Time and tide, sadly, wait for no man. Grafite has learnt this lesson during the winter transfer window as three-and-a-half years of incredible service to Al Ahli were cast aside.
– #Quiz360: WIN dinner for 2 at Towers Rotana, Dubai
– New boy Ribeiro inspires Al Ahli to 2-0 victory over Sharjah
The decision to dump the 35-year-old on Qatar’s Al Sadd on Monday seems ruthless but was perhaps understandable. A revolution is under way at Rashid Stadium to stem the rapid decline exhibited by the treble winners this term.
It has been a honor to represent Al Ahli as a player and as captain. I have cherished every second of it!! pic.twitter.com/4HfekjFWxn
— Grafite (@Graffa23) February 4, 2015
Morocco winger Oussama Assaidi and Brazil playmaker Everton Ribeiro are ambitious moves to revive a troubled campaign.
Such relentless desire for progress saw ‘Graffa’ – whose name was chanted with real affection from the Rashid Stadium terraces right until the end – brought to Dubai in the first place.
The Red Knights went the extra mile to see off strong competition from regional rivals Al Gharafa to bring him in from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg, huge reward following from a man now rightly heralded as a club legend.
The four-times capped Brazl international’s legacy to Ahli is the creation of a winning and professional culture. His warm, approachable disposition hides a burning
desire to be the best.
There was no base urge for one last pay day in the Middle East. Graffa arrived in the UAE determined to leave a tangible mark, a series of tweets yesterday detailing his affection for the club he departs.
Five trophies, two Foreign Player of the Year awards plus 86 goals in 113 appearances pay testament to his extraordinary output.
Ahli were fresh off a nightmare campaign under David O’Leary when he joined, memories of the 2008/09 league title win seeming more distant than ever.
Grafite immediately lit the spark that led to last term’s zenith under serial trophy winning coach Cosmin Olaroiu.
An equalising goal in the 2011/12 Etisalat Emirates Cup – now the Arabian Gulf Cup – final saw silverware secured within a year of his arrival.
The tally was doubled the following May with a first President’s Cup triumph in five years, an eventful match for Grafite seeing him score then get sent off with 10 minutes remaining.
UAE Super Cup, now Arabian Gulf Cup Super Cup, Arabian Gulf League and Arabian Gulf Cup wins followed in a glorious 2013/14. But this was to be the peak for Graffa, age catching him and his team-mates up.
His last appearance in a Red Knights shirt was not befitting of the man.
A near-empty Rashid Stadium on January 4 played host to a pointless AGC group-stage clash against a Fujairah side with all their best players away at a training camp in Turkey.
Ahli were right to let him go, but Al Sadd have gained an outstanding professional.
Madness at Dhafra could be costly
A calm and sensible approach has gripped the AGL in recent weeks.
Al Wahda pulled out of a deal for Tim Cahill after deciding he did not fit their successful lone-striker system, while Sharjah retained excellent boss Paulo Bonamigo despite sitting a place above the drop zone.
Second-bottom Ajman gave Fetthi Al Jabal half the season before their patience, finally, snapped and he was replaced by Manuel Cajuda with an entire transfer window ahead to remodel.
Even Al Ahli’s standout pursuits of Oussama Assaidi and Everton Ribeiro were carried out with minimum fuss.
The memo to cut out the unnecessary grandstanding and drama obviously didn’t reach Al Dhafra who seem on a suicidal scramble to jeopardise their top-flight future.
The Western Knights have kept their heads above water since winning promotion for the 2012/13 season, staying up by maximising what they have.
This methodology was ignored four undefeated games into the campaign, coach Anel Karabeg remorselessly binned after a 3-3 draw against Al Jazira that should have brought praise.
Eight points were secured in nine fixtures under replacement Marin Ion before he was given the boot. A third stint at Al Dhafra Stadium for Laurent Banide began last night with victory against depleted Al Wasl.
The same crazy tinkering also applies to their foreign quota of players. They could pay a heavy price.
