The Fifa Club World Cup trophy started a bus tour of the UAE yesterday in Dubai. Its journey will end at Zayed Sports City in the capital, where two champion football clubs will contest the final on December 19 for the right to hoist it.
The trophy, lifted last year by Manchester United in Yokohama, Japan, was on display at Maktoum Stadium, where the football teams Al Shabab from Dubai and Emirate from Ras al Khaimah clashed in a UAE Pro League match, won by the Dubai side.
It will travel by bus to locations including Sharjah and Al Ain to coincide with other sporting events, such as the Rugby Sevens in December.
The tour is part of the campaign to promote the Club World Cup, which begins on December 9 and involves six continental club champions, including the European giants Barcelona and the UAE Pro League champions Al Ahli.
Fans will be treated to eight matches during the 11-day tournament.
The final two teams - Pohang Steelers of South Korea and Tout Puissant Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo - secured their spots in the tournament on Saturday, winning their respective Champions League competitions.
With the draw for the event scheduled for Thursday, organisers are hoping the UAE's fans will throw their support behind it.
"With the inaugural F1 Grand Prix now setting the standard, the Fifa Club World Cup UAE 2009 is fast approaching and it's time to rally the whole nation in support of this prestigious tournament," Mohammed al Mahmood, general secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said in a statement.
Fans can board the bus to learn about the tournament and have their photo taken with the trophy. There will also be football activities such as a goal-saving competition.
Meanwhile, at Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi, an activity booth has been seeing fierce competition since it opened on Saturday, staff said.
Participants who strike a football above a certain speed - 100 kph for men over 25, for instance - can win a prize, such as a mini football.
"People were really competitive," said Tiffany Semanski, 19, who is working at the stand, where people can buy tickets for the Club World Cup. "We had the same kids at least 10 times. It was so crowded and everyone was participating. We had a lot of people asking what teams were coming."
mchung@thenational.ae
Sleep Well Beast
The National
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Schedule
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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MEYDAN CARD
6.30pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group One (PA) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m
8.50pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
9.25pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group Two (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm Dubai Trophy Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m
10.35pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
The National selections:
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7.05pm Ekhtiyaar
7.40pm First View
8.15pm Benbatl
8.50pm Zakouski
9.25pm: Kimbear
10pm: Chasing Dreams
10.35pm: Good Fortune
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Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
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The five pillars of Islam
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
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A foster couple or family must:
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- not be younger than 25 years old
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- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
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Points classification after Stage 4
1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81
3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66
4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63
5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha) 43
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
