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Everything Was Going Well at Colchester but the Coronavirus Shut Everything Down

Colchester manager John McGreal during his side’s Carabao Cup win over Spurs in September which hastened Mauricio Pochettino (right) towards the exit. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters
Colchester manager John McGreal during his side’s Carabao Cup win over Spurs in September which hastened Mauricio Pochettino (right) towards the exit. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters
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Everything Was Going Well at Colchester but the Coronavirus Shut Everything Down

Colchester manager John McGreal during his side’s Carabao Cup win over Spurs in September which hastened Mauricio Pochettino (right) towards the exit. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters
Colchester manager John McGreal during his side’s Carabao Cup win over Spurs in September which hastened Mauricio Pochettino (right) towards the exit. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images via Reuters

A couple of weeks ago, I had a phone call from my manager, John McGreal. He wanted to deliver some unfortunate news to four players who were out of contract in the summer and tell us that we wouldn’t be offered renewals at Colchester.

Due to the circumstances we’re living in right now, he told us that the chairman, Robbie Cowling, couldn’t promise to fulfil our contracts and that is just the way it is. The chairman then called us a couple of days later just to confirm the news and to thank us for our time at the club. He said: “You never know what might happen in the future but I just can’t promise you I will be able to afford the contract I wanted to offer you.”

I’m not sure what I had been expecting. I had been offered a couple of deals before the end of the season and we had agreed to continue the conversation when it was over so we could just focus on football. We were sixth in the table when everything stopped and our goal was obviously promotion this year. Then we were going to sit down again to agree something to extend my time at the club.

It was a shock because for a few weeks all that had been on my mind was wondering when we were going to start playing again and complete the season. To get that phone call was obviously a bit of a shocker but at the same time I understand the business of football.

It’s still frustrating because I felt like I had finally caught a break somewhere. I haven’t stayed at the same club for a third season since I was at Chelsea as a teenager but I wanted to stay in Colchester. I’ve settled down, the manager has remained the same since I got here so I have been playing every week and enjoying my football. I’m also based down south and closer to London again so everything was going well until coronavirus came along and shut everything down.

I’ve dealt with situations like this before, although obviously nothing as severe. But in terms of moving clubs and starting again, I’ve had plenty of practice and will be ready for whatever comes next. The big issue is for my family because it means we will have to move again – they rely on me and always have to adjust to wherever we have to move to. We have been trying to get my oldest daughter into the school that we wanted but now we are going to have to make new plans for her to go somewhere else. Imagine trying to move house at short notice in the next few weeks with everything that is going on at the moment?

That was part of the reason I really wanted to stay – people don’t realise some of the decisions you have to make when you are being offered a new contract. It’s not the same as before we had kids and could just stay in a hotel for a month. My partner is probably going to have to go up north with her family while I find my feet somewhere.

We’re going to get paid until our contracts expire at the end of June and I assume that if football returns before then we will be able to play for Colchester again. But the situation still hasn’t been clarified. And what happens if they can’t finish the season until the end of July? It might be a case when we can only play five games in June and there are another four games left to play plus the play-offs, so the boys who have been released can’t play.

We’ve lost our captain, a right-back, midfielder and an attacker who have all played regularly this season so that is almost half our team. It would be frustrating if we aren’t able to complete it, especially because some of us now don’t have a club to go to next season and need to be able to showcase our talents to get a move elsewhere.

I’m not sure how they can resolve it – just deciding the table on a points-per-game ratio and then having play-offs means that any teams who could have made a late charge don’t have any chance. I remember Tranmere last year weren’t anywhere near the play-offs with 10 games to go and they ended up being promoted. But there are so many risks in trying to play the matches behind closed doors that I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or not.

The chairman gave us a bit of extra time to try and sort ourselves out but I don’t have anything lined up at this stage. I’m just waiting for news, although the problem is that every other club is still in limbo as well. They don’t know what is happening with the players they already have or what the budget is going to look like so we just have to wait and see. It just shows how fragile life as a professional can be.

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Arab World

Schneider to Asharq Al-Awsat: Marib Offers Ideal Model for International Cooperation in Yemen

German Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Schneider speaks during an interview at the Belqis Hotel in Marib. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
German Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Schneider speaks during an interview at the Belqis Hotel in Marib. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Schneider to Asharq Al-Awsat: Marib Offers Ideal Model for International Cooperation in Yemen

German Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Schneider speaks during an interview at the Belqis Hotel in Marib. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
German Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Schneider speaks during an interview at the Belqis Hotel in Marib. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Hours before leaving Marib, German Ambassador to Yemen Thomas Schneider was still taking in the scenes from his first visit to the governorate: camps for displaced people, humanitarian project sites, meetings with officials and tribal sheikhs.

