Brazil players were left shocked as the tournament favourites slipped out of the Under 17 World Cup in the quarter-final stage. Satish Kumar / The National
Brazil players were left shocked as the tournament favourites slipped out of the Under 17 World Cup in the quarter-final stage. Satish Kumar / The National



Brazil 1-1 Mexico (Mexico win 11-10 on pens)

DUBAI // For a short while at least, last night, it seemed the centre of the UAE sports scene had shifted north, albeit temporarily, from its present home at Yas Marina Circuit to Dubai’s Rashid Stadium.

Thousands had thronged the ground to witness Mexico, the reigning champions, take on Brazil, the champions-elect, for a place in the semi-finals of the Fifa Under 17 World Cup.

If the encounter initially struggled the stir the stands, it ultimately provide the tournament’s most gripping conclusion yet. In the end, Mexico stood defiant, triumphing in a magnificently tense penalty shoot-out to continue their quest for a second successive world title.

They simply do not want to relinquish their trophy.

“We don’t consider it a failure if we are not champions, but all the tournaments we enter we begin them by believing we can win,” said Raul Gutierrez, the Mexico coach. “I’m very, very proud of all of my boys. Today they demonstrated how brave and how strong they all are.”

There were plenty of signs of courage as the tussle teetered towards its termination. Goals in the last 10 minutes from Ivan Ochoa, the Mexico striker, and Nathan, Brazil’s supreme playmaker, had prompted the penalties, but for the majority, each side remained resolute, sending the spot-kick lottery into sudden death.

At 10 successes apiece, Mosquito found himself collecting the ball for a second time, only to see goalkeeper Raul Gudino spring to his left and brilliantly palm away the effort.

Indeed, a player nicknamed “The Octopus” by his colleagues had squatted the Mosquito.

Amid the ensuing bedlam, Alejandro Diaz kept his cool to break Brazilian hearts and fire Mexico to a final-four clash against either Argentina or Ivory Coast.

It is a long way removed from their opening 6-1 thrashing by Nigeria.

“After a start like that, I tried to make all my players understand it was simply an aberration,” Gutierrez said. “It was a game full of errors and I told them that we just needed to again play the football we had spent so much time practising. We recovered our essence and after that had big results.”

None bigger than last night.

For many, Brazil represented the sturdiest obstacle in the entire competition, scorer of 18 goals in four matches, with an attacking line-up the envy of their rivals, despite the absence of Boschilia, the tournament’s top scorer. He was suspended for yesterday’s game.

In 29 previous assignments under Alexandre Gallo, their coach, Brazil had never tasted defeat, winning 22. Perhaps that explained why this seemed a doubly difficult pill to swallow.

“With all my respect, our team is the best in the competition, but football is a sport of passion and because of that, not always does the best team win,” Gallo said.

“For me, Brazil is the most technical team in this competition, the most organised and, while most of the teams just play defensive football, Brazil tries to play the best strategy.

“We feel we deserved something better from this competition, but this is football.”

They will regroup and rebound to fill next Brazil’s U20 team, but for Mexico, they maintain ambitions of yet more U17s glory.

jmcauley@thenational.ae

Sweden 2 Honduras 1

Erdal Rakip and Valmir Berisha scored six minutes apart in the second half as Sweden overcame a 1-0 deficit at Al Ain last night to defeat Honduras 2-1 and advance to the semi-finals of the U17 World Cup.

The Central Americans had taken a lead on a goal by Brayan Velasquez in the 37th minute.

Sweden, making their first appearance, next meet Nigeria or Uruguay at Dubai’s Rashid Stadium on Tuesday.

Honduras were a surprise team in the tournament; they had not won a point in two previous appearances but defeated the UAE and drew with Slovakia to make the last 16, defeating Uzbekistan.

Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE

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  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
Essentials

The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours 
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.

5 of the most-popular Airbnb locations in Dubai

Bobby Grudziecki, chief operating officer of Frank Porter, identifies the five most popular areas in Dubai for those looking to make the most out of their properties and the rates owners can secure:

• Dubai Marina

The Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence are popular locations, says Mr Grudziecki, due to their closeness to the beach, restaurants and hotels.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh482 to Dh739 
Two bedroom: Dh627 to Dh960 
Three bedroom: Dh721 to Dh1,104

• Downtown

Within walking distance of the Dubai Mall, Burj Khalifa and the famous fountains, this location combines business and leisure.  “Sure it’s for tourists,” says Mr Grudziecki. “Though Downtown [still caters to business people] because it’s close to Dubai International Financial Centre."

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh497 to Dh772
Two bedroom: Dh646 to Dh1,003
Three bedroom: Dh743 to Dh1,154

• City Walk

The rising star of the Dubai property market, this area is lined with pristine sidewalks, boutiques and cafes and close to the new entertainment venue Coca Cola Arena.  “Downtown and Marina are pretty much the same prices,” Mr Grudziecki says, “but City Walk is higher.”

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh524 to Dh809 
Two bedroom: Dh682 to Dh1,052 
Three bedroom: Dh784 to Dh1,210 

• Jumeirah Lake Towers

Dubai Marina’s little brother JLT resides on the other side of Sheikh Zayed road but is still close enough to beachside outlets and attractions. The big selling point for Airbnb renters, however, is that “it’s cheaper than Dubai Marina”, Mr Grudziecki says.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh422 to Dh629 
Two bedroom: Dh549 to Dh818 
Three bedroom: Dh631 to Dh941

• Palm Jumeirah

Palm Jumeirah's proximity to luxury resorts is attractive, especially for big families, says Mr Grudziecki, as Airbnb renters can secure competitive rates on one of the world’s most famous tourist destinations.

Frank Porter’s average Airbnb rent:
One bedroom: Dh503 to Dh770 
Two bedroom: Dh654 to Dh1,002 
Three bedroom: Dh752 to Dh1,152 

Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

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.”

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

Match info

Bournemouth 1 (King 45 1')
Arsenal 2 (Lerma 30' og, Aubameyang 67')

Man of the Match: Sead Kolasinac (Arsenal)

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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
  1. Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
  2. Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
  3. Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
  4. Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
  5. Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
  6. The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
  7. Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269

*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year

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