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Iniesta tops star-studded roster of players and coaches as UAE Pro League season kicks off

All eyes are on Andres Iniesta of Emirates FC as the new UAE Pro League kicks off. (Twitter: @Emirates_FC)
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Updated 17 August 2023
Matt Monaghan
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Iniesta tops star-studded roster of players and coaches as UAE Pro League season kicks off

  • The 2023-24 campaign promises to be just as exciting as previous one, which featured a thrilling three-way battle for the title
Updated 17 August 2023
Matt Monaghan

The 2023-24 UAE Pro League season kicks off on Friday, and with the likes of legendary Spanish midfielder Andres Iniesta and Paraguayan magician Kaku lining up on the pitch, and Netherlands great Frank de Boer and revolutionary South African tactician Pitso Mosimane occupying dugouts, there are ample reasons to believe a repeat of last term’s engrossing campaign is on the cards.

Here are some of the main talking points, plus our predictions, ahead of what seems likely to be another season to savor.

Iniesta’s incredible arrival

It takes something a little bit special for an unheralded, newly promoted side to lead off a season preview. Emirates Club’s refreshingly covert capture of Barcelona legend Iniesta was just that.

How useful a 39-year-old attacking midfielder, who recorded just four goalless J1 League run-outs for Vissel Kobe between February and July this year, will prove to be during what is likely to be a grueling relegation scrap is up for debate. It is not a deal that guarantees the club will avoid a repeat of the 2021-22 season, when they were similarly newly promoted but went straight back down again.

Nonetheless, this is a move that further elevates a competition on the rise. Last season’s impressive growth in attendances and interest can only be boosted by the presence of a universally revered superstar.

The Roshn Saudi League’s unprecedented summer shopping spree has dominated the discourse about Middle Eastern football. When it comes to name recognition alone, however, only Al-Hilal’s signing of Neymar can match the arrival of Iniesta in the region.

New faces, new excitement

ADNOC Pro League viewers were spoiled in last season. A tight, three-way title race and a relegation battle that went down to the wire on the last day made it a season for the ages. There is every chance the new season can go the same way.

At the top, holders Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai Club have added Premier League stalwart Luka Milivojevic and Israel forward Mu’nas Dabbur. Three-time Confederation of African Football Champions League winner Mosimane has added his know-how to Al-Wahda’s mix, with former Ajax supremo Alfred Schreuder is motivated to showcase his best at dethroned champions Al-Ain, alongside 2022-23 Saudi top-flight assist leader Kaku.

De Boer has last season’s Europa League winner Karim Rekik in his squad at Al-Jazira, while 2022’s big-spenders Sharjah have added Tunisia’s Firas Ben Larbi as they aim to convert four cup victories into league supremacy.

Swiss center forward Haris Seferovic teaming up at Al-Wasl with Nicolas Gimenez, formerly of Baniyas, and crowd favorite Caio Canedo, re-signed after four unsatisfactory seasons at Al-Ain, whets the appetite at a club striving for glory for the first time since 2006-07.

But the deep reservoir of talent does not end there.

Best of the rest

A number of other clubs also look refreshed. Ajman lost their talisman, Ben Larbi, to Al-Sharjah but gained fellow Tunisia stars Nader Ghandri, a hulking center back who started in Tunisia’s World Cup 2022 victory over his native France, and burgeoning midfielder Haykeul Chikhaoui.

Ajman’s former coach, Goran Tufegdzic, is now at the helm of Al-Nasr, where Italy striker Manolo Gabbiadini and former Spezia star Kevin Agudelo will link up with retained Morocco maestro Adel Taarabt in their bid to cast aside the tag of “perennial underachievers.”

Former Ettifaq forward Youssoufou Niakate could change everything at goal-shy Baniyas, while Mehdi Ghayedi, on loan from Shabab Al-Ahli, aims to regain his sheen under mentor Farhad Majidi at Ittihad Kalba.

‘Golden boys’ get another shot

Iran forward Ghayedi is not the only former “golden boy” with something to prove. Pre-season pictures suggest that a pair of Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year winners are ready to make a renewed impact.

Omar Abdulrahman’s trademark curls have gone as he looks to build on a solid debut campaign with a deeper midfield role at Al-Wasl.

A svelte Ahmed Khalil could be a game changer for Al-Bataeh. The 2015 Asian Footballer of the Year last netted in the Pro League in November 2020 and made only seven appearances last term.

If injury doubts can be consigned to the past, it could make for a brighter future for upstart sides who must wring absolutely everything out of each asset.

Battle at the bottom

Final-day dramatics kept Al-Bataeh in the top flight last season and the club, founded in 2012, have put in work during the summer to avoid a similar fate this time.

