Pep Guardiola was fighting back tears. Diego Simeone could not help but giggle – two distinguished champions, nearly 2,000 kilometres apart, responding in different ways to an emotional last weekend of the domestic season.
“I don’t know why but I’m just laughing and laughing,” said Simeone, having just spent 67 of the previous 90 minutes watching his Atletico Madrid jeopardise their lead at the top of Spain’s first division, and almost ten years cultivating an image of grizzly, unsmiling toughness.
The release of tension can play all sorts of tricks. Guardiola's tears were brought on by the combination of supporters, at last, being present at the Etihad Stadium and the heartfelt goodbyes to Sergio Aguero, who had just played his last home match for Manchester City. The title already won, City's was a ceremonial last day, tears permitted.
Atletico’s D-day was about stress and suspense. In both the last two matches where they needed to win to stave off Real Madrid’s pursuit, Atletico fell behind. Twice they came back for 2-1 wins. Simeone may have been laughing, but only once the final whistle had gone at Valladolid, site of the conclusive comeback win.
It gave Atletico their second Liga title of the Simeone era. And it is an era. Nine and a half years is an extraordinarily long time for an elite coach to remain in charge of the same club. It is almost twice the time Guardiola has been at City, where he now counts as a long-term stayer. Both he and Simeone have come to define their clubs.
They are rarities for that, and will be rarer still by this time in a year, assuming they both remain in the jobs they are strongly committed to. A summer of major changes in the hottest of coaching hotseats is ahead, and the managerial merry-go-round was swinging into action within hours of the closing weekend of Europe’s top leagues.
Hansi Flick had already told Bayern Munich – the one club across the top six European leagues that retained their league title – that his 18-month, seven-trophy stint would be ending. Next onto the Bayern whirligig, their sixth coach since Guardiola left Munich in 2016, will be 33-year-old Julian Nagelsmann.
Flick is expected to take over the Germany national squad after the European championship. But he would know this is a good time in the marketplace to be at the peak of your coaching powers, with big jobs becoming vacant.
Christophe Galtier, who on Sunday guided Lille to the French league title, ahead of serial champions Paris-Saint-Germain, knows that too. The 54-year-old, a former assistant coach of Al Ain, already has offers from wealthier French clubs than Lille.
In Spain, Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane, who has finished a full season as coach without a trophy for the first time, are edging towards a break-up, with talks scheduled for this week. Barcelona's president and directors meanwhile contemplate whether Ronald Koeman, who won them the Copa del Rey but buckled in a tight Liga title-race, should see through the second year of his contract.
Koeman fears the signals are gloomy. “In the last part of the season I have not felt the club’s support,” said the Dutchman. There is within the boardroom a lobby in favour of the ex-Barcelona captain Xavi, under contract at Al Sadd in Qatar, his first coaching job. And also some interest in Mikel Arteta’s work at Arsenal, who finished eighth in the Premier League but whose points record over the second half of the season was bettered only by City and Manchester United.
In Italy’s Serie A, where a dramatic last day spared Juventus, the deposed champions, from the ignominy of finishing outside the top four – thanks to Napoli drawing at Verona – one head coach departed immediately.
Napoli’s Rino Gattuso knew it was coming. He now carries into his next job – and there will be offers – the bittersweet record of having missed out on Champions League football by a point with two clubs.
He did it at AC Milan in 2018 and now Napoli, who if they had held their 1-0 lead at Verona, would have stayed above Juventus, who will review Andrea Pirlo’s flawed debut season as coach amid strong doubts about Pirlo’s immediate future.
Roma, who finished seventh, said farewell to Paulo Fonseca and have installed Jose Mourinho for next season, where he will be guiding them into the inaugural Europa Conference League. The competition is unflatteringly described as Uefa’s ‘Third Division’, but is now spiced up by the prospect that, in it, Mourinho’s Roma might play Tottenham Hotspur, Mourinho’s most recent previous employer.
Who leads Spurs there is an open question. They are also seeking a new manager in a summer where the jostle to land the best will be intense.
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
Results
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (Dirt) 1,000m, Winner: Hazeem Al Raed, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 85,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: Ghazwan Al Khalediah, Hugo Lebouc, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Dinar Al Khalediah, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi.
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Faith And Fortune, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Only Smoke, Bernardo Pinheiro, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: AF Ramz, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
8pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 70,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mass, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel.
'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
MATCH INFO
Maratha Arabians 107-8 (10 ovs)
Lyth 21, Lynn 20, McClenaghan 20 no
Qalandars 60-4 (10 ovs)
Malan 32 no, McClenaghan 2-9
Maratha Arabians win by 47 runs
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The years Ramadan fell in May
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat