Dubai: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, has urged debt-ridden football clubs in the UAE to cut costs and budget carefully.
In his message to the media aboard his private luxury yacht, Al Fahidi, on Thursday, Shaikh Hamdan pointed out that several clubs were poor in managing money and queried whether players were overpaid.
“I don’t wish to name anyone, but some clubs have run-up debts of over Dh500 million at the end of the season,” said Shaikh Hamdan, who is President of Arabian Gulf League football club Al Nasr.
“Perhaps they are playing their players too much, but at the end of the day, what are the results?
“Al Wasl club is a good model, they don’t have any debt and wisely use their investments. I would like to see clubs become self-sufficient and not borrow from banks to meet their payments.”
The remarks were made just hours before Argentine Edgardo Bauza was officially unveiled as the new UAE national football coach following the departure of Emirati Mahdi Ali in March.
Meanwhile, Shaikh Hamdan also called for tougher action against anyone found guilty of cheating in sport and in particular in the field of horse and camel racing.
“Anyone who cheats must face the penalty and ban, no matter who he is, or who is associated with,” Shaikh Hamdan said, citing the case of his horse trainer Musabah Al Muhairi who was banned for 12 months for administering a prohibited performance-enhancing substance to a winner at Meydan in February.
“I fully support the local authorities in their endeavour to keep racing free from cheats and hopefully this practice will also be used in other sports, like camel racing. Sport will be stronger without cheaters.”
Shaikh Hamdan also suggested that horses, or camels, that finish out of the top three should also be tested randomly to prevent any attempts to break the rules.
“We also need to find out where the drugs came from and also punish those who were involved with the trade of these bad substances,” he added.
Asked to comment on why Godolphin’s Kentucky Derby contender, Thunder Snow, refused to gallop when the gates opened and took no part in the race, Shaikh Hamdan said, “It’s a big mystery.
“Clearly something was wrong, what it was, we don’t know,” he said. “Thankfully the horse is sound and picked up no injuries.”
Asked for his thoughts on the English 2000 Guineas, where Godolphin’s Barney Roy finished an eye-catching runner-up despite stumbling in the dip at Newmarket and running into traffic problems during the crucial final stages of the race, Shaikh Hamdan said: “The horse was impressive, but his jockey (James Doyle) put him into all sorts of trouble.
“He (the horse) may have looked a little inexperienced, but he has plenty of ability. Had the jockey kept him out of trouble and not allowed him to be trapped by the other runners, he would have won the Guineas.”
Shaikh Hamdan also praised the efforts of the Al Ghaffal organising committee ahead of the 27th edition of the annual traditional dhow sailing race, of which he is the chief patron.
“The quality of the race gets better and better each year,” he pointed out. “We are happy with that and don’t need to change anything in the distance, format or prize money.
“This race is held to keep a grand tradition alive, that’s the main objective. It’s not about longer distance or bigger prize money. This has nothing to do with reliving a traditional sport like dhow sailing.”
