DUBAI // Gustavo Henrique, the UAE national beach soccer team manager, has called for an overhaul of the sport in the country following a second successive defeat in the Intercontinental Cup, which has killed home hopes of progressing to the knockout stages.
Humbled 11-1 by Brazil in their opening match on Tuesday, the UAE needed a win against Tahiti in the second game and then beat Poland in their final match to keep alive their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
However, they failed to deliver, losing 7-3 to Tahiti, and will have nothing but pride to play for when they meet Poland in their final Group A match on Wednesday.
• Day 1: UAE hammered 11-1 by Brazil in Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup opener
Henrique, who had high hopes coming into this tournament following an encouraging build-up which included wins over Russia and Hungary in practice matches, was shocked by the lackadaisical efforts of his players.
“If you saw the way we played in the practice matches, this is not the same UAE team we prepared for the tournament,” the Brazilian said. “So I am very disappointed.
“Now we have no chance to qualify for the semis, but we need to sit down and see what mistakes we have made and see where we can improve heading into the future.”
Asked what changes he would like to see, Henrique, who has coached top beach soccer teams such as Portugal and Brazil in the past, said he would like to see a more professional set-up.
“First, we have to make a local league,” he said. “Then, we need to start participating in more competitions. We have to have more camps. We have to train more. We need support from the employers because some players come direct from their jobs.
“We need to be a lot more professional. I am not trying to make excuses, but these are the things we need to change if we want to improve, if we want to reach a higher level.
“We have to sit down and have a post mortem, not just for the players but even the coach … for everything. This is not the time to shout and scream at each other, but to stay calm and see how we can turn things around from here.”
The win has assured Tahiti’s place in the last four, along with Brazil, who defeated Poland 5-2 in their second match.
The 2015 World Cup and Intercontinental Cup runners-up, Tahiti had edged Poland 5-4 in their opening match and had Patrick Tepa’s hat-trick to thank for their comfortable win over the hosts.
Henrique, however, said the referee also had a big part to play after he showed a straight red card to Abbas Daryaei early in the first period.
“We started the match well, but the referee, three minutes into the match, gives a red card and that’s impossible,” the UAE manager said. “A direct red card was a big mistake.”
RESULTS:
Group A
• UAE 3 Tahiti 7
• Brazil 5 Poland 2
Group B
• Egypt 1 Iran 4
• Russia 9 USA 3
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