The Club World Cup is designed to celebrate football’s great variety. In the 17th edition, beginning in Doha on Thursday, it is the coaches who arrive with the broadest range of backstories, and in one or two cases, some unlikely routes to the Fifa showpiece.
The favourites? They are guided by a manager, Hansi Flick, who 15 months ago had never been head coach of any team in a top division. By August, he had led Bayern Munich to a Treble.
Flick will on Thursday evening discover whether his opposite number in Monday’s semi-final is to be Sabri Lamouchi, in charge of Al Duhail since October, from the host nation, or Pitso Mosimane, four months into his tenure at Africa’s champions, Al Ahly.
Lamouchi, the former France international, has moved a long distance since July, when in a surreal 20 minutes, he watched his Nottingham Forest squander a possible ticket into the English Premier League.
Mosimane has, meanwhile, taken an unexplored journey of 9,000 miles, from near Pretoria to lend his expertise to the Cairo giants.
He has had an even more garlanded 15 months than Flick. He arrived at Al Ahly in October, in time to wrap up the Egyptian Premier League, seize the domestic Cup, and to guide the now nine-time African club champions into the Caf Champions League final, where they beat fierce city rivals Zamalek. That’s just the half of it.
Mosimane had been headhunted from Sundowns, from his native South Africa, where he had already won a domestic Treble in 2019-20.
But ‘Jingles’ Mosimane, as he is known, has done more than simply pile up an extraordinary collection of silverware in an out-of-the-ordinary year. By moving to the most celebrated club in the Middle East, he has broken the mould.
In over a century, Al Ahly had never before employed a coach from sub-Saharan Africa. They have entrusted the huge pressures of the job to dozens of Europeans, to several inspiring Egyptians. But a club seeking to command Africa, where their most prestigious prizes are pursued, had not looked south – not until Mosimane’s candidacy became absolutely compelling.
Just over four years ago, Mosimane won the first of his two African Champions League titles as a coach, making history with Sundowns, only the second South African winners. He also has five domestic league titles to his name from his eight years with well-funded, easy-on-the-eye Sundowns.
Mosimane, 56, appreciates the appointment at Al Ahly means he is regarded as a pioneer. "I come from humble beginnings, from the township" he told reporters ahead of the Club World Cup. "I want to be able to say to a township boy now 'It is possible'." He quoted his most famous compatriot: "Nelson Mandela said, 'Things are impossible until someone does them.'"
Mosimane grew up in a South Africa were Mandela was in prison, and the discriminatory system of apartheid privileged a white minority.
It also left South Africa shunned and isolated, so there were huge hurdles for a talented striker, as Mosimane was for Sundowns and Orlando Pirates, to attract overseas attention. But he did, playing in Greece, Belgium and in the Gulf. He also won caps for the South Africa national team once, with Mandela released and steering the country towards democracy, it was allowed to compete internationally.
Mosimane later coached the national team – with less success than he has had managing clubs. His spell in charge of South Africa, alas, tends to be remembered for a very costly 45 minutes.
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Gallery: Al Ahly beat Zamalek in Caf Champions League final
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He, his players and his bosses all believed his team needed a draw at home to Sierra Leone to reach the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations. They played for a goalless 0-0 in the second half. They had not read the tournament regulations, and believed goal-difference, which South Africa had in their favour, rather than head-to-head tie-breakers, which they did not, would decide who went through from a tight group.
Mosimane, 56, bounced back from that embarrassment. Al Duhail’s Lamouchi hopes to put behind him the most damaging second-half of his managerial career.
The former Ivory Coast and Rennes coach will long be haunted by what happened to Forest on the last day of a season where he had kept them in the Championship’s top six for more than 200 days.
Going into the last match, they required a point to make the play-offs or simply to avoid a five-goal swing in goal-difference.
With less than 20 minutes left, at home to Stoke City, they turned a 1-1 stalemate into a 4-1 loss, heavy enough, combined with results elsewhere, to abruptly end their promotion bid. Lamouchi survived in the job, but only until October, when he headed to the Gulf to turn a new page.
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Gallery: Liverpool win 2019 Club World Cup
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Common to all models unless otherwise stated
Engine: 4-cylinder 2-litre T-GDi
0-100kph: 5.3 seconds (Elantra); 5.5 seconds (Kona); 6.1 seconds (Veloster)
Power: 276hp
Torque: 392Nm
Transmission: 6-Speed Manual/ 8-Speed Dual Clutch FWD
Price: TBC
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%3Cp%3EHigh%20fever%20(40%C2%B0C%2F104%C2%B0F)%3Cbr%3ESevere%20headache%3Cbr%3EPain%20behind%20the%20eyes%3Cbr%3EMuscle%20and%20joint%20pains%3Cbr%3ENausea%3Cbr%3EVomiting%3Cbr%3ESwollen%20glands%3Cbr%3ERash%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The bio
His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell
His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard
Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece
Favourite movie - The Last Emperor
Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great
Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Joe Root's Test record
Tests: 53; Innings: 98; Not outs: 11; Runs: 4,594; Best score: 254; Average: 52.80; 100s: 11; 50s: 27
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.
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
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
Frida%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ECarla%20Gutierrez%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Frida%20Kahlo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Keita 5', Firmino 26'
Porto 0
Zayed Sustainability Prize
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E470hp%2C%20338kW%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20620Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh491%2C500%20(estimate)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