At every stop, one image seemed to follow him: the smile.

In a governorate that has taken in millions of displaced people and spent years on the front line of Yemen’s war, Schneider found a reality different from the one suggested by headlines of conflict and humanitarian crisis. Here, hardship was unmistakable, but so was optimism and a stubborn insistence on life.

Inside the Sabaean-style Belqis Hotel, built in the 1980s in central Marib, Schneider spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat shortly before leaving the governorate about a visit that appeared, at first, humanitarian and developmental. But it also revealed to him a political and social dimension he sees as important to Yemen’s future.

The German ambassador said the visit was meant to express solidarity with the people of Marib and with Yemenis more broadly as the country endures difficult conditions. The German delegation, he said, wanted to visit humanitarian projects and camps for displaced people and refugees, see residents’ needs firsthand and assess the impact of programs supported by Germany and its international partners.

Yet what struck him most, he said, was the relationship that has taken shape in Marib between local authorities, international organizations and UN agencies.

“We saw a positive model of cooperation between the Yemeni government and donor countries, and, more importantly, close cooperation between the local authorities in the governorate and UN agencies and organizations,” he said.

For Schneider, the importance of that experience lies not only in the number or scale of projects carried out, but in the partnership it has created among those working on the ground. That, he said, has made Marib a model that could be useful elsewhere.

“This partnership is an extremely important point, and we sensed that Marib’s experience represents a successful model that can be followed by all parties involved in humanitarian and development work,” he said.

Over the years of war, Marib has become Yemen’s largest hub for displaced people, absorbing successive waves of families fleeing the fighting. Schneider said the way the governorate’s people have handled that burden stands out as one of Yemen’s most important success stories during the conflict.

“Marib has received large numbers of displaced people from across Yemen, as well as refugees from other countries, and this reflects the generosity of its people and their humanitarian spirit. We saw very positive examples of how these challenges are being handled,” he said.

During the visit, the German delegation met displaced people and listened to their stories and needs. It also held meetings with UN representatives and local authorities, reinforcing Schneider’s belief that coordination and continuous communication among the various parties remain the most important factors in responding to complex humanitarian challenges.

But perhaps the most distinctive stop was the meeting with tribal sheikhs in Marib. In a country where tribes are often viewed through a security or traditional lens, Schneider came away with a different impression. He saw Yemen’s tribes as a wide social network whose role goes beyond local customs, helping preserve social cohesion, stability and the future of the country as a whole.

“Sitting with the tribal sheikhs was a very important experience. I felt that they do not only play a social role, but also have a clear political awareness of the challenges facing Yemen,” he said.

He said the discussions revealed important visions and ideas about the country’s future, stressing that tribes would be an essential party in any serious political process aimed at achieving peace.

“I believe the tribes will play a central role in any path leading to peace in Yemen. I came away from this visit with a firm conviction that they represent a real national asset and an important element that can be built upon to strengthen stability,” he said.

Between the political and humanitarian messages, Schneider’s strongest personal impression remained tied to the people of Marib themselves. Despite years of war, economic pressure and the burden of displacement, he said he found, everywhere he went, an optimistic spirit and a positive view of the future.

“I saw a smile everywhere in Marib despite the difficult conditions people are living through. This optimistic spirit and warm welcome made the visit a very important experience for me,” he said.

He said he would carry that image back to his children and family, to his ministry in Berlin, and to his partners in the European Union and international organizations. What he saw in Marib, he said, offers an important lesson in resilience and overcoming crises.

At the end of the interview, I asked the ambassador to sum up Marib in just three words. He did not hesitate long before smiling and answering: “The smile, coffee and welcome.”

The words seemed to capture a city standing on the edge of war, yet still determined to greet its guests with a smile, serve coffee and believe Yemen’s future can be better.

Business

Energy Sector Clears ‘Hormuz’ After US-Iran Deal, Risk Premium in Focus

Ships wait to transit the Strait of Hormuz on June 15. REUTERS
Ships wait to transit the Strait of Hormuz on June 15. REUTERS
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Energy Sector Clears ‘Hormuz’ After US-Iran Deal, Risk Premium in Focus

Ships wait to transit the Strait of Hormuz on June 15. REUTERS
Ships wait to transit the Strait of Hormuz on June 15. REUTERS

The energy sector and the global economy have avoided the worst-case scenario: oil at $150 a barrel.

That was the level many financial institutions and international companies had used in shaping their investment assumptions. International officials and governments also expected it and aligned with those forecasts.

For the global economy, $150 oil would have meant an energy sector slipping out of control, with damaging consequences for other industries. That did not happen. Brent crude is now trading at about $80 a barrel, roughly $70 below that feared level and above its pre-war price of $70.

