No deal finalised yet - Hodgson

Dismissing recent reports that have been coming out of the media, on his appointment as the UAE national soccer coach, celebrated English coach Roy Hodgson set the record straight by telling Gulf News that, "At the moment there is no contract signed.

The UAEFA and me still have a lot of discussions left before finalising the deal. Nothing has been signed or done, so it is not true that I have been appointed."

Hodgson, who was recently dismissed from Italian club Udinese on Dec. 11,2001, went on to add that he would be visiting the UAE within the coming week to try and finalise the contract and other issues before the UAEFA offers him, and he accepts, the top job of national soccer coach.

"I will be visiting the UAE in the next few days," he confirmed. "I will have a meeting with Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE Football Association and other members of the committee before coming to an agreement."

While outlining his immediate plans on visiting the UAE, Hodgson stated firmly, "Let me tell you that the media have till now only speculated that I have been confirmed as the coach. They have even stated that I have signed a contract and mentioned the amount offered. In truth, I have not.

"I think people should wait before a contract is signed and not make assumptions before that. I hope everybody understands that while this meeting is very important to me and the UAEFA I am not willing to make any statement till matters are cut and dried."

Hodgson, however, reserved a word of praise for the way the UAEFA had conducted negotiations with him so far.

"I am very impressed with the way they have dealt with matters talked about till now and if things work out, I look forward to starting as coach. Preliminary discussions have been good, but nothing has been signed as yet."

On the fact that he would be only the second English coach to train the national team since Don Revie, Hodgson commented, "Nationality is not a criteria. What really matters is how good you are and how you do the job. It is quality and the ability to do the job," he concluded.