Ivory Coast defender Serge Aurier holds the Africa Cup of Nations trophy after the hosts beat Nigeria 2-1 at Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan on February 11, 2024. AFP
President of Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara (C) lifts the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on the podium after Ivory Coast won the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) 2024 final football match between Ivory Coast and Nigeria at Alassane Ouattara Olympic Stadium in Ebimpe, Abidjan on February 11, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
Sebastien Haller, who scored an 81st-minute winner to clinch a 2-1 victory over Nigeria in the Afcon final, looks at the Africa Cup of Nations trophy during the presentation ceremony. AFP
President of Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara lifts the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. AFP
Ivory Coast forward Max-Alain Gradel, right, and teammate Simon Adingra kiss the Africa Cup of Nations trophy on the podium. AFP
President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Patrice Motsepe, left, President of Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara, centre, and president of Fifa Gianni Infantino hold the Africa Cup of Nations trophy. AFP
Ivory Coast forward Sebastien Haller poses with First Lady of Ivory Coast Dominique Ouattara. AFP
Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen speaks with President of Ivory Coast Alassane Ouattara at the end of the Africa Cup of Nations final. AFP
An Ivorian supporter celebrates. AFP
Nigeria midfielder Frank Onyeka, right, heads the ball during the final. AFP
Ivory Coast forward Sebastien Haller scores his team's second goal in the 81st minute to complete a 2-1 comeback win over Nigeria in the Africa Cup of Nations final. AFP
Ivory Coast forward Sebastien Haller celebrates scoring his team's second goal. AFP
Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie, left, fights for the ball with Nigeria's Alex Iwobi. AFP
Ivory Coast's Franck Kessie celebrates scoring his team's equaliser. AFP
Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong celebrates with teammates after scoring his team's first goal. AFP
Nigeria defender William Troost-Ekong holds the Golden Ball award while standing next to President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Patrice Motsepe during prize giving ceremony. AFP
Nigeria's Victor Osimhen. Reuters
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae. AFP
An Ivory Coast fan inside the stadium before the match. Reuters
A Nigeria fan waits for the start of the Africa Cup of Nations final match. AP
Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae hailed his "miracle survivors" after the host country completed one of the greatest turnarounds in tournament history to win the Africa Cup of Nations, beating favourites Nigeria in Sunday's final.
"It is more than a fairytale. I am struggling to take it all in," said Fae, who only took charge of the team midway through the tournament after the dismissal of Jean-Louis Gasset.
"When I think about all we have been through, we are miracle survivors.
"We never gave up and we managed to come back from so many tough blows."
It was only fitting then that Sebastien Haller, whose tournament was disrupted by injury and who only returned to competitive action last year after treatment for cancer, would score a dramatic late winner as Ivory Coast fought back to claim a 2-1 victory.
Nigeria looked set to repeat their 1-0 victory over the Ivorians at the Ebimpe Olympic Stadium during the group stage when captain William Troost-Ekong – who had netted a penalty to decide that first meeting – rose to head in the opener late in the first half.
However, Franck Kessie equalised just after the hour mark and Haller turned in Simon Adingra's cross in the 81st minute to spark wild celebrations among the sea of orange in the Abidjan stands.
Sunday's victory before an official attendance of over 57,000 in Abidjan allowed the Elephants to win their third continental title.
They are the first host country to win the Cup of Nations since Egypt in 2006, and yet they very nearly went out in the group stage.
The Ivorians lost 1-0 to Nigeria in their second match before losing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea, their heaviest-ever home defeat.
That made them the first Afcon hosts in 40 years to lose two group games and cost coach Gasset his job.
However, they squeezed into the last 16 as the last of the four best third-placed teams, with former player Fae taking over on an interim basis.
They beat Mali 2-1 in the quarter-finals with a winner in extra time, having been reduced to 10 men in the first half and trailing into the 90th minute.
That was followed by a 1-0 victory against the Democratic Republic of Congo in the semi-finals, before another comeback win in the final.
Emerse Fae onky took charge of the Ivory Coast before the last 16 after his predecessor was sacked. AP
"All our games were difficult. We kept having to come from behind and we really had to draw on all our physical and mental reserves," said Fae, who turned 40 on the day he became coach.
"I can't properly express my joy. It is massive. I dreamt of winning the Afcon as a player and didn't manage it," added Fae, who played in the side beaten by Egypt in the 2006 final.
"Now I have had the opportunity as a coach, albeit in strange circumstances.
"I took over when we were not even sure of getting out of our group. It was a strange birthday but thankfully we got a second chance and grabbed it."
The story of Haller's own tournament was remarkable, too, with the Borussia Dortmund striker scoring the winner in the semi-final and the final.
He was almost substituted moments before turning in Adingra's cross for the clinching goal in the final.
"We dreamt of this moment so many times," an emotional Haller told BeIN Sports.
"These scenes of joy, the country deserves this too.
"We kept believing until the end. My teammates pushed me to stay on the pitch for as long as possible and thanks to them I scored."
Haller played no part in the group stage because of an ankle injury suffered in December, and did not start a game until the semi-final.
"It was one of my main goals to give everything I could at the Afcon," he said.
"I was lucky to be here. Now we can say it, they were telling me six to eight weeks with my injury, so based on that today could have been my first match.
"My ankle still isn't fully healed, but it was OK for today."
"Ivory Coast were better than us today," admitted Nigeria coach Jose Peseiro.
"I am sad, my team is sad, but for me they did the maximum, each one. Sometimes you want to do something but you cannot do it."
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book:I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
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.”
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
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
The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
IF YOU GO The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895. The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay:Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
AGL AWARDS
Golden Ball - best Emirati player: Khalfan Mubarak (Al Jazira)
Golden Ball - best foreign player: Igor Coronado (Sharjah)
Golden Glove - best goalkeeper: Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah)
Best Coach - the leader: Abdulaziz Al Anbari (Sharjah)
Fans' Player of the Year: Driss Fetouhi (Dibba)
Golden Boy - best young player: Ali Saleh (Al Wasl)
Best Fans of the Year: Sharjah
Goal of the Year: Michael Ortega (Baniyas)
