Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo speaks during a news conference following the German Bundesliga match against Hamburger at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Di Matteo was sacked on Sunday afternoon. EPA/DANIEL REINHARDT
Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo speaks during a news conference following the German Bundesliga match against Hamburger at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Di Matteo was sacked on Sunday afternoon. EPA/DANIEL REINHARDT
Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo speaks during a news conference following the German Bundesliga match against Hamburger at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Di Matteo was sacked on Sunday afternoon. EPA/DANIEL REINHARDT
Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo speaks during a news conference following the German Bundesliga match against Hamburger at the Imtech Arena in Hamburg, Germany. Di Matteo was sacked on Sunday afternoo

Football round-up: Schalke sack Roberto di Matteo and Luca Toni is top scorer in Serie A


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Schalke have parted company with coach Roberto di Matteo, according to a report by magazine Sport Bild on Sunday, after just two wins in their last ten games.

Di Matteo has been in charge since October after his predecessor Jens Keller was sacked, but Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at home to strugglers Hamburg looks to have been the last straw for Schalke’s board.

The 44-year-old Italian, who coached Chelsea to the 2012 Champions League title, had steered the Royal Blues up from 11th when he took charge to third in the table in February.

But a poor run of results saw them surrender a direct spot in the Champions League and their latest defeat left them sixth in the table and in the Europa League next season.

Verona

Luca Toni went top of the Serie A scoring chart two days before his 38th birthday when he netted twice in Verona’s 2-2 draw away to Parma on Sunday.

With one round of matches of the season to play, the former Italy striker, who is at his 14th club and has scored at every one of them, took his tally to 21 goals, one ahead of Juventus striker Carlos Tevez and Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi.

Relegated Parma took a 2-0 lead with goals by Antonio Nocerino and Silvestre Varela before 2006 World Cup winner Toni pulled one back by heading in from Alessandro Agostini’s cross three minutes before the break.

Toni equalised from a penalty with 10 minutes left after Zouhair Feddal was harshly ruled to have handled Javier Saviola’s cross, and was denied a hat-trick when his header was stopped by Parma goalkeeper Antonio Mirante.

Toni’s varied career began with stints at lower league clubs Modena, Empoli, Fiorenzuola, Treviso and Lodigiani.

At one point he played alongside current Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola and Juventus playmaker Andrea Pirlo at Brescia and also had an unhappy spell at Bayern where he feel out with coach Louis van Gaal.

Among other clubs, he played briefly for Juventus and then in the UAE with Al Nasr before joining Verona where he is completing his second season.

“We’d like to help Toni top the scorers’ chart. For us and for him, it would be like winning the Scudetto,” coach Andrea Mandorlini told reporters.

Borussia Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund have signed Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Gonzalo Castro for next season, agreeing a four-year deal with the former Germany international, the club said on Sunday.

Dortmund, who rescued a Europa League spot by finishing seventh in the Bundesliga and are in the German Cup final next weekend, are eager to bolster their squad after a mixed season and the departure of coach Juergen Klopp.

The 27-year-old’s arrival comes as Germany midfielder Ilkay Guendogan prepares to leave.

“We are happy to have gained an experienced and technically versatile midfielder who can play various positions,” sports director Michael Zorc said in a statement.

Castro, who won five caps for Germany, is a Leverkusen youth product, having played there since 1999.

Bayern Munich

Around 15,000 Bayern Munich fans gathered to see the club’s men’s and women’s teams present their Bundesliga trophies from the city’s town hall balcony on Sunday.

Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says, “It never happened before that one club got the title with both teams at the same time.”

Munich mayor Dieter Reiter hosted the players for a reception before their balcony appearance. Thomas Muller and Bastian Schweinsteiger then led chants and supporters showed their appreciation for the German league title clinched with four games to spare.

Bayern lost in the semifinals of the German Cup and Champions League but Rummenigge says, “We’re very happy about how the season went. When I see the media, most don’t know what it means to be German champions. There’s a lack of respect.”

