DUBAI // Dominique Batheney, the new UAE national team coach, has named his first squad, which will take on Japan in a friendly on Oct 9.
The core of the team remains the same, with a couple of forced changes as Hilal Saeed and Subait Khater are unavailable for the 2010 World Cup qualifier against South Korea.
Adel Abdulaziz and Ahmed Mubarak, who were both members of the UAE side who lost 2-1 to Saudi Arabia in Abu Dhabi earlier this month, have failed to find a place in the squad for the match in Niigata.
The team will gather on Oct 5 and leave for Japan early next day, where they will train and play the friendly before leaving for Seoul for their third match of the final round of Asian qualifying for the 2010 World Cup, on Oct 15 against South Korea.
Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura has been called up by Japan coach Takeshi Okada for next month's friendly against the UAE and the World Cup qualifier against Uzbekistan.
Nakamura is one of three European-based players to have been included in the 26-man squad, along with Eintracht Frankfurt's Junichi Inamoto and Makoto Hasebe of Wolfsburg.
arizvi@thenational.ae
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
The specs
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Transmission: Eight-speed auto
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
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Director: Spike Lee
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now