Latest news with #AbuDhabi
The National
2 hours ago
- Sport
- The National
Club World Cup: Al Ain should not let consolation win over Wydad paper over the cracks
First impressions last. Whatever morsels of good cheer Al Ain clawed back by beating Wydad in their last game at the Club World Cup will have gone largely unnoticed by the wider football community. Everyone else was focused on Manchester City's hammering of Juventus instead, rather than the Mena derby. The attendances said as much; 54,000 were at the game between the European giants, compared to less than 11,000 for the Al Ain-Wydad fixture. Yes, they signed off on a high, after Kodjo Laba's penalty and a fine strike by Kaku helped them to a 2-1 comeback win over the side from Morocco. But the club would be unwise to let it paper over the cracks that have been allowed to grow. Vladimir Ivic, the coach, might have been targeting the final game as Al Ain's one realistic chance of success. If that was the case, then it was mission accomplished. But the memories of Al Ain's first crack at this new-format tournament which linger the longest will be from when the limelight was at its brightest, against the stars from City and Juventus. It is difficult to specify the greatest indignity Al Ain suffered at the Club World Cup. There were too many to choose from. Maybe it was the sight of Erling Haaland arguing with the referee that not enough stoppage time had been added on after their second match. City were 6-0 winners by that stage. Haaland and the rest obviously wanted to fill their boots even more against such easy beats. Maybe it was Rui Patricio, the goalkeeper with over a century of Portugal caps to his name, being recruited as a short-term contractor. He replaced Khalid Essa, the club's talisman, then waved through five goals in the opening game. Perhaps it was the fact that Juventus' players could go to the White House, have a toe-curlingly awkward audience with President Donald Trump, and still have enough to thrash Al Ain without getting out of second gear. Or maybe it was Ivic suggesting not all Al Ain's players watch European football, and were therefore somehow shocked by the level of Juventus. They shouldn't have been. Even if they aren't all Serie A aficionados, they must know all the clubs at this tournament are champion sides. They are supposed to be good. The only shock was quite how bad Al Ain were. Ivic himself had said ahead of the tournament that the club wanted to give the best impression of UAE football. For the most part, they did the opposite. They had a goal difference of -11 after the first two games. This is what it had come to: a hotchpotch of players, many of whom barely knew each other, providing virtually nil opposition for the top sides. The dual thrashings by Juve and City exposed what has been worryingly clear for some time. That Al Ain have been a side in steady decline since they won the 2024 AFC Champions League. Or maybe even before that. That title was earned via some inspired displays and unlikely wins against Saudi Arabian giants like Al Nassr and Al Hilal, but it also came against the backdrop of indifferent form in the UAE Pro League. When that continued at the start of the following season, Hernan Crespo, the then coach, was moved to point out 'What we did [in winning the Champions League] was a miracle.' He was unable to arrest the slide himself, and paid with his job. Leonardo Jardim came and went. And now Ivic is facing similar troubles. One of the main concerns was the fact the answer Ivic seemed to land on in the US was to remove the side's soul in a bid to compete. In the first and last matches, there were no Emiratis in Al Ain's starting line up. Essa, the captain and goalkeeper, was given just the middle match, against City. Coincidentally, he had a nightmare, conceding six goals. But he must have been wondering why he had been left out. Within the short timeframe of group matches at the Club World Cup, there is surely no need to rotate goalkeepers – even ones as overworked as Al Ain's. Yes, Essa arrived later than the majority of the squad, having been on UAE national team duty, along with Kouame Autonne and Yahia Nader. But he could not have been too out of puff: he did not even play in the second qualifier of the national team's international window, against Kyrgyzstan. Clearly, no one will have expected Al Ain to beat Juventus or City. But it was the supine nature of the performances which was of greatest worry. Their efforts did nothing to advance the reputation of Arabian Gulf football, but their woes perhaps show a flaw in the timing of the Club World Cup. It is a year since Al Ain won their place at the event. If Al Ahli Saudi, their successors as AFC Champions League winners, had been in the United States, they would definitely have shown up better than the UAE's fifth-best side. Al Hilal have certainly done so in reaching the last 16, with Saudi Arabian talents like Salem Al Dawsari and Nasser Al Dawsari to the fore. Al Ain are clearly a long way from being Asia's top team at present, so are not a suitable representative of the continent. The novelty of the tournament has also served to show up their deficiencies. It has garnered far more attention than the previous guise of the Club World Cup did, largely because it is being played in summer, and not clashing with domestic league seasons. And yet Al Ain were not bad in the previous version of this competition. The fact they reached the final in 2018, beating River Plate en route to the showpiece fixture against Real Madrid, went under the radar compared to now. The blemish of this competition does not detract from Al Ain being a great club. But plenty of remedial work needs to be done for them to return to their former glories.
