The first time in the presence of United Arab Emirates coach Mahdi Ali can be a little confusing. He talks about his experience at past World Cup quarter-finals and lifting Asian titles. Yet, 1990 apart, the nation has never appeared on the global stage and when it comes to the continent, a final on home soil in 1996 is as good as it gets. Ali refers to youth tournaments as if they are the full deal as he and many of his present group of players came up through the ranks together. Now, as the UAE prepare for a 2015 Asian Cup semi-final with Australia in Newcastle, a first continental senior title is within sight. It would be a magnificent achievement for so many reasons.
It would only widen the smiles that have been everywhere. The boss, so relaxed that it has almost been suspicious, has been sporting a grin as often as that red cap of his. Star player Omar Abdulrahman has been beaming in training and during media duties and the small press pack from the Middle East are friendly and genial. There is plenty to smile about as the Australian public is starting to see. One security guard at Canberra professed not to know anything about football before claiming that Abdulrahman was something else.
The Saudi-born star has a way of catching the eye and it’s not just due to his David Luiz-style haircut – the Brazilian wishes he had anything like the same talent as the 23-year-old who came close to joining Manchester City in 2012 – but it is the way he has been the best player on pretty much every pitch he has played on in Australia over the past two weeks. It has happened before. In 2012 after the first half of the Olympic opener with Uruguay at Old Trafford, I received a text from my brother at the stadium asking who on earth was this bushy-headed magician running the game against the South Americans.
For an afternoon, thousands of people in Manchester fell in love a little with the slight star and the UAE team but it was a fleeting feeling in the context of a massive event like the Olympics, one highlight of hundreds. Here, it’s different and it’s growing. There weren’t that many people at the first UAE press conference at the 2015 Asian Cup. Not that many people heard coach Ali talk of a semi-final target. Not many to heard him discuss the importance and fitness of Abdulrahman and not many to heard him describe the evolution of a young team. There are plenty listening now.
For decades, the country drove the west Asian stereotype, hiring big-name foreign coaches for short-term stays. Don Revie made the headlines in the 1970s but others followed: Roy Hodgson, Dick Advocaat, Valery Lobanovsky, Mario Zagallo and plenty more. Ali has shown a trigger-happy federation, and others too, that going local is not loco and thinking long is not loony.
After his success at youth levels, Ali was given the senior job in August 2012. It was the right time. The failure in qualification for the 2014 World Cup gave the former electrical engineer the chance amid an atmosphere more open than usual for a shift in philosophy. Ali has crafted a new side in his 30 months in charge though he says it is more than seven years in the making. Members of this squad such as goalscorers Ahmed Khalil and Ali Mabkhout (joint leading goalscorer in the tournament with four and attracting serious interest from European clubs) as well as Amer Abdulrahman, Abdelaziz Sanqour, Hamdan Al Kamali, Abdulaziz Hussain, Mohamed Fawzi and Habib Fardan have played tournaments under Ali before.
It is a club environment on a national scale. In press conferences, the boss finishes his players’ sentences. No coach in the country’s history has been as well-liked as the genial tactician and it’s not just because he is local. It is the establishment of a footballing identity.
While it didn’t start with the 4-1 win over Qatar two weeks ago, in terms of the Asian Cup, it was a perfect way to kick off and a major victory. Heading into the tournament, Qatar were looking to do to the UAE on the pitch what Doha would love to do to Dubai off it – overtaking. The Maroons were the form team in Asia with the UAE posting some poor results in the Asian Cup build-up (something that Tuesday’s opponents will understand). Both were seen as tournament dark horses but Qatar were looking lighter. A home defeat at the hands of Uzbekistan, a sixth game without a win, in October saw Ali criticise the lack of support and atmosphere.
If these were cracks, the federation stayed strong (though the issue of a contract renewal became a thorny one – less so now) and the country was rewarded with a fine attacking display. A win over Bahrain and a place in the last eight followed but the group stage ended with an unlucky and late defeat at the hands of Iran. That put the Whites in the path of Japan. For Ali, it was not just about achieving the target of the last four finish, but for a team that is often reduced to playing neighbours, it was a chance to break out of regional concerns to prove they are a genuine continental force. To show the whole of Asia what the country was capable of – a good old football coming-out party.
The UAE rode their luck at times against the Samurai Blue but more important was belief. It was symbolised by Abdulrahman. He may not help out in defence as much as some but in the first penalty of the shoot-out, his panenka was not only delicious, it sent out a magnificent message to team-mates and opponents alike.
This swagger and skill is now focused on the host nation. The semi-final target has been achieved. Japan has been disposed of and the talent in the squad has been displayed. The greatest achievement in the country’s football history is within reach. More than that, it shows the whole region of west Asia that there are alternatives to the short-term, hire and fire approach. Plenty at stake then. “Sometimes you have to play with your heart,” Ali said after the Japan win. Socceroos should beware. The UAE has heart and more besides.
