UAE stalwart Walid Abbas has expressed sadness after paternal coach Mahdi Ali called time on his transformational spell in charge, bemoaning the loss of a special man who was “so important for me as a footballer and for us”.
Ali, 51, announced his resignation from a post he’d held since August 2012 in a post-match press conference following last Tuesday’s 2-0 loss in Australia, which left already slim hopes of making World Cup 2018 in tatters.
Outmoded tactics and stale selections dogged qualifying, but the ex-Whites midfielder had taken the ‘Golden Generation’ on an odyssey which began by winning the AFC U-19 Championship in 2008 and peaked with third place at the 2015 Asian Cup.
“About the national team, we are sad because Mahdi Ali has left,” said versatile Al Ahli defender Abbas, who at 31 is too old for the success in the junior ranks.
“Maybe we were unlucky during these last two games. I think there is still a chance and we will fight for this chance. Of course, he [Ali] was so important for me as a footballer and for us – he was a good coach, hard worker.
“It is sad when someone leaves the national team after seven or eight years [including stints with Under-20s and U-23s].
“He said to us that he didn’t want to leave, but this is life and you have to change sometimes.”
The UAE Football Association is currently assessing options to replace Ali. Alejandro Sabella, who led Argentina to World Cup 2014’s final, and ex-Al Nasr boss Ivan Jovanovic are targets.
A trio of fixtures remain on the Road to Russia, beginning with June 13’s must-win clash in Thailand. Would a change of leadership revive dreams of qualification?
Celebration time for #alahliuae as #alshabab offer scant resistance in #AGCup final. @DiopPboy99 is the star
— Matt Monaghan (@mattmonaghan360) April 1, 2017
🏆⚽️📰 https://t.co/WO5jOaQcmM pic.twitter.com/d4fHPQsE91
“Maybe, maybe,” 69-cap Abbas replied. “Maybe he will change the system, maybe we need time to adapt to his way of playing – we are going to see what happens.”
Abbas had a quiet night at centre-back on Saturday as his toothless former club Al Shabab were easily beaten 2-0 in the Arabian Gulf Cup’s showpiece. He challenged his Ahli team-mates to use the win as a confidence booster for their ongoing 2017 AFC Champions League campaign.
He said: “Of course we are happy, as we won the game after the international break. It was a tough game and some of the players were a bit tired because of the travelling [from Australia with the UAE].
“We wanted this trophy and we got it. It should be motivation for us for the rest of the season because we have the AFC Champions League now.
“We need to focus on that, as we must qualify for the second round.”
