Huddled around a smartphone, a gaggle of Yemeni men cheer on the national football team, as the war-torn country battles Iran in its first ever Asian Cup.
Hopelessly outclassed, Yemen went into halftime down by three goals in Abu Dhabi on Monday night, ending in a 5-0 thrashing by Iran.
Given the parlous state of football in Yemen, where players have been kidnapped by extremists or gone off to fight in the civil war, just qualifying for the Asian Cup was an astonishing achievement for Yemen.
As kick-off grew close, the country readied itself for the game. In Aden Sinan Al Rowaini and his neighbours gathered to watch the game on his phone. In a country battered by three years of war and a damaged economy, many Yemenis can't afford a subscription to the sports network BeIn and resort to streaming instead.
"I have roamed many neighbourhoods, checking if there is any chance to watch the match on TV but it seems that all the residents in my area share the same bad luck. No one could afford subscribing to the BeIn sports channels, $400 is really unaffordable," said the young athlete.
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Read more:
Yemen suffer disappointing start to first ever Asian Cup campaign
UN Yemen envoy to brief Security Council on Hodeidah truce
Arab Coalition warns Houthis are not committed to Sweden peace deal
How the Yemeni island of Socotra is forging its own future
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"Where is our government?" lamented Sinan. "Our national team is taking part in the Asian Cup tournament, it is such a national occasion regardless of whether they win or lose. We are really eager to watch their matches and cheer them on, it doesn't cost anything for the government to erect screens in the streets where we can go to watch and support our team,"
On the small flashing screen, the commentator narrated the game in Spanish.
"I don't understand what he says but at least I changed my mood watching our team playing under one flag," said Yemen supporter Mansour Abdullah. "This reminds me of when we were living in peace, we really miss such nice days when we flocked together to cheer on our national team all together in our street".
The local league has been suspended and stadiums reduced to rubble, forcing players to work as taxi drivers or in supermarkets to feed their families.
Other Yemen national team players have died, among the tens of thousands killed in a conflict exacerbated by famine and disease.
"Iran won the match...I hope that it loses all the coming matches in the tournament, we would celebrate it then," said Hamza Mohammed. "Iran wreaked havoc in our country, they are behind all the troubles and the suffering we have," he added, referring to Tehran's support of the rebel Houthi group battling the Yemeni government.
North of Aden, in Houthi-controlled Taez, a large crowd cheered for the team at the Taez Tourist Club, while others gathered in a hall near the old city's Al Muthafar mosque where the office of Youth and Sport set up mega screens for the football fans.
"We didn't expect that people would come in such big numbers to watch the match because the city is still being besieged by the Houthi militia and still lives in war condition" Ayman Al Mekhlafi, the head of the Youth and Sport office told The National.
"Thousands of supporters flocked to the places we allocated for watching the tournament. They kept chanting and cheering on the national team with all their feelings," said Mr Al Mekhlafi. "However they were expecting the loss because they know that our team was playing against a strong team."
Mr Al Mekhlafi is adamant that the unexpected attendance indicates the desire residents have to restore peace and stability to the city.
"The participation of the national team in the Asian Cup is such a big accomplishment because this is the first time they reach the finals since the war flared up in our country " Mr Al Mekhlafi explained.
His colleague, Mohsen Ali Al Bakri, is hopeful that football can repair what politics has ruined.
"Tonight we have seen one Yemeni team composed of players from all over Yemen play together under the Yemeni flag and chanting for one Yemen," he said. "This is the value of football, politics disperses and football unifies, that is the truth."
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MATCH INFO
England 241-3 (20 ovs)
Malan 130 no, Morgan 91
New Zealand 165 all out (16.5ovs)
Southee 39, Parkinson 4-47
England win by 76 runs
Series level at 2-2
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Brief scoreline:
Manchester United 2
Rashford 28', Martial 72'
Watford 1
Doucoure 90'
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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.”
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
