LONDON // Brede Hangeland insists the Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed's decision to erect a statue of Michael Jackson outside Craven Cottage has the full support of the club's players.
Al Fayed will unveil the commemorative statue commissioned in memory of his friendship with the controversial singer before Sunday's Premier League clash with Blackpool.
It was due to be erected at Harrods before Al Fayed sold the Knightsbridge store and the decision to relocate it has been opposed by some fans.
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• Al Fayed blasts unappreciative Fulham fans at Michael Jackson statue unveiling
• Premier League club Fulham are April's fool
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However, Hangeland has reminded Al Fayed's critics of what the Egyptian has done for Fulham.
"Some of our players are Michael Jackson fans, some aren't, and that's the same in the general population," he said.
"His music has been on in the dressing room a couple of times. I'm sure we won when his music was played!
"Michael Jackson was a close friend of the chairman's and the chairman wanted to do this. It's something we as players respect.
"The chairman has done fantastic things for this club. We all owe him so much and he has been brilliant. So when he decided he wanted to do this we respected it.
"We have the deepest respect for everything about the chairman. If he wants to do this then it is all good.
"He comes in occasionally and talks to the players. He's a really nice guy and we all know what he has done for the club in my time here and long before I came.
"We all have a lot of good things to say about him. He has probably been the main factor in why the club has done well over the last 10 years or so."
Fulham occupy 13th place in the Premier League table but remain only three points above the relegation zone.
But with 35 points in the bank and eight games remaining - four of them at home where they are unbeaten in the league this year - they are well positioned to survive.
However, Hangeland insists the spectre of relegation remains very real.
"I always fear the drop until such time that we have enough points to rule that out," he said. "Apart from maybe five or six clubs in this league we all fear that.
"I certainly do and I will be very happy the day we have enough points this season. It is part of the pressure of being a Premier League footballer.
"There is the threat of relegation and you have to whatever you can to avoid it."
Hangeland admits he would have to consider his future at Craven Cottage if Fulham were relegated.
"It is something I haven't really thought about. I would like to think we won't go down," he said. "If that happened then I would have to think about things of course.
"But I love this club and I will do whatever I can to keep us in the Premier League."
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Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Cryopreservation: A timeline
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- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species
Camelpox
Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.
Falconpox
Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.
Houbarapox
Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.
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Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
RESULTS
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
TALE OF THE TAPE
Manny Pacquiao
Record: 59-6-2 (38 KOs)
Age: 38
Weight: 146lbs
Height: 166cm
Reach: 170cm
Jeff Horn
Record: 16-0-1 (11 KOs)
Age: 29
Weight: 146.2lbs
Height: 175cm
Reach: 173cm