RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, left, and Nice's French midfielder Wylan Cyprien make the cover of The National Sport on Wednesday, November 30, 2016 as Ian Hawkey takes a look at how Europe's top five leagues have new teams leading the hunt this season.
Look across the tops of the Premier League, the Bundesliga, Serie A, Spain’s Primer Liga and Ligue 1 of France and none of them have the same club in first place as the one that held that spot a year ago, at the equivalent stage of the season.
In another era, that might not be so remarkable. But in a period where champions of most of those leagues have enjoyed sustained, sometimes almost tedious monopolies, it is striking.
In France and Germany, where Nice and RB Leipzig have set the pace, the talk is of Leicester City-style coups. Leicester’s annexing of the English Premier League last May was an inspiration for also-rans abroad, and is regularly cited.
Read the full story here.
[ sports@thenational.ae ]
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Copa del Rey
Barcelona v Real Madrid
Semi-final, first leg
Wednesday (midnight UAE)
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE (+4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