With shipping through the Strait of Hormuz resuming after a preliminary peace agreement reached by the United States and Iran, expected to take effect next Friday, energy is again moving to the center of the global economic picture. For years, the sector has supported global growth, development and market stability, helping shield international markets from sudden shocks.

What comes after the agreement?

Since the preliminary US-Iran agreement was announced, oil prices have fallen by nearly $20 a barrel. That is a major cost relief for countries that import crude, and one that is likely to feed through to many other goods, given oil’s role as a basic input in finished products.

Stock markets rose in parallel, lifted by optimism over the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the return of shipping to normal. The prospect of commodity prices easing back toward pre-war levels could support corporate earnings and the wider global economy.

But Mamdouh Salameh, an international energy expert, said prices would not return to pre-war levels so easily.

“The current situation indicates that Iran controls 20% of global oil and gas supplies as a result of its closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Therefore, oil prices after the agreement must take into account a permanent price premium because of Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz,” Salameh told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Speaking from London, Salameh said that even after the strait reopens, “the volume of oil flowing through it will fall to half its pre-war level because of the damage sustained by oil production facilities in the Arabian Gulf.”

He expected repairs to some facilities to take about eight to 12 months. “For this reason, Brent crude will not return to its pre-war level of $60 to $65 a barrel, but will range between $85 and $90 for many years to come,” he said.

Spot premiums for crude oil and some refined products in Asian markets fell on Tuesday, settling at pre-war levels after the announcement of the preliminary agreement between Washington and Tehran. Still, caution over the timeline for restoring normal navigation has so far placed a floor under energy prices, preventing a sharper decline.

Supply and demand

Saudi Aramco President Amin Nasser estimated that the oil market loses about 100 million additional barrels for every week the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, after the crisis had already removed about 1 billion barrels from supply.

Nasser said in remarks in mid-May that the gap was being covered through withdrawals from strategic and commercial inventories.

About 20% of global oil supplies pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Its closure has tested the depth of strategic inventories worldwide and posed a major challenge to the global energy sector. That was clear in moves by the International Energy Agency and its members to draw from strategic reserves.

Estimates of global demand growth this year range from 700,000 to 900,000 barrels per day. That suggests demand will remain strong long after Hormuz reopens, driven by daily oil needs for power generation and normal consumption, as well as the need to rebuild inventories.

Asia is the most exposed. The US Energy Information Administration estimates that 84% of the crude oil and condensates that passed through Hormuz in 2024 went to Asian markets, led by China, India, Japan and South Korea.

Against this backdrop, Aramco, the Saudi oil giant, said its maximum production capacity remains intact and that the company can, if requested by the government and within allocated quotas, return to maximum sustained capacity in less than three weeks.

QatarEnergy, among the hardest hit, said it expects to raise natural gas production to about 50% of capacity one month after safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz is restored.

The world is now waiting for the terms of the preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran to be disclosed, so implementation can begin. Only then can a timeline be set for ships to reach “zero waiting,” followed by the return of Gulf production capacity.

Haitham El-Gendy, an international markets expert, said, “The matter depends on how quickly navigation through the Strait of Hormuz returns to pre-war levels, and how quickly supplies from the Gulf region resume. Both issues depend primarily on hostilities not resuming during the 60-day negotiation period.”

“If we assume that things will proceed well, a return to normal will require weeks, given the scale of tanker congestion around the strait and the need to remove mines,” El-Gendy told Asharq Al-Awsat. “As for Gulf supplies, this will also require varying periods depending on the extent of the damage to each country’s energy facilities.”

According to Wood Mackenzie, halted crude production fields in the region will return to 70% of their previous output within three months and about 90% within six months. For liquefied natural gas, of which Qatar produces one-fifth of global supply, a return to full production capacity will take several months and could stretch into years after damage to the Ras Laffan facility.

On crude prices, El-Gendy said that if tensions do not flare again, oil could move in the $80-a-barrel range, with room to rise, as countries replenish inventories and strategic reserves depleted in recent months and Chinese demand recovers to pre-war levels.

Arab World

Iran Races against Lebanese Negotiators to Secure Israeli Withdrawal from South

A woman flashes the victory sign next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 15 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities and lift the naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. (EPA)
A woman flashes the victory sign next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 15 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities and lift the naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. (EPA)
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Iran Races against Lebanese Negotiators to Secure Israeli Withdrawal from South

A woman flashes the victory sign next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 15 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities and lift the naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. (EPA)
A woman flashes the victory sign next to destroyed buildings following Israeli strikes on the historic old market in the town of Nabatieh, southern Lebanon, 15 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities and lift the naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. (EPA)

Two tracks are moving in parallel to secure Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory. The first is Lebanon’s direct negotiations with Israel, which are scheduled for their fifth session next Monday in Washington.

