Officials laud nation's march to London games

UAE officials have been equivocal in hailing the achievement of the UAE in reaching the Olympic Games football competition for the first time in its history. "This is the most amazing moment for football in the UAE. Things will only get better from now on as we await for the start of a new era in UAE football," Mohammad Al Kamali, General Secretary, UAE National Olympic Committee (UAE NOC), told Gulf News. "This is the day we were all waiting for and there was a lot of doubt among the people of the country whether we could go all the way and beat Uzbekistan in Tashkent. But this set of youngsters have shown the way that anything is possible when one is willing to fight till the very end," Al Kamali added. Saeed Hareb, a former national level footballer and now President of the UAE Marine Sports Federation, congratulated the entire country for such a feat. "Of course the credit should go to our leaders who show us the way, but it is the UAE Football Association (UAEFA) who needs a pat on the back for all the hard work put in along with the vision they had for this team," Hareb said. "Coach Mahdi Ali has done a great job and we salute him for leading this team and realising the dream of a country. And the way this team fought back from two goals down only proves that a lot of hard work has been put in to arrive where we have," Hareb added. Saeed Abdul Gaffar Hussain, a former Board Member of the UAEFA, was thrilled at such a fantastic result. "I was there in China when this team won at the Asian Games [in November 2010]. But there is no comparison of what I feel after such an achievement of making it to an Olympic Games," Hussain said. "We cannot forget the vision of former president Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi who dreamt big when he put together this team. This team has shown what it is capable of during the past. They have such an excellent record: they have lost just four times in the past four years," he added. "As much as this is a historic moment for the UAE, it is also a statement for all future generations. I see this team as the next national side of the UAE along with a couple of players from the senior squad." Abdul Rahman Falaknaz, Finance Director, UAE NOC, was confident that the team will put up a much better show at the London Olympics. "The road to the Olympics has been long, and once we get there I am sure they will do even better," Falaknaz noted. The UAE NOC official said that they are prepared to have a much bigger contingent travelling to London for the Games later this summer. "Qualifying was very, very important for the UAE as this will usher in a completely different identity for the country as we will go to London as one of the representatives of Asia as well," Falaknaz added. From gulfnews