Chairman of the Emirates Club, Mahmoud Al Shamsi, revealed the board’s aspirations for the new season (First Division League) that starts today with the participation of 15 teams. He confirmed that the team’s ambition is to return to the “professionals” after being relegated last season, which led to the departure of Spanish star Andres Iniesta, who wanted to stay with the team, but its relegation led to a reduction in financial support, which certainly affected the player’s continuation.
The Emirates team begins a new phase in its search for promotion to the Professional League, in a series that has been ongoing for more than 20 years, between the first division and the “professionals”, as the Falcons begin their matches against Masfout tomorrow, Sunday.
Regarding the club’s preparations for the new season in general, and the football team in particular, “Emirates Today” had this interview with the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mahmoud Al Shamsi.
■ What are the club’s preparations for the new season?
■■ A comprehensive plan has been developed to develop the club’s facilities and infrastructure, in addition to developing the systems in place to improve work in all areas, whether sports or investment. A plan has also been developed to increase various facilities to serve all segments of society, including citizens and residents, which ensures the provision of new services that are constantly available, in addition to increasing sources of income to achieve part of the financial sufficiency to spend on the club’s teams and basic needs.
As for football, the team’s goal is certainly to advance to the “professionals” again, but relegation is always an obstacle at the beginning of any board of directors’ work, so we worked on this file in particular, where Sultan Bushrija was initially assigned to supervise the game, and he also heads the technical committee that did a great job in a short time. He is one of the club’s sons and has played in it before, and has good experience in working and leading this important committee.
■ But until now, the fourth foreign player and the resident player have not been contracted?
■■ So far, we have not succeeded in contracting with the fourth foreign player, especially since more than one player was nominated by the technical committee, but unfortunately they did not pass the medical examination. God willing, the fourth player will be contracted soon. In the resident player category, there is no actual shortage, as five players have been registered in the first team roster, and others have been registered in the under-21 team. We always refer to the team’s technical director, and we still have time to test and choose the player who suits the team’s ambitions.
■ The Spanish player Iniesta wanted to stay with the Emirates team, but the club apologized to him. What was the reason for that?
■■ The Spaniard Iniesta is a great player, and his presence had a great impact, both on the club level in particular, and on the league in general, and we saw the impact of that in the media last season, both in the Emirates and on the global level, but the team’s presence in the amateur league was an obstacle to its continuity, especially from a financial perspective, and it is the main reason for the player not continuing with the team in the amateur league.
■ We did not hear about any strong deals this season, and the team relied on some obscure names, unlike some teams that contracted with strong names.
■■ The foreign players deals were new names in Emirati football, as they were not previously present in our league, but they are well-known names in the leagues they played in, and we are betting on these players to bring back the “Falcons”. As for the residents, most of them played in the country and participated in the professional league, and the same applies to the local players, as they are distinguished elements and we have great confidence in the existing group to achieve the fans’ dream of returning to the professionals.
■ What is the reason for the significant decline in work on social media and the complete absence of sponsors compared to last season?
■■ This is certainly inevitable and is due to the presence of the Spanish star Iniesta in the previous season. The presence of a world-class player like the former Barcelona and Spain star requires you to be present in a big way on social media, and the same thing applies to sponsors. His presence is an attraction factor for sponsors, which is something that certainly will not be in the amateur league.
■ Why is the camp short compared to previous years and the lack of strong matches?
■■ The main reason is the financial capabilities. As for playing friendly matches, this is due exclusively to the technical staff’s choices and its request to play specific matches that suit the coach’s needs and the preparation period.
■ But the fans are concerned about the team’s readiness for the new season.
■■ There is no reason to be afraid, as the fans’ reactions to the team’s preparations were positive, and we promise our fans that we will fight for the two promotion tickets, which is normal, given the club’s history and reputation.
■ Is promotion and return to the ADNOC League the goal of the current administration or building a new team?
■■ The team’s promotion and presence in the Professional League is an inevitable and non-negotiable goal, and at the same time we are focusing on building a new team for the future, from the club’s sons and residents who grew up in it.
■ The most important question for more than 20 years.. Why is the Emirates team always “up and down”?
■■ Emirates Club is like the clubs with limited income that are fighting to advance and struggling to survive, all because of the scarcity of financial resources, and the players’ desire to move to clubs that have good financial capabilities, which is a natural thing in football in the Emirates and in the whole world.
• The presence of a world-class player like the former Barcelona and Spain star requires you to have a significant presence on social media.
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