Most notably, the absence of the public, the weakness of foreigners, and the shrinking of budgets

Athletes: 6 reasons behind the decline of the big clubs in the Arabian Gulf League

• Al Jazeera succeeded in taking advantage of developing local talent.

  From the source

picture

Former players and analysts have identified six reasons, which they said were behind the decline in the level of the big clubs this season in the Gulf League in terms of performance and results.

They pointed out that «the absence of the public from the stands, the large number of injuries, the poor level of foreigners, the lack of interest in the youth sector, and the reduction of budgets, as well as the impact of the Corona pandemic on football in general, played a negative role in the decline of some clubs.

They pointed out that Al-Jazeera is the one who has benefited best after the pandemic, due to his policy of relying on the youth sector for years, until it has players who are more reliant on them without contracting with sub-standard foreigners.

The former general supervisor of football in Baniyas, football analyst, Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi, said that most league clubs have been affected by the reduction of their financial budget, due to the Corona pandemic, and its impact on the economy in general.

He added, "Reducing the budgets of the clubs has prompted some of them to sign foreign players who are below the level of ambitions, and the evidence is that clubs such as Al-Wahda, Al-Ain and Shabab Al-Ahly, foreign players appeared to have less than the capabilities of those clubs, and they were unable to make the difference during the first leg of the league championship."

He continued: “Al-Jazira is a positive example of dealing with shrinking budgets. The club’s management has worked for years to promote the youth sector and the football academy, until the first team became infused with young elements, who gained experience at an early age, and Al Jazeera has a different affair this season, and it will have a greater affair. In the coming years ».

He added: “Al-Jazeera’s approach to dealing with the football file must be a work approach for all clubs, with priority being based on the citizen player, then the foreigner will be in second place, and if the foreign player does not achieve the addition that helps our clubs to have an influential footprint in Foreign tournaments, specifically in the AFC Champions League, there is no need to contract him.

The international and former player of Al-Jazira club, Youssef Abdel Aziz, confirmed that one of the reasons that witnessed a decline in the level of the big clubs is the lack of presence of the fans to the stands.

He said: “It is noticeable that the majority of the clubs that have declined during the past rounds are clubs that have a large fan base, such as Al Ain, Al Wahda and Al Wasl, and those clubs used to rely in their matches primarily on the great support they received in every match from their supporters and fans.”

He pointed out: "There is no doubt that there are other causes, on top of which are the injuries."

He explained: “The modest appearance of some foreign players also played an important role in this retreat, especially for a team like Al-Ain, but I am confident that the big teams are able to return at any time, especially with the arrival of the second leg, and after contracting with new players according to the needs of Each team ».

The former Al-Jazeera player, Reda Abdel-Hadi, said that the aftershocks of "Corona" have affected all local teams, including leaders Sharjah, as is the case in all leagues in the world.

He added, "Most of the international clubs are going through stages of renewal at the level of their players, and there are young elements who have begun to get their chance."

He added, "The renewal stages are followed by difficulties for the clubs, and we must deal with them calmly, and we give the opportunity for these players to present themselves in a way that suits their capabilities and high potential."

In turn, the former Al Ain player, Jumah Khater, stressed that the lack of talent had a direct negative impact on the big clubs in the UAE League.

He said, "This is not just an Emirati phenomenon, but rather it has spread to many international clubs, not just ours, and this is what calls us to focus our efforts in the coming period on the youth sectors in clubs to develop them to advance football in general and the national teams."

He added: “In the midst of this policy aimed at our local clubs, with attention to the first team, we had a successful experience that I hope will be an example for others to follow, which is the unique experience of the Al-Jazirah club, as the interest in the youth sector and the football academy contributed to the emergence of a group of names "Which shined through this season and in previous seasons, as Al Jazeera no longer needs to sign foreign players or players from other clubs."

Al Ain, Al Wahda and Shabab Al Ahly clubs have suffered due to the decline in the level of foreigners in the past months.

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news