Dubai: After much toing and froing, the region’s biggest football tournament finally kicks off in Kuwait on Friday as the UAE bid to reclaim the Gulf Cup trophy they last won in 2013.
The hosts take on regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia at 7.30pm UAE time after the opening ceremony at Jaber Al Ahmad Stadium, followed by the second Group A clash between the UAE and Oman at 10pm.
Bahrain, Iraq, Yemen and defending champions Qatar are in Group B.
Kuwait stepped in to host the event last week after a political fallout between Qatar other GCC nations threatened to derail the tournament.
Kuwait – originally scheduled to host the event last year – was banned from footballing activities by Fifa in October 2015 over alleged government meddling in sports and the tournament was then moved to Qatar.
However, with Qatar facing isolation over alleged support to terrorist groups, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain were all set to withdraw from the competition.
Now, with Kuwait’s ban lifted after it adopted new laws to end government interference, the Gulf Cup has moved back to its original venue and it is full steam ahead for the action on the pitch to take the spotlight.
UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni has overseen three friendly matches since he took over from Mahdi Ali in October and he is relishing this first taste of competitive action with his new side.
“We have played three games (Haiti, Uzbekistan and Iraq) since I took over,” he said. “I have been able to understand the players and uncovering the mistakes we made. I love challenges and I love difficult matches and so I’m happy to participate in this challenging tournament.”
Meanwhile, even before the event has got under way the presence of a Qatari-owned channel has triggered a controversy.
Zaccheroni boycotted the first official news conference ahead of their opener against Oman, due to the presence of BeIn Sports channel.
Mohammed Al Mo’men, the head of Gulf Cup Media Committee explained to those present that Zaccheroni decided to withdraw due to the presence of the channel’s microphone.
“Despite the warning of the Gulf administration to the Qatari media not to put the mics at the press conference of the United Arab Emirates they have done so. This has prompted him to boycott the press conference,” said Al Mo’men, who also confirmed that Saudi Arabia coach Krunoslav Jurcic also walked out during his press meet.
The Kuwaiti FA immediately released a statement regarding the issue saying they will be soon communicating with all teams to reach a settlement that satisfies all parties. It is learnt that organisers will be putting up a single microphone with the logo of Gulf Cup to avoid any such incidents in the future.
