Ali al Habsi, the Wigan Athletic goalkeeper, collects the ball from the back of the net after fumbling David Silva's shot on Saturday. Jon Super / AP Photo
Ali al Habsi, the Wigan Athletic goalkeeper, collects the ball from the back of the net after fumbling David Silva's shot on Saturday. Jon Super / AP Photo
Ali al Habsi, the Wigan Athletic goalkeeper, collects the ball from the back of the net after fumbling David Silva's shot on Saturday. Jon Super / AP Photo
Ali al Habsi, the Wigan Athletic goalkeeper, collects the ball from the back of the net after fumbling David Silva's shot on Saturday. Jon Super / AP Photo

Bent loses his scoring boots for once, while Al Habsi gives Silva a helping hand


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Worst miss

It is not even clear if you can actually call this a miss. Much was made of the £24 million (Dh142m) paid by Aston Villa to Sunderland for Darren Bent in January.

Villa were paying top dollar for a proven goalscorer. However, Bent also has a capacity for the odd blooper. His time at Tottenham Hotspur was remembered mostly for an open-goal miss that had Harry Redknapp, the manager, comparing Bent's football skills to those of his wife.

The England forward was at it again yesterday at Bolton Wanderers. Put through on goal early on, Bent had all the time in his world to beat Jussi Jaaskelainen. Perhaps he was picturing Ronaldo's great goal for Inter Milan in the 1998 Uefa Cup final - a triple step over shimmy that left the keeper on his behind.

Bent's effort was significantly less spectacular. As one foot tried to take the ball round Jaaskelainen to his right, Bent tackled himself with his other leg, leaving the ball to roll neatly into the keeper's arms and the Villa man with a very red face. Bent later scored one and missed another sitter. Quite a day.

Best reaction

The past week has seen Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger invoke the wrath of the English Football Association with post-match public criticism of match officials.

Refreshing, then, to see the reaction of Steve Kean, the rookie Blackburn manager, to the fact his side lost 3-2 to Fulham due to a dubious penalty decision from Mark Clattenburg.

This is a referee having a bad time of it at the moment, having been criticised for not spotting Wayne Rooney's elbow on James McCarthy last week - an incident he reportedly considered quitting over.

In the 90th minute, he spotted a foul that no one else did from a Fulham corner, allowing Bobby Zamora to win the game from the spot. Clattenburg said that Blackburn Rover's Grant Hanley was holding Aaron Hughes, even though the ball bounced yards away from the pair.

Said Kean: "Technically he was right, there was a bit of contact, but I said to him that if you go on that you'd have to give 10 penalties every game. It's his interpretation of the initial incident and I have to respect that. Referees have the hardest job in the world."

Worst fall to Earth

This time last week, Birmingham City were basking in the glory of a surprise Carling Cup final victory over Arsenal - the club's first major trophy since 1963.

Today, manager Alex McLeish wakes up with his side in the Premier League bottom three after two consecutive defeats, the latest to relegation and local rivals, West Bromwich Albion.

Conceding three goals at home (Birmingham lost 3-1) is not a good habit to get into. Birmingham are the league's lowest scorers with just 26 strikes. Next up, on Wednesday, is a trip to a revived Everton side. Not exactly an easy three points, then.

Though the cup final party is over for Birmingham, they can find solace in the fact that they have two games in hand on most of their relegation rivals and that their fixture list is relatively friendly. But Birmingham need to start scoring, fast.

Worst mistake

Ali al Habsi has had a fine season, establishing himself as Wigan Athletic's No 1 keeper in place of Chris Kirkland. But the Omani international's mistake at Manchester City on Saturday could prove costly in his side's fight against relegation.

Everyone was expecting a big City victory at Eastlands yet Wigan, bottom of the table, were coping remarkably well with the home side's fearsome strike trio - Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli and David Silva on this occasion - with half time approaching.

That was when al Habsi let his concentration slip. Silva drove a strike straight at the keeper. It was hardly a powerful shot yet al Habsi ignored the golden rule of goalkeeping - get your body behind the ball. Instead, he bent down, hands between his legs and was nutmegged by Silva's effort. Embarrassing to say the least.

Wigan probably still would have lost, but the game ended 1-0, so al Habsi cost his side a point that could be very important come the end of the season.

Best goal

Foreign players often take a while to settle into English football, so no one was expecting Luis Suarez, Liverpool's Uruguayan striker, to hit the ground running after arriving from Ajax in January.

But he scored on his debut, against Stoke City, and yesterday his incredible piece of skill set the tone for an emphatic win over bitter rivals Manchester United.

Suarez picked the ball up on the edge of the box and dribbled past three United players, displaying his ability with both feet, before nutmegging Edwin van der Sar, the goalkeeper. OK, so Dirk Kuyt tapped the ball home, but all the credit goes to Suarez.

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

Short-term let permits explained

Homeowners and tenants are allowed to list their properties for rental by registering through the Dubai Tourism website to obtain a permit.

Tenants also require a letter of no objection from their landlord before being allowed to list the property.

There is a cost of Dh1,590 before starting the process, with an additional licence fee of Dh300 per bedroom being rented in your home for the duration of the rental, which ranges from three months to a year.

Anyone hoping to list a property for rental must also provide a copy of their title deeds and Ejari, as well as their Emirates ID.

Bawaal%20
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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

MATCH INFO

Serie A

Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)

Match is on BeIN Sports

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Floward%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERiyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbdulaziz%20Al%20Loughani%20and%20Mohamed%20Al%20Arifi%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EE-commerce%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbout%20%24200%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAljazira%20Capital%2C%20Rainwater%20Partners%2C%20STV%20and%20Impact46%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E1%2C200%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Brief scores:

Liverpool 3

Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'

Manchester United 1

Lingard 33'

Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now