Former Bani Yas coach Gabriel Calderon believes UAE football has made tremendous progress in recent years and the Argentine says the Whites will soon be able to qualify to a FIFA World Cup.
Calderon has spent the past nine years of his coaching career in the Gulf region which has included stints with the national teams of Saudi Arabia and Oman, Saudi club sides Al Ittihad and Al Hilal, UAE’s Bani Yas, and his most recent job as Bahrain manager.
With his extensive experience in the region, Calderon has been witness to the UAE’s recent successes and the 53-year-old believes Mahdi Ali’s men are due an international breakthrough soon.
“After 10 years here I believe I know the football in this region quite well, especially in the UAE,” Calderon told Sport360°. “And I can see how much it’s growing. They’re working so well for the future of football here with the young players.
“The organisation of the domestic league is getting more and more professional.
“And the national team is comprised of young players who have been playing together for five years now and they’ve won the Gulf Cup this year. They’re on the right track. “I think it’s possible that this team can qualify to the World Cup.
“They’re on the right path, they need a few more quality players which they can incorporate with the current team, and if they continue to grow the way they are currently growing then I believe they can make it to the World Cup,” added Calderon.
The ex-Argentina international is in the UAE as a FIFA ambassador accompanying the World Cup Trophy Tour, which kicked off in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
The UAE has made only one appearance at the FIFA World Cup, back in 1990 when it was staged in Italy.
