UAE coach Alberto Zaccheroni has sensationally chosen to exile star duo Omar Abdulrahman of Al Ain and Ali Mabkhout of Al Jazira from the first squad selected since their controversial infractions at the Gulf Cup.
2016 AFC Player of the Year Abdulrahman, 26, and 2015 Asian Cup top marksman Mabkhout, 27, were given four-match domestic suspensions on January 23 after they had been found guilty of leaving the Whites’ hotel in Kuwait City without permission from 20:15-22:30 the night before January 5’s dismal penalty-shootout defeat to lowly Oman in the final. Utility-man Mohammed Fawzi, 27, was also found to have been part of the incident, but escaped a ban as he was unavailable for the game.
The leading pair – who saw appeals rejected by the UAE Football Association – had both expected to feature in the 24-man roster chosen for the 2018 King’s Cup in Thailand, set to run from March 22-25. News of their snubs on Wednesday came as a shock to them, with no warnings issued.
This headline-grabbing decision to sideline two of Asia’s finest players was left to Zaccheroni by the governing body. The ex-AC Milan, Juventus and Japan tactician has insisted on ditching them as further punishment for their behaviour.
With less than a year left to January 2019’s Asian Cup on home soil, this call may have serious repercussions. Mabkhout and Abdulrahman pledged their continued commitment to the UAE on Twitter in January.
Elsewhere, Zaccheroni’s selection features first call-ups for emerging Jazira defender Mohammed Al Attas and lightning Sharjah forward Saif Rashid.
Al Attas, 20, has earned rave reviews playing across the backline. Rashid, 23, impressed scouts in the 3-1 win versus Al Ain.
The UAE will meet Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik’s Slovakia on March 22. Either Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon or the hosts await three days later, depending on results.
