Like the majority of us, presumably, Javier Aguirre is in reflective mood.
The coronavirus and its lockdown has brought that upon him, a time in which he has been confined to his home in Madrid, removed from his normal role as Leganes manager and a football career that spans 40-plus years. From family, too.
One of Aguirre’s three sons lives elsewhere in Madrid, but given the restrictions enforced by the pandemic, hasn’t been able to meet. The other two reside in their native Mexico.
For Aguirre, the boys are what’s important right now. They’re what he misses most.
“It’s very difficult. Very difficult,” Aguirre says by phone, moments after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Spain’s residents could leave their homes to exercise for the first time in almost two months.
“We are in contact every day, or every couple of days, and on Fridays we have a family reunion on Zoom. But it’s not the same. I miss the guys … I miss them. At this time I’m very sensitive. I just think about hugging my children.”
Aguirre has been thinking also about sacrifices made for football, those family occasions missed because of a commitment to his profession. Birthdays and bereavements. He lost both his parents while carving a coaching career across five continents, a journey that included a two-year stop in Abu Dhabi with Al Wahda from 2015. He’s lost siblings.
Now 61, Aguirre has always recognised life’s priorities. But the current crisis has reinforced them.
“If I say I don’t want to go back to training, or want to turn away from football, it’s not fair,” he says. “Because there’s a lot of people in much worse situations than us. I have a beautiful apartment in Madrid. I have money. I’m OK. My family’s OK.
“But there’s more than 20,000 Spanish people to have died so far. Also many in my country, Mexico, and in the whole world. The United States; England. It’s unbelievable. And how can I be so selfish to think about my job, about football?
“Sometimes I say ‘You know Javier, enough is enough. You're a privileged guy’. So stop now to think about football. Stop now to think about the three points of the next game. It’s difficult. It’s a kind of rollercoaster. Sometimes you are up and sometimes you are down. Oof … difficult. Very difficult.”
Being so close to the devastation in Spain, one of the worst affected countries by the coronavirus, has exacerbated his frame of mind.
“One of our security guards in the team died, 54 years old,” Aguirre says. “Also, the general director was in hospital. It’s really awful, terrible for us to continue like nothing happened, smiling, ‘Oh yes, Leganes …’. No.
“I don’t know, how do I say? From that point, there’s a before and after. I cannot think about my sport and my life the same way I did two months ago. Trust me.”
It’s natural his outlook on football has changed. How could it not?
“For sure,” Aguirre says. “Because I've been working 19, 20 years outside my country, and in that time my dad and my mum died, two of my brothers died. I missed a lot of social events and family events.
“When I was in Abu Dhabi, I lost my mum and I tried to go to Mexico, but it was impossible with flights and I was in the middle of the season. My mum is in the hospital and I’m thinking ‘OK, she will be better, no problem’. But no, she died.
“Six months later my sister died also. It was very difficult on me. And I thought is this important to work in Abu Dhabi for the money and you lost your mum and your sister and you can’t say at least ‘Go in peace, I love you, mum; I love you, sister’, or give your kid the last kiss in your life.
“Now I have a big responsibility with my three boys so - of course I care about Leganes, of course I’m professional, of course I want to close a successful career - but the biggest challenge I have is to make sure my three boys are good guys, good human beings.”
Aguirre’s typically irrepressible laugh is less frequent, but still it peppers 45 minutes from Madrid to Dubai that whizz by.
“Now my wife wants to be a grandmum,” he chuckles. “The three boys have girlfriends. I’m saying not to push them. But I don’t know ... I’m a different man right now. A different man. I have to be."
More introspective, evidently.
“I’m 61 and my career is almost over," Aguirre says. "And although I say ‘No problem, I’m still young’, I’m in the last third of my life, no doubt about it. So I want to do a lot of things. Life is to enjoy and sometimes I put my sport in front of everything, so wow, I have some kind of regrets.
“If I have something personal now, 100 per cent, I will put that first ahead of any game, any money, any salary. If I have to leave Madrid because I have to go back to Mexico for any personal reason I will do it tomorrow. I cancel my contract.”
Not that Aguirre takes for granted the opportunity at Leganes. He has relished the role he took up way back in November before the crisis developed, when the former Osasuna, Atletico Madrid, Zaragoza and Espanyol manager answered another SOS – Save Our Season.
At the time, Leganes were rooted to the bottom of La Liga with five points from 12 matches. When the Spanish top flight shut down in March, and having taken 18 points from 15 matches, they had jumped one spot. Currently three points from safety, Aguirre's men have tasted defeat three times in 12 league games.
Like their peers, Leganes were allowed last week to return to limited training following the easing of some restrictions by the government, as La Liga's organisers aim for a restart next month. Just Thursday, Aguirre cited June 20 for its resumption.
During lockdown, the Leganes physical coach had been in regular contact with the players, holding daily fitness sessions online with the group. Aguirre sometimes popped on, preferring instead to check in regularly by phone with his senior players.
But he is worried. Worried that, for the first time as a manager, he doesn’t have a concrete schedule; worried, not just about the physical condition of his players, but the mental toll of the shutdown.
“Look, I’m 61, my wife is 60, normal couple, blah, blah, blah,” Aguirre says. “But imagine I have two players, 19-20, single, they don’t belong to Madrid, their family is in Andalusia. So they’ve a lot of problems.
“Imagine these guys alone, they cannot go outside to do anything. So imagine how the guy is feeling every day, how the guy is living. You can depress yourself.
“I’ve never as a coach worked with psychologists, because one of my strengths is I talk a lot with my players - I’m an old man, so I can have that conversation. But now a couple of players will need help professionally.
