Dubai: Former UAE, Al Ain and Al Wasl striker Mohammad Omar feels the nation will spare no effort in winning the prestigious Asian Cup on home soil at the beginning of next year.
Omar, whose half-brother Zuhair Bakhit was the star when the UAE lost out to Saudi Arabia on penalties in the 1996 final in Abu Dhabi, is confident the hosts can put up a team worthy of winning the continental trophy when it is held here once again from January 5 to February 1.
“Nothing is impossible. The coach knows what sort of team he needs to field. The players know what sort of hard work they will have to put in to make this possible,” Omar told Gulf News after his Al Fohood went down 2-1 against last year’s runners-up Bin Darwish in the Eighth Maktoum Memorial Football Championship being played at the Dubai Police Officers Club.
“I have seen the programme chalked out by the coach for the national team and it seems fair that they have a good number of friendly matches during the course of their training camps in Europe and here at a later stage. There is only so much that a coach [Alberto Zaccheroni] can do. After that it all comes down to the discipline, effort and hard work of the players, and I am convinced the UAE can win the Asian Cup for the first time,” he added.
Captain of the UAE national team from 2002 to 2008, Omar is in the process of obtaining his coaching licence so that he can give something back to the sport. Having played for a number of UAE clubs including Al Wasl, Al Nasr, Al Ain and Al Jazira among others during his two decades in football here, Omar is currently the CEO of Mumbai Tigers FC in India.
Down 0-2 against Bin Darwish on Sunday night, the 42-year-old showed his lethal accuracy in front of goal when he volleyed home from the edge of the area and keep his team Al Fohood afloat. But they eventually ran out of time as earlier goals from Hassan Yousuf and Salem Saeed had done the damage. “I play for fun now,” Omar related.
“Now my full focus is on the licence and start training the next generation of footballers for my country,” he insisted.
Meanwhile in other matches, Khalid Saif struck a hat-trick to lead Rashid Bin Ammar to a 3-0 win against Al Katlan, while Ahmad Haji secured a brace and Obaid Khamis and Khalfan Al Noobi added one each as Team 88 drubbed new entrants Easy Home 4-0 and MKS got past Catalonia Youth 4-2.
RESULTS
Team 88 bt Easy Home 4-0
Rashid Bin Ammar bt Al Katlan 3-0
Bin Darwish bt Al Fohood 2-1
MKS bt Catalonia Youth 4-2
