Latest news with #Uzbeks
Kuwait Times
6 hours ago
- General
- Kuwait Times
South Korea need win vs Iraq or Kuwait to secure World Cup berth
China in trouble while Uzbeks eye historic qualification HONG KONG: European club trophy winners Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in will hope to fire South Korea to the World Cup in the coming days with four remaining automatic spots from Asia up for grabs. Japan and Iran have already sealed their berths at the tournament next year in the United States, Canada and Mexico. South Korea are guaranteed to join them on Thursday if they avoid defeat against Iraq in Basra. Even if they lose, they will have another opportunity at home to Kuwait next Tuesday in Group B. South Korea and Spurs captain Son did not have his best club season but the 32-year-old attacker finished it off by lifting the Europa League trophy. Attacking midfielder Lee on Saturday collected a Champions League winner's medal with Paris Saint-Germain after they thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in Munich, although he remained on the bench for the final. South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo suggested he could use Son sparingly at the end of a long campaign in which the country's talisman has struggled for form and fitness. 'Since we have two matches coming up, I will not push him too hard,' said Hong, who believes Son will have a role to play even if he does not feature against an Iraq side now coached by former Australia boss Graham Arnold. 'We will probably play in a hostile environment in front of partisan fans,' Hong said. 'We have some players who have had experience playing in these situations.' China in deep trouble Japan were the first country to qualify for North America after running away with Group C. With the top two from the three Asian groups automatically qualifying, second-placed Australia are in pole position to go through with Japan with two match days left. The Socceroos host Japan in Perth on Thursday knowing that if they win and third-placed Saudi Arabia fail to do the same at Bahrain, they will qualify. Most likely however qualification will go down to the final round of matches on Tuesday when Australia travel to Saudi Arabia for a winner-takes-all blockbuster. 'We've put ourselves in a good position within the group to be in control of our destiny,' said coach Tony Popovic, who took over the Socceroos in September following Arnold's resignation. Indonesia are still mathematically in the running for an automatic place out of Group C, four points behind Australia and one behind the Saudis. Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia host China in Jakarta on Thursday followed by a trip to Japan. China's World Cup hopes are hanging by a thread at the bottom of the group. Even if teams do not finish in the top two of their pool, their World Cup hopes are not over. Third and fourth go into a further round of Asian qualifying. In Group A, where Iran have already qualified, Uzbekistan are on the cusp of their first World Cup. Avoid defeat to third-placed United Arab Emirates in Abu Dhabi and the Central Asian country will make history. For Asian champions Qatar, the best they can hope for is to come third or fourth and go into the next qualifying round. They host Iran before travelling to Uzbekistan and will be coached for the first time by former West Ham United, Real Madrid and Spain boss Julen Lopetegui. — AFP
Euronews
09-05-2025
- Business
- Euronews
Kazakhstan marks 30 years of unity with Assembly anniversary
At the event, President Tokayev congratulated the nation on this historic milestone and honoured members who have made significant contributions over the past three decades. With over two thousand members, the Assembly today represents Kazakhs, Russians, Germans, Uzbeks, Ukrainians, Koreans, and many others who call Kazakhstan home. During the session, chaired by President Tokayev, members shared their achievements and highlighted socially significant projects realized over the past 30 years. Wrapping up the event, the President called for expanding the Assembly's regional network and marking the anniversary with a nationwide festival of ethnic theatre arts. There are decades where nothing happens, and then there are weeks where decades happen. The past few weeks have certainly fallen into the latter category, with remarkable intensity. Since Donald Trump's Liberation day announcements, stock markets have made a round trip. After an initial collapse we saw one of the strongest and fastest rebounds in recent history. For the moment, things seem to have calmed down. Still, we are clearly not out of the woods yet. Or to put it in market terms: expect volatility to persist. This volatility originates from both the geopolitical and economic domains. As Neil Howe so eloquently argues in his book "The Fourth Turning Is Here," a fourth turning is unfortunately a period marked by wars and geopolitical tensions — an era in which extremist parties, both from the left and the right, gain strength, while the centre becomes smaller, weaker and increasingly powerless to make the decisions that, in the end, everyone knows must be made. It is also a point in history during which sitting presidents, parties, and governments of any colour, shape or ideology are typically voted out. The second big source of uncertainty and volatility originates from the economic sphere and is closely related to the first one. In a fourth turning, globalisation is under pressure. In our book "The New World Economy in 5 Trends," Koen De Leus and I discuss not deglobalisation but multi-globalisation. We are no longer looking at a unipolar world solely centred around the US. Say hello to the multipolar world in which China is rapidly becoming a pole of economic and military power. Meanwhile, the old continent is struggling