In the opening round of the President's Cup earlier this month, Ittihad Kalba and Al Dhafra produced one of the most exciting contests of that week, a five-goal thriller that was decided in the fourth minute of injury time.
Playing in front of a virtually empty Zabeel Stadium, the two Division One teams put on a spirited display, and kudos to them. But for a genuine supporter of UAE football, there should be disappointment in that game, and not purely for the lack of fans.
As is the case with Pro League teams, the attacks for Kalba and Dhafra were manned by foreign recruits. The two Emiratis who got on the scoresheets that night - Dhafra's Abdullah Abdul Hadi and Khalid Ali Khamis of Kalba - came in from further afield to score.
When even the Division One clubs are reluctant to use local talents as the spearheads of their attacks, why should anybody be surprised by the lack of striking options for the national team?
National team coaches, from Bruno Metsu to Dominique Bathenay to Srecko Katanec, have lamented the lack of strikers in the country and limited opportunities available for the few that exist. Yet precious little has been done to change things.
The top Pro League clubs remain happy with their band of sharpshooters from overseas and their coaches show little commitment and confidence towards local talents, and for understandable reasons. With the revolving door policies at the clubs and managements demanding instant results, none of the coaches here can dare take the Arsene Wenger route, as they will never get the time and backing he receives from his bosses at Arsenal.
Ahmed Khalil's fleeting appearances with Al Ahli this season are symptomatic of the problems plaguing the country's football.
The Dubai club's foreign pros have not been cutting opposing defences to shreds, yet Faisal Khalil has been struggling to get a look in and his younger sibling, Ahmed, has played only 101 minutes in the Pro League this season.
In the four league matches that he has been available, Ahmed has started just once, playing 79 minutes against Ajman possibly because Jackson Coelho had deserted the club.
Ahmed has spent two entire games on the bench; if this is the fate of the brightest young talent in the country, a former Asian Youth Player of the Year, what hope can the rest have?
The Football Association have been helpless. Mohammed Khalfan kept pleading with clubs to give their promising young talents more playing time, but nobody was listening.
Al Rumaithi stepped down as the president of the FA earlier this month, taking responsibility for the national team's disappointing results in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
His successor is unlikely to fare any better unless the clubs start listening and put national interest above domestic bragging rights and a few international headlines. If nothing else, the least they can do is farm out their best talents to clubs where the players are assured of playing time.
The FA might not be able to force the Pro League clubs, but they can certainly have their way with the 16 Division One teams. Turning that division into an "Emiratis only" league would be a good option. And if they should allow foreign players, it should be restricted only to the expatriates born and living here. You never know what that might turn up.
Another option would be to turn the President's Cup into an all-Emirati affair. That would force the Pro League clubs to accord a bit more respect to their local talents and offer a level-playing field for the Division One teams.
Something needs to be done, and urgently. A glitzy professional league gains little respect when the national team is in the doldrums.
arizvi@thenational.ae
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Museum of the Future in numbers
- 78 metres is the height of the museum
- 30,000 square metres is its total area
- 17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
- 14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
- 1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior
- 7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
- 2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
- 100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
- Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Various Artists
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
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The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
- Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Notable groups (UAE time)
Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)
Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)
Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)
Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)
Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)
Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)