ABU DHABI // Marwan bin Ghalaita, the new head of the UAE Football Association, has called for a united front in achieving the nation’s objectives in the sport.
The former chairman of Al Nasr’s board of directors won a closely contested election 19-15 over the incumbent Yousuf Al Serkal at the National Archive Centre yesterday.
“I sincerely want to thank everyone for the faith they had in me for this job, and Yousuf Al Serkal for all the good work he had done to hand over an organisation in good health,” said Bin Ghalaita.
“The voting is now done and dusted, and I appeal to everyone who participated in the elections to set aside their differences and work towards the common objective to further develop and improve our sport.”
Bin Ghalaita, 44, represented Al Nasr at handball before moving on to the administration of the club.
As chairman of the club’s board of directors he has enjoyed success too, winning the President’s Cup, Arabian Gulf Cup, and the Gulf Club Cup, all in the 2014/2015 season.
Aside from the club duties, Bin Ghalaita is also the deputy speaker of the Federal National Council and executive director of Dubai’s Real Estate Regulatory Agency (RERA).
The FA president has a double degree in Engineering and Business Administration from California State University Fresno in the United States.
He relinquished his post as chairman of Al Nasr Club’s board of directors to contest the elections.
Al Serkal, 57, was elected president of the FA in 2004, but stepped down after winning the Gulf Cup on home soil in 2007. He headed a temporary board in 2011, and elected for a second term in 2012.
Abdullah Nasser Al Junaibi and Saeed Obaid Al Teneiji were elected as vice-presidents of the FA.
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