The Concacaf federation, which encompasses North and Central America as well as the Caribbean islands and celebrates its 48th birthday next Friday, will be pleased with the progress made as a half-centenary approaches.
Formed in 1961, nine years before Mexico hosted their first of two world cups, the widespread belief is that the confederation is slowly catching the continental powerhouses of South America (Conmebol) and Europe (Uefa).
At international level, football has grown exponentially in both the United States and Mexico, Concacaf's two most-populated countries. The pair are ranked 14th and 15th respectively. The Mexicans complemented their two world cup quarter-final appearances - both of which came on home soil in 1970 and 1986 - with a successful Confederation Cup campaign in 1999, again held in front of their own fans in Mexico City and Guadalajara.
The US, having finishing third at the first World Cup in 1930, initially struggled to capitalise on their success and failed to qualify for 10 of the 11 World Cups between 1954 and 1986. However, since Italia 90', they have been omnipresent on football's global stage and finished in the quarter-finals in 2002. Meanwhile, in last year's Confederation Cup they defeated European Champions Spain to reach the final, losing narrowly to Brazil.
Domestically, too, the game is growing. Atlante, the Mexican First Division side who earned the right to compete at this month's Club World Cup after winning the Concacaf Champions League, are only the eighth-best club in the region according to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics. Their arrival in Abu Dhabi offers a chance to show a competitive edge many might not expect from a confederation known more for David Beckham than for producing swash-buckling, spirited "soccer".
Based in the resort city of Cancun, Atlante coach Jose Cruz admitted earlier this week that the beaches of the UAE were comforting for his "Iron Colts". And they appeared decidedly more at home last night as they defeated Auckland City 3-0 in front of 7,222 fans, many of whom turned up sporting sombreros and performing Mexican waves.
The result was expected and thus not so much proof of Concacaf's strength, but rather a potentially tricky test that they managed to comfortably overcome.
Cruz's charges are bidding to topple the monopoly and become the first side outside Europe and South America to reach a Club World Cup final. The best performance from any Concacaf team at club football's elite competition is third place, a feat achieved by Mexico's Necaxa in 2000 and again by Saprissa of Costa Rica in 2005.
Their quest started successfully against Auckland, but now they face the daunting task of beating Barcelona. For all their dominance against the New Zealanders, Atlante know that on Wednesday they will return to being unknown underdogs.
Midfielder Santi Solari has first-hand experience of the Catalans' quality having played for both Atletico and Real Madrid, while goalkeeper Federico Vilar, an Argentine international known as "The Chief" knows all about compatriot Lionel Messi.
Yet coach Cruz will be confident: his side more than held their own against Spanish opposition in last summer's pre-season Peace Cup and have evidently improved organisationally since then, despite a month-long hiatus from competitive football.
Few can see anything other than a Barcelona win on Wednesday, but there is undoubtedly potential for an upset - and Atlante will be intent on doing just that.
gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
What are NFTs?
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Book%20Details
%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EThree%20Centuries%20of%20Travel%20Writing%20by%20Muslim%20Women%3C%2Fem%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EEditors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiobhan%20Lambert-Hurley%2C%20Daniel%20Majchrowicz%2C%20Sunil%20Sharma%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndiana%20University%20Press%3B%20532%20pages%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
SUCCESSION%20SEASON%204%20EPISODE%201
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreated%20by%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EJesse%20Armstrong%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brian%20Cox%2C%20Jeremy%20Strong%2C%20Kieran%20Culkin%2C%20Sarah%20Snook%2C%20Nicholas%20Braun%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5