Sa'ad incident shocks football fraternity

The tragic death of Al Nasr player Salem Sa'ad has overshadowed everything else in UAE football in the past seven days. The former Al Shabab captain collapsed and died during training as his brother played in the Beach Soccer World Cup.

Premature deaths in football are rare, the most high profile being Marc Vivian Foe of Cameroon in the Confederations Cup and most recently Daniel Jarque of Espanyol in Spain. It must be a difficult time for everyone at the club and I am sure his teammates will want to pay tribute to Salem with a win when they return to action.

Holders exit

The President's Cup this week threw up one major shock. Cup holders Al Ain were knocked out on penalties. Ajman, without a win in the league this season held out through extra-time and then triumphed 4-3 in the shoot out. Winfried Schaefer will be able to use the cliche that Al Ain can concentrate on the league they are desperate to win.

The rest of the UFL teams that were in the draw against lower league opposition won convincingly. The tie between Al Nasr and Ittihad Kalba will now be played in December.

The return to action in the UFL is delayed until Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The pick of the round is Al Wahda v Al Ain in Abu Dhabi, a vital game for both teams. Al Wahda have a chance to prove that they are real title contenders and for Al Ain it is a chance to bounce back from the Cup defeat.

Local influence

When I talk in this column about influential players returning they are inevitably foreign but in Al Wahda's case their most influential player over the last few years has been local. Esmail Mattar should return to the UFL this week after a long injury lay-off. The goals he produces will be vital and his combination with Baiano should prove the most potent in the league.

The pro league often relies heavily on the foreign players to produce the goods on the pitch. The edge to the really successful teams is having the best local talent. This season Al Ahli have suffered in the past couple of months. This coincided with the loss of Faisal Khalil to injury and his brother Ahmad being away on international duty. We all know football is a team game and it is all too often that the weight of expectation is placed on one or two foreign individuals.

Samba in the sand

The beach Soccer World Cup was a success - sun, sand, football and, most importantly, crowds. I went to watch Brazil play last week and was pleasantly surprised to see a good attendance. All too often football events here are poorly attended and I feared it would be the same at the Beach Soccer World Cup. The organisers did a great job with a spectacular setting and a great venue. They were rewarded with goals and Brazil (no surprise) winning the final.

I have noted that at least 20 per cent of Brazil's fans were attractive women who are good at dancing. That statistic you never see on post match reports but I like to go the extra mile to give you in-depth coverage in XPRESS.

UFL fixtures

Sunday, November 29

Bani Yas v Al Shabab (1645, Bani Yas Club Stadium)

Al Ahli v Al Wasl (2000, Rashid Stadium)

Monday, November 30

Ajman v Al Nasr (1645, Ajman Stadium)

Sharjah v Al Jazira (2000, Sharjah Stadium)

Tuesday, December 1

Al Dhafra v Emirates (1655, Al Dhafra Stadium)

Al Wahda v Al Ain (2000, Al Nahyan Stadium)