Ladies and Gentlemen, we have officially entered the half-way mark of the DUPLAYS “NikeFive Indoor” League and we’re also into the final stages of the UEFA Champions league. Anyone else bursting with excitement? Join the club.

As we near the playoffs, everyone is busy counting games, scores, points and goal margins. As it stands we have 3 more weeks of exciting football left, which means all teams have 6 games left to close the gap on the leaders or their closest rival. The top 4 teams from Matchday Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday will qualify for the playoffs and 6 teams from Matchday Monday and Wednesday respectively. Dying to know who’s in and who’s almost there? So am I.

Saturday Top 4 – Unkown, Lambo, Galacticos and Vagabonds

The top 3 teams have 21 points each, while Vagabonds have 15. Close on their heels, with 12 points, is Du. Do they have what it takes? Time will tell.

Sunday – Top 4 – Norfolf Nway, Maths, Desert Chill United, Player Club

This group is proving to be very competitive as the point’s difference between the 3rd placed team and the 7th place team is only 5 points.

Tuesday – Top 4 – Royal Crew, Big Sky Wings, Zinkeiros, Davis Langdon

The top 3 teams seem to have secured their places, with 21 points each, while Davis Langdon have 13. The 4th spot seems to be up for grabs as there is only a 3 point difference between the 4th team and the 10th.

Monday – Top 6 – Adhaaf FC, CCCP, Dragon Flying, Nofolk Enchance, FIFA, P45s

This group too is very competitive. 4 teams have the potential to capture the 6th spot.

Wednesday – Top 6 – Bacalao Bacalao, Faris Abu Mayaleh Group, Showtime FC, ACWA, Dream Team, Dubai Financial Market

This group too is very competitive. 4 teams have the potential to capture the 6th spot.

In 4 weeks the only team to maintain their unbeaten run is ADHAAF FC. Bravo Boys, 8 from 8.

It surprises me, that despite being an annual event, I get so worked up when the Champions league enters its final few rounds. Living under a rock have you? No problem, I’d love to give you a round up of what to expect in the first leg of the champs league, this Tuesday and Wednesday.

Surprise surprise, we have yet another very English affair at our hands, it’s the Red Devils vs the Gunners, it’s the raging scot vs the demure frenchman, its English football at its best I tell you and I just cant wait. Both teams have won their respective domestic league games this weekend, a psychological advantage, the architects being, Fabregas and Ronaldo. Is that a sign? Will Fabregas’s return from injury be instrumental in arsenal’s progress? Will Ronaldo put the transfer speculation aside and lead the devils to their second straight final? It’s all happening at the Theater of Dreams this Wednesday. I dare say the devils are favourites to rout the resurging gunners, anyone know what the bookies at William hill are saying? I for one am with united, there’s something about dynasties, that’s so, alluring, the Celtics of the 70s, the Bulls of the 90s, okay okay so I can’t remember a good football dynasty but honestly id love to see Fergie lift another before he retires.

Camp Nou hosts Guus Hiddinks blue revolution. Can anyone else picture a Spanish juggernaut tearing towards the Chelsea team, waiting to run them over? Too graphic? I’m telling you, I foresee a massacre with Chelsea’s name written all over it. Chelsea fans will do well to remember the Barca side that lifted the cup in 2005, Ronaldinho was in the form of his life and it just so happens that so too is his protege, Messi. Samuel Eto was instrumental in 2005 and amazingly enough he’s at it again in 2009. But hey, as the aptly titled Bond flic, never say never, again.

Week 3 was sizzling hot with some extremely tough match ups. In the Monday league the unbeatable Ahdaaf sqaured off with the super energetic Dragon Flying. The game was immense and it was attack after attack with no room for respite. Both teams came prepared and gave it their all but it was that decisive goal that Ahdaaf scored that finally edged out the Chinese high fliers 4-3. Ahdaaf are yet to be defeated in their division as they continue their 8 game winning streak leading the table. CCCP are on their tails in second place as they keep the pressure on them by managing to find those match winning goals without their solid injured defender, Youri. Dragon Flying are not far off in third place while a persistent Nofolk Enchance are only 2 points behind them in fourth, so the Monday league was full of suprises and electrirfied the crowd with this week’s action.

