Aristide Bance, centre, the Burkino Faso forward, returns to the Al Ahli starting XI for tonight’s match at home to Sharjah after serving a three-game ban for insulting an Al Jazira defender last month.
Aristide Bance, centre, the Burkino Faso forward, returns to the Al Ahli starting XI for tonight’s match at home to Sharjah after serving a three-game ban for insulting an Al Jazira defender last month.
Aristide Bance, centre, the Burkino Faso forward, returns to the Al Ahli starting XI for tonight’s match at home to Sharjah after serving a three-game ban for insulting an Al Jazira defender last month.
Aristide Bance, centre, the Burkino Faso forward, returns to the Al Ahli starting XI for tonight’s match at home to Sharjah after serving a three-game ban for insulting an Al Jazira defender last mont

Sport

Alhi looking to bounce back with Bance

David O'Leary's Al Ahli face a test of their character against Sharjah tonight, just five days after their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Al Nasr.

Amith Passela
Amith Passela

October 26, 2010

  • English
  • Arabic

David O'Leary's Al Ahli face a test of their character against Sharjah tonight, just five days after their 4-0 mauling at the hands of Al Nasr.

"A good team should be able to bounce back after a heavy defeat," said O'Leary ahead of the home fixture. "I am learning from every match. I will know how good they are as a team and how strong they are mentally to come back from that disappointing result.

"We did make a few mistakes and were severely punished by Nasr." It was O'Leary's first defeat as Ahli manager since the 2-0 away loss to lowly Al Dhafra in the opening Pro League match in August.

But the 2008 champions' start to the season has been stuttering - they also dropped valuable points in a 2-2 away draw against Kalba, the promoted club - and they are seventh in the table with 11 points from seven games. Luckily for them though, no side has hit top form yet. Al Jazira lead the way with the first seven teams separated by just six points.

O'Leary's side will be strengthened for tonight's home match (KO 8pm) by the return of Aristide Bance, the striker, after a three-match ban for insulting Saleh Basheer, the Jazira defender, on September 24, which also earned him a Dh1,000 fine from the league's disciplinary committee.

"I am really excited to be back," said the Burkina Faso forward. "All the players have the desire to win this game and I hope I will also be able to contribute for the team's success."

Ahli are unbeaten at home with two wins and a draw, against Jazira, to whom they surrendered a two-goal lead after being reduced to 10 men after Bance was sent off. They are level on points with Sharjah, who are unbeaten away from home.

Manuel Cajuda, Sharjah's Portuguese coach, is also looking for a positive response from his players after they picked up just one point from their last two home games. He believes that Ahli's erratic form makes them an unpredictable team to play against.

"We travel with the intentions of winning, like in every game," Cajuda said. "Ahli are a dangerous side but they have shown indifferent form in every game. But we are going to be ready for whatever mood they are in on the night." In tonight's other games, Al Nasr travel to Baniyas (KO 5pm) with their confidence restored after a resounding win over Ahli last time out and bottom club Dubai, still searching for their first points of the season,visit fellow strugglers Al Dhafra (KO 5.10pm).

Meanwhile, in the Asian Under 16 Championship in Uzbekistan the UAE played out a goalless draw against Kuwait in their Group D opener yesterday.

apassela@thenational.ae

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

Kareem Shaheen on Canada
While you're here
SHAITTAN
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Where to buy

Limited-edition art prints of The Sofa Series: Sultani can be acquired from Reem El Mutwalli at www.reemelmutwalli.com

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

The Florida Project

Director: Sean Baker

Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe

Four stars

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.

Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.

"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."

Test series fixtures

(All matches start at 2pm UAE)

1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday

2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18

3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31

4th Test Manchester from August 4-8

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

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Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: SimpliFi

Started: August 2021

Founder: Ali Sattar

Based: UAE

Industry: Finance, technology

Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg

Rating: 4/5

Why your domicile status is important

Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.

Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born. 

UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.

A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.

Sharjah Football Club