The pain was raw and etched across Ezekiel Henty’s face.
Relegation for Bani Yas, ending an eight-year stint in the Arabian Gulf League, had just been confirmed in the cruellest of circumstances.
The Lokomotiv Moscow loanee, 23, and his Sky Blues team-mates thought they had earned a lifeline when 4-2 up in the basement battle against Emirates Club with 10 minutes left. But by the end of Wednesday’s last play, merciless Argentine striker Sebastian Saez’s decisive header had confirmed the hosts’ collapse to a 4-4 draw and a bleak future in the second division.
Speaking in the bowels of a now desolate Bani Yas Stadium, the Nigerian forward fought back tears to reveal his torment.
“I cannot speak,” said Henty, who has scored four times in 11 top-flight games since his January recruitment. “This club has meant everything to me, my heart is so broken to see the club go down.
“I am almost passed out [at the end]. I was praying I could continue, because I was playing with pains in my leg.
“My heart was totally broken when the fourth goal went in for Emirates. Everyone was so emotional [in the dressing room].
“It was like a movie. A goal in the last minute?”
"My heart is broken." He might only be a loanee, but there is no doubting Ezekiel Henty's raw emotions after #BaniYas' #AGLeague relegation pic.twitter.com/bnTjymt9Gv
— Matt Monaghan (@mattmonaghan360) May 3, 2017
The inquest into how a club who reached the knockouts of the 2012 AFC Champions League could get into such an invidious position is under way. Bani have spent almost the entirety of a wretched 2016/17 at the foot of the standings, hiring three different coaches and conceding 16 more goals (68) than any other team.
Such statistics mean demotion to the First Division League with a game to spare cannot be a surprise.
Veteran tactician Abdulwahab Abdulqadir answered a belated emergency call to begin a third stint in charge at the end of January. He earned 10 of their 15 points, but too much damage had been caused before his arrival.
The Iraqi, who led Bani to promotion to Division 1 in 1988 and won the President’s Cup four years later, was scathing in his criticism post-match.
He highlighted the decisions from management within the last 12 months to sanction the exits of key Emiratis such as now Sharjah loanee Amer Omar, Al Ain centre midfielder Amer Abdulrahman, Al Ahli defender Mohamed Jaber and Al Nasr tyro Fawaz Awana.
“We have to organise the papers and sit down to discuss everything about the club’s future,” Abdulqadir said. “When we go to play with other clubs, you find Bani Yas players playing against us – 22 very good Emiratis play with other teams.
“Who made this decision? Did Bani Yas need the money?”
Henty should be present on May 13 at dethroned champions Al Ahli, as the Sky Blues play out their last AGL game for at least a season. The AC Milan youth product hoped this harrowing experience could lead to a brighter tomorrow.
He said: “Maybe it is the will of God for the team to come back even stronger.”
