Three months ago, as the players of Dundalk gathered in front of a television in the lounge of the Arklow hotel overlooking the Irish Sea, emotions lurched from excitement to trepidation.
They were watching the draw for the group stage of the Europa League. History had been made for the club already, simply to have its name among the 32 clubs involved.
History’s burden meant whatever followed would be daunting. Dundalk, with no history in the competition, and scant co-efficient points because they come from a League of Ireland with little pedigree, were seeded 32nd of the clubs listed.
Some of the players, buoyant from an experience in the qualifying rounds of the Uefa Champions League that had run to within a tie of making the group phase of that tournament, shouted “Bring it on!”.
They wanted a group with Manchester United, or Inter Milan, two conspicuous heavyweights in this season's Europa League.
They got a big name alright. They drew Zenit St Petersburg, officially the second-ranked club in August’s draw, and Uefa Cup winners back in 2008.
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Four fixtures on, incredibly, the Dundalk dream survives. They meet AZ Alkmaar of the Netherlands in Dublin on Thursday sitting in runners-up position in Group D. Though their two matches against Zenit went, as it were, according to seeding, the fact that in each case the margin of defeat was a single goal has emboldened Europe’s most intrepid underdogs.
Four points from their remaining two games – the last is away at Maccabi Tel-Aviv – will assure Dundalk a spot in the knockout phase, where they may then have to adjust their ideas of what would constitute the real glamour tie. Neither United, third in Group A going into Matchday 5, nor Inter, bottom of Group K, are currently on course for European football in the new year.
You do not need to look at Uefa co-efficient figures – the mathematical formula based on past performance and relative strength of domestic leagues – to appreciate Dundalk’s pluck since they embarked on their European odyssey back in July.
One striking criteria their charismatic manager, Stephen Kenny, points to is the number of internationals in his own squad next to the teams they have confronted.
The journey started for the champions of Ireland with a tie against Iceland’s Hafnarfjardar, beaten on away goals in the second qualifying round for the Champions League. “They had internationals in the team,” Kenny noted.
He counted 14 players with caps in the squad of BATE Borisov, of Belarus, who were beaten in the next qualifying stage. “Maccabi had 14 internationals, AZ Alkmaar 14, and Zenit had even more,” added Kenny, whose team of uncapped wonders beat the Israelis at home and drew in Alkmaar.
“The first job was to convince our team we have an exceptionally talented group, and can beat these teams,” the manager said.
He may not be in charge of an uncapped XI for long. Since the European adventure gathered pace, defenders Gary Rogers and Andy Boyle and midfielder Daryl Horgan have been called up by the Republic of Ireland, though none have yet come off the bench.
“It is a sad indictment that an Irishman must go abroad if he wants to play for his country,” Kenny said. “The only way to get out of that cycle is to raise standards here.”
Dundalk have done that.
Their win against Maccabi was a first for an Irish club in the group stage of a European competition this century, and a remarkable achievement given the club were on the verge of relegation to the second-tier of the modest League of Ireland four seasons ago.
The estimated €7 million (Dh27.3m) they will bank from Uefa for coming this far means they can take ownership of Oriel Park, their stadium, though bringing it up to international standard will take further time and investment, which is why Uefa insisted they play home matches in Dublin’s Tallaght stadium.
On Thursday, it could be the stage for a giant step forward.
FIXTURES:
Thursday (all times UAE)
• Fenerbahce v Zorya, 8pm
• Manchester United v Feyenoord, 12.05am
• Fiorentina v PAOK Salonika, 10pm
• Slovan Liberec v Qarabag, 10pm
• Hapoel Be’er Sheva v Inter Milan, 10pm
• Sparta Prague v Southampton, 10pm
• Zurich v Villarreal, 10pm
• Steaua Bucherest v Osmanlispor, 10pm
• Astana v Apoel Nicosia, 8pm
• Olympiakos v Young Boys, 12.05am
• Qabala v Anderlecht, 8pm
• Saint-Etienne v Mainz, 12.05am
• Zenit St Petersburg v Maccabi Tel-Aviv, 8pm
• Dundalk v AZ Alkmaar, 12.05am
• Austria Vienna v Astra Giugiu, 12.05am
• Roma v Viktoria Plzen, 12.05am
• Athletic Bilbao v Sassuolo, 12.05am
• Genk v Rapid Vienna, 12.-5am
• Ajax v Panathinaikos, 8pm
• Celta Vigo v Standard Liege, 8pm
• Gent v Sporting Braga, 8pm
• Shaktar Donetsk v Konyaspor, 8pm
Matches on beIN Sports
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UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
NYBL PROFILE
Company name: Nybl
Date started: November 2018
Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence
Initial investment: $500,000
Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)
Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh130,000
On sale: now
JAPAN SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Masaaki Higashiguchi, Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt
Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo, Tomoaki Makino, Maya Yoshida, Sho Sasaki, Hiroki Sakai, Sei Muroya, Genta Miura, Takehiro Tomiyasu
Midfielders: Toshihiro Aoyama, Genki Haraguchi, Gaku Shibasaki, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Shoya Nakajima, Takumi Minamino, Hidemasa Morita, Ritsu Doan
Forwards: Yuya Osako, Takuma Asano, Koya Kitagawa
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War
Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Tiger Shroff, Ashutosh Rana, Vaani Kapoor
Rating: Two out of five stars
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The years Ramadan fell in May
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
