There was always a fear the cash-rich, star-studded sides from Saudi Arabia might overpower their guests from the east of the continent in the first AFC Champions League Elite Finals event. But perhaps not quite to this extent.
As it has turned out, it has not even been close. The trio of teams from the Kingdom did not so much beat their opposition in the quarter finals of the new event in Jeddah as thrash them into a sorry pulp. It has been savage.
On Friday’s opening night, in front of 47,000 raucous fans, domestic champions Al Hilal were merciless against Gwangju.
The South Korean side barely stood a chance. They were making their debut on this stage this season, having finished in their highest position of third in the K League last season.
Hilal, by contrast, have been champions of Asia four times previously. To say there was a gulf between the two sides understates the point. Al Hilal won 7-0.
The second match of the event, on Saturday, looked to be heading the same way. Playing at their own home ground, Al Ahli Saudi were 3-0 up by half-time against Buriram United.
At least they eased off the gas thereafter, but the Thai side still were not able to strike a blow.
Then, in the late game of Day 2, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr cruised to a 4-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos. They did not even have to break sweat.
The list of goalscorers across the three games is a clue to just how big the gap is between Saudi and the rest.
It included Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Aleksandar Mitrovic for Hilal, and Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino for Ahli.
Each of the kingpin trio in the Nassr forward line made it on to the scoresheet: Ronaldo, Sadio Mane and Jhon Duran.
While the sides from the rest of the continent have been playing catch up, the Saudi giants have been playing Monopoly between themselves over the past two and a half years. The gap between the haves and have-nots is now so vast, it is scarcely a fair fight.
Yokohama had reached the final of Asia’s top club competition last year, and were only stopped from lifting the trophy by a Soufiane Rahimi-inspired Al Ain.
Unlike the holders from the UAE’s garden city, at least the Japanese side made it as far as the last eight this time around.
Somehow, despite now sitting dead last in the J League, Yokohama topped the league phase of the East region of this competition. Maybe that says more about that side of the draw than it does their qualities.
Kawasaki Frontale, also from Japan, could yet strike a blow for the east in the last match of the round. They play Al Sadd of Qatar in the last quarter final on Sunday night, but it feels highly unlikely at this stage the winner of the tournament will come from that fixture.
Yokohama only arrived in Jeddah with modest ambitions, so troubled has life been for them since they finished runners up last season.
Harry Kewell, who cut an odd and irritable figure on the touchline in last year’s final second-leg in Al Ain, has long since been displaced as Yokohama’s manager.
Steve Holland, the former England assistant coach, was also shipped out from the position recently, meaning the Japanese side arrived here with an interim in charge.
Strangely, despite their problems this season, Yokohama actually settled well against their vaunted opposition. At least until Thomas Deng, their Australia centre back, sliced a clearance against a post.
It rebounded kindly into the path of Duran, and the floodgates were opened. It was the first of two for the Colombian striker. Mane added a second not long after.
Kouta Watanabe summed up Yokohama’s travails. He meant well, and got himself a goal – the only one anyone managed against the Saudi sides. But he also picked up two yellow cards and was sent off.
It was all so easy for the Riyadh-based team, Ronaldo even had a little sit down on the advertising board after his goal. He might have been having a rest ahead of time.
When he was substituted in the 67th minute he was limping, having been felled in a collision with the Yokohama goalkeeper.
His continued participation in the tournament did not seem to be a concern, though. Rather Stefano Pioli, the manager, was putting him on ice ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final.
Nassr will play the winner of the Sadd game against Kawasaki, while Hilal and Ahli will meet in the first semi-final on Tuesday evening.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
MATCH INFO
Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE%20SPECS
%3Cp%3EEngine%3A%203-litre%20V6%20turbo%20(standard%20model%2C%20E-hybrid)%3B%204-litre%20V8%20biturbo%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20350hp%20(standard)%3B%20463hp%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20467hp%20(S)%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20500Nm%20(standard)%3B%20650Nm%20(E-hybrid)%3B%20600Nm%20(S)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh368%2C500%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Simran
Director Hansal Mehta
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey
Three stars
ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars
- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes
- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts
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
