DUBAI // One of the lads has been watching a world-class goalie for tips.
Another hopes a Manchester United scout might spot him.
A third has been building his skills on the pitch since he was three years old. Which is a young lifetime ago, as the boy in question is all of 8.
All are part of the Desert Rangers, a squad of champions aged 6 to 9 who have dominated their local competitions in Dubai and will now test their mettle on the playing fields of England. The team of 15 boys will take part in a number of prestigious international youth football tournaments in the UK, beginning next weekend with the Arsenal International Soccer Festival in London.
The Desert Rangers are also participating in two other tournaments: the Welsh International Soccer Festival and the Danson Sports FC Summer Football tournament.
The team enjoyed a winning streak this season in the Dubai Junior Football league, going undefeated in the 18-game, 9-and-under first division. They had also been the champions in the 7-and-under division for two consecutive seasons. And with these sorts of results, they are hopeful of victory in the UK.
Matt Tye, a strong midfielder, was looking forward to the trip overseas.
"We will do our best but we are going out to win," he said.
Matt, 8, said he was aware of the different standard of football in the UK. "They will be rougher but we have trained hard, which has made us tougher," he said.
Accustomed to warm weather and fair playing conditions, the Rangers will be getting their boots dirty for the first time.
"Maybe in Wales we might be affected by the rain," Matt said.
But he was hopeful of sunny intervals and certain that cool temperatures would not affect their game.
Jordan Atidea, a midfielder, said he was weary of hearing about the rough reputation of his opponents, but put it behind him. "It's a great opportunity," said Jordan, 8.
"There could be a scout from Manchester United who might spot me playing."
His dream, however, is to play for Arsenal.
With every trophy already in the Desert Rangers' cabinet, they were still training hard outdoors, even in the summer months. "We practice a lot of accuracy shots and most of us go to football academy," Matt said.
John Adetiba is the team's coach. "We are convinced that the Desert Rangers' players will do the UAE proud in Europe as they are a group of highly talented, highly focused, well-behaved youngsters with immense talents," he said. "We know, without a doubt, that many of them will be stars of the future."
Jack Howard, 7, only took up the key role in goal five months ago and knew what pressure lies on his shoulders. "It is a lonely position and sometimes I'd like to be out there with the other players. But I am a keeper and this is what I have to do. It is up to me if we win or lose." Jack said he watched his favourite team's goalkeeper, Petr Cech of Chelsea, for tips.
Some of the squad are already in the UK for their summer holidays. Those remaining had a last training session on an indoor pitch in Mirdiff on Wednesday evening.
"We only had them indoors to diversify their play," said John Howard, Jack's father.
Harry Ives, 8, said he was excited but nervous about the tournaments.
"We've been doing a lot of training like passing and ball control and our coach tells us where to improve and what to do." Harry has been playing football since he was three but has not participated in a tournament like this before.
"It is great opportunity," Harry said. "We get to play against other teams like us."
Mr Howard said the team trained at least three times a week outdoors.
"They are used to playing on grass but the only thing we are slightly worried about is how they'll cope with the weather," he said. "It's the ultimate. For us parents, it's the greatest thing to watch them play and smile afterwards."
The parents take it seriously, but not so much so it takes over their lives, Mr Howard said.
"Just watching them play and the sportsmanship between them is fanatical. Their knowledge of the pitch is phenomenal and they know it's all done with fair play. It's the best feeling in the world."
eharnan@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
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.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
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
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
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20WATCH%20SERIES%208
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
