Sparky’s Column

The Tipping Point

There is one player's name on everyone's lips in the UAE right now, and that is Omar Abdulrahman.  The slightly strange thing is that - if you believe the reports - he is on the radars of Hamburg, Benfica, Arsenal and Barcelona. I am not doubting the young Emirati's talent and his display in the Olympics obviously brought him to the attention of a global audience, but I do wonder why it's all suddenly come to a head this week. The player, by his own admission, has no agent and is not pushing for a move, so why the sudden flurry of interest in the last seven days?  The fact no club has sent a scout to watch him play live yet makes me slightly suspicious of the validity of the stories, but I may be proved wrong. If a club is keen they will always send a scout or have someone locally based send a report. A good scout will include things in his report like a player's attitude in the warm-up, how he interacts with his team mates and, if possible, ask a few questions around the club about the player. I think we will know when things are getting serious about a move for Omar when the scouts start appearing. In the meantime we can enjoy the talent of a generation in the shape of the Al Ain playmaker.

I write the column this week from a chilly England, and the flight over gave me an idea for promoting the game in the UAE. All the UAE airlines have in-flight entertainment systems, which would be the ideal place to showcase the game. A highlights package of the Pro League or features on clubs would be a great way of hooking football fans before they even land in the country. I know if I had seen a feature on Al Nasr or Omar Abdulrahman when I first arrived in the country, I would have been seeking them out at the first opportunity. I just get the feeling it would be a good way to grab fans' attention early and keep them.

The season is at a crucial stage it could be described as the tipping point. Malcolm Gladwell in his book on the subject defines a tipping point as a sociological term: "The moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point." Al Ain had been the runaway leaders in the League and psychologically they seemed invincible to the rest of the Pro League. They unexpectedly lost one game, and Al Jazira closed in on "The Boss": the tippng point had been reached for both clubs. The result will mean as much mentally to the teams as the points on offer. The tipping point will swing towards Abu Dhabi or Al Ain come the end of Sunday night's game, and it's far too tight to call.