Al Ahli 2 Al Wasl 1
Al Ahli Khalil 55', Grafite 58'
Al Wasl Oliveira 6'
Man of the match Hugo Viana (Al Ahli)
DUBAI // For a while it looked like lightning would strike a second time and the thousands of Al Ahli fans who had come to the Rashid Stadium to celebrate the confirmation of their sixth league title would return home disappointed.
Al Wasl, the only team to defeat Ahli on the pitch in the league this season, took a surprise lead in the fifth minute when Ricardo Oliveira curled in a free kick to stun the home fans.
Ahli made little impression during the first half, despite Grafite coming off the bench in the 21st minute to replace a limping Salmeen Khamis, who had conceded the free kick that gave Wasl the lead.
Cosmin Olaroiu, who has now won three consecutive UAE league titles after back-to-back triumphs with Al Ain in the previous two seasons, made another change at the break, replacing the ineffective Adnan Hussain with Majed Hassan, and Ahli’s tempo changed completely.
Ahli got the equaliser in the 55th minute when Ismail Al Hammadi found Ahmed Khalil with a deft pass to his left. The UAE striker took his time before curling the ball into the far corner.
Three minutes later, Grafite added the second, chasing down Hugo Viana’s long ball and placing it past the charging Wasl goalkeeper. The galleries erupted with joy. They would not have liked to wait 17 more days – when Ahli visit Al Shabab – to celebrate their success. Or worse, they could have been confirmed as champions today if Shabab lost at Al Nasr. That would have been an anticlimax.
“We are very happy after one very difficult season,” said Catalin Raducan, the Ahli assistant coach. “We have achieved our main target. If you remember all the problems we have had – we have had injuries and the coach was suspended.
“But we showed we are the best team this year and I congratulate the players for what they have done till now.”
The win keeps Ahli on course for an unprecedented domestic treble this season. They meet Al Jazira in the Arabian League Cup final on April 19 and then clash with Al Ain for the President’s Cup crown. They will also be looking to qualify for the second round of the Asian Champions League over the next two weeks, with an important away game against Saudi Arabia club Al Hilal on Tuesday.
“We have finished with the league now, but we have not finished the season,” Raducan said. “We can make a good season, or we can make a fantastic season. Of course, this moment belongs to the players and they can celebrate now, but from tomorrow they need to be back at work for a very difficult game against Al Hilal.
“What we have done till now is not enough and the season is not finished. The season will be finished after the final of the President’s Cup. Until that game, we have a lot of things to do together and that is what the coach [Olaroiu] told the players just now.
“The players are happy and they deserve to be happy, but they should remember that the season is not finished. In the first half, we saw what can happen if we are not focused. Football can come back to punish you.”
Emirates 3 Al Jazira 2
Emirates put a huge dent in Al Jazira’s hopes of a second-place finish. The visitors took the lead through a Sultan Bargash free kick, before Khaled Shamareikh levelled.
The hosts went ahead through Jamal Maroof and Luiz Henrique grabbed a third. Abdelaziz Barrada scored a consolation from the spot.
Al Shaab 0 Al Ain 5
Al Ain put on a five-star show to end Al Shaab’s stay in the Arabian Gulf League, with the visitors triumphing 5-0.
A hat-trick from Asamoah Gyan supplemented goals from Mohamed Abdulrahman and Ryan Yaslam as Al Shaab were relegated after Emirates’ victory against Al Jazira.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
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
The biog
Favourite book: Animal Farm by George Orwell
Favourite music: Classical
Hobbies: Reading and writing
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
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Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
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
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