Al Ain wrap up deal for Emerson

AL AIN // The Brazilian forward Marcio Emerson will complete Al Ain's impressive line-up of foreigners as Winfried Schaefer's side hopes to go one better than the cup double they won last season. Emerson, 30, arrived in Al Ain for a medical yesterday ahead of a free transfer from the Brazilian club Flamengo. He will be joining South American compatriots Jorge Valdivia, the playmaker from Chile, and the Argentine striker Jose Sand.

"Emerson will be officially presented to the media after he completes the medical test and sign his new contract with Al Ain," said a club spokesman. Emerson will fill the hole left by the injured Moroccan Soufiane Alloudi, who has still to recover fully from a knee ligament injury he sustained at the African Cup of Nations in January 2008. Alloudi has a three-year contract running to 2011. Emerson was granted Qatari citizenship while at the influential Al Sadd Club in 2008 so that they could accommodate one more foreign player in their line-up.

He made his international debut for Qatar in a friendly against Bahrain and played in the World Cup qualifying match against Iraq. It was later revealed Emerson had played for the Brazil Under 20 side which made him ineligible to play for Qatar and so he joins Al Ain as a Brazilian player. Meanwhile, a pre-season friendly turned ugly when two Al Jazira players and the coach Abel Braga were sent off along with Waleed al Raja of the Saudi club Al Ittifaq in the opening game of the IPIC Cup at the Bin Zayed stadium, which Jazira won 5-3 on penalties.

Subait Khater was the first to be red carded, for a dangerous tackle. The Ivorian Tony was sent off for a clumsy dive inside the box. Braga followed his players from the pitch for showing dissent to the referee. [e-mail]