DUBAI // Al Wasl have finally completed the signing of Ricardo Oliveira, with the Brazilian agreeing to an 18-month contract.
The former Al Jazira captain, who was released by the club in the January transfer window, had for some time been tipped to trade Abu Dhabi for Dubai, yet he was also said to be considering offers from teams in his homeland, most noticeably Sao Paulo.
However, Oliveira decided to extend his stay in UAE football, and joins a Wasl side currently struggling in the Arabian Gulf League. Hector Cuper’s men are 10th in the standings, having lost four of their past five league matches. They entertain Al Shaab, the team ranked two places below, at the Zabeel Stadium tonight.
The capture of Oliveira, 33, should provide a timely boost, as the striker has been one of the country’s most prolific forwards since 2009, when Jazira paid Real Betis, the Spanish top-flight club, a record Dh72.5 million to secure his services.
In his time at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Oliveira helped the club secure a league and President’s Cup double in 2011, with Jazira retaining the latter the following season. Oliveira scored in both finals.
The 2011/12 campaign was Oliveira’s greatest in terms of goals-to-games, as the frontman scored 41 times in 41 matches, including 12 goals in seven Asian Champions League fixtures. This season, he has found the net 11 times in 17 appearances.
In all, his league record for Jazira reads 54 goals in 78 matches. At Wasl, Oliveira will replace Andre Senghor, the Senegalese striker loaned this summer from Baniyas. He is the club’s second foreign signing this month, after Argentine midfielder Emmanuel Culio was recruited from Spanish club Deportivo La Coruna.
Edson Puch, who spent last season on loan at Chile’s Deportes Iquique, has returned to the first-team as Wasl’s Asian representative after he was granted Palestinian citizenship. Mariano Donda is Wasl’s fourth expatriate.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
*
*
*
Follow us on twitter at @SprtNationalUAE
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
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)
Where: Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
When: 10.45pm, Tuesday
Watch Live: beIN Sports HD
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
