International football newboys Gibraltar were handed a dream draw in the Euro 2016 qualifiers on Sunday, as the continent’s leading sides avoided any stern tests.
Tiny Gibraltar, who played their first official friendly after being accepted as a Uefa member in November last year, were drawn in Group D in their first major competition.
There they will take on the might of Germany, who will be bidding to qualify for a 12th consecutive European Championship finals.
The British Overseas Territory were also drawn with Scotland, as well as the Republic of Ireland and Poland in what looks set to be an unforgiving section, but elsewhere Europe’s leading powers were largely spared.
England’s toughest game in Group E should come against Switzerland, while two-time defending European champions Spain will get their toughest matches against Ukraine and Slovakia in Group C.
However, the draw in Nice was a little less kind on the Netherlands, who must come up against the Czech Republic and Turkey in Group A, and Italy, who will tackle Croatia in Group H.
Euro 2016, which will be held in France, will see 24 nations advance to the finals for the first time in the history of the European Championship.
Only eight nations participated in the finals when France last hosted the competition in 1984, before the number of finalists was increased to 16 in 1996.
The decision to increase the number of finalists has been criticised by many who believe the quality of football on offer come the tournament itself will be diluted as a result.
However, the format means it seems almost certain that all Europe’s leading nations will be there along with the French, who qualify automatically as hosts.
The top two teams in each of the nine groups will advance to the finals along with the best third-placed side, while the remaining third-placed nations will play off for four more berths.
There are eight groups of six teams as well as one - Group I - that contains five nations. However, France are also allocated to that group and will play friendly matches against those teams, for which no points will be awarded.
The first qualifiers will be played on September 7 and the campaign will see matches spread over six days, from Thursday to Tuesday, during every international break in a format that UEFA have championed as the ‘Week of Football’. The finals themselves will run from June 10 to July 10, 2016.
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Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
‘FSO Safer’ - a ticking bomb
The Safer has been moored off the Yemeni coast of Ras Issa since 1988.
The Houthis have been blockading UN efforts to inspect and maintain the vessel since 2015, when the war between the group and the Yemen government, backed by the Saudi-led coalition began.
Since then, a handful of people acting as a skeleton crew, have performed rudimentary maintenance work to keep the Safer intact.
The Safer is connected to a pipeline from the oil-rich city of Marib, and was once a hub for the storage and export of crude oil.
The Safer’s environmental and humanitarian impact may extend well beyond Yemen, experts believe, into the surrounding waters of Saudi Arabia, Djibouti and Eritrea, impacting marine-life and vital infrastructure like desalination plans and fishing ports.
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Olive Gaea
Started: 2021
Co-founders: Vivek Tripathi, Jessica Scopacasa
Based: Dubai
Licensed by: Dubai World Trade Centre
Industry: Climate-Tech, Sustainability
Funding: $1.1 million
Investors: Cornerstone Venture Partners and angel investors
Number of employees: 8
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