Sport | Football
UAE soccer league enters critical phase
The UAE Football League (UFL) has entered a critical phase when each match of the three remaining in the competition might decide the winners, the relegated teams or the fourth team to play in the Asian Champions League next season.
- By Yasir Abbasher, Senior Reporter
- Published: 22:51 May 7, 2009
- Al Ain's Esmail Ahmad (left) and Helal Saeed (3) tussle for the ball with Al Jazira's Tony in the UFL earlier this season.The two teams are evenly poised to win the title.
- Image Credit: Ravindranath/Gulf News
Abu Dhabi: The UAE Football League (UFL) has entered a critical phase when each match of the three remaining in the competition might decide the winners, the relegated teams or the fourth team to play in the Asian Champions League next season.
Al Ahli and Al Jazira are the only teams with a chance to win the title. Al Ahli leads with 48 points, three more than Al Jazira, while the relegation zone includes Ajman, Al Dhafrah, Sharjah, Al Shaab and Al Khaleej in a descending system. The teams vying for fourth place are Al Wahda, Al Shabab, Al Nasr and Al Wasl.
The UAE FA and the UFL, realising the importance of the last three weeks of the competition, have decided that all the matches of each week will be held on the same day and kick off at the same, time to prevent putting the players of the teams competing in each category under pressure and to prevent rumours of match fixing.
The matches of the 20th week will be played on Monday, May 11, and all of the six encounters will kick off from 7:35 pm.
The Al Ain vs Al Ahli match is the most important encounter regarding the top of the standings with hopes from Al Jazira that Al Ain could be able to beat Al Ahli while they win their match against Al Nasr in Dubai to cover the three-point deficit.
The Al Ain's German coach, Winfred Schaefer, who will watch the match from the stands, will be keen to beat Al Ahli his former club to settle some backdated accounts and to avenge his sacking.
The competition for fourth place will be in the Al Shabab vs Al Wasl and when Ajman hosts Al Wahda. Al Wahda are currently fourth with 27 points followed by Al Shabab 25, Al Nasr and Al Wasl with 24 each.
In the "Battle of Survival", Al Khaleej are bottom with 14 points while Al Shaab have 15, Sharjah 18, Al Dhafrah 20 and Ajman 21.
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