UAE Olympic team leave for Malaysia

The UAE national Olympic team left for Malaysia to attend a three-week training camp in Kuala Lumpur in preparation for the Asian Games, to be held in Busan, at the end of September.

The team ended a three-day training camp in Dubai on Saturday under Roy Hodgson, the English coach who flew to the Malaysian capital last night.

Mohammed Mattar Al Muhairi, member of the UAE Football Association's (UAE FA) Board of Directors and national team's Committee Manager, who will chair the delegation to Malaysia said everything is going according to the schedule of the FA.

"So far so good. We attended a three-week camp in Sweden, played four warm-up matches, and will play another four in Malaysia.

"The first two will be against the Malaysian clubs on August 26 and August 30. The third against the Singapore Olympic team will be held on September 3, and the fourth against Malaysian Olympic team on September 8."

Al Muhairi said the team will return to the UAE on September 11. "Players will take a short break before resuming training in Dubai. We will leave for Korea on September 17, and play our last warm-up match in Busan, on September 20, against the South Korean Olympic team."

The manager said two players were left out and so 22 players will leave for Malaysia. "Nabil Ibrahim of Al Shaab Club was omitted due to injury, while Al Nasr's Musslim Ahmed was not fit. We will leave with 22 players, and the coach will make a list of 20 players for the Asian Games."

Al Muhairi said the Olympic team players will play in the senior team next year. "They are the best players in the UAE football team and form 80 per cent of the senior national team in the Gulf Cup, to be held next year in Kuwait."

UAE delegation: Mohammed Mattar Al Muhairi, head of delegation; Abdul Majied Hussain, team manager; Roy Hodgson, coach; Hilal Mohammed, assistant coach; Patris Koto, fitness trainer; Michel Kelly, goalkeeper's trainer; Yousuf Sahnoun, physio; Abbas Ibrahim, kitman.

List of players: Ahmed Salim, Mohammed Abdullah, Walid Salim, Haydar Allo Ali, Abdul Rahim Juma, Omer Ali Omer, Fahd Masood, Mohammed Qassim, Salim Khamis, Faisal Khalil, Hasan Ali Ibrahim, Subait Khater, Faisal Ali, Abdullah Ali, Khalid Ali, Salim Saad, Saeed Al Kass, Jalil Abdul Rahman, Abdullah Suhail, Faiz Juma, Yousuf Abdullah and Nawaf Mubarak.