Darmstadt

Darmstadt will join German second division champions Ingolstadt in the Bundesliga next season after beating St Pauli 1-0 on the last day of the season Sunday.

Tobias Kempe scored in the 78th minute for Darmstadt, who were promoted from the third division last season, to finish second with 59 points – one ahead of Karlsruher, who defeated 1860 Munich 2-0.

Karlsruher now face Hamburg in a two-legged play-off to determine which side plays topflight football next season.

Darmstadt previously played two seasons in the Bundesliga, in 1978-79 and 1981-82, but the club dropped to fourth-tier level by 1998. Darmstadt also flirted with bankruptcy in 2008 before insolvency proceedings were withdrawn the following year. They are the third club to achieve promotion to the top division after being promoted from the third tier the season before.

“It’s awesome, incredible, hard to find words,” Darmstadt coach Dirk Schuster said. “The guys gave absolutely everything they had week for week.”

Kaiserslautern were leading Ingolstadt 1-0 and had been on course for the relegation/promotion playoff place before Kempe’s goal lifted Darmstadt clear and Ingolstadt equalised to draw 1-1.

Kaiserslautern finished fourth for the second season in succession. Ingolstadt were promoted last Sunday.

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While you're here
if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption. 

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks. 

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes. 

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion. 

8. Pillar 2 implementation 

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations. 

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity. 

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH INFO

Liverpool 2 (Van Dijk 18', 24')

Brighton 1 (Dunk 79')

Red card: Alisson (Liverpool)

RESULT

RS Leipzig 3 

Marcel Sabitzer 10', 21'

Emil Forsberg 87'

Tottenham 0

 

Martin Sabbagh profile

Job: CEO JCDecaux Middle East

In the role: Since January 2015

Lives: In the UAE

Background: M&A, investment banking

Studied: Corporate finance

THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

England v South Africa schedule:

  • First Test: At Lord's, England won by 219 runs
  • Second Test: July 14-18, Trent Bridge, Nottingham, 2pm
  • Third Test: The Oval, London, July 27-31, 2pm
  • Fourth Test: Old Trafford, Manchester, August 4-8
Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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.

MATCH INFO

Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')

Celta Vigo 1 (Olaza 42')

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
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German plea
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the German parliament that. Russia had erected a new wall across Europe. 

"It's not a Berlin Wall -- it is a Wall in central Europe between freedom and bondage and this Wall is growing bigger with every bomb" dropped on Ukraine, Zelenskyy told MPs.

Mr Zelenskyy was applauded by MPs in the Bundestag as he addressed Chancellor Olaf Scholz directly.

"Dear Mr Scholz, tear down this Wall," he said, evoking US President Ronald Reagan's 1987 appeal to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

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What is safeguarding?

“Safeguarding, not just in sport, but in all walks of life, is making sure that policies are put in place that make sure your child is safe; when they attend a football club, a tennis club, that there are welfare officers at clubs who are qualified to a standard to make sure your child is safe in that environment,” Derek Bell explains.

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
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 

Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

Tank warfare

Lt Gen Erik Petersen, deputy chief of programs, US Army, has argued it took a “three decade holiday” on modernising tanks. 

“There clearly remains a significant armoured heavy ground manoeuvre threat in this world and maintaining a world class armoured force is absolutely vital,” the general said in London last week.

“We are developing next generation capabilities to compete with and deter adversaries to prevent opportunism or miscalculation, and, if necessary, defeat any foe decisively.”

Infiniti QX80 specs

Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6

Power: 450hp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000

Available: Now

UAE SQUAD

 

Goalkeepers: Ali Khaseif, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Adel Al Hosani

Defenders: Bandar Al Ahbabi, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Walid Abbas, Mahmoud Khamis, Mohammed Barghash, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Hassan Al Mahrami, Yousef Jaber, Mohammed Al Attas

Midfielders: Ali Salmeen, Abdullah Ramadan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Hamad, Khalfan Mubarak, Khalil Al Hammadi, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Harib Abdallah, Mohammed Jumah

Forwards: Fabio De Lima, Caio Canedo, Ali Saleh, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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