• UAE players are devastated after the 2-2 draw against Iraq in their World Cup qualifier at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday, October 12, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    UAE players are devastated after the 2-2 draw against Iraq in their World Cup qualifier at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday, October 12, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Ali Mabkhout of UAE scores the equaliser against Iraq at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Ali Mabkhout of UAE scores the equaliser against Iraq at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Shahin Abdulrahman of the UAE takes on Alaa Abdul Zahra of Iraq during their World Cup qualifier at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai on October 12, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Shahin Abdulrahman of the UAE takes on Alaa Abdul Zahra of Iraq during their World Cup qualifier at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai on October 12, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Caio Canedo of UAE scored against Iraq at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Caio Canedo of UAE scored against Iraq at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Caio Canedo celebrates after scoring against Iraq in the World Cup qualifiers. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Caio Canedo celebrates after scoring against Iraq in the World Cup qualifiers. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Ayman Hussein of Iraq scores in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Ayman Hussein of Iraq scores in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Majed Hassan of the UAE takes on Ibrahim Bayesh. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Majed Hassan of the UAE takes on Ibrahim Bayesh. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Abdalla Ramadan of the UAE fights for the ball with Iraq's Ahmed Fadhil. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Abdalla Ramadan of the UAE fights for the ball with Iraq's Ahmed Fadhil. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • Fabio De Lima of the UAE vies for the ball with Ali Adnan of Iraq. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    Fabio De Lima of the UAE vies for the ball with Ali Adnan of Iraq. Chris Whiteoak / The National
  • UAE fans at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National
    UAE fans at the Zabeel Stadium in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

FA president Sheikh Rashid reaffirms support for UAE national team in 2022 World Cup bid


John McAuley
  • English
  • Arabic

Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, president of the Football Association, has reiterated his support for the UAE national team and called on supporters to get behind the players as they bid to turn around their World Cup campaign.

The national team have made an inauspicious start to the final round of qualification and remain without a win from their opening four fixtures following Tuesday's 2-2 draw at home to Iraq.

UAE manager Bert van Marwijk has subsequently come under increased scrutiny, with the FA’s board of directors meeting on Monday to discuss the team’s campaign thus far.

With three draws and one defeat, the UAE sit fourth in Group A, five points off the automatic spots for Qatar 2022. On Tuesday night, a section of UAE supporters waited outside the Zabeel Stadium following the match to air their grievances towards the Van Marwijk and his team.

The draw, coming five days after the 1-0 defeat in Dubai to Iran, prompted speculation that the FA was considering dismissing Van Marwijk.

On Thursday, Sheikh Rashid praised the national team for their effort during qualification, citing the players’ “loyalty, commitment, discipline and keenness to achieve the aspirations of the Emirati football fans”.

Sheikh Rashid added: “They have given a lot to Emirati football and are still working hard and striving to achieve positive results in all the tournaments they participate in.

“Their failure in some matches does not give some people the right to criticise them in ways that contradict the values of Emirati society.”

Sheikh Rashid said that, while he appreciated the public's reaction to current results, that criticism should be constructive. He also asked fans to provide their support to raise the players’ morale ahead of the resumption of qualification next month.

Seeking to make a second World Cup in the country’s history, the UAE face South Korea away on November 11 before facing Lebanon away five days later.

Sheikh Rashid, who thanked those fans who continued to offer their backing, said the FA board of directors supports all national teams, especially the senior side.

Currently, Iran and South Korea occupy the top two positions in Group A, with 10 points and eight points, respectively. Lebanon are third, which could yet provide a route to next year’s global finals via a series of play-offs.

Van Marwijk, 69, is in his second stint with the UAE. He was reappointed last December, almost one year since his previous tenure lasted nine months.

On Tuesday, directly after the draw, the former Netherlands and Saudi Arabia manager was asked about the anger of the UAE supporters, and said: “But that’s also everywhere the same. You get always positive and negative sentiment. I cannot do anything with that. For me, I do it in my way. And if they don’t like it, they have to say it.”

Van Marwijk, who guided Saudi's qualification for the 2018 World Cup, insisted also that an incorrect decision from the Video Assistant Referee right at the death on Tuesday cost the UAE the win.

Pressed on the national team’s chances of turning around the final round to qualify for Qatar, he added: “The chances are exactly the same as before the game. Because Iran and Korea played a draw and we played a draw. Lebanon wins, but are not far away. So I think the chances are still the same.”

How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars

Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.

Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.

After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.

Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.

It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.

 

Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

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$1,000 award for 1,000 days on madrasa portal

Daily cash awards of $1,000 dollars will sweeten the Madrasa e-learning project by tempting more pupils to an education portal to deepen their understanding of math and sciences.

School children are required to watch an educational video each day and answer a question related to it. They then enter into a raffle draw for the $1,000 prize.

“We are targeting everyone who wants to learn. This will be $1,000 for 1,000 days so there will be a winner every day for 1,000 days,” said Sara Al Nuaimi, project manager of the Madrasa e-learning platform that was launched on Tuesday by the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to reach Arab pupils from kindergarten to grade 12 with educational videos.  

“The objective of the Madrasa is to become the number one reference for all Arab students in the world. The 5,000 videos we have online is just the beginning, we have big ambitions. Today in the Arab world there are 50 million students. We want to reach everyone who is willing to learn.”

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Company: Rent Your Wardrobe 

Date started: May 2021 

Founder: Mamta Arora 

Based: Dubai 

Sector: Clothes rental subscription 

Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded 

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Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

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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
Dates for the diary

To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:

  • September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
  • October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
  • October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
  • November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
  • December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
  • February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Key findings of Jenkins report
  • Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
  • Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
  • Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
  • Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Updated: October 14, 2021, 12:01 PM