The UAE youth team will take a well-earned break before they gather again in early August for the next stage of their preparations for the AFC Under 19 Asian Cup in Myanmar in October.
The side completed their camp in Dubai with a second victory over their Egyptian counterparts, following up a 3-1 win with a 3-2 victory, at the Theyab Awana grounds on Monday night.
Nouruddin Al Obaidi, assistant coach of the UAE team, said the squad achieved their objectives from the camp in Dubai by trying out as many tactical combinations as possible.
“The boys did very well to win the second game, even as we experimented and tried out different combinations over the two periods of the match,” he said.
“In the second game, we provided the opportunity for those who didn’t get to play in the first game. We can take a lot of positives forward when we get to the final stage of our preparation.”
Khalaf Al Hosani put the hosts ahead on a penalty kick and Mohammed Osama cancelled it shortly before the break.
Mohammed Majdi struck for the visitors in the second half, before Ahmed Rabie and Hamad Khalid scored a goal apiece to complete the UAE’s triumph.
Mansour Abdullah, the UAE defender, is thinking beyond the continental championship.
“We can take a lot of positives from the build-up for the Asian Cup,” he said. “We have some pretty good players and our objective is to qualify from the continental championship to the U20 Fifa World Cup in New Zealand next year.”
The team will meet in Dubai before heading to Slovakia for a three-week camp on August 15. Players will take a short break, then participate in a 10-day camp in Dubai. They travel to Malaysia for their final camp, then will fly to Myanmar for the championship, which begins on October 9. The UAE meet Australia in the opener in a group which also includes Uzbekistan and Indonesia.
apassela@thenational.ae
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
