Michel names 22 players for UAE soccer team

UAE national soccer team coach Henri Michel has selected 22 players for the World Cup qualifier Asian group eight which includes India, Yemen and Brunei. UAE's first match will be against India in Bangalore on April 8.

Ten of the 22 players were from Al Wahda (President's Cup champions, and current league leaders), and Al Ain( the GCC clubs champions), three from Al Nasr, two from Al Shaab, Al Jazira, Al Ahli, and one player from Al Shabab, Sharjah, Al Wasl.

The players are: Moattaz Abdullah, Juma Rashid, Saeed Juma, Humaid Fakher, Fahd Ali, Subait Khater, Mohammed Rabie, Jalil Abdul Rahman, Hydar Allo Ali, Mohammed Qassim, Fahd Masood, Sultan Rashid, Abdul Rahim Juma, Omran Al Jessmy, Abdul Salam Juma, Mohammed Ibrahim, Qazim Ali, Yasir Salim, Mohammed Omer, Saeed Al kass, Hussain Suhail, Faisal Khalil.

The UAE national team's preparations for the qualifier will start on March 18 with an outside training camp in Oman for nine days. The team will play two warm-up matches in Oman. An internal training camp for seven days and a warm up match against Sri Lanka in Al Ain will be held before leaving for India.

The team will go directly from India to Malaysia for a two-day preparation before leaving to meet Brunei on April 14. They return to UAE on the next day, and start a training camp in Al Ain from April 17 until May 5 during which they meet India on April 26, and Brunei on May 4. The last two UAE matches in the qualifier will be against Yemen on May 11 in Yemen and on May 18 in the UAE.