As the fluid green mosh-pit flowed down the stairwells and through the concourses at the back of King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, more than one Al Ahli Saudi supporter appeared to be overcome by it all.
Noise was bouncing off the walls and off the roof, and fans were hanging from rafters, or wherever they could get a vantage of the party. It was limbs, Jeddah style.
And it was too much for some. One young supporter was sat propped up next to a wall near a concession stand, with his friends trying to help him get cool.
An old man in a crisp white thobe leaned down and gave him the blue fizzy drink he had in his hand as he walked past.
The kid uttered a grateful “shukran” and did his best to get back in the game. The best he could manage was to sit up straight, raise his smartphone, and start recording the action as it waved its way past.
No Al Ahli fans wanted to miss this. “I came 1,000 kilometres from the north of Saudi Arabia, and have just one flight,” said Mohammed Ahmed, an Ahli fan who has been exiled to Neom. “I don’t have a ticket back. I will go back with the cup.”
It is what they are all hoping for. On Saturday night, at the same stadium – their 63,000-capacity home ground – they will get the chance to play to be champions of Asia for the first time.
They have already downed one of the two Saudi clubs to have achieved that feat before. The 3-1 win against Riyadh giants Al Hilal on Tuesday night was what prompted all this mania.
Al Ittihad, their city rivals, and the side who seem likely to win the Saudi Pro League this season, are the other. Ahli themselves have twice fallen at the final hurdle, having lost finals in 1986 and 2012.
The last great season the club had was in 2016, when they claimed a treble of domestic titles under the management of Christian Gross. Now they are craving continental glory, and their fans are going wild for it.
“The saying ‘the 12th man got us over the line’, which is the fans, comes into play,” Ivan Toney, Ahli’s English striker, said. “When you hear them there, it’s crazy.”
Ahead of the semi-final against Hilal, the players undertook their custom of lining up on the 18-yard line, arms across each other’s shoulder, and stared into their massed fans.
The blocks immediately behind the goal are set aside for the most fervent, and admission is tightly monitored.
The section has a heavy police presence – even though outward aggression is basically nil. Hilal fans, for instance, could pass through the Ahli section of the ground unhindered.
Although one side of the ground was green, and the other blue, there was no segregation in the concourses.
To enter the ultras section, fans had to pass through a checkpoint monitored by security guards, and use an airport-style, thumbprint scanner. Presumably the scan reveals whether they are suitably hardcore, and that their blood is green.
Matthias Jaissle, the manager who has masterminded Ahli’s march to the final, rarely fails to reference the fans. They are, it seems, as much part of his team as the players.
“I’m so, so proud of the performance from each player, how we were doing as a team, as a unit, together,” Jaissle said after the semi-final.
“Also, the fans here in the stadium totally deserved a win. We knew it was going to be a really hard fight against Al Hilal, but I'm really happy how we dealt with that.
“Now we have to focus on the final. We made it and there’s still a step to go. We had the approach to take it step by step.
“Now we are there, at home in Jeddah, and the focus needs to be that we make that final step successfully.”
If Ahli reproduce the form they did in dispatching Hilal when they play the final, it is difficult to see them being stopped.
In fact, the game was only settled late into injury time, when substitute Feras Al Buraikan made it 3-1.
At that point, the Hilal end emptied, to the amusement of the Ahli fans. In truth, it should have been done and dusted far earlier, such was their dominance.
Roberto Firmino and Toney gave them a two-goal cushion early. Toney had the ball in the net three times, but the latter two were chalked off for offside.
Franck Kessie had a penalty saved. They hit the post a number of times. They were irresistible.
“It shows the quality we have,” Toney said. “We are all excited, we are all happy, but there is obviously one more step that we need to make, and I think we can do that.
“Hopefully we can make that step and win but obviously it is a big task. We will go into it with a good frame of mind.”
Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
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How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RACE CARD
4pm Al Bastakiya – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Dubai City Of Gold – Group 2 (TB) $228,000 (Turf) 2,410m
5.10pm Mahab Al Shimaal – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta – Group 1 (TB) $260,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 – Group 1 (TB) $390,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Nad Al Sheba – Group 3 (TB) $228,000 (T) 1,200m
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
More about Middle East geopolitics
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if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
