Dubai: In four seasons of professionalism, never has the brand status of the UAE's Etisalat Pro league skyrocketed over a summer break quite like this one.
The stir that Italian 2006 World Cup winning defender Fabio Cannavaro arguably couldn't recreate on the pitch in one season with Al Ahli last year, was certainly replicated off it, with a plethora of stars now following Fabio's lead to join UAE clubs.
First was Argentine 1986 World Cup winner Diego Maradona's surprise agreement to coach Al Wasl, and then the floodgates truly opened with French Euro 2000 and World Cup 1998 winning striker David Trezeguet signing terms with Bani Yas.
On top of this, we've seen 2010 African Player of the Year nominee Asamoah Gyan forego a season with Sunderland in the English Premier League to join Al Ain on loan. The jolts continued with experienced Australian national team players Lucas Neill (Al Jazira) and Mark Bresciano (Al Nasr) following the likes of 2009 Bundesliga top-scorer Grafite (Al Ahli) and 2007 Asian Player of the Year Yassir Al Qah'tani (Al Ain).
Former UAE Football League and now Al Ain CEO Carlo Nohra said of the overnight revolutionising of the league: "It's essentially a product we're trying to sell not just a game. Bigger names attract more attention and more attention gives greater power to your brand in order to communicate to your audience."
"It's certainly grown in stature on and off the field in four years and that's because of the types of foreign players we've attracted and the improvement of media coverage [locally and internationally] as a result. Names like Maradona have only reinforced the brand's power," said Nohra.
Bani Yas striker David Trezeguet said: "By having all these big legends in the UAE, a country still learning football skills, it's putting the right foundation in place. Now any player [local or foreign] who is part of this championship has more inspiration, stamina and energy to go forward and bring the UAE football up to where it should be in world football."
Firm commitment
Saeed Abdul Gaffar Hussain, vice-president of the UAE FA, said: "We have a firm commitment to establish a robust presence locally within Asia as well as internationally — focus is on inspiring crowds and attracting loyal fans to come and experience the football magic in our state of the art stadiums." He added: "These tenacious efforts will be further sustained by youth development programmes."
Ali Al Ahmad, chief corporate communications officer at Etisalat, who have piled Dh300 million into the league over five years, said: "When we first started our sponsorship of the league, undoubtedly part of it was just our social responsibility but we also had the belief that football and its popularity at grassroots level had the power to return gains not only for ourselves but for the next generation of young talent to achieve their dreams."
In 2011/12, undoubtedly a watershed season in the 38-year history of UAE football [amateur and now professional], the fruits of such belief and ambition will hopefully begin to harvest.
- Asamoah Gyan - Al Ain
2010 African Player of the Year, made a name missing a penalty for Ghana in the extra-time in the quarter-final defeat to Uruguay after a sterling campaign. Sparked outrage by leaving Sunderland for Al Ain on loan this summer.
- David Trezeguet - Bani Yas
Euro 2000 French golden goal scorer against Italy comes into the UAE as the highest ever talent in terms of decorated honours and trophies, having also won the 1998 World Cup and remaining Juventus' all-time non-Italian top-scorer (138).
- Yassir Al Qah'tani - Al Ain
Asian Footballer of the Year 2007, Saudi attacker Yassir Al Qah'tani remains one of the region's biggest products. With appearances at World Cup 2006 Qah'tani won the attentions of Sven Goran Eriksson at Manchester City but the deal fell through.
- Lucas Neill - Al Jazira
Spells at Millwall, Blackburn, West Ham, Everton and Galatasaray made Neill one of the most experienced Socceroo captains to date, representing Australia at World 2006 and 2010, as well as Asian Cup 2007 and 2011 as well as the 2000 Olympics.
- Grafite - Al Ahli
Top scorer in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg in 2009, Grafite won the treble Copa Libertadores, the Fifa Club World Cup and Campeonato Paulista in 2005 with Sao Paulo. He also won the silver ball for the Brazilian league in 2003.
