Al Ain should know better.
Certainly, every fan of Arabian Gulf League football realises that coaches come and (sooner than later) go ... but Al Ain's treatment of Quique Sanchez Flores, dismissed on Saturday, was particularly arbitrary and short-sighted.
So, Al Ain will not win the league. That was clear in September, when club officials grasped the enormity of their mistake in hiring Jorge Fossati to replace Cosmin Olaroiu as coach, touching off a campaign of uncertainty and instability.
It was a rudderless club for too long before Al Ain did something right -- hiring Sanchez Flores.
Where they went wrong was not showing any real patience with him. He is gone after 16 league matches. Barely half a season.
The man has produced results.
He won the Portuguese league cup with Benfica in 2009. He won the Europa League with Atletico Madrid in 2010. He won the UAE league cup in his first year at Al Ahli, in 2012, and in his second year Ahli won the 2013 President's Cup. The man is a serial winner.
But, apparently, while in Al Ain, he forgot everything he knew. Or perhaps all those previous successes were accidents.
Is he the cause for Al Ain's thoroughly mediocre season? Or could it be Al Ain investing in Ibrahim Diaky as a key figure in midfield, when anyone who has watched the league knows Diaky has been next to useless since Al Jazira's 2011 double. Or could it be Asamoah Guan's continuing issues with his weight? Or perhaps injuries to Hilal Saeed, unsung hero in the two recent championships, and now Omar Abdulrahman, probably finished for the season with a groin muscle injury?
The timing here is curious, too. After letting Sanchez Flores dangle for two weeks, waiting for the axe to fall, they announced he is gone only four days ahead of a Champions League fixture away to Al Ittihad of Saudi Arabia.
New boy Zlatko Dalic took charge on Saturday. How much will he be able to change or refocus the club ahead of the match in Mecca? Should he attempt to change anything at all? And how can it possibly be good for stability and team coherence for the players to get a new coach just ahead of a competition that matters so much to Al Ain officials and fans?
Hard to figure how this makes the club better.
poberjuerge@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
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Company%20Profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Company%20Profile
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What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Company profile
Name: The Concept
Founders: Yadhushan Mahendran, Maria Sobh and Muhammad Rijal
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 7
Sector: Aviation and space industry
Funding: $250,000
Future plans: Looking to raise $1 million investment to boost expansion and develop new products
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
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Fixtures
Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am
Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am
Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am
Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight
Tree of Hell
Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla
Director: Raed Zeno
Rating: 4/5
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
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Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
