The reactions of the Arab Gulf League clubs differed regarding the decision of the Football Association to return activity in next August, as clubs led by Al Ain and Al-Jazira praised Al-Wasl for the decision, as it preserves the safety of players, while continuing precautionary measures against the Corona virus (Covid 19), while a source expressed An official within Al-Ahly youth that his club is conservative on the decision, because it is not actually implementable, due to the high temperatures at that time, which may harm the players, and confirms the difficulty of establishing matches.
Al-Ahly youth tops the league standings with 43 points, six ahead of Al-Ain, and at the bottom Hatta (13 points) and Fujairah (12 points) occupy the two places leading to the decline. The Football Association has frozen football activity in the country since March 15, due to the Corona pandemic, before next August sets a date for the resumption of competitions.
Al-Ahly youth: illogical
A source in Al Ahly Youth Club described the decision to complete the league as an irrational decision, as he put it.
The source, who declined to be named, told «Emirates Today» that «the establishment of the matches in August is virtually unenforceable, due to the high temperatures at that time of the year, which may harm the players, and confirms the difficulty of establishing the matches».
He added: «There will be many negative matters that make it difficult to implement this decision, most notably that the matches will stop for up to five months, after the last round of the League was held on March 14, while at the same time clubs will not be able to go through a preparation period after this The long period of layoffs, without training or friendly matches, is the same with official matches. ”
He continued: «There will not be an opportunity to establish an external camp in light of the current atmosphere, and the special precautions for facing the outbreak of the new Corona virus, which means that there will be an adventure for players to play matches during this period, and the risk of injuries, due to the long distance away from training and matches».
The source emphasized that "Al-Ahly youth is not with the cancellation of the competition, because that means losing the team's effort throughout the season, especially as the team tops the league ranking list, but the current situation requires logical solutions without wasting the effort of clubs at the same time."
He concluded: "There are many thorny issues that have not been resolved, such as player contracts that expire at the end of next June, as it will be difficult to persuade foreign players to extend their contracts for only three or four months."
Al Wasl: There is the most important
For his part, Al-Wasl Football Board member Hamid Yusef affirmed that the "emperor" agrees with the decision of the Football Association and the Professional League, regarding the completion of the current season in August, but pointed out that there are important things that must be resolved before thinking In the fate of the competition.
Hamid Youssef said that "the current situation requires solutions for clubs regarding player contracts that will expire at the end of the season in advance of next June, before the season is stopped because of the pandemic of the emerging Corona Virus outbreak."
He added: «The decision issued by the Football Association and the League is not final, and I think that the next meeting will resolve the fate of many things, and for us in Al Wasl we will not differ in opinion with all clubs, because everyone has the same problems, and we seek to complete the season in the appropriate way, in light of The exceptional circumstances experienced by most countries in the world ».
The island is ok
Hussein Al-Jazira's first football team manager, Hussein Suhail, said that his club agreed with the decision of the Football Association and the Professional League.
He added: «Al-Jazira is ready to implement any decision that is taken, and we do not think about the disciples regarding the timing of the establishment of the championship and matches, especially since the current focus is on the safety of players, the public and all individuals, before thinking about playing games and completing the league.
The eye praises
In turn, the supervisor of the first football team in Al Ain Club, Sultan Rashid, said that the decision of the Professional League is a successful decision, especially as it took into account the interest and safety of the community, and that the layoff period was long, and that the resumption of the competition requires a different preparation for training via the technique of «video »Noting that they will allow their foreign players to travel to their countries according to the flying conditions.
He said to his club’s official website yesterday: “Preparatory programs to resume competitions need a sufficient period of time, enabling clubs to reach the required degree of readiness, so that club players are not subjected to stress and injuries, and after the end of the current circumstances, God willing, life will return to the stands, and sure enough, the public represents The beating heart of all football matches in various competitions.