Sharjah 2 Emirates 1
DUBAI // Both Sharjah and Emirates promised to be back in the Pro League at the earliest after being upstaged in the play-offs by two Division One sides, Al Shaab and Al Dhafra.
Sharjah and Emirates, who finished at the bottom of the Pro League table last season, were given a lifeline by the UAE Football Association's decision to expand the league to 14 teams.
Sharjah started the playoffs with a 1-0 defeat against Dhafra, but beat arch rivals Al Shaab 1-0 in the next game and last night, they came back from a goal down to beat Emirates, who lost all three games.
Badr Abdulrahman and Marcelo Oliveira were the toast of the Sharjah fans, scoring for the Kings after Hadef Saif had given Emirates a 20th minute lead. That win, however, was not good enough to take Sharjah back to the Pro League. Shaab and Dhafra clinched the two spots on goal difference following a three-way tie at the top on six points.
Sharjah, who have faced the ignominy of relegation just once when they spent the 1989-90 season in Division One, will now return to the anonymity of the lower division, but Benzarti said they could be back in the Pro League as early as next season.
"We are very sad to go down to first division," said Redha Suissi, the Sharjah assistant coach. "God willing we will be back next season. Both Sharjah and Emirates deserve to be playing in the Pro League."
With the hopes of all four teams still alive, Emirates made a spirited start and Lebanese Hassan Maatouk, making his debut for the Ras Al Khaimah club after returning from international duty, was unlucky not to put them ahead in the 5th minute when his free-kick bounced off the crosspiece.
Sharjah also made an equally blustery start and Esam Darwish tested Emirates keeper Mutaz Abdulla with a blistering volley in the 7th minute.
Emirates eventually opened the scoring in the 20th minute following a swift foray into Sharjah territory with Al Zaabi flicking home German Herrera's clever cross.
Sharjah, however, equalised in the 30th minute when Badr Abdulrahman's free-kick sneaked through the crowded Emirates box and lodged into corner of the net. They then took the lead three minutes after the break with Marcelinho rising high over the Emirates defence to head in Salem Khamis' corner.
That goal and the win, however, was not enough to take them through as Shaab's better goal difference and Dhafra's win over Sharjah took the two Division One teams back to the Pro League.
"Even if we had won this game, our destiny was not in our hands," said Mohammed Karim, the Emirates Assistant coach. "There are lots of big teams who have been relegated, like Arsenal, Juventus, Marseille, so there is no shame.
"We tried our best and we will work even harder to come back. We congratulate the two teams who have qualified for the Pro League."
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community
• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style
“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.
Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term.
From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”
• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International
"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed. Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."
• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."
• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com
"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.
His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.
Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."
• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher
"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen. He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”
• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org
"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
