Goodison Park is one of the great English football grounds. It is England’s Wrigley Field, a historic sports venue sitting on an irregular block close to the city centre. A map of the area around Goodison Park from 1900 is almost unchanged. Dozens of dense, terraced streets pack tightly around St Luke’s church and the football ground on Goodison Road.
Sunday is likely to be Manchester United’s final game at the stadium, since Everton are set to move into a stunning new home on the banks of the Mersey. United fans, as ever, will fill their allocation in the Bullens Road stand. They’ll also remember some of the best and worst memories of seeing their team at Goodison.
Liverpool 0 Manchester United 1
April 4, 1979
United had drawn 2-2 at Maine Road in the first semi-final, setting up a return at Goodison. When Jimmy Greenhoff is asked about his tie-winning goal, he usually bursts into a huge smile.
“That was the best goal I ever scored for United,” he said. “It was the most important and it really meant a lot to the supporters.
“Everyone thought that we’d blown our chance to beat Liverpool. The papers did and I’m convinced that some of the players did. We’d been dead on our feet and nobody gave us a chance.
United had to pick themselves up for the midweek return match.
Recalling the goal, Greenhoff said: "Mickey Thomas got the ball on the left with 12 minutes to go. He crossed it towards me. I had a quick look to see that Emlyn Hughes was out of position; he was probably frightened to death of Steve Coppell. The ball came over, it seemed to take an age. It bounced. I swear I had time to think: ‘Do I head it? Do I bring it down on my chest? Do I volley it? One eye was on the ball, one on their goalkeeper Ray Clemence. Ray moved forward and so I lunged forward and headed past him. Ray coming out had made my mind up for me.”
The United fans in the Park End went wild.
“I ran to them to celebrate and I carried on celebrating. I ended up by one of the television cameras near the halfway line. I had the most stupid face in front of that camera. The referee ran over and said, ‘Calm down, calm down’. I couldn’t. I’m sure that every United fan at Goodison that day has thanked me since.”
United had to hang on another 12 minutes.
“It seemed so much longer,” said Greenhoff. “I was convinced that the clock didn’t move. It seemed to stay at two minutes to nine for ages. I would look at it three or four times a minute urging it to change. We survived.”
United would play other semis at Goodison, notably a 2-2 draw against Liverpool in 1985. United won the replay … and the final against Everton.
Everton 0 Manchester United 1
December 1, 1990
The cold and mist of Merseyside meant there were few takers among the 4,500 travelling Reds for the ‘Highbury massacre’ t-shirts being sold outside the away end. The shirts, which had been knocked up in no time by Manchester grafters, celebrated United’s 6-2 demolition of Arsenal less than three days earlier. Star of the shirt was hat-trick hero Lee Sharpe, 20 years old and wheeling away from the North Bank, arms open in celebration, looking like the coolest man in the world in United’s acid blue away top.
Good looking, fashionable and personable, Sharpe was the first pop star footballer of the Premiership age and was as popular with hardcore Reds as the thousands of teenage girls who would join his fan club.
His popularity was enhanced further when he scored the game’s only goal in the Goodison cold. As he celebrated, Sharpe did a little shimmy, dancing back and forward in what became known as ‘The Sharpey Shuffle’. The United end loved it, but boss Sir Alex Ferguson didn't share their appreciation.
“We were all well pleased when we got back on the bus,” recalled Sharpe. “Three good away points and we were looking forward to getting back to Manchester for a night out. We waited as the manager had a drink with the Everton manager. While there, he saw my celebration on television. He came back on the coach, stormed up to where I was sitting and roared, ‘Who the ... hell do you think you are?’.
“I’m not saying that the manager didn’t have a point. He’s a great football manager, but I’ve thought about it since and I wouldn’t have changed my celebration. I’d scored a goal, why shouldn’t I have gone mental with the people who paid my wages?
“I wouldn’t have done it if we were losing and I still can’t understand why the manager had a problem with it. It’s like he didn’t want me to have a personality. Something was lost between me and the manager that day.”
