Sam Allardyce believes the comfortable living enjoyed by Emirati footballers could prove a major factor in preventing players from furthering their careers in Europe.
UAE football has experienced a sharp rise in recent years, both in terms of the level of domestic football and the fortunes of the national team.
Central to the success of the national team is the crop of players who first announced themselves at the London 2012 Olympics.
Since the Games, The Whites have clinched the Gulf Cup of Nations, won every game of 2013, and risen to 63rd in the FIFA World Rankings – up 75 places in two years.
Despite their remarkable success, no Emirati player is yet to permanently take their talent abroad. Hamdan Al Kamali did spend six months on-loan at Ligue 1 side Lyon, but it ultimately proved unsuccessful and the Al Wahda defender failed to make a first-team appearance.
Al Ain playmaker Omar Abdulrahman is often linked with a move to Europe, most recently to high-flying Premier League club Liverpool, as well as Arsenal, Benfica, and Manchester City, where he experienced a two-week trial in 2012.
However, Allardyce feels that it may be tough for Emirati players to leave their own shores due to the lifestyle they are afforded, although the West Ham boss insists it’s only a matter of time before an Arab player makes his way to a major European league.
“(The UAE league) has only been professional for a few years, so I think there is a little way to go to get used to being full time professionals,” said Allardce, who is in Dubai with West Ham on a winter training camp.
“But I think in a few years there is bound to be a really talented player come (to England).
“It’s whether they want to come for the football because they are so well looked after in their own country it would be difficult for them to break away and play in Europe.
“But you never know, somebody somewhere down the line from the Arab states will end up in the Premier League.”
