Abu Dhabi: Candidates Yousuf Al Sarkal and Abdullah Hareb will enter the toughest elections in the history of the UAE FA board of directors tonight, with the pair vying for the presidency of the country's football governing body for the next four years.
The elections will be held at 5pm at the National Centre of Documents and Research in Abu Dhabi, supervised by representatives from Fifa, AFC and the Ministry of Justice, in addition to the General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare.
Al Sarkal, chairman of the FA Transitional Committee which was formed after the resignation of President Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi and the entire FA board four months ago, was nominated by his club Al Shabab, while Hareb was nominated by Al Wasl.
Al Sarkal is a former chairman of the FA, under whose reign in 2007 the UAE won the Gulf Cup. He is also a vice-chairman of the AFC and a former chairman of Al Shabab's board of directors. He has been a UAE FA official since the 1990s.
Al Sarkal is also a serious contender for the presidency of the AFC, pending the final decision of the International Sports Arbitration Court regarding the case of previous incumbent Mohammad Bin Hammam, who has been banned for life from all football-related activities by Fifa.
Hareb, an Al Wasl and Al Jazira player in the '60s and '70s, was secretary-general of the FA during the early '80s and is regarded as one of those who planned for the formation of the team which qualified for the 1990 World Cup.
He is also a former chairman of Al Wasl's board of directors.
Five candidates are competing for two vice-presidency seats — Al Jazira's Mohammad Thani Al Rumaithi, who led his club to the double last season and the President's Cup this season; Ali Humaid Juma, the oldest football commentator in the country and a former secretary -general of Al Arabi club in Umm Al Quwain; Yousuf Hussain, nominated by Al Shaab club, a former defender for Sharjah and the UAE and a former member of the FA; Dr Salem Al Shamsi, a member of the resigned FA and nominated by Masfoot club, and Obaid Salem Al Shamsi, a former FA member nominated by Hatta.
