ABU DHABI // David Beckham, the former England captain who is looking for a new team, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, owner of the Manchester City football club and chairman of the UAE side Al Jazira, attended the same invitation-only gala dinner for a magazine launch at the Emirates Palace marina last night.
Beckham has been linked in the international media with a move to a Middle East team. When asked by The National if he "might be joining us at Jazira", he replied: "We'll see."
It was not the sort of answer likely to quell speculation that the next and perhaps last stop in his championship-studded club career will be with the Abu Dhabi side who won a Pro League championship in 2011 and the President's Cup in both 2011 and 2012.
Earlier, an Al Jazira official said he "had no idea" if Beckham were in the capital or would meet with Sheikh Mansour.
Beckham, 37, was one of several prominent sports figures at the event for the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. Seated to his right was Reggie Jackson, the baseball Hall of Famer, and on the other side of the large tent sat Serena Williams, owner of 15 grand slam tennis titles.
Beckham, cutting a trim figure in a dark blue suit and looking younger than his 37 years, made a point of crossing the room to see Williams, and spoke to her briefly. And he stopped again for more photos by star-struck guests.
Media reports have suggested that the Qatari side Al Sadd are interested in Beckham, but perhaps for the 2013/14 season. He also was linked with Al Wasl, the Dubai club, who reportedly denied interest in the former Manchester United, Real Madrid, AC Milan and LA Galaxy midfielder.
It seems highly unlikely Beckham would be interested in playing for Manchester City, given his long tenure at United, but a move to a UAE club would further broaden "Brand Beckham", the term often applied to the business ventures endorsed by the athlete and his wife, Victoria, and put him in the Middle East and the Muslim world for the first time.
Jazira have been known for paying top salaries in the Pro League; the two most expensive acquisitions in Pro League history, the Brazilian forwards Ricardo Oliveira and Rafael Sobis, each joined Jazira.
Perhaps coincidentally, Jazira in recent weeks have given limited playing time to the Brazilian attacking player Fernandinho, who has lost his place in the first XI to the Emirati forward Ali Mabkhout. Were Jazira to sever ties with Fernandinho, that would open a slot in the January transfer window for another non-Emirati to join the side.
Jazira have stuggled at times in midfield, where Ibrahim Diaky and Subait Khater are past their primes yet logging significant minutes. Beckham's time with England saw him on the right side of midfield, serving those famous long balls to grateful attackers, but with the Galaxy he often played in the middle of the park.
Recently, the UAE football pundit Kefah Al Kaabi suggested Beckham would bring more attention to UAE football than did the former Wasl coach Diego Maradona, because Beckham remains an active player.
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MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
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Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
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Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Baniyas Group 2 (PA) Dh 97,500 (Dirt) 1,400m.
7.05pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.40pm Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,400m
8.50pm Rated Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Handicap (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh 85,000 (D) 2,000m
Race card for Super Saturday
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$250,000 (Dh918,125) (Dirt) 1,900m.
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,200m.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Conditions $200,000 (Turf) 1,200m.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $200,000 (D) 1,600m.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $300,000 (T) 1,800m.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 $400,000 (D) 2,000m.
7.30pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 $250,000 (T) 2,410m.
The specs: 2019 Mini Cooper
Price, base: Dh141,740 (three-door) / Dh165,900 (five-door)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder (Cooper) / 2.0-litre four-cylinder (Cooper S)
Power: 136hp @ 4,500rpm (Cooper) / 192hp @ 5,000rpm (Cooper S)
Torque: 220Nm @ 1,480rpm (Cooper) / 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (Cooper S)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 4.8L to 5.4L / 100km
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%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-cylinder%2C%204.8-litre%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E5-speed%20automatic%20and%20manual%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E280%20brake%20horsepower%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E451Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh153%2C00%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TO ALL THE BOYS: ALWAYS AND FOREVER
Directed by: Michael Fimognari
Starring: Lana Condor and Noah Centineo
Two stars
Scoreline
Arsenal 3
Aubameyang (28'), Welbeck (38', 81')
Red cards: El Neny (90' 3)
Southampton 2
Long (17'), Austin (73')
Red cards: Stephens (90' 2)
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
The biog
Born: High Wycombe, England
Favourite vehicle: One with solid axels
Favourite camping spot: Anywhere I can get to.
Favourite road trip: My first trip to Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan. The desert they have over there is different and the language made it a bit more challenging.
Favourite spot in the UAE: Al Dhafra. It’s unique, natural, inaccessible, unspoilt.
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
