'League is a role model'

Chief executive Gai to speak in Kuala Lumpur and showcase achievements to other leagues.

Leagues from other parts of Asia can do wonders by emulating the UAE's Pro League. Paula Vecina / The National

ABU DHABI // The new UAE Etisalat Pro League has been put forward by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) as a role model for other fledgling organisations to copy, thanks to the remarkable progress made in such a short time by Romy Gai and his team at the FA headquarters here.

Gai, an Italian who spent 14 years in Turin looking after the financial affairs of Juventus, began work as the chief executive of the UAE Football League (UFL) on June 1. He has already made a tremendous impact on the administrative front. He and his colleagues were officially inspected last week by a delegation led by Tokuoako Suzuki, the deputy chairman of the AFC professional league ad-hoc committee, and the findings were so impressive that Gai has been asked to speak at a Congress in Kuala Lumpur on Oct 28-9 when every club from every league in the continent of Asia will be represented.

The main business of that conference will be to present the new Asian Champions League which has been remodelled and rebranded. Delegates from about 40 different leagues are expected to attend. "We are all delighted to have received so much praise," said Gai today. "We had a full day with the delegation and presented them with a state of the art demonstration showing how we are set-up here in the UAE.

"At the end they were very happy and they told us that the UFL is the best example for all the other new leagues in Asia to model themselves on. We have become a showcase for them. "What was most important to us as a league was for me as the chief executive to be approached officially me and asked whether I will make a speech telling everybody how we have become the best role model in Asia. That makes us all extremely proud."

Gai, who was tempted to leave his Italian home to look after the interests of the 12 clubs in the Pro League by funding of Dh600million over the next five years from a combination of television rights and Etisalat sponsorship, is reaping rapid rewards for hitting the ground running with his organisational skills. He will not rest on his laurels, though. "To receive such a commendation after only four months is tremendous but we have to put it behind us straight away and not wallow in the glory," he said. "We cannot sit back and tell people how good we are, otherwise we will be standing still when we need to keep making progress.

"The first impression of the league in terms of organisation is that the 12 clubs have made a very good job of establishing themselves in this new professional era we are embarking upon. There is a long way to go, though. But if you take your first step in the proper way it makes it much easier to take the second step." [e-mail]