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Gulf Cup brings joy and cheers
It is time to celebrate and honour those who have brought glory to the country.
- Gulf News
- Published: 00:00 February 1, 2007
A 72-minute strike by Esmail Mattar, the UAE's star attacking midfielder, may have served to alter the complexion of football in the country. The UAE rewrote Gulf Cup history on Tuesday by adding its name to the winner's list in the 18th edition of the tournament.
Hitherto, the country's finest footballing moment came when it qualified for the World Cup in Italy (1990). But with the Gulf Cup triumph, enacted in front of delirious fans both in the stadium and watching on TV, football in the UAE may have turned a vital corner after time spent in the crossroads.
It is time to celebrate and honour those who have brought glory to the country. The UAE did not just win the gold in football alone, though it was the blue chip event in the tournament; it excelled in all the other disciplines that had been featured in the Gulf Cup. But when the celebrations die down, those entrusted with the development of youth and sport should go back to the drawing board in order to seek and enact plans for further development.
Nothing succeeds like success and the UAE's sportsmen and women have been showing tangible signs that a burning desire for achievement lies within them. Failure is not an option. An Olympic gold medal and then the Asian Games success in Doha last year was an additional spark to the flame. Ten medals were adequate proof that the recent introduction of professionalism in sport has paid rich dividends. The Gulf Cup success has further endorsed this fact. A sportsman's life is not always an enviable one. Failure is too close and few would tread down this path. So let us nurture this success, for in this the seeds of a rich legacy may have been sown.
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