Thousands of Emirati supporters have descended on Doha, turning the city centre all white ahead of the national team’s World Cup qualifier play-off campaign.
The UAE allocation of around 5,000 tickets for the opening fixture of the three-team competition, against Oman at the 15,000-capacity Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on Saturday night, is sold out.
The winner of the three-team group, which also involves hosts Qatar, will qualify for the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico next year.
For the UAE, that would be a first appearance since 1990. Qatar played in the last one as hosts, while Oman have yet to make it to a World Cup.
Given what is at stake, as well as the proximity to the UAE, the appetite for fans to show their support has been massive.
Thousands have made use of the various flights that have been specially arranged for fans from various airports across the Emirates.
Hundreds more have made the 700km drive to get there, with the football authorities coordinating with the land border officials to ease entry, according to the UAE Football Association.
Fans who collected their match tickets in person from the UAE FA delegation at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Doha were given scarves and gifts to thank them for their support.
The fans later on Friday night congregated in vast numbers at Souk Waqif, the marketplace in the centre of Qatar’s capital city.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak, the president of the UAE FA, wished the players success in the fixture against “their brotherly Omani counterpart”.
“The UAE football fans stand firmly behind the national team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup,” Sheikh Hamdan said.
“The team includes talented players armed with local and international experience, and these talents are capable of achieving their dreams.”
Khalid Essa, the UAE goalkeeper and captain, likened the feeling ahead of the play-off to the Gulf Cup. The regional competition evokes fierce support among fans of each of the nations.
When the UAE won the first of their two titles in that event in 2007, it coincidentally came with a win in the final against Oman.
That success, secured when Ismail Matar, the UAE’s star striker, scored the lone goal past Ali Al Habsi, Oman’s keeper who was playing club football in the English Premier League at that time, sparked days of celebration in the Emirates.
Essa acknowledges, though, that the rewards for success will be different this time around.
“It is like a mini Gulf Cup with different goals maybe, or maybe higher stakes than what you usually see in the Gulf Cup,” Essa said.
“Not that the Gulf Cup is something we underestimate. That is a championship of its own, a very strong championship with a legacy, and a long history amongst us as Gulf teams.
“But today is like a mini Gulf Cup but with different goals and objectives. And you know where this round is going to take you [to next summer’s World Cup].”
Fixtures between UAE and Oman are generally more cordial than those between the national team and the other side in the group, Qatar, for example.
It is often claimed that the fixture means more to Oman’s players, given the greater attention generally paid to UAE football.
Cosmin Olaroiu, the UAE coach, refuted the idea that his players will be any less motivated than their counterparts.
“I don’t [understand] why Omanis are used to playing this derby and Emiratis are not used to playing this derby,” Olaroiu said.
“If it is a derby between two teams, then both are used to playing this kind of competition and these kind of derbies.
“Of course, they will fight because for them is not less important than for us. We know they will fight, we saw the games they play.
“It’s a team that has a wonderful spirit, but of course, we have to fight back, and we have to fight more than them. And I think we are able to do this.”
Despacito's dominance in numbers
Released: 2017
Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon
Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube
Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification
Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.
Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester City, Tuesday, 11pm (UAE)
Matches can be watched on BeIN Sports
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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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.
