Al Ain and national football team defender, Kwame Otoi, who secured his place in the starting lineup for the “Whites” during the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, confirmed that the 0-1 loss to Iran last Tuesday will not affect the team’s chances, and that there are many upcoming matches through which compensation can be made, indicating at the same time that some names nominated to represent the national team, such as Eric Jurgenitz and Lucas Pimenta, can achieve the desired addition in the defense line in particular.
“We must maintain the fighting spirit that we showed in the previous two matches against Qatar and Iran in the first and second rounds respectively,” Kwame told Emarat Al Youm in response to a question about the type of performance the team must provide to return to winning ways. “It is true that we lost in the second match, but that does not mean the end of the matter, as we have many matches ahead of us, in which we can make up for it.”
The player stressed the importance of maintaining the fighting spirit, adding: “It is important, as I said, that we maintain our fighting spirit, because if we play the upcoming matches in the qualifiers with this spirit, we will be able to make a difference in all matches, and this includes our matches against the big teams in our group.”
The international defender attributed the secret behind his quick integration with the rest of the national team roster to his way of dealing with the big things that happen to him. He said: “I had to take things a little bit easy. For me, I kept learning for this challenge that awaited me, and it was important for me to adapt to the rest of my teammates. I did not face any difficulty in getting along with the others, and I was ready to play alongside any of my teammates in the national team.”
Kwame Otoi’s life was turned upside down after he responded to a call from the Emirates while he was spending his summer vacation in his country, following the end of the 2020-2021 season that he played with Khorfakkan, as on the other end of the line was an “Ainawi” official informing him of their desire for him to transfer to the ranks of “Al-Zaeem”.
During his career with the “Violet”, he presented good levels, which later qualified him to obtain citizenship, to meet the conditions for wearing the national team shirt after completing the rest of the procedures, while the current year was the best for him in his career in general, as he contributed directly to his team’s coronation with the AFC Champions League title, while he played the first two matches with the “White”.
Commenting on the many events that have taken place in his career, especially this year, the player said: “All of these things happened quickly from my point of view, starting with moving to Khorfakkan, then Al Ain, winning the Asian title, and now I am with the national team, and I believe that all of this would not have happened without God’s grace.”
Kwame Otoi concluded: “As for me, I will always continue to work hard, and I will not skimp on providing any extra effort, whether for my team or the national team. As for me, I will always work to make the fans happy.”
Personal card
Name: Kwame Otoye Kwadio
Date of Birth: 09-22-2000
Position: Defender
Clubs he played for: ASEC Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Khorfakkan.
Height: 184 cm
Weight: 83 kg
• Kwame Otoi: Some names nominated to represent the national team, such as Eric and Pimenta, can add to the defensive line.
• We have to maintain the fighting spirit that we showed in the previous two matches against Qatar and Iran.
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