Paris, Munich and FC Hollywood syndrome
It’s a while since Bayern Munich shrugged off the nickname "FC Hollywood", a tag their executives disliked because it referred to clashes among the oversized egos that seemed to pepper the life of the club. When men like Lothar Matthaus and Jurgen Klinsmann were rubbing each other up the wrong way, the phrase was in common use.
It came up again when Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben came to blows at half-time in a Uefa Champions League semi-final. The world knew why. The two wingers had indiscreetly fought over who was going to take a direct free-kick. They took the bust-up into the dressing-room.
Ribery and Robben are still colleagues, five years on, still match-winners well into their 30s, in a Bayern attack which never has enough space for all the talents on the staff to get as much action as they want. That’s life at a superclub, as Paris Saint-Germain are learning.
PSG is football’s new Hollywood. Eight days ago, they put on display the unedifying spectacle of an on-the-pitch dispute between Neymar and Edinson Cavani over who was going to take a penalty. Peace has been declared. It remains to be seen how enduring it is, and if PSG’s individual brilliance can ally with team spirit enough to conquer Bayern.
Chelsea’s Wanda wander through their past
The English champions are the guests for the first Champions League fixture at Atletico Madrid’s new Wanda-Metropolitano stadium. Diego Costa, who has just rejoined Atletico from Chelsea, is expected in the audience, eagerly awaiting his third spell at Atletico, which can only begin in the new year because of Atletico’s Fifa-imposed registration ban.
On the pitch, other Chelsea Exes will be hoping to show Atletico have a happy knack of getting more out of players than Chelsea can.
Witness Filipe Luis, the admired left-back, a totemic figure for an Atletico who have reached two of the last four Champions League finals. Filipe spent a frustrating year feeling undervalued at Chelsea before being welcomed back.
And what price a telling cameo from Fernando Torres, who put behind him a wretched four seasons at Chelsea to enjoy a late-career renaissance at the Atletico he grew up supporting?
Bale vs Bartra, the sequel
Gareth Bale’s most memorable moment as Real Madrid’s costliest footballer remains the startling, 60-yard sprint and finish to win the 2104 Copa del Rey final against Barcelona. Outrun and humbled for most of those yards was a young defender, Marc Bartra.
Bartra recovered his poise enough to become part of a dynamic Borussia Dortmund, where admiration has grown for him since he bravely came back from the physical and psychological scars of last April’s bomb attack on the team bus. The blast broke his wrist.
Batra hopes to make his first start in the Champions League since then as Dortmund host Madrid. Bale hopes to quieten recent criticism of his input at Madrid, and for more with iconic moments like the gallop that left Bartra in his wake.
Neuer’s long shadow and jittery German keepers
Manuel Neuer has injured his foot. His metatarsal problem will keep him out of action until 2018 - a setback for Bayern Munich, his club, and a concern for Germany, in case complications extend his absence too far into a World Cup year.
But it’s an opportunity, if someone can just take it. Bayern have been talking up Sven Ulreich, who deputises for Neuer, and faces a huge test at PSG on Wednesday. Alas, Ulreich made a conspicuous mistake against Wolfsburg on Friday night. Not the best build-up.
He’s not the only German goalkeeper under scrutiny. PSG’s Kevin Trapp was supposed to a potential Neuer heir. But Trapp is losing an ongoing battle with Alphonse Areola to be his club’s number one.
An unpredictable rotation policy meanwhile governs the young German keeper at Liverpool. Loris Karius was preferred to Simon Mignolet, the Belgian, in the opening Champions League group game against Sevilla, but has been on the bench for all but one match so far in the Premier League.
Amid these uncertainties, Barcelona’s Marc-Andre ter Stegen alone advances his reputation as Germany’s New Neuer.
Red Alert in Red Square
Whenever fans of Liverpool and Manchester United are in the same city, police in the north-west of England take precautions. The prospect of their coinciding in the capital of Russia has authorities wary.
With Liverpool at Spartak Moscow on Tuesday and United at CSKA on Wednesday, the calendar has thrown up a 36 hours that will be watched with nervous interest, bearing in mind that last summer followers of Russia and England clashed violently at Euro 2016, and there are legitimate security concerns ahead of next summer’s World Cup in Russia.
UK%20-%20UAE%20Trade
%3Cp%3ETotal%20trade%20in%20goods%20and%20services%20(exports%20plus%20imports)%20between%20the%20UK%20and%20the%20UAE%20in%202022%20was%20%C2%A321.6%20billion%20(Dh98%20billion).%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThis%20is%20an%20increase%20of%2063.0%20per%20cent%20or%20%C2%A38.3%20billion%20in%20current%20prices%20from%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20was%20the%20UK%E2%80%99s%2019th%20largest%20trading%20partner%20in%20the%20four%20quarters%20to%20the%20end%20of%20Q4%202022%20accounting%20for%201.3%20per%20cent%20of%20total%20UK%20trade.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3ECompany%20name%3A%20Znap%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarted%3A%202017%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFounder%3A%20Uday%20Rathod%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EBased%3A%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIndustry%3A%20FinTech%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EFunding%20size%3A%20%241m%2B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EInvestors%3A%20Family%2C%20friends%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets