he public got exactly what they came for. Lionel Messi scored a 110th-minute winner as Barcelona beat Argentine side Estudiantes 2-1 at Zayed Sport City Stadium in Abu Dhabi to become the 2009 Fifa Club World Cup champions. Everyone, apart from the few Argentine fans in the stadium, went home happy.
The news last week that the UAE was awarded the hosting rights for the Fifa Club World Cups in 2017 and 2018, after it was held here in 2009 and 2010, will be music to the ears of those who experienced it first time.
And with the hosting of the 2019 Asian Cup confirmed as well, it looks like the UAE football scene will wrap up this decade in even more spectacular fashion than it did the last.
RELATED
– UAE to host Fifa Club World Cup in 2017 and 2018
– The Club World Cup’s welcome return
There is no guarantee that Messi will be back this time, or that Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo will make an appearance. But with the European champions almost certainly guaranteed, under the current Club World Cup format, a place in the final, the public is assured of at least two glimpses at potentially the world’s best group of players of that time.
As always, one of the big questions remains to what extent fans in the country embrace this tournament.
For European clubs, the Club World Cup will always play second, or even third, fiddle to the Uefa Champions League. South American teams tend take it more seriously, and perhaps so should local fans. Recent history indicates they will.
After all, how often do you get to watch the world’s finest talent at your doorstep?
When Messi chested in that late goal in extra time in December 2009, a crowd of just over 43,000 had descended on Zayed Sports City, mostly in the colours of Barcelona.
An impressive turnout, certainly for a football match in this region, although it must be remembered that Barcelona had just come off winning five trophies and Messi was already being hailed the world’s best player. Anything less than that would have been a slight on the achievements of Pep Guardiola’s record-breakers.
Some of the earlier matches of the 2009 Club World Cup understandably drew less interest, including the ones with Emirati participation as Al Ahli represented the UAE in 2009.
With the European and South American champions earning a bye into the semi-finals, the two quarter-finals attracted 7,000 and 10,000. Those numbers rose considerably in the semi-finals to 22,000 and more than 40,000 for Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Mexico’s Atlante, in which Sergio Busquets, Pedro and Messi scored.
The average attendance for the tournament, not including the fifth- and third-place play-offs, was approximately 23,000. That spiked to just under 29,000 in 2010, with Inter Milan’s 3-0 win over TP Mazembe in the final – Rafa Benitez’s last act with the Italian giants – attracting almost 42,000.
The matches had been played at Sheikh Zayed Sports City and Al Jazira’s Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, both in Abu Dhabi.
It remains to be seen which venues will be used for the upcoming competition, but there will surely be a temptation to have at least some matches at Al Ain’s new Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, which opened a year ago.
The state-of-the-art stadium’s 25,000 all-seater would be ideal for the play-off and quarter-final matches, which in the past have attracted less than that capacity.
Then there is the matter of Emirati participation, with the host country entering its domestic champions from the previous season. In 2009, Al Ahli lost 2-0 to Auckland City in the quarter-final play-off and were eliminated immediately.
A year later, Al Wahda fared slightly better. They beat Hekari United of Papua New Guinea 3-0 in the play-off before losing their quarter-final 4-1 to South Korea’s Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, eventually finishing sixth. Should Al Ain – favourites to win this season’s Arabian Gulf League – continue their domination in the coming seasons, this would potentially throw up the possibility of the country’s best footballer, Omar Abdulrahman, on the same pitch as the likes of Messi, Ronaldo or Bayern Munich’s Arjen Robben.
akhaled@thenational.ae
Follow us at our new home on Twitter @NatSportUAE
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
A Prayer Before Dawn
Director: Jean-Stephane Sauvaire
Starring: Joe Cole, Somluck Kamsing, Panya Yimmumphai
Three stars
A%20Little%20to%20the%20Left
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMax%20Inferno%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PC%2C%20Mac%2C%20Nintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
MATCH INFO
Austria 2
Hinteregger (53'), Schopf (69')
Germany 1
Ozil (11')
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
The%20trailblazers
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Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%203%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Einer%20Rubio%20(COL)%20Movistar%20Team%20-%204h51%E2%80%9924%E2%80%9D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20-%2014%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20-%2015%22%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20classifications%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders)%20-%207%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pello%20Bilbao%20(ESP)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20-%2011%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
The specs: 2018 Range Rover Velar R-Dynamic HSE
Price, base / as tested: Dh263,235 / Dh420,000
Engine: 3.0-litre supercharged V6
Power 375hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque: 450Nm @ 3,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.4L / 100kms
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
Results
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m
Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
RIDE%20ON
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RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
SPEC%20SHEET
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%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
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Company%20Profile
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Astroworld
Travis Scott
Grand Hustle/Epic/Cactus Jack