Motor 1
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Motor 1
Longtime Ferrari Boss Might Be Working for McLaren
Luca Cordero di Montezemolo is one of the most important people in Ferrari's history. He first worked for the Formula 1 team in the 1970s and joined the company again in 1991, becoming Enzo Ferrari's successor. In his tenure, which lasted until 2014, Montezemolo oversaw a transformation in Ferrari's road-car business and its most dominant period in F1. Now, it seems he's working for Ferrari's closest rival—McLaren. A Reddit user noticed earlier today that Montezemolo was just listed as a director for McLaren Group Holdings Limited on Companies House, the British government agency that maintains a registry for companies in the country. We've reached out to McLaren Automotive for comment. McLaren Group Holdings Limited controls McLaren Automotive, the road-car division of the famous British brand. Abu Dhabi investment firm CYVN Holdings purchased McLaren Automotive last December and merged it with Forseven, a UK EV startup it also owns. Last month, McLaren Automotive announced Forseven CEO Nick Collins would take over as chief executive for the supercar company. Collins was formerly head of R&D for Jaguar Land Rover. As of right now, it seems like Montezemolo won't have anything to do with McLaren's F1 team, which is still controlled by the Bahrain-owned McLaren Group. Under Montezemolo's tenure, Ferrari's road car business went from malaise to the envy of the automotive industry. The cars that came out during his 13 years at the company are among the best it's ever made—F355, 550, F50, Enzo, 599, 458, F12berlinetta, LaFerrari, and more. He also hugely boosted sales with the California while pushing more limited-run and one-off models too. CYVN wants to turn around McLaren Automotive's business. With Montezemolo on board, it has someone that did the same with Ferrari with panache. Source: Companies House via Reddit Share this Story Facebook X LinkedIn Flipboard Reddit WhatsApp E-Mail Got a tip for us? Email: tips@ Join the conversation ( )
The National
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The National
Dave Chappelle roasts Trump, Israel-Iran conflict and DJ Khaled's silence: 'This isn't how it works, champ'
Dave Chappelle roasted Donald Trump's handling of the Israel-Iran conflict during his show in Abu Dhabi on Friday night. Travelling to the Gulf days after a ceasefire went into effect, the American comedian made light of the US President's unpredictability during his performance at a sold-out Etihad Arena as part of Abu Dhabi Comedy Season. 'Trump – I don't know about this guy. I can't tell if he's going to do good or not,' Chapelle said, adding: 'What a week you guys must have had over here in the Middle East.' The 51-year-old entertainer also brought up the US President's Saturday Truth Social post announcing the air strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities. 'Trump wrote that 'we did a meticulously perfect attack. We have disabled their nuclear facility.' And then at the end of the post he said, 'and now is the time for peace!' Word? I don't think that's how this works, champ,' Chappelle said. The comedian also made reference to the March security scandal surrounding US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who shared attack plans on the Houthis through his Signal account. 'Trump bombed Iran, in an attack that was carefully planned on WhatsApp,' Chapelle said. Chappelle made light of growing concerns in the US regarding the ongoing regional conflict, saying: 'Everybody in America is scared. It's not good when Bible places are in the news. That means it might be the end of times. And if it is, you know what? I had a good run.' When an audience member yelled out the name of Palestinian-American musician DJ Khaled, the comedian questioned why the DJ has remained silent on the ongoing war in Gaza. 'DJ Khaled, let me tell you something. For a Palestinian, this man is awfully quiet right now. And as a Palestinian, how could you be that quiet right now? And why are you so fat? People are starving. He's the only fat Palestinian on earth right now,' Chappelle joked. Chappelle has been outspoken about the suffering of Palestinians ever since the Israel-Gaza war began. Last year, during his show in Abu Dhabi, he described Israel's actions in Gaza as ' genocide ' to cheers from the audience. He's tempered his criticism of Trump since his re-election, urging the American leader to have empathy for the people of Palestine during his January appearance on Saturday Night Live. And while he did not comment directly on Palestine in his latest UAE performance, he did end by making his stance on the matter clear. 'Now that I'm a big powerful voice in America, I've learnt that I have to be careful. I can get in some kind of trouble and they'll try to extort me and put words in my mouth so that I come out here and lie to you,' Chappelle said. 'So if that ever happens, we need a phrase. It has to be something that I would never say. So that if I say it, you know not to listen to anything I say after that. You ready? The phrase is: I stand with Israel.' Abu Dhabi Comedy Season 2025 is set to conclude next month with US comedian Bill Burr's performance on July 12.
