There is one aspect of Spanish football that is rarely publicised - pernicious and vile, it seldom gets covered in the mainstream media.
As I walked to the Catalan derby on Saturday night, a police helicopter hovered ominously above in the cold winter night air, its light illuminating potential trouble.
It concentrated on a convoy of police riot vans which filled a street by a strip of rough neighbourhood bars.
Dozens of police, their faces obscured to avoid identification, stood in a line watching the Espanyol ultras.
As they were about to play hated rivals Barcelona, the ultras were more numerous, more animated than usual, shouting insults and making threatening gestures. It was only a minority, but a long standing vocal one.
Inside the ground, Espanyol fans screamed racist remarks without challenge whenever Eric Abidal or Daniel Alves, two of the Barcelona defenders, touched the ball.
The Frenchman and Brazilian ignored the bile and contributed to their team winning 5-1 against a side who had won all seven of their home league games. But they won't forget.
The racist chanters were a minority, but a high-profile one which continues to stain the decent reputation of the vast majority of Espanyol fans.
Those supporters had given rousing applause when Andres Iniesta's name was announced before the game … before booing every other Barcelona player with the hilarity and intensity you would expect between two big city rivals.
They did not forget Iniesta's gesture to Dani Jarque, their former captain, in the World Cup final, when he celebrated his famous goal by unveiled the words "Dani Jarque, you are always with us" nor that he had donated his shirt to be part of the tributes to his former teammate.
There was an even louder farewell for Iniesta after the game, with Espanyol singing "Iniesta! Iniesta!" and waving flags and placards in his honour.
The Barca midfielder was humbled and emotional. Those magnanimous fans far outnumbered the lunatic fringe in the 40,000 crowd.
And, thankfully, both Espanyol and Barcelona boast bigger and better organised fan groups than the extremists.
These renounce violence and create a great atmosphere for their players, as great fans should.
The Espanyol fans set the scene perfectly on Saturday and were far louder than their Barca equivalents are at Camp Nou.
They raised a huge banner reminding the world that there is more to Catalunya than Barcelona. They held up 40,000 blue and white cards to cover both tiers of the new stadium in their colours.
And they roared loud and proud … until Pedro scored after 18 minutes. The goal - and a second one 11 minutes later from Xavi - stunned the young home side into submission and the game was over with two thirds of it left to play.
Barca were more experienced, committed and technically and tactically superior.
Espanyol did become the first team to beat Victor Valdes in six matches, but Osvaldo's goal was a mere consolation.
They had been easily outclassed, without shame for Barca are currently a level above any side in world football and continue to create freakish statistics.
They have scored 31 goals, conceding just one in the last five games. They have won all 10 away games this season - a club record - and have scored five or more goals against seven teams this season.
Barca take on Athletic Bilbao in the the Copa Del Rey tonight at Camp Nou. Pity the poor Basques. Most Espanyol fans did not like what they saw at the weekend, but they acknowledge the strength of their enemy.
A top-six finish will be an achievement for them, as will banishing their lunatic fringe.
sports@thenational.ae
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The years Ramadan fell in May
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