New head coach Mirel Radoi stabilized Al-Tai in the Saudi Pro League last season. He’s joined in the UAE by Cape Verde center back Diney and former Shanghai Port playmaker Paulinho. The loss of 13-goal forward Lourency to Khor Fakkan has diminished them, however, while significantly strengthening a potential relegation rival.

Among the newly promoted sides, Emirates require Cameroon battler Franck Kom to add grit and Iniesta lashings of inspiration.

Hatta have already mixed and matched in the transfer market, emerging with a series of foreign captures. They boast contemporary international experience in the form of Sweden midfielder Moustafa Zeidan, Slovakia center back Vernon De Marco, Democratic Republic of Congo midfielder Aaron Tshibola and Kuwait forward Shabaib Al-Khaldi.

Asian Cup casts a long shadow

Another season influenced by international distractions is in store. After the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup comes the rearranged Asian Cup, which begins at the end of this month.

Question marks linger about the UAE’s prospects after their chastening group-stage exit from the Arabian Gulf Cup in January.

Former South Korea and Portugal supremo Paulo Bento was tasked in July with guiding a nation that has lost its way since two successive semi-final runs at Asia’s showpiece event.

Will a goal scorer emerge who can adequately support Ali Mabkhout? His 27 league goals tally last season was eight more than naturalized colleague Fabio de Lima and 18 more than Ittihad Kalba’s uncapped Ahmed Al-Naqbi.

Is there a better option in goal than typical picks Ali Khaseif or Khalid Essa? Will a workable successor to towering center back Ismail Ahmed ever appear?

Bento has four months, and 12 match weeks, to find the answers.

Arab News predictions for the 2023-24 ADNOC Pro League season

Champions: Al-Wahda.

They ended last season strongly and expertly recruited during the summer to secure the services of serial winner Mosimane and Al-Shabab loanee Cristian Guanca, who claimed the 2021-22 trophy with Al-Ain.

Surprise package: Baniyas.

Niakate is the prolific striker they’ve been crying out for.

Signing of the season: Iniesta.

Who else? It’s going to be enthralling to see how he gets on, but…

Relegated: Emirates Club and Al-Bataeh.

Iniesta simply has too much to do for the former, while the latter will fail to build on last term’s great escape.

Topics: UAE Pro League

Carsley makes flying start as England interim boss in win over Ireland

Updated 07 September 2024
AFP
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Carsley makes flying start as England interim boss in win over Ireland

  • Rice and Grealish, who both snubbed Ireland to represent England, scored in the first half of Carsley’s maiden game in charge following Gareth Southgate’s exit
  • Carsley has stepped up on a temporary basis while the Football Association seek a permanent successor to Southgate
Updated 07 September 2024
AFP

DUBLIN: England interim manager Lee Carsley enjoyed a dream debut as goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish silenced their Ireland tormentors and inspired a 2-0 win in Saturday’s Nations League opener in Dublin.
Rice and Grealish, who both snubbed Ireland to represent England, scored in the first half of Carsley’s maiden game in charge following Gareth Southgate’s exit.
Southgate quit after England’s heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain in July.
Carsley, who guided England Under-21s to European Championship glory last year, has stepped up on a temporary basis while the Football Association seek a permanent successor to Southgate.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and former Chelsea manager Graham Potter are said to be among the leading contenders.
But Carsley’s hopes of landing the job himself were boosted by England’s confident display in the Nations League Group B2 victory at the Aviva Stadium.
It was a bold statement of intent from the 50-year-old, whose adventurous England were a far cry from the staid unit that twice finished as Euro runners-up under Southgate despite rarely playing to their potential.
England’s first win in Dublin since 1964 has to be placed in context given the poverty of opposition provided by Ireland
Ireland’s new manager Heimir Hallgrimsson is a qualified dentist and he may find the job of rebuilding his struggling team proves more painful than root canal treatment.
Carsley stuck by his controversial decision not to sing ‘God save the King’ before kick-off, a move that antagonized the more patriotic sections of England’s fanbase.
Birmingham-born Carsley has Irish grandparents, which allowed him to win 40 Ireland caps during his playing career, but he said on Friday that he has never sung a national anthem because he prefers to focus on the match ahead.
If Carsley, whose next game comes against Finland at Wembley on Tuesday, continues to mastermind this kind of eye-catching performance, the debate over his anthem stance will quickly be forgotten.
This was only England’s second trip to Dublin in 29 years after a 1995 friendly between the teams was abandoned when visiting fans rioted at Lansdowne Road.
Promoting “a new era of friendship” between countries with a tortured political past, Irish Taoiseach Simon Harris and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer swapped football shirts ahead of the match.
There was still a hostile reception for Rice and Grealish, who were jeered by the 50,000 crowd for changing their allegiance to England despite representing Ireland at senior and Under-21 levels respectively earlier in their careers.
Neither was bothered by the taunts as Rice starred and Grealish, omitted from the Euro squad, seized the chance to shine as England’s number 10 in the absence of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden.
Carsley’s nerves were exposed when he mistakenly sat on the Ireland bench before kick-off, but England eased their novice manager’s anxiety in the 11th minute.
Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon, who got just one minute of playing time at the Euros, accelerated onto Trent Alexander-Arnold’s raking pass for a shot that was saved by Caoimhin Kelleher.
Gordon worked the rebound back to Harry Kane and his strike deflected to Rice, who planted a fine finish into the top corner from 12 yards.
Rice took the diplomatic approach as he refused to celebrate the goal, instead opting for a placatory gesture that suggested he wanted to bury the hatchet over his England switch.
Playing with far more freedom and imagination than they could muster under Southgate, England struck again in the 26th minute.
After Alexander-Arnold and Kobbie Mainoo exchanged passes, Grealish capped a flowing move, meeting Rice’s cutback with a fine finish into the bottom corner from 10 yards.
There was no hiding Grealish’s delight as he celebrated in front of England’s supporters and put his fingers in his ears to suggest he wasn’t bothered by the Irish abuse.
England had to knuckle down more in the second half as Ireland found some momentum, but they were never in danger of blowing the lead as Carsley’s audition got off to the perfect start.

