Bert van Marwijk says he has had a “good feeling” about the UAE national team since his return as manager, as preparations continue for the resumption of World Cup qualification in June.
The Dutchman is enjoying his second stint with the side having reprised the role in December by succeeding Jorge Luis Pinto. It marked almost a full year to the day after his first spell in charged ended.
Van Marwijk, 68, is currently overseeing his third training camp since his reappointment, with this summer’s rescheduled World Cup qualifiers the focus. The latest get-together concludes on Monday with a friendly against India.
Asked on Saturday at the Zabeel Stadium what has pleased him most about the UAE squad since his return, Van Marwijk said: “I think they have improved. Because we worked with a lot of young players and I saw that they were physically stronger and they have gotten better. It’s given me a good feeling.”
Earlier this month, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided that all Group G's remaining fixtures would be staged in Dubai from June 3-15, to help negate travel restrictions put in place because of the pandemic.
Currently fourth in the five-team group, the UAE have four matches to play compared to each of the other sides’ three. They sit five points off leaders Vietnam, whom they face in the final qualifier on June 15.
Strangely, given the ongoing impact of the pandemic, Van Marwijk finds the UAE in exactly the same position as when he left in December 2019. The qualifiers have been repeatedly postponed, with the national team slated until last month to have a double-header this week against Malaysia and Indonesia. The Football Association has since won the right to host all eight outstanding games in Group G in June as the AFC opted for centralised venues.
Only the top team in each group are guaranteed to progress to the third round of qualification, although the four best runners-up advance also.
“We know our opponents because we played them one time already,” Van Marwijk said. “Originally we were to have three games at home, now we have four. So I think we have a good chance, because we know the opponents, we know how to play against them.
“And, if everybody stays fit … I cannot guarantee anything, but I think we have a good chance to qualify for the next round.”
Even so, Van Marwijk acknowledged the challenge provided by playing so many matches in such a short space of time. The UAE, set to gather for their final pre-qualifying camp on May 15 or 16, restart their campaign against Malaysia on June 3, then take on Thailand four days later and Indonesia on June 11 before meeting Vietnam.
“It’s very difficult, but I cannot change it. I have to deal with it,” Van Marwijk said. “We have already spoken about it with the whole staff and we will do everything as professional as possible. We will also invite a few people I know who are specialists in these things.
“Because our opponents play three matches in the same time, so it’s playing and recovering, playing and recovering. And then the climate. So we have to think very professionally and we will do that.”
Van Marwijk thanked the FA for allowing the national team time together for the trio of camps thus far this year, but said he did not envisage playing many friendlies in May in the build-up to the qualifiers. He said he prefers instead to use the time to work on playing style and tactics.
The former Netherlands and Saudi Arabia manager, a World Cup runner-up with his homeland in 2010 and mastermind of Saudi’s qualification to the 2018 finals, was however reluctant to be drawn on his decision once more not to select former captain Ismail Matar in his squad.
“I will not answer questions regarding why I nominate a player, yes or no,” Van Marwijk said. “I’m building a new team and in the new team are a lot of young players. I’m satisfied with the players I have now and I will work together with them hopefully for a long time.”
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Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
Sustainable Development Goals
1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere
2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation
10. Reduce inequality within and among countries
11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its effects
14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
Honeymoonish
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
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
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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
FA Cup quarter-final draw
The matches will be played across the weekend of 21 and 22 March
Sheffield United v Arsenal
Newcastle v Manchester City
Norwich v Derby/Manchester United
Leicester City v Chelsea
