When football administrators dreamt up the European Cup in the 1950s, one suspects they thought the trophy would soon be won by a succession of the continent’s best teams. What they got was a Madrilenian stranglehold, as Real Madrid won the competition in each of its first five years, beginning in 1956. Real Madrid’s team of that era was filled with such stars as Ferenc Puskas and Alfredo Di Stefano. Times may have changed, but those winning habits haven’t.
Today’s Real team is also packed with some of the world’s best players and on Saturday night the team bagged their third Champions League title – as the European Cup is now called – in four years. That Madrilenian grip is tightening around the trophy again.
Their victory will have been cheered all around the region and, perhaps, more keenly here. Madrid last played in the UAE in 2014, in a Dubai friendly. Their Saturday-night win ensures they will be back in the UAE for the Club World Cup in December in Abu Dhabi.
ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures
October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
