Sparky’s Column

Little Teams, Big Hearts

The UAE continued the march to Australia and the Asian Cup finals 2015. They are now sitting pretty after winning arguably the toughest home match of the group. Uzbekistan are European in their style and stature, so the win shows the young guns of the Etisalat Pro League have what it takes to reach Australia in 2015.

International week is normally a rest for domestic football but not here in the UAE, as we reached the semi-final stage of the Etisalat Cup. I said last week that the Cup should be a chance for the smaller clubs to lay their hands on some silverware. In the short history of the Cup it has been the big boys of Dubai and Abu Dhabi running out Champions. This could change with Ajman in the final, the homely club from the Northern Emirates must feel this is their best shot at glory. Al Jazira are no strangers to silverware and this season could complete a quadruple set after winning the League and President's Cup double two campaigns ago, plus the President's Cup again last season. Once a club like Jazira starts winning things it is vital they continue as the expectation level rises and fans demand it.

The success story of the season, if not the last few, has been Bani Yas. Season after season they overperform for a club of their size; in fact a lot of fans in the UAE could not even describe where the club is located. It turns out the little suburb of Abu Dhabi city is big news in the nation's football. The backbone of the performances over the last few years has been the young Emirati squad and the free scoring Senegalese striker Andre Senghor.  The addition of Christian Wilhelmsson and Mohamed Aboutrika has meant the little club with a big heart is again pushing for Champions League football. The next stage would be for the club to attract the crowds their football deserves, and get more of the investment required to challenge for the League title.

The teams that came up last season have, for the most part, struggled in the Pro League. On the other hand, the teams relegated to the second division, Sharjah and Emirates Club, are 12 points clear in the top two places. The gap between the first division and Pro League is huge, and the transition between the two divisions obviously requires massive investment in the team if they are to survive. The case in point are Al Dhafra who invested heavily in Amara Diane a player who has played in the French league and scored across the region in the Qatar. The gamble for teams is whether to invest in the hope of avoiding the drop, or just be happy that the team has made it amongst the big boys and hope for the best.