It took Egypt consecutive games into extra time, a good deal of tenacity with injuries to six key players along the way, but the Pharaohs are in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon and supporters are overwhelmed with joy and disbelief.
After an unpromising start, the Egyptians have sent home two heavyweights in Ivory Coast and Morocco over a four-day period in the knockout stages of the 24-nation tournament.
Yet, the short-handed Pharaohs will have to dig deep again with their experience, grit and the substitutes’ bench to overcome a Cameroon side playing on home soil.
That will be on Thursday. For now, Egypt are savouring the taste of a precious, rallying 2-1 victory over a classy Morocco side – or the Atlas Lions – and their tough-to-please fans at home are filled with gratitude that one of the world’s best players, Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, is a Pharaoh.
Television football pundits late on Sunday night heaped lavish praise on the Pharaohs and the delighted fans hooted their car horns and waved Egyptian flags as they toured the streets of Cairo into the early hours of Monday.
The Pharaohs’ manager, Portugal’s Carlos Queiroz – vilified less than a week ago over Egypt’s poor start in Cameroon – has morphed into a saviour, whose tactics restored the past glory of the seven-times Afcon champions.
What made Sunday’s victory particularly sweet is that the Atlas Lions had won 11 of the 13 clashes against Egypt since the late 1970s. The win was also all the more precious because the Pharaohs had to fight back from an early setback when Sofiane Boufal scored a penalty in the sixth minute.
“It was not just that the players put in a spirited performance. They also showed character when they came from a goal down to take control and attack against a team that efficiently shut down spaces,” said Hassan El Mistekawi, an Egyptian football commentator.
“They played well against the Ivory Coast in the last-16 round, but the Morocco game was more difficult. In the end, it did not matter who won more games over the years. These are just statistics.”
Salah, whose recent form for Egypt has paled in comparison to his time at Liverpool, showed in the second half why he is rated among the world’s best. He scored the equaliser shortly after half-time and set up the second in extra time with a breathtaking run down the right flank before teeing up Aston Villa’s Trezeguet.
Trezeguet, recently back from injury and a nine-month recovery, duly acknowledged by placing Salah’s right foot on his knee and pretending to polish his shoe.
“Tactically, we played the best two matches of the tournament so far against the Ivory Coast and Morocco,” said commentator Sabry Sirag. “We were not necessarily the better team, but our team spirit carried us through.”
But when the celebrations are over, the Pharaohs will have to start worrying about the costs of this progress.
Mohamed El Shenawy, possibly Africa’s best goalkeeper, is out for the rest of the tournament after he pulled a muscle against Ivory Coast on Wednesday. His substitute, Mohammed Abu Gabal, left the Morocco game on Sunday after he, too, pulled a muscle.
Mohamed Sobhy, a 22-year-old, replaced Abu Gabal for his international debut and is likely to start against Cameroon.
Centre-back Ahmed Hegazy had to be substituted after he suffered what appeared to be a groin injury. Others on the list are defender Mahmoud Hamdy El Wensh and midfielder Hamdy Fathy. Another star Pharaoh, right-back Akram Tawfiq suffered a knee injury in the opening loss to Nigeria in the group stage and has left Cameroon.
Pathaan
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
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- It can be as long as you link
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- That's about it
RESULT
Leeds United 1 Manchester City 1
Leeds: Rodrigo (59')
Man City: Sterling (17')
Man of the Match: Rodrigo Moreno (Leeds)
Schedule
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Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
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More from Armen Sarkissian
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Results
1. New Zealand Daniel Meech – Fine (name of horse), Richard Gardner – Calisto, Bruce Goodin - Backatorps Danny V, Samantha McIntosh – Check In. Team total First round: 200.22; Second round: 201.75 – Penalties 12 (jump-off 40.16 seconds) Prize €64,000
2. Ireland Cameron Hanley – Aiyetoro, David Simpson – Keoki, Paul Kennedy – Cartown Danger Mouse, Shane Breen – Laith. Team total 200.25/202.84 – P 12 (jump-off 51.79 – P17) Prize €40,000
3. Italy Luca Maria Moneta – Connery, Luca Coata – Crandessa, Simone Coata – Dardonge, Natale Chiaudani – Almero. Team total 130.82/198.-4 – P20. Prize €32,000
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
What is safeguarding?
“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.
More on animal trafficking
Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)
Nancy Ajram
(In2Musica)
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Price, base / as tested: Dh283,080 / Dh318,465
Engine: 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 295hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.2L / 100km
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Mykonos, with a flight change to its partner airline Olympic Air in Athens. Return flights cost from Dh4,105 per person, including taxes.
Where to stay
The modern-art-filled Ambassador hotel (myconianambassador.gr) is 15 minutes outside Mykonos Town on a hillside 500 metres from the Platis Gialos Beach, with a bus into town every 30 minutes (a taxi costs €15 [Dh66]). The Nammos and Scorpios beach clubs are a 10- to 20-minute walk (or water-taxi ride) away. All 70 rooms have a large balcony, many with a Jacuzzi, and of the 15 suites, five have a plunge pool. There’s also a private eight-bedroom villa. Double rooms cost from €240 (Dh1,063) including breakfast, out of season, and from €595 (Dh2,636) in July/August.
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
