Fernando Baiano, centre, the Al Wahda striker, struggles in the extreme temperatures during the holy month of Ramadan. Pro League officials took the decision to push back kick-off times to 10pm in order to help the players better cope with the conditions.
Fernando Baiano, centre, the Al Wahda striker, struggles in the extreme temperatures during the holy month of Ramadan. Pro League officials took the decision to push back kick-off times to 10pm in order to help the players better cope with the conditions.
Fernando Baiano, centre, the Al Wahda striker, struggles in the extreme temperatures during the holy month of Ramadan. Pro League officials took the decision to push back kick-off times to 10pm in order to help the players better cope with the conditions.
Fernando Baiano, centre, the Al Wahda striker, struggles in the extreme temperatures during the holy month of Ramadan. Pro League officials took the decision to push back kick-off times to 10pm in ord

Do not expect high intensity: Pro League's summer blues


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Replays showed Yasir Matar standing alone near the centre circle. The right-back seemed to sway a bit and he then sat down heavily. A moment later he was flat on his back as the Al Jazira medical crew raced out to him. Matar had been overcome by some of the most difficult circumstances in the history of the Pro League - exerting himself in a match in extraordinary heat after a day spent fasting. "It was hot and he went down," said Dr Mark Waller, the Jazira medical director. "During the break he took plenty of fluids and was able to play the rest of the game. So he was fine."

According to weather.com, the temperature in Abu Dhabi when Matar collapsed, at about 10.30pm on Friday, was 34°C but "felt like" 45°C because of high humidity. Anyone familiar with the region knows that hot August nights with high humidity are common. What is uncommon, perhaps unprecedented, is the Pro League playing matches in August during the holy month of Ramadan. At least one coach has suggested it should not happen again.

"I am a foreigner, but I fasted for 12 days when I was working in Egypt," said Manuel Cajuda, the Portuguese coach of the Sharjah club. "I know how difficult fasting is. To play football after a day of fasting is even more difficult. "You lose more water, more minerals, without enough replacements. You do not sleep well because you are training and playing late at night. So I think it is not a good idea to play in Ramadan."

Officials of the league said a surfeit of international events this season forced their hand. They had to begin Pro League play in August, during Ramadan, to finish the season by May. "We tried our best to avoid starting this early, but unfortunately the requirements of the players for the national teams have imposed this on us," said Carlo Nohra, chief executive of the Football League, citing the Asian Games and Gulf Cup, scheduled for November; the Fifa Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi in December and the month-long Asian Cup in January.

"So, sadly, while we would have all liked to prevent this situation from arising, it has been really impossible." So far, the players have not publicly questioned the schedule. "Yes, it is difficult for the players," said Adel Abdullah, the Al Shabab captain, "but it is the same for all players." Haider Ali, the Al Wahda captain and a veteran of 14 seasons, said he cannot recall playing when it was both August and Ramadan. He said conditions were difficult but not unexpected.

"As Muslims, we are well-adapted to fast and play after we break the fast," he said. "It doesn't really matter if it was a summer month. The humidity and the heat is another matter, and it is hard even if it wasn't a fasting month. It's nothing new for us, and there are no records to suggest any harm is done to the health of the players." Heat and high humidity, as well as a day of fasting, will likely come together as the Pro League prepares for its second round of fixtures tonight, tomorrow and Friday.

Highs in Abu Dhabi are forecast at 42, 42 and 43°C; Dubai will be 38, 41and 41°C. Even the 10pm kick-offs scheduled by the league this week and last are unlikely to present a pleasant environment, especially for players who have gone without food and water in a league that is overwhelming Muslim. Waller said eating comes even before rehydrating. "As soon as the call to prayer sounds, [the players] go for their prayers and then we go about getting the food in them first off, then the fluids," he said. "Without getting too technical, it will be a mixture of cranberry juice and apple juice, while the food will be high in carbohydrates."

Coaches around the league seem to agree that onlookers cannot expect the same sort of high-intensity exertion that the players might otherwise be capable of. "The heat and humidity is clearly making it difficult for the players," said Lutfi Benzarti, the Tunisian coach of Baniyas, after a 1-0 victory over Al Shabab last week. "And then they are also fasting. So we cannot expect 100 per cent from the players in this situation."

Nohra said the league still presented an attractive product. "I think it was an explosive start to the season," he said. "Hopefully, next year we will go back to normal operations and start a little later in the year. It may still be hot and humid, but not this hot and humid." arizvi@thenational.ae Additional reporting by Gary Meenaghan and Amith Passela

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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.

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Age: 57

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Favourite things to do: Visiting patients at the hospital and give them the support they need.
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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.”

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Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old

Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai

Favourite Book: The Alchemist

Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail

Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna

Favourite cuisine: Italian food

Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman

 

 

Sri Lanka v England

First Test, at Galle
England won by 211

Second Test, at Kandy
England won by 57 runs

Third Test, at Colombo
From Nov 23-27