UAE Under-23 winger Abdulla Kazim has vowed to give his all to ensure he achieves a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and plays at the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Kazim, 19, is part of the 27-man preliminary squad selected to compete in next month’s decisive qualifying tournament in Qatar.
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Only a top-three finish at the 2016 AFC Under-23 Championship will see the current generation secure a second-successive entry to the Games. The Al Wasl regular opened the scoring in last Wednesday’s 3-0 warm-up match victory against North Korea and he wants to carry his momentum all the way forward to next summer’s gala event.
He said: “It is an inspiration for us to win the first match. It helps us to think about other wins before we enter the tournament, full of confidence. It is a dream for every player to play in the Olympics. It comes only once in your lifetime.
“We will try our best to reach our goals. I think we will try our hardest and as much as we can. We cannot lose this dream – we will try our best to reach it.”
Current senior stars such as Al Ain playmaker Omar Abdulrhman and Al Jazira hot shot Ali Mabkhout first wowed a global audience at London 2012. Along with coach Mahdi Ali, that group went on to win the 2013 Gulf Cup and finish third at last January’s Asian Cup.
“It motivates us to try to play there,” Kazim said of their achievements. “They played in the Olympics and we should do the same or even better. They played last time and didn’t qualify (from the group stage). We try to qualify and get even better results.
“It inspires everyone to see the first-team coach (Ali) was here to watch us play North Korea. But for me, I only think about what I have to do on the field. Now we are focusing more on what is happening here. We have an important tournament ahead.”
Dr Abdulla Misfer has been tasked with guiding the U-23s at the Championship from January 12-30. The former Al Dhafra supremo boasts a wealth of experience, which Kazim is happy to tap into.
He said: “Dr Misfer inspires us on the field and gives us confidence to do whatever we want. “When you go inside the field with confidence for yourself and from the coach, you play well.”
The team regrouped for their second training camp last Sunday, ahead of further friendlies against China on Friday and South Korea on January 4. The final 23 players selected will then head to Doha, where they face a fearsome first Group D clash against Australia on January 14.
“We don’t care about who we play against,” said Kazim, about a pool which features further matches against Jordan on January 17 and Vietnam on January 20. “We have confidence in our skills and our players. If it is a big team or a small team, we focus for the match in the same way.”
