Sparky’s Column

Al Wahda's challenge

There was a seismic shift in people's perspective of football in the region last week. When Sep Blatter opened the envelope revealing Qatar as the host of the 2022 World Cup football in the region was instantly changed from back-water to world power. It will be interesting to see if the shockwaves will reverberate to the UAE. The knock-on effect could be an investment in infrastructure to keep up with Qatar and an investment in development to push the region's teams to a World Cup finals on everyone's doorstep. It is interesting times for football here and the hope is Qatar's gain will have a positive effect across the region.

 The UAE national team were knocked out of the Gulf Cup by the narrowest of margins by Saudi Arabia. It was a much depleted squad that went to Yemen but the team gave a great account of themselves. A player who stood out in the 3-1 victory against Bahrain was Abdul Salam Jumaa. The Al Jazira veteran showed the drive in midfield to lift the team beyond what many thought possible. This must bode well for the second half of the season for his club side as they push for the title. He knows how to win leagues having done it with Al Wahda in 2005. The key will be if the home based players can perform and if Jumaa does then that could tip the title Al Jazira's way for the first time.

 The FIFA Club World Cup gets underway this Wednesday, December 8 and Al Wahda will be looking to show they can go a stage further than Al Ahli did last year. The fall at the first hurdle last year caused embarrassment to the Dubai Cand UAE football. This year all Al Wahda players were not included in the UAE squads for the Gulf Cup as the UAE FA gave the team the best chance to prepare for the FIFA tournament. The team they face first are Hekari United of Papua New Guinea, who have dominated their League of just eight teams for the last four years. It will be the first time any team from the country has taken part in any FIFA club competition. They are unique in that they are run by a husband and wife team, which is unusual to say the least. The Club, formed in 2002, has only had one coach in the shape of Jerry Allen. The aim for Hekari United will be to enjoy every second of their time in the UAE. The pressure is off and any results they get will be a bonus. The simple fact is,  a team of limited resources such as Hekari United should not stand a chance against a professional outfit. The pressure is therefore all on Al Wahda, but they should have enough to progress to the quarter finals.