Finally etisalat cup has right atmosphere

The UFL completed their first big test since their inception. The showpiece event of the season for the new league is the Etisalat Cup Final.

The choice of venue gave a chance to test the new capacity of the Mohammad Bin Zayed Stadium.

It was the first time that upper decks at the stadium had been opened as over 30,000 fans poured into the ground. The facility will be used in the Fifa Club World Cup later this year and it is a brilliant football ground. The high stands and the close proximity to the pitch mean that it has a European feel.

The atmosphere when it is full is pretty special and it reminded me for the first time of the intensity at games in some of the world's big football nations. The game itself though did not live up to the setting. In the first half I counted just one shot on target, the game was turgid and never got flowing.

The attacks were limited to long-range shots that were so wayward they only produced saves from spectators. The two players that could unlock a defence were on the bench. Jorge Valdivia was making his way back from injury and Esmail Mattar was rested after international duty.

The second half started with more of the same and the only excitement came when Valdivia warmed up. The man is idolised by the Al Ain fans and his gentle jog along the touchline was greeted with chants of “Valdy, Valdy''. He did finally enter the action and straight away lifted his teammates.

The winner came in the 73rd minute and was a Diaz/ Valdivia Chilean/Brazilian combination down the right with the final pass being fired home by an unmarked Shaab Ahmad. Al Wahda introduced Mattar but to no great effect and the cup was heading to the Oasis City. A huge thunderstorm provided a spectacular backdrop to the presentation and luckily enough no one raising the trophy got struck by lightning.

The UFL were very pleased with the event which generated more than Dh600,000 in ticket revenue and was the first game to be broadcast with both English and Arabic commentary.

Crossover

The man with the honour of being the commentator – Richard Drew – will also be behind the microphone for Monday's President's Cup final on Dubai Sports 2.

I hope this is the beginning of a crossover into the expat market. I was contacted by Dan Perry, a British Dubai resident who wanted more information on the league. He and three other Brits travelled to Abu Dhabi for a taste of live football. I hope more people take the opportunity this season as the game needs the support.

Romy Gai, the CEO of UFL, will be on my Radio 2 show 99.3 Dubai and 106 Abu Dhabi Friday from 2pm-4pm to talk more about this season. Monday is the President's Cup final with Al Ain going for their second trophy of the season against current league champions Al Shabab. I will give you a report next week before we finally return to league action.

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