Ibrahim Diaky has signed a new one-year contract with Al Ain despite appearing poised for a return to former club Al Jazira.
The Ivory Coast-born midfielder, 34, was released by the Garden City side earlier this month and had spent the past week training with Jazira at their pre-season camp in the Netherlands.
However, Al Ain offered Diaky the option of another season, to which he agreed, and he departed the Netherlands late Wednesday to join up with the 12-time UAE champions at their base in Austria on Thursday.
“The club management reached an agreement with Diaky to extend his contract, which expired at the end of last season, and the player showed a desire to continue his career with Al Ain,” said Matar Al Sahbani, the Al Ain team manager, in a statement. “Coach Zlatko always praises Diaky’s character and his professionalism and he will add his value and experience to the team.”
Al Ain view Diaky’s know-how as crucial to what is an extremely important season ahead, with the club soon to contest the quarter-finals of the Asian Champions League against Uzbekistan’s Lokomotiv Tashkent. The first leg takes place on August 23 at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium before Al Ain travel to Tashkent for the return match on September 13.
They then begin their 2016/17 Arabian Gulf League campaign on September 18 at home to Baniyas. Last season, Al Ain finished runner-up to Al Ahli. Diaky, who joined the club from Jazira in 2013, featured 35 times in all during the 2015/16 campaign, scoring seven times.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
SPECS
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 750hp at 7,500rpm
Torque: 800Nm at 5,500rpm
Transmission: 7 Speed dual-clutch auto
Top speed: 332kph
Fuel consumption: 12.2L/100km
On sale: Year end
Price: From Dh1,430,000 (coupe); From Dh1,566,000 (Spider)
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
The years Ramadan fell in May
The Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 118hp
Torque: 149Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Price: From Dh61,500
On sale: Now
The biog
Favourite book: Men are from Mars Women are from Venus
Favourite travel destination: Ooty, a hill station in South India
Hobbies: Cooking. Biryani, pepper crab are her signature dishes
Favourite place in UAE: Marjan Island
AIDA RETURNS
Director: Carol Mansour
Starring: Aida Abboud, Carol Mansour
Rating: 3.5./5
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
The five pillars of Islam
Killing of Qassem Suleimani