Sparky’s Column

The Battle Ahead

Bruno Metsu has given his first interview to French magazine L'Equipe about his progress against the illness first diagnosed whilst he was coach at Al Wasl. He was living with stomach cancer for a while, and after the abdominal pain became too much he sought medical help, which led to the worst being confirmed. I heard the news and my heart sank, I obviously knew how serious cancer is but I also knew that this form of the disease was particularly aggressive. I had a relative who suffered from the same disease so I knew Bruno was in for a tough ride during his treatment. He lost 17kg during the process which shows you how harsh the treatment needs to be. It's great to see this week that he has already outlived the original prognosis and is now looking to the future. He still has an uphill battle but he has made the first steps on the road to recovery. Bruno will always have a special place in UAE football fans' hearts after his success with the national team, and I am sure everyone joins me in wishing him a continued recovery.

Al Ain finally have a coach in place in the shape of 60-year-old Jorge Fossati. The words "much-travelled" should  be used by any writer in describing this particular manager. He has coached in his native Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Ecuador, Brazil, Qatar and now the UAE. This has been topped off by spells in charge of the Qatari and Uruguayan national teams. It is a pretty phenomenal list of past employees and shows great experience in both the Middle East and South America. He has coached once before on UAE soil when Qatar faced Iraq in a World Cup qualifier at Al Ahli Club back in June 2008 and so far it's a 100% success rate as he won that match 1-0.

The fixtures for the 2013/14 Arabian Gulf League have been drawn and of course within seconds everyone looks for the first game of the season. The Champions make the trip to Al Shabab in what should be a tough opener for Jorge Fossati, whereas their biggest rivals Al Ahli face one of the weaker teams in the shape of Dubai Club. The two promoted clubs Sharjah and Emirates have a mixed start, one will be happier than the other. Al Wasl host Sharjah and Emirates have the league's longest trip; an arduous 400km to Al Dhafra. The league fixture everyone is waiting for is Al Ahli v Al Ain which will happen in Round 7. The excitement is building as the season is now weeks away with the Super Cup happening on the 30th August in Abu Dhabi.