Creating a World Cup anthem is a tricky affair that often results in scoring an own goal.
One of the main reasons why is that there are so many layers — both creative and bureaucratic — to get through. Does it represent free-flowing football, connect with global audiences and please the endless line-up of sponsors and corporate officials? Does it do all three?
And, with all eyes turning to Qatar for the Middle East's first event, The National reviews the official soundtracks released for the World Cup in the past 60 years.
'Light the Sky' (2022) by Balqees, Rahma Riad and Nora Fatehi
The latest tournament track released is the third official soundtrack for Qatar so far. It is the kind of euphoric dance-pop song Grammy-Award winning RedOne — the producer behind the song — specialises in.
Light the Sky is all about creating a party vibe with a hearty dose of football. It comes with the kind of walloping and easy-to-chant chorus fit for stadiums packed with international fans.
Unfortunately, the verses are forgettable and don't really address the competition at hand.
The accompanying video features the trio performing in front of Lusail Stadium in Qatar.
‘Arhbo’ (2022) by Ozuna and Gims
The second of the three songs was released in August. It blends cultures, sounds, singing styles and even languages.
Puerto Rican reggae star Ozuna teams up with French hip-hop artist Gims, with Spanish, French, English and Arabic vocals featuring throughout. It's primed for clubs and, simply put, has the foundations to be a banger.
The message is about building bridges, putting differences aside and fusing global identities — something with RedOne once again captures through mixing Latin pop, Afro-pop and Khaleeji sounds.
Whether heard in a stadium or a club, Arhbo is a winner.
‘Hayya Hayya (Better Together)' (2022) by Davido, Aisha and Trinidad Cardona
As the first of 2022's soundtracks to be released — way back in April — Hayya Hayya (Better Together) is an earworm.
Qatari singer Aisha teams up with Nigerian pop star Davido and US singer Trinidad Cardona. It is a cheery track, enjoying a Khaleeji percussion and reggae groove.
The accompanying music video was shot throughout the country, travelling everywhere from Qatar's desert to Doha's corniche.
'Live It Up' (2018) by Nicky Jam, Will Smith and Era Istrefi
The anthem from the 2018 World Cup in Russia received a reception as frosty as a Moscow winter.
However, the track is not that bad at all. Uber-cool producer Diplo’s reggae and horn-soaked beats are well accompanied by serviceable rapping by Will Smith and crooning Kosovo-Albanian dance-hall singer Era Istrefi.
'Allez Lmgharba' (2018) by Samira Said
Morocco’s qualification for the 2018 World Cup was great news not only for the North African country, but also for the whole region.
Hence Samira Said, one of the Arab world’s most-loved pop stars, being enlisted to sing the official track Allez Lmgharba.
While the song is a love letter to the Moroccan football squad, the upbeat rhythms and Arabic flavour were enough to keep regional football fans excited.
'Time of Our Lives' (2014) by Ahmed Chawki
Despite Algeria being the only Arabic-speaking nation participating in the 2014 World Cup, it was enough for the tournament to commission a track partly sung in the language as an official song by Moroccan singer Ahmed Chawki.
This was ultimately a good decision, as Time of Our Lives is a hidden gem.
Produced by RedOne, the track is effervescent dance-pop with its fun care-free lyrics and stadium-ready chorus of: “Aye, aye here we go aye, this is the time of our lives.”
'Waka Waka' (2010) by Shakira
While you're unlikely to overhear people debating which World Cup song is the best, you're definitely likely to hear this classic ring out at every future tournament.
After 10 official songs spanning three World Cups failed to dislodge Ricky Martin’s The Cup of Life as the most successful, Shakira’s Waka Waka arrived in 2010 to make a strong challenge for the crown.
A collaboration with South African fusion group Freshlyground, the song is an unwaveringly catchy amalgam of Latin flair and African grooves that can’t help but have you tapping along.
The tournament marked the first time it was held on the continent. Or, as Shakira Shakira herself put it, it was time for Africa.
However, unlike The Cup of Life, most of the lyrics to Waka Waka — with references to hopping “back in the saddle” and skipping the queue — were too vague to classify it as a sporting anthem. Either way, it remains one of the best.
'Boom' (2002) by Anastacia
It was around this time that world anthems began to explode, with various official songs made to appear across the different nations that make up the sport’s wide fan base.
