No defence for Al Jazira, Al Ain look good for the title — President’s Cup talking points

After the President’s Cup round of 16, Amith Passela offers his take on the biggest talking points from the tournament.

No defence for Jazira

The shock early exits of the Abu Dhabi powerhouses Al Jazira and Al Wahda were the headline news of the President’s Cup round of 16 this week.

Jazira have invested heavily in on-field talent this season but ended up without any silverware in the three domestic competitions and missed an Asian Champions League qualification through the play-offs.

The results have cast a doubt on the future of their coach Eric Gerets, the Belgian who arrived from Qatari club Lekhwiya on a two-year deal last summer with the hopes of putting Jazira on a title path.

After coming up short, Gerets said he would wait for the verdict from the Jazira board, expected this week, on whether he will see out his contract at the Mohammed bin Zayed stadium next season.

Jazira’s main woe was their leaky defence and it would be too harsh to put the blame on Gerets even though he did his best to fix it with the limited resources at his disposal.

The foreign quartet had already been decided before Gerets’s arrival and they included the all-attack options of Mirko Vucinic, Manual Lanzini, Jonathan Pitroipa and Jucilei da Silva.

Jazira signed veteran centre-back Basheer Saeed, 34, from Al Ahli in the second half of the season but that, too, looked inadequate as the season progressed.

The defence line-up would be one of the main topics for discussion when the club management meet technical staff this week to evaluate the players and the team’s performances.

Al Jaber’s future

In the coming weeks Al Wahda will have to decide if they are going to continue with Sami Al Jaber, who took charge in mid-February after the club parted ways with the Portuguese Jose Peseiro.

The former Saudi Arabia international has since made clear that he “would love to continue” if provided the opportunity, despite Wahda’s first-round exit from the President’s Cup and fourth-place finish in the Arabian Gulf League.

Dubai sprang the biggest surprise when they sent Wahda packing in a penalty shoot-out 4-2 after a 2-2 draw.

They meet Al Ahli in the quarter finals.

Ahli are desperate to end their campaign on a high by winning the cup and with it a passage to the 2016 Asian Champions League. If they progress through the next two games a possible showdown with Al Ain also awaits, giving them one last chance this season to pit themselves against the team that deposed them as AGL champions.

Garden City side look strong

Al Ain proved they will be the team to beat with a five-star performance against the promoted Dibba Al Fujairah, hammering them 5-0.

It was the most impressive display of the eight games played over the weekend.

Next for the Garden City club is Al Nasr and it is hard to look beyond the Arabian Gulf League champions lifting another trophy before the end of the season on current form.

apassela@thenational.ae

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Champions League Last 16

Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER)

Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG)

Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED)

Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA)

Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG)

Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA)

Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG)

Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)

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Should late investors consider cryptocurrencies?

Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.

They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.

“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.

He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.

Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE

Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:

• Buy second hand stuff

They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.

• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres

Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.

• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.

Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.

• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home

Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.

START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME

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Forced%20Deportations

%3Cp%3EWhile%20the%20Lebanese%20government%20has%20deported%20a%20number%20of%20refugees%20back%20to%20Syria%20since%202011%2C%20the%20latest%20round%20is%20the%20first%20en-mass%20campaign%20of%20its%20kind%2C%20say%20the%20Access%20Center%20for%20Human%20Rights%2C%20a%20non-governmental%20organization%20which%20monitors%20the%20conditions%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20in%20Lebanon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20past%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20General%20Security%20was%20responsible%20for%20the%20forced%20deportation%20operations%20of%20refugees%2C%20after%20forcing%20them%20to%20sign%20papers%20stating%20that%20they%20wished%20to%20return%20to%20Syria%20of%20their%20own%20free%20will.%20Now%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20army%2C%20specifically%20military%20intelligence%2C%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20security%20operation%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Mohammad%20Hasan%2C%20head%20of%20ACHR.%3Cbr%3EIn%20just%20the%20first%20four%20months%20of%202023%20the%20number%20of%20forced%20deportations%20is%20nearly%20double%20that%20of%20the%20entirety%20of%202022.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESince%20the%20beginning%20of%202023%2C%20ACHR%20has%20reported%20407%20forced%20deportations%20%E2%80%93%20200%20of%20which%20occurred%20in%20April%20alone.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%20comparison%2C%20just%20154%20people%20were%20forcfully%20deported%20in%202022.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Violence%20

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