“And also we’re in the relegation zone, so imagine that our first game you have to win, then go to Barcelona. It is difficult. So difficult.”
That first fixture is drawing ever nearer. Aguirre has exhausted his planning for the rescheduled home match with Real Valladolid – “I know everything about them” – assessing many of their matches by video.
He has watched back all of his with Leganes, still ruing the sale of Martin Braithwaite to Barcelona and Youssef En Nesyri to Sevilla. It robbed Aguirre of his two main forwards, meaning offensive issues remain despite the morale-boosting 2-1 victory at Villarreal before football was halted.
He understands the yearning for La Liga’s return; that people in Spain “are starving to watch a live game”. Yet he knows its place in the wider context, too.
“Honestly, I’d be happy only if, this bloody virus, if we could find the vaccine to kill it,” Aguirre says. “Other things are secondary for me. First of all is people’s health, the humanity.
“And then the second part, my job is football, OK, I can do my job. But first of all I’m thinking of that family who has lost someone. In the whole world around 200,000 people have died. Like a big, big war. Huge numbers.”
Still, a resumption of the league - without fans in attendance - looks likely, even if Aguirre felt cancellation, with the new season not beginning until January, was the best way forward.
Inevitably, the potential return fosters several concerns. Safety at matches, for one.
“I don’t want to go play if there’s any risk to anybody,” Aguirre says. “Coaches, staff, security people, players, referees. Imagine we brought a new escalation of the virus. We spend three months trying to control it and in two weekends, boom.
“The virus is still killing. First of all, it should be people’s health, people’s lives. First. In front of everything.”
People first. Family in front of everything. Kept away from his sons, Aguirre has found comfort as he normally does in wife Silvia. Confined to their apartment for the best part of six weeks, they play cards, watch Netflix, read.
Silvia cut her husband’s hair; in return, he gave her a manicure. Aguirre doesn’t do anything in the kitchen, content to concede Silvia’s the expert. They dance. They sing karaoke. They have the online reunions with the boys.
Together 40 years, the lockdown has underlined how those closest are what truly matter most. It is a weighty endorsement of the Aguirre family unit.
"I need more hours with my wife," Aguirre chortles, that infectious, full laugh returning. “I’m crazy, I know that. But it’s true.”
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE BIO
Age: 30
Favourite book: The Power of Habit
Favourite quote: "The world is full of good people, if you cannot find one, be one"
Favourite exercise: The snatch
Favourite colour: Blue
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJune%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohammed%20Alnamara%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMicrofinance%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E16%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeries%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFamily%20offices%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Quick%20facts
%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EStorstockholms%20Lokaltrafik%20(SL)%20offers%20free%20guided%20tours%20of%20art%20in%20the%20metro%20and%20at%20the%20stations%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20tours%20are%20free%20of%20charge%3B%20all%20you%20need%20is%20a%20valid%20SL%20ticket%2C%20for%20which%20a%20single%20journey%20(valid%20for%2075%20minutes)%20costs%2039%20Swedish%20krone%20(%243.75)%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ETravel%20cards%20for%20unlimited%20journeys%20are%20priced%20at%20165%20Swedish%20krone%20for%2024%20hours%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EAvoid%20rush%20hour%20%E2%80%93%20between%209.30%20am%20and%204.30%20pm%20%E2%80%93%20to%20explore%20the%20artwork%20at%20leisure%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Kia Picanto
Price: From Dh39,500
Engine: 1.2L inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Four-speed auto
Power: 86hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 122Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0L / 100km
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
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
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
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.
FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBader%20Samreen%20(8-0-0)%20v%20Jose%20Paez%20Gonzales%20(16-2-2)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20flyweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3ESultan%20Al%20Nuaimi%20(9-0-0)%20v%20Jemsi%20Kibazange%20(18-6-2)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECruiseweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Bekdash%20(25-0-0)%20v%20Musa%20N%E2%80%99tege%20(8-4-0)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20featherweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBishara%20Sabbar%20(6-0-0)%20v%20Mohammed%20Azahar%20(8-5-1)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMarwan%20Mohamad%20Madboly%20(2-0-0)%20v%20Sheldon%20Schultz%20(4-4-0)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EYoussef%20Karrar%20(1-0-0)%20v%20Muhammad%20Muzeei%20(0-0-0)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EBenyamin%20Moradzadeh%20(0-0-0)%20v%20Rohit%20Chaudhary%20(4-0-2)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EYousuf%20Ali%20(2-0-0)%20(win-loss-draw)%20v%20Alex%20Semugenyi%20(0-1-0)%0D%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Christopher%20McQuarrie%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tom%20Cruise%2C%20Hayley%20Atwell%2C%20Pom%20Klementieff%2C%20Simon%20Pegg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Bio
Born in Dibba, Sharjah in 1972.
He is the eldest among 11 brothers and sisters.
He was educated in Sharjah schools and is a graduate of UAE University in Al Ain.
He has written poetry for 30 years and has had work published in local newspapers.
He likes all kinds of adventure movies that relate to his work.
His dream is a safe and preserved environment for all humankind.
His favourite book is The Quran, and 'Maze of Innovation and Creativity', written by his brother.
RACE CARD AND SELECTIONS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
The National selections
5pm: RB Hot Spot
5.30pm: Dahess D’Arabie
6pm: Taamol
6.30pm: Rmmas
7pm: RB Seqondtonone
7.30pm: AF Mouthirah
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Favourite book: ‘The Art of Learning’ by Josh Waitzkin
Favourite film: Marvel movies
Favourite parkour spot in Dubai: Residence towers in Jumeirah Beach Residence