ABU DHABI // Manchester City Football Club yesterday signed a deal with the city's council and an urban-development firm to plan a multimillion-pound redevelopment of rundown land around the team's Eastlands stadium.
The agreement should see a transformation of the district, which is one of the poorest areas of the city.
It could create thousands of much-needed jobs in the community. Some media reports estimate the value of the project at £1 billion (Dh5.5bn), although sources at the football club and council said it was too early to estimate the size of the investment.
The club, owned by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, is believed to be planning to build a training complex on unused land around the ground, together with increasing the stadium's 48,000-seat capacity.
The first phase of the plan would involve the creation of a "market place-style fan zone", on Joe Mercer Way, the current approach to the stadium.
Organisers aim to offer improved facilities to fans visiting the ground on match days, together with year-round sports opportunities for local residents.
The project will encompass around 200 acres of land, including the existing Sportcity district, which was developed during the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is home to athletics tracks, a squash centre, tennis complex and velodrome, in addition to the City of Manchester Stadium, the official name for Eastlands.
A Metrolink stop is also set to be incorporated into the Sportcity site, as part of an expansion of the local transport network.
"Manchester City has been and always will be at the heart of the community it serves in the City of Manchester," Garry Cook, the club's chief executive, said on its website.
"The longer-term considerations for the area reflect the long-term commitment of our owners to the club and the community it serves."
The club has recently completed a 14-month study of leading sporting facilities around the world, which will form a basis for discussion as to what additional football facilities may be added.
"The collective strength of the council and the club, two very ambitious partners, will be the engine of economic growth and will build on the regeneration work already in evidence in the area," said Richard Leese, the leader of Manchester city council.
The third partner in the scheme is the urban-development company New East Manchester.
@Email:chamilton@thenational.ae
HAJJAN
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Founder: Ayman Badawi
Date started: Test product September 2016, paid launch January 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software
Size: Seven employees
Funding: $170,000 in angel investment
Funders: friends
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
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Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
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Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
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World Sevens Series standing after Dubai
1. South Africa
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
7. Kenya
8. Scotland
9. France
10. Spain
11. Argentina
12. Canada
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14. Uganda
15. United States
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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
Results
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes (PA) Group 3 Dh175,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Aatebat Al Khalediah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer).
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
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8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,200m
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8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile (TB) Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Secret Ambition, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press