Abu Dhabi: Bani Yas Club fans were joined by fans and officials of football clubs from all over the UAE and the UAE national team players as they bid a tearful farewell to Diab Awana. Lt General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and president of the club, was present for his last journey.
Awana, 21, one of the UAE's most promising footballers, died in a tragic car crash on Sunday night on the Al Ain-Abu Dhabi highway and his body was laid to rest at the Bani Yas graveyard in Shamka about 50km from the city of Abu Dhabi. Awana died when the four-wheel drive he was driving crashed onto a truck.
Awana, who was injured in the recent Olympic qualifier against Australia, had attended a team meeting but did not train due to his injury and was to leave for Germany today for treatment.
Immensely talented
Immensely talented, Awana was a member of the UAE under-23 team that won the silver medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. Known for his flamboyant style of play, Awana hit world headlines for his "infamous" back-heeled penalty goal for the UAE national team against Lebanon in an international friendly in July. The goal caused a video sensation with over a million hits on the internet.
Awana played a key role in Bani Yas finishing as runners-up in the UAE Pro-League last season while he was also part of the UAE Under-18 national team which won the 2008 AFC U-18 Cup in Dammam, Saudi Arabia which helped the UAE feature in the 2009 Fifa U-20 World Cup in Egypt, where he once again sparkled to take the UAE to the quarterfinals.
Having played for the youth, Olympic and the senior national teams last season, Awana was hugely popular and that was reflected when almost all the national team players were in tears as they bid adieu to one of the youngest members of the squad.
Almost all the young and old of Bani Yas thronged the graveyard to take part in the funeral prayers and pay their respects to their young hero who had brought smiles to thousands of football fans of the Bani Yas Club as well as the national teams.
Biggest triumph
Bani Yas Club's biggest triumph was their President's Cup triumph way back in 1992, and since then they have been a ‘yo-yo' club as far as the top division is concerned, shuttling between the top two divisions.
However, a bunch of home-grown youngsters led by Awana gave their fans much to cheer about as they gunned down some big clubs and finished runners-up in the UAE Pro-League last season, their best-ever display since the 1992 President's Cup win.
"Awana was a star and one of the UAE's best players. Over the last season he along with the others gave us a lot of pleasure. His skills were unmatched and since last night we are still stunned by his death," said Abdul Wahab, a diehard Bani Yas fan.
Talal Al Hashmi, a former goalkeeper with Al Wahda and now an official of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, who attended the funeral said: "Awana was one of the most popular players from the younger lot. He showed football maturity much beyond his age and his absence will be a huge loss to UAE football."
Amidst the sea of white at the Bani Yas Graveyard, there was a group of black-shirted men which included Bani Yas coach Jorvan Vieira and former French international and current Bani Yas player David Trezeguet.
"I feel the loss of one of my family," UAE FA President Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi said.
