Ahead of the start to the 2015/16 Arabian Gulf League season, The National will preview the fortunes for each of the UAE’s 14 top-flight clubs. Here, John McAuley examines the 2014 champions Al Ahli as they bid to regain the title.
Outlook
Al Ahli’s title defence last season was surprisingly abject. Runaway UAE champions the previous campaign, they stumbled throughout to eventually finish seventh.
Ahli scored 35 league goals — the worst of the division’s top eight teams. Yet a run to the latter stages of the Asian Champions League and then to the President’s Cup final confirmed a late-season renaissance, which looks set to continue.
Ahli possess arguably the league’s strongest squad and, with the signing of Lima from Benfica, they have finally addressed its one glaring weakness.
The Brazilian should work brilliantly in tandem with Everton Ribeiro, the high-profile playmaker who began to excel in the final few months of 2014/15. The club expect him to become even more influential this time round.
Wounded by last season’s struggles, Ahli are determined to bounce back. Several off-field factors during the past 12 months hurt, but there is a real sense at the Rashid Stadium that those are now behind them.
Foreign quartet
Kwon Kyung-won: The South Korean was excellent since joining in January, adding a stiffness to midfield and at times in defence, too. A commanding presence and intelligent in possession.
Everton Ribeiro: Signed during the winter, the Brazilian took time to settle but shone towards the end of last season. Skilful, hard-working and can create chances from nothing.
Lima: At last, Ahli have a striker with the talent to compete for the Golden Boot. Signed last month from Benfica, the Brazilian is strong and can finish well off either foot.
Ciel: A broken ankle cut short his 2014/15 season. Ahli have promised to allow the Brazilian to prove himself — when fit, he is a tricky winger with an eye for goal.
Key Emirati players
Ahli are well-stocked with local talent, with several of their players also key members of the UAE national team. Walid Abbas is an experienced defender, while Majed Hassan and Habib Fardan have formed a strong partnership in midfield.
Winger Ismail Al Hammadi is one of the league’s most exciting Emiratis, and Ahmed Khalil has the attributes to help shoot the club to the title. His inconsistency is the only thing holding him back.
Manager
Cosmin Olaroiu, Romania: The best coach in the division, he boasts the honours to reinforce the reputation. In four seasons in the UAE, Olaroiu twice led Al Ain to the league title before guiding Ahli to a first top-flight crown in five years. He commands total respect from his players, though he has a chequered disciplinary record. A huge asset to any club.
The National’s verdict
A squad replete with talent, Ahli should consign last season to distant memory with a prolonged title challenge this campaign. They have the talent, the technical staff and the ambition. Lima’s addition will supply the spearhead to their attack, although doubts remain regarding Ciel’s recovery from injury. A top-three finish is almost guaranteed.
jmcauley@thenational.ae
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TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
SPECS
Engine: 2-litre direct injection turbo
Transmission: 7-speed automatic
Power: 261hp
Torque: 400Nm
Price: From Dh134,999
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
Lampedusa: Gateway to Europe
Pietro Bartolo and Lidia Tilotta
Quercus
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
