Dubai: UAE football coach Srecko Katanec has vehemently denied reports in the Arabic press which state that he has lost the dressing room heading into the third round of World Cup qualifiers.
Reports have quoted players criticising the Slovenian coach for his failing to listen to their complaints over hard training surfaces at their pre-India-clash camp in Austria, which resulted in multiple injuries.
Katanec defended his choice of the high-altitude camp despite facing India with games in hot, humid and low altitudes — which they won 5-2 on aggregate.
However, he is now facing an additional line of questioning, this time from his players.
"Katanec is not loved in the team and there are players who cannot stand dealing with him. In Austria some players complained about the solid surface but Katanec was ignoring what they said to him. This resulted in injuries, surgeries and the submission of players from the team," said one player, who wishes to remain anonymous.
"Some players have fallen out with the coach and don't want him to stay. One asked me when will we get rid of this coach? And another said he didn't know why the UAE FA was sticking with him for so long."
Another anonymous player reportedly told the Arabic press: "When one player told Katanec he could not train on this surface Katanec told him to go home. Unfortunately the player is now injured and will have an operation.
It was also said: "Katanec sometimes puts pressure on the team doctor to speed up treatment at the expense of a player's health."
There were also complaints that some players wore plastic studs and others metal in the second leg against India, thus hindering their performance.
However, Obaid Mubarak, technical director of the UAE national team told Gulf News: "Rumours that Katanec has lost the dressing room are untrue. If there was a disagreement in the camp surely we would have lost against India. If the surface they trained on in Austria was good enough for Olympique Lyonnais' stars it should be good enough for the UAE — the Europeans are not stupid."
Katanec defended himself saying: "From my side and every side, things are very good. I want to do a very good job. I want to improve and do the right thing. I have nothing to say about these stories you can write what you want. I care about football, I don't care about these things."
Speaking of adequate footwear worn by players, Katanec said: "The Pro League has only been in place three years and we cannot simply wake up and be at the same level as other countries who have been professional for 50 years."
The UAE face South Korea, Kuwait and Lebanon in their third round World Cup qualifying group.
The first match starts September 2 against Kuwait in Al Ain.