The second is Iranian pressure to complete the withdrawal before Tehran reaches a nuclear agreement with Washington within a 60-day window.

Iran has told Hezbollah it will not sign the agreement before Israel fully withdraws from Lebanese territory, a source from the “Shiite duo” in Lebanon told Asharq Al-Awsat. The duo is comprised of Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement headed by parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Lebanon has insisted from the start that direct talks with Israel address a package of demands, led by the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory they occupied during the war.

The declared understanding between Washington and Tehran made no mention of the issue, according to leaks. But Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that ending the war would not be complete “without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied in this war.”

“Any military attack by the Zionist entity against Lebanon from now on, and any continued occupation of Lebanese territory from now on, will be considered, from our point of view, a violation of the memorandum of understanding,” he told a meeting with foreign diplomats broadcast by state television.

A displaced woman holds an Iranian flag as she makes her way back to her home in southern Lebanon, on the highway of Sidon, Lebanon, June 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s negotiation track

The Lebanese state, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with a new round of negotiations due to open next Monday in Washington and run until Wednesday, with developments to be discussed in security and diplomatic sessions.

The Lebanese presidency said President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam discussed the preparations on Tuesday.

Aoun and Salam described the US-Iranian understanding as “a positive factor” in easing regional tensions and pushing toward peaceful solutions and an end to the war.

At the same time, they reaffirmed “Lebanon’s firm position in the Washington negotiations” on a final ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the deployment of the Lebanese army up to the international border, the release of Lebanese prisoners and the start of reconstruction.

Gradual withdrawal within 60 days

Iran and Hezbollah are pursuing a parallel track.

A source, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the agreement between Iran and the United States “stipulates a ceasefire, a halt to Israeli attacks and a guarantee of Lebanon’s territorial integrity.”

The source said this would require Israeli commitment, “guaranteed by the United States.”

“Hezbollah was informed by the Iranian side that Israel, after the agreement is signed next Friday, must begin a gradual withdrawal from inside occupied Lebanese territory and complete the withdrawal before the date of signing the nuclear agreement with Iran,” the source said, referring to the 60-day deadline.

“The party was informed that Tehran will not sign the nuclear agreement with Washington before Israel’s full withdrawal,” the source added.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Tuesday sent a message of thanks to Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf “for obliging the Israeli entity to immediately and permanently halt military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon, in connection with the end of the war on Iran, as the first and fundamental clause of the agreement between Iran and America.”

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri and Ghalibaf discussed, in a phone call, field and political developments linked to the deal between the United States and Iran, especially the clause on ending Israel’s war on Lebanon.

A statement from the Lebanese parliament said Ghalibaf and Berri “stressed the need for the United States, the guarantors of the memorandum of understanding and the international community to assume their responsibility to compel Israel to end its war, stop demolishing villages, respect Lebanon’s sovereignty and withdraw immediately from the territories it occupied.”

Vehicles line up on the Rmeileh highway as displaced Lebanese return to their villages in southern Lebanon, 15 June 2026, after the announcement of a US-Iran mediated preliminary framework to end regional military hostilities and lift the naval blockade on the Strait of Hormuz. (EPA)

Hezbollah’s opponents doubtful

Inside Lebanon, Hezbollah’s opponents questioned Iran’s ability to force an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon.

Members of the Strong Republic parliamentary bloc and the executive body of the Lebanese Forces party said after an extraordinary meeting that any agreement between the United States and Iran “remains a matter concerning the two states involved.”

“The ceasefire mentioned in the agreement is general and concerns the Middle East region. It has no practical repercussions for Lebanon because the party fighting in Lebanon is Israel, not the US,” they said in a statement.

They accused Tehran of “providing verbal services to Hezbollah so that it can continue fighting to achieve Iran’s objectives.”

They said that “what is required after all the suffering endured by the Lebanese people is not merely a ceasefire while keeping the old order in place, with Iran and Hezbollah forming an essential part of that old order, but a complete end to the successive wars that have torn Lebanon apart and impoverished it.”

They said the time had come to achieve that by dissolving illegal military organizations, “foremost among them Hezbollah.”

They also backed the direct negotiation track with Israel, describing it as “the only gateway to ending the wars in Lebanon and reaching an actual state that restores Lebanon’s Arab and international relations.”

The Kataeb Party stressed that Lebanon “is not concerned with any agreement involving Lebanon except one in which the Lebanese state and its legitimate institutions elected by the Lebanese people are involved, through the parties officially authorized to negotiate on their behalf in Washington.”

The party said those representatives were carrying out their role to restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and free decision-making, secure the Israeli withdrawal, halt attacks and complete government decisions to confine arms to the state and restore security decision-making to the official authorities.