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'Al Wahda players will not be selected for Gulf Cup'
ABU DHABI — Al Wahda players, who have a strong presence in the National team, will not be selected for the Gulf Cup so as to preserve them for the FIFA Club World Cup, UAE Football Association (UAE FA) chief Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi said on Monday.
The UAE FA are hoping for the home team Al Wahda to do well in the FIFA Club World Cup, which will be held for the second time in the UAE. Al Wahda qualified for the FIFA Club World Cup by virtue of becoming champions of the UAE Pro-League last season. The FIFA Club World Cup will be held in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 18.
The Gulf Cup, which the UAE won on home soil in 2007, will be held in Yemen in November.
“The UAE FA has decided not to select Al Wahda players for the Gulf Cup to be held in Yemen. This is being done to keep the squad together and hoping that they will perform well in the FIFA Club World Cup,” Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi said.
The UAE FA chief was hoping that Al Wahda will do well this time around after Al Ahli, who competed last year, went out in the first round itself.
“Unfortunately, Al Ahli started the season badly and their players had injuries as well. So, those factors contributed to low morale. Even FIFA would like to see the local team doing well and progressing.
Al Wahda look in much better shape and they have a good coach as well. And a lot of players from Al Wahda are playing in the National team like Ismail Matar, Hamdan Al Kamali and Haider Ali. So, they have a strong squad,” he said.
The tournament last year witnessed fewer crowds for the initial games and Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi said that this edition could be different. “Last year, we witnessed larger crowds for the semifinals and the final. We were not happy with the attendance in the beginning.
“But, having said that, normally, there are fewer crowds during for the opening matches. It is also team dependant. This time, Inter Milan and UAE champions Al Wahda will be there and there will be a lot of fans,” said Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi.
He said that FIFA and the Local Organising Committee have held meetings on a regular basis to improve the event and promised a better show this time.
“Last year’s edition, in general was a success. We had a meeting after the tournament with FIFA on certain points which we did well and on certain points we could improve upon.
“Those points will be taken care of this time. FIFA was pleased last year and this year, they will be overjoyed,” he said.
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