In the early autumn of 2022, Ismael Saibari received a call from Roberto Martinez, then manager of Belgium’s national team.
They found they had plenty in common. Both the young footballer and the worldly manager had been born in Catalonia, Spain, before making Belgium their home for a significant portion of their lives. Both were ambitious.
Martinez had a proposal for Saibari and applied his charisma to try to persuade the then 21 year old, who was making a strong impression at the Dutch club PSV Eindhoven, to agree to it.
Martinez’s argument was that, of the choices Saibari had, as a citizen of three countries, for his senior international career it was Belgium that made most sense. There was a World Cup coming up in Qatar. Martinez had guided Belgium to the semi-finals in the previous World Cup.
Saibari listened and then said a firm but polite ‘No’. His mind was already made up: he belonged with Morocco, his parents’ native country, the place where he had spent holidays with family while growing up in Spain until the age of six, and while living in Belgium after that.
“It was incredible to be contacted by Martinez,” he acknowledged. “But my heart was with Morocco.”
The Atlas Lions were heading to that Qatar World Cup, too, although very few predicted that, when they got there, they would beat Martinez’s team 2-0 and effectively eliminate Belgium in the first stage, nor that Morocco would knock out Saibari’s native Spain in the next round and, for the first time in history, give the tournament an Arab and an African semi-finalist.
Into this brave new dawn Saibari would boldly step, but he had to wait a while. He was not included in Morocco's 2022 World Cup squad – his fitness was in doubt because he was recovering from a hamstring injury – and would only make his full international debut the following September, fresh from winning the under-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
His club career was by then taking off, after a zigzag journey to Eindhoven that had given him the drive to mature as a versatile footballer with a knack of rising to the big occasion. On Tuesday evening, he has one of those.
PSV host Arsenal in the first leg of a Uefa Champions League tie and the reward for the winners will be a quarter-final against whoever emerges from the last-16 phase’s big derby, Real Madrid against Atletico.
Safe to report that it is in large part thanks to Saibari’s big-match calibre that the Dutch club have reached the last eight of club football’s most prestigious competition.
Two weeks ago, they were trailing Juventus 3-2 with just over quarter of an hour remaining of their play-off tie against the Italians. Cue Saibari, pouncing on to a loose ball to volley in, with his right foot, and drag the contest into extra-time, where a Ryan Flamingo goal would complete the comeback.
PSV had made the knockout stage of the enlarged competition with three points clearance above the line between qualifiers and eliminated teams.
His contributions in the league stage were vital. A 1-1 draw at Paris Saint-Germain galvanised a campaign that had started slowly, the Moroccan feeding a cute through ball to Noa Lang to put PSV in front at the Parc des Princes.
In the last fixture of the league phase PSV beat Liverpool, Saibari’s left-footed finish, from a tight angle, bringing them back from behind to inflict a rare defeat on the Premier League leaders.
Across Europe and Dutch domestic football, Saibari is enjoying his best ever season in front of goal, already into double figures.
In November, he also scored his first two goals for Morocco, in his eight and ninth caps. Add his 12 assists for PSV so far in 2024/25, and the numbers tell part of the story of why bigger clubs from wealthier leagues are monitoring him with a view to possible summer transfer bids.
Beyond the basic performance metrics – they include: most combined goals and assists per 90 minutes of any player in the Dutch Eredivisie, where he’s the leading provider of assists and the player who averages most shots on target per game – there’s his mastery of several areas of the pitch.
In his young career, Saibari has already played everywhere from holding midfield to central striker. Though his stronger foot is his left, his best role is probably as an attacking midfielder and he can come in off either flank.
He has the stamina to answer to the description ‘box-to-box’ and an unusually effective mix of physical power and nimble movement. “I'm hard to push off the ball and not bad technically,” he told Dutch media.
Some of those assets he attributes to his early years, playing in the restricted urban spaces of Antwerp, looking up to his elder brother Akram, who went on to combine a career in Belgium’s lower divisions with work as a television actor.
Ismael, five years younger, was always more focused on his sport, according to Akram. And he had to overcome setbacks. As an apprentice, he was misjudged by Anderlecht, the big Brussels club, deemed to be too heavily built to move up the ladder at their academy. “They thought I was too fat!” he later recalled.
He persisted, and via the youth teams of Mechelen and Gent in Belgium, he reached PSV, becoming a first-team regular under manager Ruud van Nistelrooy, now of Leicester City.
Such was his impact early in that 2022/23 season that Martinez got in touch. A year later, under Peter Bosz, the current PSV coach, he was making his Champions League bow, with significant influence.
PSV qualified for the knockouts thanks to a Saibari goal that launched a comeback from 2-0 down against Sevilla and a via draw against Arsenal, with Saibari named man of the match.
They finished the season as Dutch champions and almost immediately extended their Moroccan star’s contract to 2029. The deal will at least guarantee a significant transfer fee if and when offers come in from European super clubs.
PSV expect that. “Ismael has many qualities besides his technical skills,” observed the club’s director of football, Earnie Stewart. “He always wants to learn and he’s immune to pressure.”
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
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
HOW%20TO%20ACTIVATE%20THE%20GEMINI%20SHORTCUT%20ON%20CHROME%20CANARY
%3Cp%3E1.%20Go%20to%20%3Cstrong%3Echrome%3A%2F%2Fflags%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20Find%20and%20enable%20%3Cstrong%3EExpansion%20pack%20for%20the%20Site%20Search%20starter%20pack%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E3.%20Restart%20Chrome%20Canary%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E4.%20Go%20to%20%3Cstrong%3Echrome%3A%2F%2Fsettings%2FsearchEngines%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20in%20the%20address%20bar%20and%20find%20the%20%3Cstrong%3EChat%20with%20Gemini%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20shortcut%20under%20%3Cstrong%3ESite%20Search%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E5.%20Open%20a%20new%20tab%20and%20type%20%40%20to%20see%20the%20Chat%20with%20Gemini%20shortcut%20along%20with%20other%20Omnibox%20shortcuts%20to%20search%20tabs%2C%20history%20and%20bookmarks%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scoreline
Man Utd 2 Pogba 27', Martial 49'
Everton 1 Sigurdsson 77'
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
John%20Wick%3A%20Chapter%204
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Chad%20Stahelski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Keanu%20Reeves%2C%20Laurence%20Fishburne%2C%20George%20Georgiou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
