Crystal Palace appoint Patrick Vieira as new manager

Patrick Vieira has been appointed as Crystal Palace's new manager on a three-year deal, the Premier League club announced on Sunday.

The former Nice manager has succeeded the retired Roy Hodgson, who left Palace at the end of last season after four seasons in charge.

Former midfielder Vieira captained Arsenal to three league titles and four FA Cups as a player. He was a key part of Arsenal's 'Invincibles' side who went a full Premier League season unbeaten in 2003-04, and won the 1998 World Cup and the European Championship in 2000 with France.

As a manager, Vieira's first role came with Major League Soccer side New York City FC in 2016, where he spent two seasons, before returning to France to take charge at Nice. His first two seasons in Ligue 1 were encouraging, with seventh and fifth-placed finishes, but he was sacked in December of his third year after a disappointing run of results.

"I am really excited to have this opportunity to return to the Premier League, and manage this great football club, as we begin a new chapter together," Vieira, 45, told Palace's official website.

"It is a project that is really appealing to me, having spoken a lot with the chairman and sporting director about their ambition and plans for the whole club, including the academy.

"The club has fantastic foundations in place after many years in the Premier League, and I hope we can make further improvements and continue to drive the club forward.

"I am also very excited to experience the atmosphere the club's supporters make at Selhurst Park and away from home too, and I know just how important that can be for the team."

As a player, Vieira became a household name during a nine-year stay with Arsenal under Arsene Wenger.

Spells at Inter Milan and Manchester City during the latter part of his career brought further trophies before the World Cup and European Championship winner turned to coaching.

Upon retiring in 2011, Vieira accepted a role at the Etihad Stadium with Manchester City's academy before he took over at New York City. Impressive progress was achieved with the side owned by the City Football Group before the move to Nice.

Not long ago, Vieira was linked with the Arsenal job. Now, needs to hit the ground running at Selhurst Park.

Palace start the new Premier League season away to Chelsea on August 14 and face Tottenham, Liverpool, Leicester plus his old side Arsenal in the opening two months of the campaign.

Chairman Steve Parish is hopeful this will be the start of a new era for a club that is used to fighting relegation.

"I'm delighted and excited that Patrick has agreed to join Crystal Palace as our manager following successfully learning his trade at the City Group, and experiencing positive managerial spells at New York City and then Nice, who he led to the Europa League," Parish said.

"We have a lot to do to prepare in the coming weeks and I look forward to working closely with Patrick and [sporting director] Dougie [Freedman] in bringing in some new faces to help us all to a successful season."

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

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What are NFTs?

Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.

You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”

However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.

This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”

This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.

The past winners

2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)

2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

Key figures in the life of the fort

Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.

Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.

Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.

Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.

Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.

Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.

Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae