Mahdi Ali may only have spent a short time in charge of Bani Yas but his influence on the Pro League club is still being felt today, according to their general manager, Metwally Abu Elmagd.
The incoming UAE coach was brought to Al Shamkha on a caretaker basis in April 2011 following the departure of Tunisian Lofti El Benzarti. Mahdi lost just two of his eight games in charge, winning three, but was not kept on at the end of the season as the Sky Blues finished second behind Al Jazira.
He did continue to work with a number of Bani Yas players though, who he integrated into the Under-23 side and it was Sky Blues midfielder, Haboush Saleh, who scored the goal that sent the UAE to the Olympics.
Haboush did not make the final 18-man squad for the Games, but three of his Bani Yas team-mates – Ahmed Ali, Amer Abdulrahman and Mohammed Fawzi – did and many more were used on the road to Britain.
“About 40 per cent of the players with the Olympic team are from Bani Yas,” Abu Elmagd said. “I think he helped Bani Yas by choosing these players in the Olympic team.
“We know that in this moment these players became bigger than when they started with him; they were smaller players, now they are more experienced.”
Bani Yas struggled badly in the league last season, finishing ninth, as they were forced to play for large periods without their contingent of young Whites. But with the likes of Amer, Haboush and Ahmed back and fully focused, Abu Elmagd thinks they can challenge for the title again.
“I think in the next season our players who are in the Olympic team now will start to regain their form with Bani Yas,” he added. “I think he helped Bani Yas when he found these players for the future. They are good players for Bani Yas and for national team.”
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