UAEFA Vice President reveals national teams’ preparation programs

The competitions committee of the UAEFA unveiled the preparation plans of the national teams for the upcoming commitments.

According to Obaid Salem Al Shamsi, UAEFA vice-president and chairman of the national teams committee, they have revamped 70% of the general budget for the national teams to ensure the success of their preparations. He said: “We are planning to prepare our national teams in the most proper manner to make their presence felt in the international arena by providing all support that they may need.”


Al Shamsi also added: “The senior national team has won the 21st Gulf Cup in Bahrain, and then the boys went to Saudi Arabia to win OSN Cup and qualified for the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015 finals. The Olympic national team qualified for 2012 London Games, the youth national team advanced to the AFC U-19 Cup finals in Myanmar, the juniors won the Gulf U-17 Cup in Qatar and took part in the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup.”

In the meantime, Al Shamsi pointed out that they have secured the services of the Barcelona foreign expert to work with the national teams’ coaches in the different levels and divisions in collaboration with the senior national team head coach Mahdi Ali to unify the coaching methods and styles.

“We have been faced with some drawbacks in the previous period including the failure to make it into the 2014 Brazil World Cup and the poor form in the FIFA U-17 World Cup. We will put all these drawbacks in front of the foreign expert to study and figure out the same,” he said.
And after all, Al Shamsi said they are targeting the 2015 AFC Asian Cup title when they head for Australia in 2015.