Khaleej Times
10 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Watch: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince meets Putin in Minsk, Belarus
Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, on the sidelines of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting today in Minsk, Belarus. At the outset of the meeting, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi conveyed the greetings of President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to President Vladimir Putin, extending best wishes for his health and wellbeing, as well as for the continued progress and prosperity of Russia and its people. In turn, President Vladimir Putin asked the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi to convey his sincere greetings to the President of the UAE, along with his best wishes for the enduring success and development of the UAE and its people. The meeting between the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and President Putin explored the deep-rooted friendship and strong strategic partnership between the United Arab Emirates and the Russian Federation. The two sides exchanged views on several regional and international issues of mutual interest and discussed several key items on the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting agenda, particularly the importance of advancing sustainable development goals to foster prosperity for nations and communities worldwide.
Khaleej Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Khaleej Times
'Sheikh Hamdan paid everyone's bill': UAE royals surprise Dubai Mall diners
When Emirati Noura Mohammed AlMarzooqi sat down to lunch at La Maison Ani on Wednesday, she had no idea that her bill would be paid by none other than the Crown Prince himself! Noura was one of the several diners at the restaurant who caught a glimpse of two UAE leaders casually strolling in for lunch and then were surprised by having their meals fully paid for. On Wednesday, Crown Prince of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum as well as Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had lunch at the restaurant, accompanied by a group of aides and friends. 'They were super friendly and said hello to everyone and made the experience really great for us,' said Noura. 'When I asked for the cheque after my meal, the restaurant informed me that Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed had paid everyone's bill. Only in UAE will you see the royal families spending lovely time with their people and spreading kindness and making the experience priceless.' Videos shared on social media show the leaders walking into the restaurant and greeting other diners with an Islamic salutation wishing them peace. The group had lunch at the eatery, run by Chef Izu Ani, one of the most influential chefs in the region. He is also behind concepts such as Alaya, Gaia, and Kai Enzo. Here's a video of their visit: 'Honour and privilege' The restaurant has called it an "honour and privilege" to have the Sheikhs visit them. In a statement shared with Khaleej Times, the restaurant said they were 'grateful' for the opportunity. 'It was an absolute honor and privilege for our team to welcome Their Highnesses to La Maison Ani,' it read. 'The experience was seamless, and we are truly grateful for the opportunity to serve them. Moments like these are a proud reminder of the trust placed in us to deliver excellence at every level.' They also explained how the visit was. 'The Crown Princes maintained a warm and respectful presence throughout their visit,' it continued. 'While the occasion was private, their gracious demeanour and generosity left a lasting impression. Both our team and surrounding guests deeply appreciated the atmosphere their presence brought. The visit took place during lunch in a calm and elegant setting. Out of respect for Their Highnesses' privacy, we will not be disclosing further details.'
