AL SHAMKA // The aborted David Trezeguet experiment has had little bearing on the disappointing season at Baniyas, the club's deputy chairman said on Monday.
Of far more significance, he said, was the shock death of Theyab Awana and the steady commitment of key players to national sides.
Saif Al Khaily said the club spent less money on Trezeguet than is assumed and allowed the France international to depart only after he had returned some of the bonus money from a one-season contract thought to be worth, had the player fulfilled it, €1.8 million (Dh8.9m).
"Before we contacted him, Trezeguet was very interested in coming to the UAE in general, and Baniyas in specific, but what happened is that he approached the management of the club and said for whatever reason he could not adapt," Al Khaily said.
"He said it was not the club, it was not the players, it was not the country. [Trezeguet] said, 'Although the club have tried their best to provide me with everything that I wanted, or even more, I couldn't deliver what I was supposed to deliver to you'."
Speaking after a news conference to announce a Dh10m ticket-sales deal with the firm Big Shot, Al Khaily said the club agreed to terminate Trezeguet's contract. He said the striker's performance with River Plate in Argentina, where he scored twice in his first three appearances, show that the 34-year-old forward still was a force when Baniyas signed him.
He played in only three matches in the UAE and did not score.
Nidal Abo Roza, the Baniyas chief executive, emphasised that the club is fiscally prudent.
"We here at Baniyas are very money-conscious," he said. "We have a limited budget and we try our best to work within that budget, and most of the time we succeed in this."
The September 25 death in a traffic accident of Awana, 21, a popular and gifted winger, "affected the team, affected the whole club and even the national teams of the UAE", said Al Khaily, who added that the club are proud to send so many players to the senior national team as well as the Under 23 side, as many as 10 in total, but that the club have had their preferred XI on the pitch "only a few times this season".
"This is not a complaint," he said. "We are happy that we can contribute to the national teams, as per the directions of Sheikh Saif bin Zayed," the club chairman.
Baniyas, ninth in the league table after a second-place finish last season, will concentrate on the President's Cup, Al Khaily said.
The club are in the semi-finals.
Baniyas play in the Asian Champions League for the first time beginning next week.
"We understand the difficulties we are faced with," Al Khaily said. "We will try to leave a good impression of Baniyas in such a big tournament."
BIG SHOT PARTNERS ON TICKETS
The Dh10 million (US$2.7m) deal with Big Shot Sports Contracting means fans who enter the grounds will be charged admission, but each ticket will offer the buyer a chance to win prizes in cash or merchandise.
The five-year deal represents a novel approach to solving the Pro League’s historic unwillingness to charge for admission, a major handicap to generating income.
In exchange for the cash payment to Baniyas, Big Shot will handle all ticket sales, both on site and at malls in Abu Dhabi emirate, and will keep the revenue.
The goal is full houses of 20,000-plus for every match, said Al Khali.
Tickets are priced at Dh10, Dh25 and Dh40.
The high-end ticket allows admission for two adults and two children, and also gives the purchaser a scratch-and-win card worth up to Dh10,000 in cash and the ability to enter a drawing for a car and a half-kilo of gold.
Mike Brightmore, chief executive of Big Shot, said he believes the ticket scheme will create higher awareness of the Baniyas and Pro League brands.
