UAE squad resume training

The UAE national football olympic team resumed their training yesterday at the Dubai Police Officers stadium after returning last Sunday from a three-week external training camp in Sweden. The UAE squad are preparing for the Asian Games ,which will be held in Busan, South Korea at the end of September.

All 24 players attended the training session last night under English coach Roy Hodgson, with one player was absent. "We gave a one-day vacation to Khalid Ali of Al Jazira due to his marriage, but he will join the training today," said Abdul Majeed Hussain, the team manager.

Abdul Majeed said striker Hussain Suhail had returned from Belgium after undergoing a cartilage operation. Suhail is resting with his left knee bandaged with ice.

The training session lasted for 90 minutes under hot weather and high humidity. Two training sessions will be held today, in the morning at Rashid bin Hamdan indoor sports hall at the Al Nasr club, and in the evening at the Dubai Police Officers stadium.

"We will concentrate on fitness during our internal trainings in Dubai, although it's very difficult to train under this hot weather. The players will find it very hard, which was the reason behind our trip to Sweden.

"We will leave for Malaysia next week for another three-week training camp," Roy Hodgson told Gulf News after yesterday's training session.

"We benefitted very much from the four warm-up matches in Sweden. We won two matches, drew one and lost one. We will also play four warm-up matches in Malaysia, two of them against Malaysia and Singapore Olympic teams."

Hodgson said he had to select 20 players by the end of August for the Asian Games. "We have to name our 20 players on August 31, two goalkeepers and 18 players. We have to decide about Hussain Suhail, who needs four weeks to recover after the surgery. This a long time, it's difficult to wait for him. We must name the 20 players in two week's time. Also we will see how goalkeeper Walid Salim has recovered. As we have now three goalkeepers Walid, Mohammed Abdullah and Ahmed Salim, we have to select two from them."

Hodgson said he hadn't settled for the formation and the last 11 who will form the UAE team in the Asian Games.

"No, not yet, we played four warm up matches in Sweden with all the 21 players taking part. I think we will settle for the last 11 at the end of Malaysia training camp, and before we leave to South Korea."

The UAE coach said that they will do their best in the coming weeks to make the team fit and ready for the Asian Games in Busan.

"We will do our best to be prepared in a very good way, through the training sessions and the warm up matches. I can't promise with any thing, because in football there are no promises and guarantees," concluded Hodgson.