to speak with one voice and remain relevant. Just to say that the economic volatility that we are witnessing is closely related to the geopolitical fragmentation. Not so long ago, when the world was still truly globalised, we had one global business cycle. All the major blocks tended to move together on the waves of global expansion and global contraction. In this world, central banks' action would sometimes differ a bit in an amplitude, but generally the direction would be the same. Today, it is not so hard to envision the US and the European economies to grow at a different pace and central banks as a consequence conduct and all together different policy. Also, China will, depending on the policies conducted, grow at a different speed. Japan is finally exiting more than four decades of deflation and its interest rates are on the rise, while in most other parts of the world they are coming down. We should look at this new economic reality in terms of tectonic plates. The blocks are no longer moving at the same speed in the same direction. Instead, the plates are shifting unpredictably at different speeds. It's no wonder that we'll see collisions, leading to massive volatility in currency and interest rate markets as a logical consequence. In this world, volatility will be more the rule than the exception. The main conclusion of our book 'The new world economy in 5 trends' is that after the COVID-19 pandemic, we have moved into a new economic paradigm in which both interest rates and inflation will be structurally higher than from 1982 until the pandemic. It all comes and goes in waves, it always does. And a huge wave is coming. The drivers of this totally new environment are the massive debts, aging of the population, multi-globalisation (including a new arms race) and climate change. Innovation may play a mitigating role and may in an extreme scenario be even powerful enough to counter the four other forces. All of this has deep and profound consequences for investors. Even though volatility will be huge, holding too much cash is not an option as inflation will eat up its purchasing power. Above all, investors should focus on real assets like equities, real estate, wine and gold and silver, for which the bull market has only just has begun. The same goes for the commodity space. We are only in the very first inning of the largest commodity bull market in time due to massive supply shortages that we foresee. For companies, it means that they should put in place hedging techniques for navigating a world of higher interest rates, higher inflation and higher and more volatile commodity prices. Countries have a unique opportunity to outperform in a fourth turning, at least for those who understand the rules of the new game. Those who don't will have a hard time keeping the bond vigilantes off their backs. Maybe in 30 years' time we will look back on today as both the start of the European Renaissance and the end of US Exceptionalism. This would bode well for both the euro and European equities. However, it will not be a walk in the park. The road that the old continent will have to travel to be once again a voice on the world stage will be long, hard and winding. Philippe Gijsels is Chief Strategy Officer at BNP Paribas Fortis.
Observer
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Observer
UAE sack Paulo Bento despite win over North Korea
ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates football association fired coach Paulo Bento on Wednesday, despite the team keeping their hopes alive of qualifying automatically for the 2026 World Cup by edging North Korea 2-1. "The UAE Football Association has decided to dismiss the head coach of the national team, Paulo Bento, along with his coaching staff," the association said. "A replacement is expected to be named soon to lead the team in the Group A 2026 World Cup qualifiers and other official competitions," it added. His replacement will coach the team in the two final matches of the World Cup qualifiers against second-placed Uzbekistan on June 5 and second from bottom Kyrgyzstan on June 10. A win over Uzbekistan would reignite their hopes of reaching the finals. They are four points adrift of the Uzbeks, who are seeking to reach football's quadrennial showpiece for the first time. Bento, 55, was appointed to his position in July 2023, but has overseen a series of inconsistent results in the qualifiers, including a 2-0 loss to Iran in Tehran last Thursday. The former Portugal and South Korea head coach faced further criticism after his team only beat North Korea in the eighth minute of injury time on Tuesday. The UAE are third in the group with 13 points — table-topping Iran qualified on Tuesday. The top two qualify directly for the World Cup, with teams finishing third and fourth in the three Asian groups entering a further round of qualifying. — AFP
The National
27-03-2025
- Sport
- The National
Next UAE coach: Five candidates to succeed Paulo Bento
