Al Ahly “showed who we are” in their superb Fifa Club World Cup victory against hosts Al Ittihad, but are focused only on Fluminense despite the carrot of meeting Manchester City in the final, according to midfielder Taher Mohamed.
The African champions, making a ninth appearance in the tournament, triumphed 3-1 on Friday night in their second-round clash against Karim Benzema, N’Golo Kante and Co in Jeddah.
Ahly raced to a 3-0 lead just after the hour at a King Abdullah Sports City packed with more than 56,000 fans, with Ali Maaloul, Hussein El Shahat and Emam Ashour getting the goals.
Benzema, who had earlier missed a penalty with the score at 1-0, pulled one back for the Saudi champions deep into injury-time, and Ahly had Anthony Modeste sent off, but they ran out deserving winners to set up a semi-final on Monday against Brazil’s Fluminense.
It marked a remarkable result for the Egyptians, who came into the Club World Cup with a solitary win in five games – and only three in their past 11 outings.
“It was a crazy game, a fantastic game, the crowd was unbelievable today, with the Al Ahly fans and Al Ittihad fans,” Mohamed said. “We knew it was going to be a big game and a challenging one, but we fought until the end.
“We made a big score against a big team, with big players.”
Mohamed, who entered the match as a second-half substitute, described Mohamed Al Shenawy’s save from Benzema’s penalty right at the end of the first half as “the twist” in the encounter.
However, having taken huge confidence from victory, he said Ahly are not yet dreaming of a possible final with City. The Premier League and European champions enter in the last four, when on Tuesday they take on 2022/23 Asian Champions League winners Urawa Red Diamonds of Japan.
“You know anything can happen in football," Mohamed said. "Today everyone was saying that Ittihad was going to make it, even their fans, but we showed them who are Al Ahly and, with our fans, they gave us a big motivation.
“We’re not focusing on Manchester City yet; we’re just focusing on Fluminense. We want to make it to the final – we’ve never played the final before [they have been third three times] – so this year we have a really good chance to make it. We have just to pass Fluminense first.”
Mohamed, 26, said he knows some of the Fluminense players, such as former Real Madrid left-back Marcelo and former Juventus and Inter Milan midfielder Felipe Melo. He added that previous Club World Cup matches against fellow Brazilians Palmeiras – Ahly lost the 2021 semi-final to the Sao Paulo side in Abu Dhabi – should help on Monday.
Asked how Ahly turned around their poor form to push through to the semi-final, Mohamed said: “We had very high motivation, we have experience of this tournament. We played a lot. A lot of players have played four or five times this tournament. So it gave us confidence.
“Like I said, whenever we travel to an Arab country the Al Ahly fans are everywhere, so I hope they come with more fans to the next game so they can motivate us and give us a really big boost.”
On the importance of the Club World Cup to his continent, Mohamed added: “It means a lot to the fans in Egypt and to African football. It’s like a recognition to African football; people don’t know much about it, the African league, the Egyptian league.
“So, whenever we have the chance to come here, we have a good opportunity to show our quality. Everyone shows ability in how they play football.”
Goalscorer Maaloul said of the Fluminense test: “We certainly have enough time to prepare for the next match and read the opponent well.
“Today we rejoice and celebrate, and tomorrow we begin preparing for the that. We know we have a big match ahead of us against a Brazilian club.
“I hope the fighting spirit that was present today will be there in the next match.”
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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.”
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
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Artist: Linkin Park
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RESULT
Bournemouth 0 Southampton 3 (Djenepo (37', Redmond 45' 1, 59')
Man of the match Nathan Redmond (Southampton)
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
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Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
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Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
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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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Name: Lynn Davison
Profession: History teacher at Al Yasmina Academy, Abu Dhabi
Children: She has one son, Casey, 28
Hometown: Pontefract, West Yorkshire in the UK
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite Author: CJ Sansom
Favourite holiday destination: Bali
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Company: Justmop.com
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Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
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Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Ovo's tips to find extra heat
- Open your curtains when it’s sunny
- Keep your oven open after cooking
- Have a cuddle with pets and loved ones to help stay cosy
- Eat ginger but avoid chilli as it makes you sweat
- Put on extra layers
- Do a few star jumps
- Avoid alcohol
Yahya Al Ghassani's bio
Date of birth: April 18, 1998
Playing position: Winger
Clubs: 2015-2017 – Al Ahli Dubai; March-June 2018 – Paris FC; August – Al Wahda
How Sputnik V works
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Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
