Al Jazira's Ali Mabkhout, right, and Kalba's Khaled Ali Khamis tussel for the ball in the Arabian Gulf League match at Mohammad bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National
Al Jazira's Ali Mabkhout, right, and Kalba's Khaled Ali Khamis tussel for the ball in the Arabian Gulf League match at Mohammad bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Ravindranath K / The National

Sport

Al Jazira dismiss reports in Saudi media that Ali Mabkhout is set to move to Al Hilal

Contrary to speculation, Mabkhout will most likely line up alongside Thiago Neves at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium after the Emirati forward scored 16 goals last season, reports John McAuley.

John McAuley
John McAuley

June 09, 2015

Al Jazira have labelled rumours linking Ali Mabkhout to Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal as “baseless”.

Reports in the Saudi media claimed the UAE striker was on his way to the Riyadh club, with some suggesting he would be part of the transfer that brings Hilal’s Thiago Neves to Jazira.

The Abu Dhabi club are believed to be close to finalising a deal for the Brazilian playmaker, although it is understood the fee is less than the €11 million (Dh45.3m) first mooted. Neves was in the capital this week to undergo a medical and is expected to be announced as a Jazira player soon.

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However, contrary to speculation, Mabkhout likely will line up alongside Neves at the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium next season. The forward has developed into one of the finest local talents in the Arabian Gulf League, scoring 16 goals last season - a professional-era record for an Emirati in the UAE top flight - to help Jazira finish second.

Mabkhout, 24, has expressed a desire to move to Europe and last month said two Spanish Primera Liga clubs had approached him. A German Bundesliga club reportedly also registered an interest in January, following a successful Asian Cup campaign in which Mabkhout scored five goals and won the tournament’s Golden Boot.

While a switch to a European league presumably remains a viable option, Jazira dismissed the idea that Mabkhout could be about to sign for Hilal.

“The news reports in the Saudi media are baseless,” said Ammar Bashir, the Jazira chief executive. “Ali Mabkhout is an important player for us and we will not agree to such a deals anyway.”

Bashir would not be drawn on a possible deal for Neves or Gervinho, Roma’s Ivorian forward said to be close to signing for Jazira.

jmcauley@thenational.ae

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How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia

Three Penalties

v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)

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v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)

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v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)

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One Free-Kick

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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
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Children who witnessed blood bath want to help others

Aged just 11, Khulood Al Najjar’s daughter, Nora, bravely attempted to fight off Philip Spence. Her finger was injured when she put her hand in between the claw hammer and her mother’s head.

As a vital witness, she was forced to relive the ordeal by police who needed to identify the attacker and ensure he was found guilty.

Now aged 16, Nora has decided she wants to dedicate her career to helping other victims of crime.

“It was very horrible for her. She saw her mum, dying, just next to her eyes. But now she just wants to go forward,” said Khulood, speaking about how her eldest daughter was dealing with the trauma of the incident five years ago. “She is saying, 'mama, I want to be a lawyer, I want to help people achieve justice'.”

Khulood’s youngest daughter, Fatima, was seven at the time of the attack and attempted to help paramedics responding to the incident.

“Now she wants to be a maxillofacial doctor,” Khulood said. “She said to me ‘it is because a maxillofacial doctor returned your face, mama’. Now she wants to help people see themselves in the mirror again.”

Khulood’s son, Saeed, was nine in 2014 and slept through the attack. While he did not witness the trauma, this made it more difficult for him to understand what had happened. He has ambitions to become an engineer.

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Name: Almnssa
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  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
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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.”

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Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm

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