Honour more important than title, says coach

Dubai: UAE coach Mahdi Ali has made defending honour the priority over silverware for the 2013 Gulf Cup, after being drawn in a “balanced” Group A, alongside hosts Bahrain, Oman and Qatar in Manama on Thursday.

In Group B, defending champions Kuwait were pitched with Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Iraq for the biennial tournament, which takes place in Bahrain from January 5-18 and is in its 21st year.

The two top teams from each group will proceed to a knockout round.

Having recently beaten title-holders Kuwait 3-0 and hosts Bahrain 6-2 in friendly matches, the UAE will enter the competition in good form, but teams must also pace themselves for the 2015 Asian Cup qualifiers, which start directly after the Gulf Cup in February.

“All the games are likely to be strong and equal,” said Ali, “and there will be no easy games.

“Frankly, winning the Gulf Cup was not one of our priorities. We, the UAE FA and the technical and administrative staff of the national team, have set our priorities as reaching the finals of the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia and the finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. But we realise the importance of the Gulf Cup and we will be doing our best to compete for the title. That said, we hope that we will be given enough time to prepare away from the domestic competitions because all the teams will be ready to challenge for the title.”

Ali added it was important to be drawn in Group A with hosts Bahrain because this ensured they would be playing in full stadiums, something that would add to the occasion and spur on his players.

“We aspire to provide a good level of football and we hope the team gets adequate preparation to help us put on honourable displays. We hope to give a performance that satisfies supporters,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily a priority or preference to win the title, but it is important to play in an honourable manner.”

Earlier this week, UAE striker Esmail Mattar backed ‘The Whites’ to go all the way. The former 2003 Fifa World Youth Championship golden ball winner and 2007 Gulf Cup champion said: “We have a chance to win the Gulf Cup. It won’t be easy because matches between other GCC teams are often tougher than when we play in Asia. When we play against each other in the GCC, we really show our aggression on the field. It will be tough.”

Asked about which group is stronger, bearing in mind that Group B includes teams that have won 16 titles from 20, Kuwait (10), Saudi Arabia and Iraq (three each), Ali said: “The teams of the first group are almost of the same standard, which makes it difficult and more competitive and unpredictable, but in the other group there are favourites to reach the semi-finals.”

Speaking of the results of recent friendlies, where Ali has won two, drawn one, lost one in his first four in charge, the UAE coach added: “These are friendly matches and there is a difference in the level between friendly games and official ones.

In the competition’s 20-year history the UAE has won the coveted Gulf Cup title once in 2007 and finished runners-up three times in 1986, 1988 and 1994.

The UAE played against Oman and Bahrain in the 20th Gulf Cup in Yemen two years ago and reached the semi-finals, where they lost to Saudi Arabia.

Kuwait have won it a record 10 times followed by former Asian Cup winners Saudi Arabia and Iraq, who have won the title three times each.

GROUP A

Bahrain

UAE

Oman

Qatar

GROUP B

Kuwait

Yemen

Saudi Arabia

Iraq