AL AIN // The Olympic team plan to take advantage of a weary North Korea side, who will be sapped by a long journey and the summer heat, when they play the second leg of their qualifier for the London 2012 Olympics at the Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium tonight.
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Last Updated: June 23, 2011 UAE
The UAE FA wasn't happy with the name which it led it to dissolve the PRO league as officials maintain that everything else remains the same. Also, more from Wimbledon, where Serena gets emotional after her win while Djokovic celebrates his.
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UAE ready to wrap up Olympic tie with North Korea Our players are recovered and ready, says coach Ali, as a draw will sufficient against their jet-lagged rivals unaccustomed to high temperatures. Read article
Big spending on teenage talent not always wise for Premier League clubs Read article
Mahdi Ali's team hold a one-goal lead from Sunday's first leg in Pyongyang and only need a draw to progress to the Asian group stage starting in September.
While Ali's team were able to acclimatise for the match in Korea by travelling to China 12 days in advance of the tie for a training camp, the Koreans arrived in the capital on Tuesday after a 20-hour flight. "The players are still recovering," Kim Myong Chol, the Korea media officer, said. "The weather is also very hot and it will be a very difficult game for us as we are already one goal down.
"But that is not going to prevent us from playing an attacking game. And our players also have the will to win."
Although the fitness levels of the UAE team will also be tested by the plus 30°C temperature at kick-off time, Ali knows his side do not have to chase the game.
"The weather conditions will have an effect on players from both teams," Ali said. "It is all about mental strength and my players may be mentally more prepared than the Koreans.
"I wouldn't know for sure but we are well prepared to play under any conditions.
"All the players are ready. They have recovered well from our journey to North Korea after a short camp in China. We also play against a team we are now more familiar with and better prepared for it.
"Of course, we have a slight advantage going into this game with a one-goal lead and playing at home, but we are still not in the comfort zone.
"Our game plan has and will always be as it has been in the last five years under me. We play to win.
"We may make a few adjustments tactically to have a balanced approach with the attack and defence, yet winning will be our objective."
Ali has a full squad at his disposal and is expected to field the same line-up that won on Sunday.
The Koreans have also arrived with their strongest squad after reporting no new injury concerns after the shock home defeat. They know they need to score if they are to stand any chance of progressing.
"The UAE defence was solid when we played them at home," Kim said. "They also had some players with high individual skills. These are areas we have been working on for this away game."
The winner of this tie will advance to the group stage in which 12 teams will be divided into three groups with the top team from each earning direct qualification for the London Games next year. The runners up will go into a play-off round - at a neutral venue - and the winner will then play a two-legged qualifier against Africa's fourth-place team.
apassela@thenational.ae
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Scoreline
Arsenal 3
Aubameyang (28'), Welbeck (38', 81')
Red cards: El Neny (90' 3)
Southampton 2
Long (17'), Austin (73')
Red cards: Stephens (90' 2)
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
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- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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.”
Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
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What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
