Ahmed Khalil.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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.
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.
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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
Employment lawyer Meriel Schindler of Withers Worldwide shares her tips on achieving equal pay
Do your homework
Make sure that you are being offered a fair salary. There is lots of industry data available, and you can always talk to people who have come out of the organisation. Where I see people coming a cropper is where they haven’t done their homework.
Don’t be afraid to negotiate
It’s quite standard to negotiate if you think an offer is on the low side. The job is unlikely to be withdrawn if you ask for money, and if that did happen I’d question whether you want to work for an employer who is so hypersensitive.
Know your worth
Women tend to be a bit more reticent to talk about their achievements. In my experience they need to have more confidence in their own abilities – men will big up what they’ve done to get a pay rise, and to compete women need to turn up the volume.
Work together
If you suspect men in your organisation are being paid more, look your boss in the eye and say, “I want you to assure me that I’m paid equivalent to my peers”. If you’re not getting a straight answer, talk to your peer group and consider taking direct action to fix inequality.
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Favourite Quote: “Real victories are those that protect human life, not those that result from its destruction emerge from its ashes,” by The late king Hussain of Jordan.
Favourite Hobby: Writing and cooking
Favourite Book: The Prophet by Gibran Khalil Gibran
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
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
