Arabian Gulf League champions Al Ahli restored a modicum of normalcy yesterday, ending their winless skid in league play with a 2-0 home victory over last-place Kalba.
Ahli had not won a league match since beating Al Jazira 4-2 at the Rashid Stadium on October 18, drawing the following two matches before losing 1-0 at home to Emirates and 2-1 at Al Nasr in the next two.
Kalba put up a brave resistance for much of the first half, only for Ahli defender Salmeen Khamis to break the deadlock just before half time.
Khamis’ glancing header from Habib Fardan’s free kick gave Cosmin Olaroiu’s side a 1-0 lead going into the break.
Basheer Saeed doubled the lead less than two minutes after the restart, scoring on a thumping, left-footed volley from a corner kick. Ahli had two late strikes ruled out for offside but still saw out the victory.
Ahli remained in seventh place in the league table after the victory, level on 16 points with city rivals Al Wasl.
Kalba slumped to their 10th defeat in 11 league matches, sitting bottom of the table with one point.
Elsewhere, Al Jazira missed a chance to go top of the league after losing 2-1 at home to Sharjah. Victory would have allowed Jazira to leap over Al Wahda, whose 20-match league unbeaten run came to an end at Al Ain, but Yousif Saeed and Wanderley struck to give the visitors victory.
Playing without top scorer Mirko Vucinic and playmaker Manuel Lanzini, Jazira’s attack – with Jonathan Pitroipa, Jucilei da Silva and Ali Mabkhout behind Ahmed Ghilani – produced little end product.
Substitute Ahmed Al Attas equalised for the hosts on 74 minutes, only for Wanderley to grab the winner four minutes later with his seventh league goal of the season.
The final minutes were marred by two red cards, with Jazira’s Khamis Esmail sent off for a second yellow card and Sharjah’s Shahin Abulrahman given a straight red. Sharjah rose to ninth place on 12 points, with Jazira sitting third on 21.
In the late match, Al Nasr strolled to a 3-0 home victory over Emirates.
Nasr moved level with Jazira on 21 points, one clear of fifth-place Al Ain, who have two matches in hand.
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Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
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Petrarch: Everywhere a Wanderer
Christopher Celenza,
Reaktion Books
