DUBAI // Al Wasl will be looking to replace Edson Puch and Richard Porta this month after the failure of the two foreign professionals to impress Diego Maradona.
Puch, from Chile, went missing from an important training session on the eve of a match earlier this season and has spent most of his time since on the injury list.
Porta, who counts as Wasl's Asian player because of his dual Uruguay and Australia citizenship, has scored once in seven Pro League matches.
Marwan bin Bayat, the chairman of the club, confirmed in a television interview that Wasl are looking to replace Puch and Porta during the January transfer window.
He said the club are close to signing a foreign professional currently playing in the Saudi Arabia league, but declined to name the player.
Some media reports have suggested the player could be Argentine Juan Ignacio Mercier, who is playing for Al Nassr.
Maradona gave Mercier, a 31-year-old midfielder, his international debut in 2010 when Maradona was coach of the Argentina national team.
Mercier was an important member of the Argentinos Juniors team, who won the 2010 Clausura championship. He scored the opening goal in Argentinos' 2-1 win over Huracan in the final game of the season, which secured the championship.
In July, Mercier moved on a two-year deal to the Saudi club.
Some media reports have also linked Wasl with a move for the former Spain and Real Madrid star Raul Gonzalez, whose two-year contract with the German club, Schalke 04, expires at the end of the season.
The club have also identified Ferydoon Zandi, the Iranian-German professional, as a likely replacement for Porta to fill their Asian player slot.
Zandi, 32, an attacking midfielder, was part of the Germany Under-17 and Under-21 teams, and has 29 caps for Iran.
For the first nine years of his professional career, he played in the Bundesliga before moving to Cyprus. He is currently with Iran's Esteghlal.
Maradona has been asking for reinforcements over the last few months and warned of a cull following their 2-1 defeat at Al Wahda on Friday.
The Argentine described that performance in Abu Dhabi as Wasl's "worst" since he took over in June.
"There will be no place for any player who does not meet our aspiration," said Maradona, whose team have earned only two points in their last four games. "The team played really badly, and I did not expect this from them.
"We have become Santa Claus, distributing gifts in this Christmas period, and I hate that. I do not like giving gifts to my competitors. The team lacks personality, determination and the desire to win. I want us to win, but we keep making mistakes and that is unacceptable. I am really sad about that."
arizvi@thenational.ae
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The%20specs
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Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Company name: baraka
Started: July 2020
Founders: Feras Jalbout and Kunal Taneja
Based: Dubai and Bahrain
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $150,000
Current staff: 12
Stage: Pre-seed capital raising of $1 million
Investors: Class 5 Global, FJ Labs, IMO Ventures, The Community Fund, VentureSouq, Fox Ventures, Dr Abdulla Elyas (private investment)
Sukuk
An Islamic bond structured in a way to generate returns without violating Sharia strictures on prohibition of interest.
Score
Third Test, Day 2
New Zealand 274
Pakistan 139-3 (61 ov)
Pakistan trail by 135 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the innings
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
Bookshops: A Reader's History by Jorge Carrión (translated from the Spanish by Peter Bush),
Biblioasis
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
SPECS%3A%20Polestar%203
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The schedule
December 5 - 23: Shooting competition, Al Dhafra Shooting Club
December 9 - 24: Handicrafts competition, from 4pm until 10pm, Heritage Souq
December 11 - 20: Dates competition, from 4pm
December 12 - 20: Sour milk competition
December 13: Falcon beauty competition
December 14 and 20: Saluki races
December 15: Arabian horse races, from 4pm
December 16 - 19: Falconry competition
December 18: Camel milk competition, from 7.30 - 9.30 am
December 20 and 21: Sheep beauty competition, from 10am
December 22: The best herd of 30 camels
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
SPECS
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Frida%20
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Janet Yellen's Firsts
- In 2014, she became the first woman to lead the US Federal Reserve
- In 1999, she became the first female chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers
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
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6