DUBAI // As the Pro League approaches the midway stage, the defending champions, Al Ain, seem firmly ensconced at the top, already.
Their challengers have not quite given up hopes of winning the league plate, but they concede Cosmin Olaroiu's juggernaut might be unstoppable.
There is a more open and engrossing battle for the league's individual honours, though.
Al Ain's Asamoah Gyan, winner of last season's golden boot with 21 goals, is leading the scoring charts again.
The Ghanaian has found the net in each of Al Ain's 11 matches this season and has 20 goals.
In any other season, such a blitz would have assured Gyan of a comfortable lead at the top of the scorers' list, but Grafite is making sure it is not a one-man parade.
The Brazilian striker, who scored 30 goals in all competitions for Al Ahli last season, had promised a similar tally before the start of the campaign.
"I believe I can score 30 goals again, or even 35 this season," he said in September. "I have the quality to score more and that's what I work for."
He is delivering on that promise.
Grafite, 33, has played one fewer game than Gyan and has 17 goals.
He has also scored three hat-tricks this season, all of them against sides considered "big" - Al Ain, Al Wahda and Al Shabab.
Riding on his prolific form, Al Ahli have climbed to second on the points table.
Quique Sanchez Flores has no qualms in declaring Grafite as a more valuable player than Gyan.
"Of course we rely on him," said Sanchez Flores, the Ahli coach. "Every club has players they rely on more than others - Al Ain have Gyan, Al Wasl have Emiliano Alfaro. But from my point of view, Grafite is better than Gyan."
Gyan, however, is not interested in these comparisons. "Grafite is a very good striker, a top player," the Ghanian told the Arabic daily Emarat Al Youm yesterday.
The Al Ain striker noted that Grafite led the Bundesliga with 28 goals for Wolfsburg in 2008/09 "playing in one of the toughest, defensively strong leagues in the world".
"So he is a player of great value, but I am not interested in these comparisons. My only concern is to help my team win and that is what I have come here for - to win trophies," Gyan said.
Grafite has the same desire, and the Brazilian will be hoping he can get on the score sheet again at Ajman tonight and help Ahli stay in second with three more points in the bank.
The visitors will be missing their Chilean playmaker Luis Jimenez through suspension.
Ahmed Khalil, the UAE striker, will get his third start of the season.
Ajman already have beaten Ahli this season, in the Etisalat Cup, and Abdulwahab Abdulqadir is hoping for a repeat, especially after their confidence-boosting draw at Al Nasr last week. "In my opinion, Ahli are the best team in Dubai this season and credit for that goes to their Spanish coach Sanchez Flores," said the Ajman coach.
"They are very different to the team we saw last season, but our recent results have given our players a lot confidence going into this game.
"So, while we respect Ahli, we are not scared of them and we will go all out for a positive result."
arizvi@thenational.ae
Brief scores:
Huesca 0
Real Madrid 1
Bale 8'
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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The Dictionary of Animal Languages
Heidi Sopinka
Scribe
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Remaining Fixtures
Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final
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)
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
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
