Al Jazira, Al Wahda and Bani Yas progress shows how football is thriving in UAE capital

Matt Jones - Editor 09:40 30/09/2018
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Bani Yas earned a first win of the new season against Abu Dhabi rivals Al Wahda.

    The beginning of the 2018/19 Arabian Gulf League season suggests times are changing as the rise of the three Abu Dhabi sides gathers pace.

    It may well be the UAE’s capital city, but its position as the epicenter of a nation is not reflected in the success of Abu Dhabi’s football teams domestically.

    Of the 44 league seasons contested in the Emirates since the inaugural campaign was won by Sharjah in 1973/74, just six championships have been brought back to the capital, which Al Jazira, Al Wahda and Bani Yas call home.

    Al Ain are the nation’s most dominant club with 13 campaigns ending in title success, six more than anyone else.

    The Clarets have won the league four times but are enduring a barren run entering a ninth season, while the Pride of Abu Dhabi have tasted success only twice (both within the last eight years).

    Deadly duo: Jazira's Ali Mabkhout (l) and Leonardo.

    Deadly duo: Jazira’s Ali Mabkhout (l) and Leonardo.

    Both have been runners-up on more occasions, five times each (Sharjah and Al Wasl have finished second eight times, with Al Ain seven-time runners-up).

    The Sky Blues’ best finish was second in 2009/10 (ironically enough that year’s title was won by city rivals Wahda).

    Wahda – desperately searching for their maiden title in nine years – fought Al Ain tooth and nail before eventually being forced to settle for a bridesmaid’s role last season.

    They blitzed the Boss in the opening 45 minutes of the curtain-raising Arabian Gulf Super Cup last month with football more sizzling than the Cairo heat. They surrendered a 3-0 lead but still emerged victorious on penalties.

    They’ve carried that form over to the new season – Laurentiu Reghecampf’s side the highest scorers after four games with an eye-watering 16 goals. The one blemish was suffering their first defeat of the season last Thursday – a 4-2 defeat to capital city rivals Bani Yas.

    Krunoslav Jurcic’s side have caught the eye on their return to the top-flight, and although Thursday’s result was their maiden victory, they are one of just four unbeaten teams.

    Considering they were long-time whipping boys before eventually succumbing to relegation two seasons ago, it is a hugely encouraging start – particularly with foreign players Leroy George, Pedro Conde and Michael Ortega already slicing teams open and among the goals.

    Jazira, meanwhile, were top going into last weekend and are the joint highest scorers behind Wahda with Al Ain on 15.

    Al Wahda are the AGL's leading scorers, with 16 in just four games.

    Al Wahda are the AGL’s leading scorers, with 16 in just four games.

    Champions two seasons ago under excellent Dutch mastermind Henk ten Cate, they dipped horribly last year to finish seventh – a whopping 25 points off Al Ain.

    But they appear on the cusp of a return to title-winning form, led by the deadly Ali Mabkhout and magical Khalfan Mubarak.

    The start to the season from the Abu Dhabi trio is a microcosm of a bigger shift in the last decade to the west of the country.

    Dubai’s last champions were Al Ahli in 2015/16. The Red Knights were also victorious in 2013/14 and in 2008/09 – the birth of professionalism in the Emirates.

    Yet no other Dubai side has been victorious since Al Shabab in 2007/08, while seven of the last 10 champions have come from afar. Al Ain –located in the emirate of Abu Dhabi but almost a two-hour drive from the capital – have four wins, Jazira two (2010/11 and 2016/17) and Wahda one (2009/10).

    Dubai’s bright lights might be what attract most people to the UAE. But football from the capital is what’s really shining in the early weeks of the new AGL season.

    Recommended