ABU DHABI // The UAE Football Association are backing the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Mohammed Bin Hammam to remain in Fifa's Executive Committee after Bahrain's football chief Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa launched a campaign to unseat him from that post.
Mohammed Khalfan al Rumaithi, the president of the UAE FA, said: "We recognise his contributions in the development of the sport and we see him as the right man to carry on with the job. It is not only us, there are several other associations backing him.
"There is no harm in backing the man you want in an election. I don't think there will have any negative consequences whoever succeeds. It is quite unfortunate there are two nominations from the same region but let democracy takes it course."
It is the first time that the Qatari Bin Hammam has faced a challenge since his election to the Fifa seat in 1996.
The AFC congress will vote on the four Asian places for the Fifa seat on May 8 and Bin Hammam and Al Khalifa will contest the West Asian candidacy.
Bin Hammam was confident of retaining his seat and stated the UAE FA's backing came at the most critical time.
"There are several associations that have stepped forward in support and I am quite confident the majority will be on my side."
apassela@thenational.ae
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Du Plessis plans his retirement
South Africa captain Faf du Plessis said on Friday the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in two years' time will be his last.
Du Plessis, 34, who has led his country in two World T20 campaigns, in 2014 and 2016, is keen to play a third but will then step aside.
"The T20 World Cup in 2020 is something I'm really looking forward to. I think right now that will probably be the last tournament for me," he said in Brisbane ahead of a one-off T20 against Australia on Saturday.
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MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
