Fab 4 promise league title for Al Ahli

The owners of Formula One motor racing are considering a partial flotation of the business in Asia, an option also explored by English football champions Manchester United, to tap demand in the region for strong sporting brands. A flotation of Formula One, which draws more than half a billion TV viewers for its races, has long been mooted, but the issue is made more urgent by the expiry this year of a confidential commercial agreement between the rights holding company and the teams whose cars compete in the 20-race series. Private equity firm CVC Capital Partners, which acquired majority control of F1 in 2006, would continue to be a long-term holder of the business, and the initial public offering option being explored is for only part of the company, a source close to the matter said. Britain's Sky News has reported that CVC has asked Goldman Sachs to examine a placement of some F1 shares with a new investor as a precursor to a formal IPO process in the south-east Asian city state of Singapore. The source declined to comment on the Sky report, which placed a potential valuation of over $10 billion (Dh36.7 billion) on the business. Goldman Sachs and CVC, which owns 63.4 per cent of F1, also declined to comment. A minimum 15 per cent float in Singapore would make the deal worth $1.5 billion. They are the ‘Fab Four' at Al Ahli Club and their promise is to win the inaugural UAE Beach Soccer League that gets under way with the first round qualifiers at the Al Mamzar Beach Park this weekend. "We want this title as we realise how big this club is in the history of UAE football," Portugal striker Madjer (Joao Victor Saraiva) told Gulf News after being announced as one of four foreign professionals at Al Ahli this season. Madjer is joined by countryman Rui Coimbra, Switzerland's colourful personality Stephan Meier and Iranian Hussain Ahmad. All four have been drafted into the Al Ahli beach soccer squad with the hope that the Red Devils can clinch the first UAE Beach Soccer League that is scheduled to conclude on April 23. We love this sport and each of us has been playing beach soccer for the past 15 years at least. So if any of the players want something, all they have to do is ask." Under the rules laid down for the league, each club is allowed to sign four foreign professionals, but only two can be present on the pitch at any given time. The inaugural league has been planned in two stages: the first comprising qualifiers held in three separate zones, namely Fujairah, Sharjah and Dubai, while the second will bring together the best eight sides from these three zones to decide the eventual UAE champion when the finals are played on April 23. Raising the profile "For me it is important to be here as we have to create a profile for beach soccer here," said Meier. "By being here for the next few weeks we will [quicken] the pace of beach soccer here by at least three years as young players will learn fast from us and hopefully we can go all the way and win the title," the Swiss added. Coimbra too was pleased to be in the UAE doing something for a sport he has always loved. "It's a real pleasure to play here, and for sure this is a big step for beach soccer in the UAE," he predicted. Iranian Ahmad, the fourth foreign player signed, said he was happy to play at Al Ahli. "Our mission is not just winning the league here. It is also about taking this competition to the next level in the UAE," Madjer said as Al Ahli CEO Ahmad Hamad Khalifa announced their signings in the presence of team supervisor Khalil Ali and the rest of the squad.