In the Tuesday League we saw the invincable Zinkeiros face off with the Big Sky Wings who started off as underdogs to the Brazilian Super Stars. The Brazilian super men started off well and controlled the game but as the game progressed the Big Sky Wings emerged as their kryptonite due to some excellent defending and deadly counter attacks. Even though Zinkeiros were dealt a blow with their key defender getting injured during this intensified match, they still fought on only to be defeated by a mere margin of 4-3. The Big Sky Wings used their size and aggressive approach to their advantage against the small Brazilians and it worked. As it stands, The Royal Crew, Big Sky Wings and Zinkeiros all lead the table with 21 points.

However, the league that appears to be the most competitive is the Wednesday league. The previous leaders ACWA who were unbeaten found a tough opponent in Dream Team who beat them 3 goals to 1. The game was a tough encounter but the winners deserved it. The updated league table sees Bacalao Bacalao and Faris Abu Mayaleh Group lead the table with 22 points while Showtime FC and ACWA are one point behind them in third and fourth respectively. Then Dream Team, Dubai Financial Market and Dubai First all share fifth, sixth and seventh place with 16 points. Nobody is safe in this league and these teams will have to treat each game as a final if they are to qualify to the next round.

In the Sunday league Norfolk Nway continue their domination by taking their tally to 22 points but Maths are not far behind with 21 points.

In the Saturday league Lambo, Unknown and Galacticos share the spoils with 15 points leaving every one in their dust. It will no doubt be a super finish to that league. Some impressive individuals have taken the spot light this week and they must be mentioned. From Pink Panthers, the little wiz kid Alaa has caught some attention while in the Zinkeiros the classy Hugo didnt fail to impress with his close control and quick feet. In the Big Sky Wings,Najeeb show cased his individual skills and powerful shots that helped his team to win their game against the Brazilian Super Stars. Ahdaaf’s Jamal was incredible in defense and dangerous in attack. He lead his team to victory with some impressive passing and pin point shooting. Ahmad Abdul Rahman was the driving force behind Faris Abu Mayaleh Group who deserve a special mention for their consistency and absolute beautiful passing in the Wednesday league. Although their star player Amjad suffered a knee injury before the game they maintained their high level of football and showed why they lead the table. Ahmad is a fast, skilled sharp shooter who can not be given space and his destruction last week will not be forgotten.

Good luck to all the teams in the next week and may the best team win!

DUPLAYS is committed to being as “green” as our logo implies.  Yes, we really dig the color green, and the earth too!

Whether you celebrate “Earth Day” on April 22 or on the Equinox (March 20-21), join with us in appreciating our shared environment and being more aware of how to reduce waste and treat the Earth better.

How you can help:

• Carpool to play in our leagues.  Each league has a Message Box (once logged in, scroll to the bottom of league page). Post a message there offering to give a ride to anyone else in your neighborhood.
• No more plastic cups!  Buy a sturdy plastic (or aluminum) water bottle and fill it up at the water coolers.
• Tell us your ideas to make Dubai, Abu Dhabi, & DUPLAYS all greener places.  Leave us a comment.

We recommend:

• Outdoors sports and UAE outdoors adventures, before the summer heat arrives.
  • New Kickball League in Dubai
  • New Cricket League in Dubai
  • Beach Volleyball, Ultimate Frisbee, Touch Rugby, Flag Football in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi
  • Desert trekking
• Kayak eco-adventures through the mangrove forests of Abu Dhabi.  We’ll write more about this awesome trip and post photos soon. Contact: Don @ 050 542 0820.

Leave a comment telling us what did you do for Earth Day, and what you’re doing every day to take better care of the Earth.

Check out this review of DUPLAYS NikeFive Indoor Football League, Week #3 action, written by Muhammad Nauman.

Hello boys and girls and welcome to another exciting edition of DUPLAYS “NikeFive Indoor” League. We just concluded the 3rd week of this 8 week tournament so let’s see if the big wigs from last week have managed to maintain their invincible run and also a look at a roller coaster of a week in the UEFA Champions League.

The magic number this week is, 18, the maximum points from 6 games. Only 3 teams can claim the honour to belong to this elite group. The first of which are the cabin crew boys from Emirates Airlines, the Zinkeiros, the boys from brazil have been wrecking havoc in the halls of Raffles, cheering, singing and scoring their way to glory, in true samba fashion. The Zinks have also been enjoying quite a crowd at their matches and the friendly bunch has been more than happy to put on a show. Hugo, Rafael and Andres form the core of this dynamic team.

The second team is the Emarati boys from Adhaaf FC. They have gone about cleaning up their opponents in a quiet but determined fashion. Harith, Anas and Jamaal form the nucleus of this team.

