Al Ahli team chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah. Jaime Puebla / The National
Al Ahli team chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah. Jaime Puebla / The National
Al Ahli team chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah. Jaime Puebla / The National
Al Ahli team chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah. Jaime Puebla / The National

Al Ahli hope to overturn expulsion from the Arabian Gulf Cup: ‘We are always optimistic’


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

MADRID // Al Ahli chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah rates his club's chances of overturning their expulsion from the Arabian Gulf Cup final as "50/50".

The Dubai side, currently top of the Arabian Gulf League, were this month stripped of their place in next week’s showpiece for reportedly fielding an ineligible player in January’s semi-final against Al Shabab.

Khamis Esmail was introduced as substitute in the final six minutes of the 3-2 victory, having signed for Ahli from Al Jazira the previous day. But Shabab claim the registration with the Football Association was not complete because certain documents were missing.

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The FA’s disciplinary committee upheld Shabab’s complaint and awarded them a 3-0 win and a place in the final against Al Wahda on April 1. However, Ahli appealed the decision and will discover if they have been successful after the Disciplinary Committee meets Wednesday afternoon.

“It is a funny one. It is something that honestly we are not proud of,” Al Naboodah said. “But it is a case in which we thought we were not fairly treated in the whole thing. But that is football.”

Al Naboodah said Ahli will concentrate on the other two competitions they are still involved in.

The six-time UAE champions are one point clear of Al Ain with five rounds remaining in the Arabian Gulf League, while they are also through to the quarter-finals of the President’s Cup. They face Al Wahda in the last eight.

“At the end of the day, we are always optimistic,” he said.

jmcauley@thenational.ae

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The Cockroach

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Ian McEwan 
 

The specs

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Produced by: Reliance Entertainment with Chalk and Cheese Films
Director: Tushar Hiranandani
Cast: Taapsee Pannu, Bhumi Pednekar, Prakash Jha, Vineet Singh
Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Match info:

Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)

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The Bio

Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees  (oats with chicken) is one of them

Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.

Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results

During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks

Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy

Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it

EXPATS
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If%20you%20go
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The biog

Age: 32

Qualifications: Diploma in engineering from TSI Technical Institute, bachelor’s degree in accounting from Dubai’s Al Ghurair University, master’s degree in human resources from Abu Dhabi University, currently third years PHD in strategy of human resources.

Favourite mountain range: The Himalayas

Favourite experience: Two months trekking in Alaska

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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