Everton 1 Manchester United 2
May 11, 2003
A 2-1 win thanks to David Beckham and Ruud Van Nistelrooy and another league title. It was, however, to be Beckham’s last United game. The Reds' league form since the turn of 2003 was P18 W15 D3 L0 as the team finished five points ahead of Arsenal.
It sounds simple, but Everton had performed well and went into the game needing a win to clinch a place in the Uefa Cup. When they went ahead through Kevin Campbell, that looked probable. But Beckham’s free-kick and Van Nistlerooy’s penalty, his 25th goal of the season as he was the league’s highest goalscorer, brought another win for a side who had clinched the title the previous week.
“We feel like losers and it is bitterly disappointing not to make Europe,” said Everton boss David Moyes as United’s players danced around a glitter-strewn pitch in front of the travelling fans.
A year later, United won 4-3 at Goodison in a classic where Ferguson’s side, playing glorious football, went 3-0 up within 29 minutes (Saha 2, Van Nistlerooy). Everton scored three to make it 3-3 on 75 minutes. After 89 minutes, Van Nistelrooy glanced a Cristiano Ronaldo cross in to make it 4-3. Everton’s young substitute Wayne Rooney missed a fine chance to make it 4-4. Within months, Rooney would be a United player.
He returned to Goodison many times, with a 2005 FA Cup fifth-round triumph at a febrile Goodison notable. Two months after that, a Duncan Ferguson header saw Everton get a rare (at least then) win against United en route to finishing fourth. Gary Neville and Paul Scholes were sent off that day. It’s seldom dull at Goodison.
Everton 2 Manchester United 4
April 28, 2007
A classic, as United battled from 2-0 down to win 4-2. But that’s only half the story. United were missing Cristiano Ronaldo and as Ferguson’s team went 2-0 down, title rivals Chelsea were winning at Bolton. Had the scores stayed the same, Chelsea would have gone level on points with United at the top.
Former Evertonian (and lifelong Everton fan) Rooney was getting booed and it was still 2-0 to Everton after an hour. That’s when United started to click. John O’Shea, a specialist in scoring in Liverpool that year, made it 1-2. An own goal from former United player Phil Neville made it 2-2. On 79 minutes, Rooney got the ball. A United fan simply said ‘destiny’ to his mate as Rooney set himself up, shooting into the bottom corner. Chris Eagles made it 4-2 on 90, Ferguson heard that Chelsea hadn’t won and signalled the result to his players. United were five points clear, with three games to play.
Everton 2 Manchester United 0
April 20, 2014
April 2014 was awful for Manchester United. David Moyes’ side went out of the Champions League in Munich, shaking the thin ice he was on following 3-0 home defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool.
United went to Moyes’ old club Everton, where a fan was dressed as the grim reaper to herald the manager’s demise. United lost 2-0 as the hosts completed a double over United for the first time since 1969. Everton, in fifth, were 12 points clear of the visitors and home fans taunted their former manager Moyes amid a vicious, euphoric atmosphere.
Defeat at Goodison confirmed that United would miss out on Champions League football for the first time since 1995. It wasn’t good enough and with that United’s first manager in the post-Ferguson era lost his job.
Everton 4 Manchester United 0
April 21, 2019
In United’s worst run since 1981, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side suffered a sixth, and most damning, defeat in eight games, a 4-0 drubbing.
“We have got to apologise to the fans,” Solskjaer said after the humiliation. “We let the club down.
“They beat us on all the basics. That performance is difficult to describe because it is so bad. It’s not a surprise to hear that Everton ran more than us.”.
United were conceding too many goals and had gone 11 games without a clean sheet after their heaviest defeat to Everton since 1984.
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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.”
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (rated 95-108) US$125,000 2000m (Dirt).
Winner: Don’t Give Up, Gerald Mosse (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm: Handicap (95 ) $160,000 2810m (Turf).
Winner: Los Barbados, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
7.40pm: Handicap (80-89) $60,000 1600m (D).
Winner: Claim The Roses, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (Div-1) Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D)
Winner: Gold Town, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Cape Verdi Group 2 $200,000 1600m (T).
Winner: Promising Run, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.25pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Conditions $100,000 1,400m (D).
Winner: El Chapo, Luke Morris, Fawzi Nass.
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
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.
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
SPECS
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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
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Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