Lastly ACWA manage a perfect run owing to 4 victories and 2 walkovers from week 2. Mazin has been their most prolific goal scorer.

As the weeks press on, I have a new found appreciation for the art of goal keeping, especially in Futsal. These guys are using every part of their able bodies to stop the ball from hitting the back of the net. Mind you, the ball travels at break neck speed due to the compact nature of the court, but the goalies stand undeterred, fearless. Here are my top picks for goalies this week, Asad of Darwesh Group for withstanding the constant barrage of the Zinks, Josep Gambau of Bacalao Bacalao for leading his team to two victories and Gerd of Team Tatweer.

This analysis would not be complete without highlighting those teams who have 5 victories to their name. They are: Nofolk Enchance, CCCP, Dragon Flying, Royal Crew, Big Sky Wings, Bacalao Bacalao, Faris Abu Mayaleh Group, Lambo, Norfolk Nway, Maths and Showtime FC.

The Chelsea vs Liverpool champions’ leaugue bout proved to be one the most exciting ¼ finals we have seen in a while. Going into the match Liverpool needed to overcome a 3 goal deficit. The match couldn’t have started off to a more thrilling goal, as Aurelio’s sharp 19th minute free kick caught Petr Cech completely off guard, this was quickly followed by a successful Xabi Alonso penalty. Liverpool were 2 goals ahead in 30 minutes and almost immediately everyone’s thoughts went back to that incredible night in Istanbul when a Steven Gerrard lead Liverpool recorded the most infamous comeback in footballing history. The game resumed after half time and Chelsea came rallying back scoring 3 goals in quick succession, the first of which will definitely give Pepe Reina a few sleepless nights. Had Guus Hiddink worked his magic at half time? The game was headed into its final 15 minutes and it looked all but over for Liverpool as Benitez subbed a lackluster Torres out, Liverpool again needed to overcome a 3 goal margin to stay in contention. Then something happened that reminded me why I love this game so much, that never say die attitude, that fighting spirit, maybe the red bull kicked in, but Liverpool gave everyone in Stamford Bridge the biggest heart attack ever, Lucas and Kuyt scored two goals in the dying minutes of the game and just as I was about to boast to all my friends about how I correctly predicted Liverpool’s comeback, Frank Lampard scored another scorcher and put the game beyond contention. Thanks Frank! So it ended 4-4 with Chelsea winning on aggregate. As someone rightly pointed out, this game should have come with a ‘health warning’.

Everton just ended Man Utd’s bid for a quintiple, beating them 4-3 on penalties in today’s FA cup semis. This means United are still in contention for the Premier League and the UEFA champions league, having won the Carling Cup and Club World cup earlier this year.

I don’t know about you guys but I can’t wait to watch the UEFA Champs league semis, Barca vs Chelsea and Arsenal vs Man Utd. More so because Ashley Cole will miss the first leg due to suspension, can anyone guess who he would have covered had he played???? None other than Maradona 2.0, my main man Messi. Petr Cech will also be up against La Liga top scorer Samuel Eto, former arsenal phenom who I dare say is enjoying an Indian summer, Mr Thierry Henry, throw in Xavi Hernandez and Iniesta and you get the most dangerous offensive cocktail in football. Just to demonstrate Barca’s fire power, they sent Bayern Munich packing in the first 45 minutes of the first leg, when they poured in 4 goals, with the second leg being a mere formality. Flawless Victory! [I was just dying to use a Mortal Kombat reference].

Are you fitter than a 5th grader?

Don’t worry if you aren’t (or are) you just need to play like one. DUPLAYS is starting a Kickball league for those Dubaiins who want a sport that’s fun and easy to play while meeting new people.

Kickball is a mix between soccer and baseball played on a diamond field with 10 players on each team. A medium sized rubber ball is pitched and all you need to do is kick and run! Men and women play together and this is definitely a social sport.  If you can’t picture it, then see this picture:

Please join us the evening of Monday April 27th at 7:30pm on the field behind the Metropolitan Hotel on Sheik Zayed Road for a free invitational to play kickball. Please bring yourself and anyone you know who might be interested.

You can also sign up for the league online from the DUPLAYS.com/kickball page.  Join our Dubai Kickball Facebook group too, to help us spread the word and invite more friends to come play.

We hope to see you Monday night playing kickball! If you get lost or have questions please call Orna: 050 456 5833