For this event, jointly hosted by South Korea and Japan, four songs were made, spanning classical music (Anthem by Vangelis) to Spanish (Vamos Al Mundial by Jennifer Pena).
English listeners sadly suffered the worst of the bunch; Boom by Anastacia is a forgettable piece of fluff.
'The Cup of Life' (1998) by Ricky Martin
The gold standard. The greatest World Cup anthem of all time was recorded by an artist who rose to the challenge.
A year before the tournament in France, a young and hungry Ricky Martin was asked to come up with the official anthem for the tournament. Not overawed by the daunting nature of the challenge, Martin recognised it could be his shot at global stardom.
What made The Cup of Life work was that it remained true to Martin’s ethos of melding pop with Latin music.
The end result is a joyous and rollicking ride of samba rhythms, horns and a chorus even a young child could memorise.
While it is understandable for the French to be miffed at the lack of local elements in the track, The Cup of Life energised football fans around the world and was an active participant in the tournament.
The song also introduced Martin as pop music’s latest superstar, so it was mission accomplished. Less than a year later he was livin' la vida local, quite literally.
'Gloryland' (1994) by Daryl Hall and Sounds of Blackness
We expected so much better from the United States. As the host nation and citadel of modern pop music, they should have shown how a sky-raising anthem is done.
Instead, they wheeled out a past-his-prime Daryl Hall (from the soft-rockers duo Hall and Oates) and gospel ensemble Sounds of Blackness for a turgid track with lyrics informing us that "with every passing moment, you begin to understand, that you are bound for Gloryland".
'Hot Hot Hot' (1986) by Arrow
This was the first great World Cup anthem, and that’s because it wasn’t recorded with the game in mind.
The track was written by Caribbean artist Arrow back in 1982 for his debut album, and Hot Hot Hot, with its jubilant tropical rhythms and sun-kissed lyrics, was an instant global success.
Its enduring appeal allowed it to be officially adopted by the World Cup four years later in Mexico — which also brought us the Mexican wave.
The track was a stadium favourite and was used in later years as the theme song of 1989’s Miss Universe and the Canadian ice hockey team the Toronto Maple Leafs.
'El Mundial' (1978) by the Buenos Aires Municipal Symphony
The host nation Argentina won the tournament in 1978 and music fans lost out with this tepid song.
What makes this track particularly disappointing was that it was composed by none other than Ennio Morricone: the Italian is a master Hollywood composer and none of his flair for the grand and dramatic shone through in this soulless piece of elevator music.
'El Rock del Mundial' (1962) by Los Ramblers
World Cup anthems had none of the mass appeal back then: El Rock del Mundial is a fun and chirpy song that sounds like a Latin version of the rock staple Hound Dog, but there is nothing universal here.
The song is all about the host nation Chile, and the band’s lyrics function like parochial football commentary in certain parts: “Get the rebound, goal, goal by Chile.”
— A version of this story was first published on June 3, 2018
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
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.”
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The biog:
Languages: Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, basic Russian
Favourite food: Pizza
Best food on the road: rice
Favourite colour: silver
Favourite bike: Gold Wing, Honda
Favourite biking destination: Canada
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
Education reform in Abu Dhabi
The emirate’s public education system has been in a constant state of change since the New School Model was launched in 2010 by the Abu Dhabi Education Council. The NSM, which is also known as the Abu Dhabi School Model, transformed the public school curriculum by introducing bilingual education starting with students from grades one to five. Under this new curriculum, the children spend half the day learning in Arabic and half in English – being taught maths, science and English language by mostly Western educated, native English speakers. The NSM curriculum also moved away from rote learning and required teachers to develop a “child-centered learning environment” that promoted critical thinking and independent learning. The NSM expanded by one grade each year and by the 2017-2018 academic year, it will have reached the high school level. Major reforms to the high school curriculum were announced in 2015. The two-stream curriculum, which allowed pupils to elect to follow a science or humanities course of study, was eliminated. In its place was a singular curriculum in which stem -- science, technology, engineering and maths – accounted for at least 50 per cent of all subjects. In 2016, Adec announced additional changes, including the introduction of two levels of maths and physics – advanced or general – to pupils in Grade 10, and a new core subject, career guidance, for grades 10 to 12; and a digital technology and innovation course for Grade 9. Next year, the focus will be on launching a new moral education subject to teach pupils from grades 1 to 9 character and morality, civic studies, cultural studies and the individual and the community.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
