Mohammed Ali Gharib says the UAE's Under 23 side expect to redeem themselves against Oman in the final of the Gulf Cup tonight in Doha.
The UAE lost to Oman 3-2 in their opening match before bouncing back with a 5-1 thrashing of Bahrain in the group stage and a 2-0 semi-final win over Qatar on Friday to book their place in the final.
"This is a team with big ambitions," said Gharib, who scored the opening goal in the UAE's win over Qatar. "We are the defending champions of this Gulf Cup and with objectives of playing in next year's London Olympics.
"We want to win this final to underline our status as the best team in the competition."
The 22-year-old Al Shabab defender blamed defensive errors for his team's loss to Oman, but said it made them stronger for the remainder of the competition.
"We made a few mistakes at the back and lost to Oman," he said. "Since then we have worked on those areas, and this has resulted in winning the next two games very convincingly. We now want to put the team's excellent record straight by winning this final.
"It was better that defeat came so early in the competition. It really gave us a wake-up call. Now we are going into the final knowing the opposition well and more importantly with our confidence very high."
Gharib put the UAE ahead against Qatar with a looping header just after the hour. Substitute Ahmed Ali broke the offside trap and rounded the keeper to double the lead 10 minutes later.
"My main job is to hold the defence together but I also go forward for the set pieces as one of the taller players," Gharib said.
"I always look to score when I go up and sometimes get lucky. Obviously I want to score more but more important is to see my team win."
Mohammed Jamal, the UAE midfielder, believes the team is in top form, and retaining the regional crown is within their reach.
"The team is in tip-top condition, both mentally and physically," Jamal said. "Even the opposition will know it was one of their good days when they beat us. We will be different and we want to avenge that defeat."
Coach Mahdi Ali is likely to start with the same line-up with Ahmed Mahmoud in goal, and Gharib, Saad Suroor, Abdulaziz Sankor and Abdulaziz Haikal in the defence. Mohammed Fawzi, Habib Fardan, Rashid Essa and Haboush Saleh are set to pull the strings in the midfield with Ali Mabkhout and Mohammed Abdulrahman spearheading the attack.
Ali, who has been with the team for the past eight years, made a double substitution on the hour against Qatar, and it paid dividends as the UAE scored almost immediately. It has been a ploy that has worked well for him in the last two games and even against Oman in the first match.
Ali also displayed the depth of his side, despite missing several key players who were drafted in to the senior national team for their upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Mohammed Obaid Hammad, the team administrator, said the absence of some key players has provided the opportunity for new talent to be unearthed.
"This championship has allowed us to discover talent," he said. "I think we have already achieved our goals in reaching the final." Gharib was among eight players from the U23 team who were selected yesterday for the senior national team ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on September 2.
Also selected by Srecko Katanec, the senior national team coach, were Hamdan Al Kamali, Ahmed Khalil, Theyab Awana, Omer Abdulrahman, Adel Al Hosani, Mohammed Abdulrahman and Mohammed Fawzi.
Katanec assembled most of his players in Al Ain yesterday to prepare for a friendly against Qatar at the Tahnoun bin Mohammed stadium on August 25.
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Emirates exiles
Will Wilson is not the first player to have attained high-class representative honours after first learning to play rugby on the playing fields of UAE.
Jonny Macdonald
Abu Dhabi-born and raised, the current Jebel Ali Dragons assistant coach was selected to play for Scotland at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2011.
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Having started rugby by chance when the Jumeirah College team were short of players, he later won the World Under 20 Championship with England.
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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