The UAE Football Association took the drastic decision to sack Paulo Bento on Wednesday in the immediate aftermath of a 2-1 win over North Korea that kept their hopes of automatic World Cup qualification alive. The national team have two games left to close a four-point deficit to Uzbekistan, meaning they need maximum points from their home game against the Uzbeks and their final Group A clash away to Kyrgyzstan. Both of those games take place in early June and the team will have a new coach in the dugout after Bento's mixed spell was brought to a premature end. The 55-year-old Portuguese was said to be furious with the timing of the decision, but the UAE FA clearly feel the team will have a better chance of pulling off a late qualification miracle under new leadership. Should they limp home in third or fourth place they will still have a chance to reach the 2026 tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico via a complex fourth round of qualifying or a subsequent inter-confederation play-off. Given the proximity of the fixtures, it would seem prudent to look close to home so that whoever arrives will do so with existing knowledge of the domestic talent pool. However, after a colourful cast of nine coaches in the past eight years since the stability of Mahdi Ali's five-year tenure, anything could happen. Here are five candidates likely to be in the running. Nationality: Serbian; Age: 42; Current job: Al Wasl The Serb has already made his mark on UAE football when he led Al Wasl to a Pro League and President's Cup double last season. That ended a 17-year wait for major domestic silverware with the Dubai club last tasting success in 2007 when they also did the double. The fact that the UAE's next game against Uzbekistan is on June 5 – one month after the end of the current Pro League campaign – opens the door for a candidate in employment to see out the 2024-25 season before switching focus to the international game. Milojevic has a proven track record of success having won silverware in Sweden, Serbia and the UAE, and with Wasl having had a dip in performances this season, it might be an opportune moment to part ways. Wasl and UAE forward Fabio De Lima has played some of his best football under Milojevic at club level. Nationality: Romanian; Age: 55; Current job: Sharjah Strangely for a coach who has probably upset every single fan base in the country at some point, the combative Romanian could be the unifying figure the UAE are looking for. Olariou certainly has the charisma and force of personality to quickly mould a side in his image - potentially a precious commodity given the urgent need for results. Olariou has won silverware with three different UAE clubs – Al Ain, Shabab Al Ahli and his current employers Sharjah. Having been back in UAE football since 2021, few could boast as deep a knowledge of the pool of players available to the national team. Nationality: Argentinian; Age: 49; Current job: Unattached A legendary striker in his playing days, Crespo might be a quick and easy appointment if he was indeed interested in the national team post. The Argentine has been taking some time out since leaving Al Ain last December and is currently a free agent. In the past he has shown an ability to galvanise a group of players and get results quickly. In 2022 he joined Qatari club Al Duhail and delivered a domestic treble in his first and only full season in charge. He also led them to the last four in Asia, a feat he'd surpass in his next job. Crespo joined Al Ain in November 2023 and by the end of the season had orchestrated the club's first continental crown for 21 years. He showed a clear ability to produce results in big one-off games as the cream of Saudi football was swept aside. However, the way his reign unravelled in the winter could count against him. Nationality: Portuguese; Age: 54; Current job: Shabab Al Ahli The Portuguese has been a revelation at Shabab Al Ahli this season with the club currently on for a domestic treble. Sousa, a silky midfielder in his playing days, has posted a 71 per cent win rate in guiding them to top spot in the league – they are currently seven points clear – as well as the final of the UAE League Cup and semi-finals of the President's Cup. Sousa has had a couple of previous tastes of the international game having been assistant to Carlos Queiroz with his native Portugal, and also in a disappointing stint with the Poland national team in 2021. Luring him away from his club might prove difficult, but the fact the national team's next fixtures come at the end of the domestic season might offer a glimmer of hope. Nationality: Emirati; Age: 59; Current job: Unattached Ali and his signature red baseball cap were synonymous with a golden generation for the UAE national team in which the likes of Omar Abdulrahman, Ali Mabkhout and Ahmed Khalil dazzled in regional competitions but ultimately failed to help the nation achieve the dream of competing at a second World Cup finals and first since 1990. Ali is thought to retain admirers in the corridors of power in UAE football, which is hardly a surprise given his previous stint in charge delivered the 2013 Gulf Cup and featured a thrilling run to third place at the 2015 Asian Cup. He won domestic silverware with Shabab Al Ahli post-national team, but has now been absent from front-line management since 2022.
Daily Tribune
27-03-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
UAE sack Paulo Bento despite World Cup qualifier win over North Korea
The United Arab Emirates football association fired coach Paulo Bento yesterday, despite the team keeping their hopes alive of qualifying automatically for the 2026 World Cup by edging North Korea 2-1. 'The UAE Football Association has decided to dismiss the head coach of the national team, Paulo Bento, along with his coaching staff,' the association said. 'A replacement is expected to be named soon to lead the team in the Group A 2026 World Cup qualifiers and other official competitions,' it added. His replacement will coach the team in the two final matches of the World Cup qualifiers against second-placed Uzbekistan on June 5 and second from bottom Kyrgyzstan on June 10. A win over Uzbekistan would reignite their hopes of reaching the finals. They are four points adrift of the Uzbeks, who are seeking to reach football's quadrennial showpiece for the first time. Bento, 55, was appointed to his position in July 2023, but has overseen a series of inconsistent results in the qualifiers, including a 2-0 loss to Iran in Tehran last Thursday. The former Portugal and South Korea head coach faced further criticism after his team only beat North Korea in the eighth minute of injuPaulo Bento ry time on Tuesday.
