UAE's Hamdan Al Kamali consoles keeper Khalid Eisa after one of Uzbekistan's four goals in a 4-0 friendly win over the Emiratis in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. Ravindranath K / The National / October 14, 2014
UAE's Hamdan Al Kamali consoles keeper Khalid Eisa after one of Uzbekistan's four goals in a 4-0 friendly win over the Emiratis in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. Ravindranath K / The National / October 14, 2014
UAE's Hamdan Al Kamali consoles keeper Khalid Eisa after one of Uzbekistan's four goals in a 4-0 friendly win over the Emiratis in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. Ravindranath K / The National / October 14, 2014
UAE's Hamdan Al Kamali consoles keeper Khalid Eisa after one of Uzbekistan's four goals in a 4-0 friendly win over the Emiratis in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. Ravindranath K / The National / October 1

It must be asked: ‘Why are Emirati fans not showing up for games in their own country?’


  • English
  • Arabic

They were the powerful words uttered by a passionate man in hurt and frustration, a man who is usually very diplomatic, calm and reserved, whatever the circumstances. But when your own people let you down, emotions are hard to bottle up.

“There is no support from our own fans, so how will the players be motivated,” Mahdi Ali asked on Tuesday, after a 4-0 loss to Uzbekistan in Abu Dhabi. “The other day, the Australians had more support for them than us in the stadium. I wish not to play any games at home but outside the country. It is really disappointing.”

Mahdi Ali is the greatest manager the country has produced. He led the so-called “golden generation” group of players to a debut Olympics appearance in London 2012, won the 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations and qualified undefeated for the 2015 Asian Cup. He has nurtured many of the country’s best players since they were 15 or 16.

All he has asked from the country’s fans is to show up for international matches and support their team. A team who play the sport the country is madly in love with and, actually, the only sport Emiratis care about: Football!

I remember a scenario from 2011, when only 4,100 people – and it seemed like fewer – showed up in Al Ain to see a scoreless Olympic qualifier. Three months later, a day after Mahdi Ali said “everyone who loves his country” would appear at Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, a crowd of 28,734 turned out for a 1-0 victory over Australia that put the UAE on the verge of London 2012.

Mahdi Ali’s words, after the defeat to Uzbekistan in a nearly empty stadium, raise many important questions, led by: why are Emirati fans not showing up for games in their own country?

Tickets are priced at Dh10; the stadiums are located in the heart of major cities. Why do so few fans support a team widely considered the best the country has produced?

Such a situation would be understandable if the UAE were a cricket country, but football is our most watched, most played and most followed sport.

It is unflattering both to fans as well as UAE football authorities that greater support has not been seen.

The Football Association is well-funded, but national team matches are poorly publicised and promoted.

The problems are not unsolvable, just unaddressed. First, you identify the challenges and then put all your energy into solving those challenges.

One of the most important opportunities UAE football could embrace is tapping into the giant expat community and market, people who sometimes feel unwelcome at national team matches. I have called on top officials to create an English-language TV-magazine show but, so far, the answer has always been: “It is in our plans and will happen soon.”

There is a lack of promotional activities in promoting the UAE national team’s games. Match days are released, kick-off times are noted, and the FA seems to believe their job is complete.

Female fans are rarely seen at stadiums and, most of the year, attending a match means sitting in extreme heat.

If it is too hot to attend games, why not use air-conditioning at stadiums? That might get Emirati fans out of coffee shops or their living rooms and to the matches.

If women do not attend games due to lack of proper protection or washrooms in the stadiums, then build washrooms and add extra security for women.

If fans believe parking lots are jammed, arrange a free shuttle service in and out of the stadium and keep the shuttles on standby at different spots in the city.

The challenges have been known for quite a while now, but those who can take action have not acted on solving those challenges aggressively, leaving the players who represent their country wondering why their compatriots give them such little support.

Disappointing results at the Gulf Cup of Nations, four weeks hence, and the Asian Cup, in Australia in January, could cost Mahdi Ali his job. The FA wants to win the Asian Cup, or to be in the semi-finals, at least.

Without a win in five matches, and only one goal in that stretch, this team, seemingly abandoned by their countrymen during a difficult period, is in no condition to be heading into the Gulf Cup next month.

The great Bill Shankly, Liverpool’s manager, once said: “If you can’t support us when we lose, don’t support us when we win.”

Mahdi Ali’s message was loud and clear: if Emiratis can’t support their team in their own country, then do not support the team at all.

sports@thenational.ae

Follow us on Twitter @SprtNationalUAE

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

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Ticket prices

General admission Dh295 (under-three free)

Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free

Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets

AUSTRALIA SQUAD

Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle

What can you do?

Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses

Seek professional advice from a legal expert

You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor

You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline

In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Cricket World Cup League 2

UAE squad

Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind

Fixtures

Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates

The Transfiguration

Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars

Padmaavat

Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh

3.5/5

The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder

Transmission: CVT auto

Power: 181bhp

Torque: 244Nm

Price: Dh122,900 

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

Christopher Robin
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Haley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Peter Capaldi
Three stars

Profile

Company name: Jaib

Started: January 2018

Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour

Based: Jordan

Sector: FinTech

Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018

Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Company%20Profile
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'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

Tips to keep your car cool
  • Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
  • Park in shaded or covered areas
  • Add tint to windows
  • Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
  • Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
  • Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

Visit Abu Dhabi culinary team's top Emirati restaurants in Abu Dhabi

Yadoo’s House Restaurant & Cafe

For the karak and Yoodo's house platter with includes eggs, balaleet, khamir and chebab bread.

Golden Dallah

For the cappuccino, luqaimat and aseeda.

Al Mrzab Restaurant

For the shrimp murabian and Kuwaiti options including Kuwaiti machboos with kebab and spicy sauce.

Al Derwaza

For the fish hubul, regag bread, biryani and special seafood soup. 

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Stan%20Lee
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