DUBAI // The next generation of potential Olympic footballers have a chance to follow in the footsteps of the country's Under 23 team in an international competition later this year.
While Mahdi Ali's Olympic team are in London for this year's Games the Under 19s will be preparing for November's Asian Football Confederation's U19 Championship. The team that will play at Wembley Stadium and Old Trafford this summer won the country's first Asian youth title in 2008.
And Eid Barout, the Under 19 coach, reckons his side can emulate that success despite being given a tough draw.
The tournament is being held in the Emirates and the coach knows much will be expected from his young players.
"For sure, there will be a lot of expectations from the team, but this kind of pressure is good for the boys," Barout said. "It will keep them on the top of their game and they will be trying to win all their matches and the title. So this is very important.
"We have to make them realise the kind of expectations that is riding on their shoulders. I really trust my boys, have a lot of faith in them, and if they put their mind to it, they can go all the way."
The UAE, who will be hosting the continental youth championships for the third time, were drawn in Group A alongside the four-time champions Iran, the six-time runners-up Japan and Kuwait.
South Korea, the top ranked Asian team, head Group B, which includes China, Thailand and the five-time champions Iraq, while the defending champions North Korea have been drawn in Group C alongside Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Jordan. Australia, the losing finalists in 2010, are in the fourth group along with Saudi Arabia, the reigning Gulf U17 champions, Syria and Qatar.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the knockout stages and Barout was confident his boys will be among those final eight.
"We have played against Japan and Iran in the last few months and we lost those games, but our circumstances at the time were not good," Barout said after the draw in Dubai today. "But we can promise our fans that we will work hard for championship and make the country proud.
"I have full faith in my boys and I am confident they will qualify for the second round."
The UAE will face Kuwait in the opening match of the championships on November 3, meet Iran on November 5 and then face Japan two days later.
Mahdi Ali's team cruised through the tournament in Jeddah without losing a game. Ahmed Khalil won a number of individual honours at the tournament and was later voted as the Asia's Youth Player of the Year, while the triumph earned UAE an automatic qualification to the 2009 Fifa Youth World Cup in Egypt.
The target for this team is the same – qualifying for the 2013 Youth World Cup in Turkey.
"On paper, yes our group looks tough," said Yousuf Abdullah, the secretary general of the UAE Football Association. "But the fact is, every single team here is strong and that is why they are in this tournament. They have all qualified on merit and all teams are equal.
"So I believe every group is tough, but our target is to qualify for the 2013 [Youth] World Cup and I am confident our boys will do their best to achieve that."
The team will start their preparations for the tournament from June 20 with an eight-day indoor camp. They will then travel to Morocco for 20 days. They will return home to play a few friendly matches during the month of Ramadan, before getting a two-day break to celebrate Eid with their family and friends.
The squad will reassemble after that for another 10-day indoor camp and then travel to Qatar for the Arab Cup, before getting a 20-day break. The team will then get together for their final one-month camp before making their appearance at the championship.
Barout, however, said training cannot be a substitute for playing matches and complained about the lack of opportunities for his boys at their clubs in the Pro League.
"We are working hard, but the problem we are facing is that our boys are not playing regularly at their clubs in the Pro League," he said. "Walid Anbar of Emirates is the only one getting chances. Fahad Hadeed at Al Wasl, he is grumbling because sometimes he is playing and sometimes he is not. So this is our problem.
"If they keep playing, I promise you we will have no problem. We will have a very, very strong team. But the players need to play and that is the only way for them to improve."
arizvi@thenational.ae
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Off-roading in the UAE: How to checklist
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20specs
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Essentials
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Malaysia Airlines all fly direct from the UAE to Kuala Lumpur and on to Penang from about Dh2,300 return, including taxes.
Where to stay
In Kuala Lumpur, Element is a recently opened, futuristic hotel high up in a Norman Foster-designed skyscraper. Rooms cost from Dh400 per night, including taxes. Hotel Stripes, also in KL, is a great value design hotel, with an infinity rooftop pool. Rooms cost from Dh310, including taxes.
In Penang, Ren i Tang is a boutique b&b in what was once an ancient Chinese Medicine Hall in the centre of Little India. Rooms cost from Dh220, including taxes.
23 Love Lane in Penang is a luxury boutique heritage hotel in a converted mansion, with private tropical gardens. Rooms cost from Dh400, including taxes.
In Langkawi, Temple Tree is a unique architectural villa hotel consisting of antique houses from all across Malaysia. Rooms cost from Dh350, including taxes.
Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
