UAE defender Hamdan Al Kamali has dedicated his country’s historic qualification for the London Olympics to friend Theyab Awana, who tragically died in a car crash last September.
The Bani Yas winger was killed when he collided with a lorry near the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, just days after helping the junior Whites to a crucial 0-0 draw with Australia in Adelaide.
The tragedy hit UAE football hard, with Awana tipped for a bright future having already won nine caps for the senior national team, scoring two goals – including an infamous backheeled penalty in a friendly against Lebanon.
It did not derail the UAE Under-23 side’s campaign though as Mahdi Ali’s men stayed unbeaten in Group B to seal their passage to London with back-to-back victories over Australia and Uzbekistan.
Al Kamali was in Germany receiving treatment for injury when his close friend died but he revealed to FIFA.com that the squad had been spurred on to achieve qualification in honour of the Bani Yas youngster.
“He had a lot of dreams, and it’s for him that we achieved all this,” Al Kamali said. “He’ll always remain in our hearts and we’ll never forget him. I miss him enormously.”
Al Kamali also revealed that being part of the first UAE squad to play at a major tournament since the senior side qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy would be a “special” experience. “We’ve already played in several major competitions, but the Olympic Games is a worldwide competition that many players would love to take part in,” he said.
“We’ll have a lot of responsibility on our shoulders as it will be the Emirates’ first ever appearance in it. For us, this qualification is historic. We’re going to compete in an international tournament with teams of a very high standard, and I hope we can represent Emirati football in the right way.”
Manager praise
The on-loan Lyon defender also echoed the words of Omar Abdulrahman in his exclusive interview with Sport360° when he accredited the young Whites’ success to the close-knit, family atmosphere instilled by coach Mahdi Ali.
“Mahdi Ali brought a huge amount to the team,” he said. “He oversaw a number of wins in a short space of time thanks to his special relationship with the players. He’s not just a coach; he’s also like a big brother who takes an interest in his players away from the pitch and helps them.”
French fancy
Al Kamali is yet to make his first-team debut for Lyon since joining on a six-month deal at the end of January. He has instead had to prove his worth with the second team, for whom he’s made six appearances and score one goal in the France’s fourth tier.
The defender’s current loan may be coming to an end but he is confident the move has worked out as planned. He said: “I have to thank Al Wahda club chairman Sheikh Saeed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and all the officials who gave me the chance to try my luck abroad. I hope I don’t disappoint them, despite the size of the task ahead of me. So far, everything has gone as expected.”
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