Topics: UEFA Nations League England Declan Rice Jack Grealish Lee Carsley

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Klopp celebrates ‘school reunion’ on return to Dortmund dugout

Updated 07 September 2024
AFP
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Klopp celebrates ‘school reunion’ on return to Dortmund dugout

  • “It was like a school reunion,” Klopp told Sky Germany, adding “it’s what I always dreamed of: that we’d meet again in life and just have a good time together”
  • Dortmund also said goodbye to defender Mats Hummels
Updated 07 September 2024
AFP

BERLIN: Former Borussia Dortmund manager Jurgen Klopp said his return to the club’s dugout in Saturday’s testimonial match was “like a school reunion,” nine years after his last match as club coach.
Dortmund bid farewell to team stalwarts Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukas Piszczek, with each captaining a side featuring several club legends as well as current manager Nuri Sahin.
Blaszczykowski’s side, coached by Klopp, won 5-4 in front of 82,000 fans at a sold out Westfalenstadion.
“It was like a school reunion,” Klopp told Sky Germany, adding “it’s what I always dreamed of: that we’d meet again in life and just have a good time together.
“It’s like coming home. There are so many great memories. It’s nice to see the fans again.”
Klopp spent seven years as Dortmund coach, winning two Bundesliga titles, one German Cup and taking the team to the 2013 Champions League final at Wembley, where they lost to archrivals Bayern Munich.
Klopp, who stepped down as Liverpool boss at the end of last season citing exhaustion, is yet to return to coaching, having said in July “as of today, that’s it for me as a coach.”
The coach poked fun at the aging players, saying “we had a lot of excess weight in attack, midfield and defense today.”
Dortmund also said goodbye to defender Mats Hummels, who left the club for Serie A side Roma in the summer.
Hummels, who played 508 games for Dortmund, was one of only a few current players to take the pitch.
He said afterwards “it’s a mix of joy and sadness.
“I’ve spent a lot of my football life here.”

Topics: Borussia Dortmund Juergen Klopp Mats Hummels

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Liverpool ‘colossus’ Ron Yeats dies aged 86

Updated 07 September 2024
AFP
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Liverpool ‘colossus’ Ron Yeats dies aged 86

  • The ex-Scotland defender was part of the Liverpool side that won the Second Division title under Bill Shankly in 1962
  • He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease in recent years
Updated 07 September 2024
AFP

LONDON: Former Liverpool captain Ron Yeats, who led the club to their first FA Cup and two top-flight titles, has died aged 86, the Premier League side announced on Saturday.
The ex-Scotland defender was part of the Liverpool side that won the Second Division title under Bill Shankly in 1962 and went on to win the old First Division twice, the FA Cup in 1965 and the Charity Shield three times.
He had been living with Alzheimer’s disease in recent years.
“Liverpool FC is mourning the passing of legendary former captain Ron Yeats,” read a club statement. “In the words of Bill Shankly, a ‘colossus’ in club history.


“The thoughts of everyone at LFC are with Ron’s wife, Ann, all of his family and his friends at this incredibly sad time.
“Flags across club sites will be lowered to half-mast today as a mark of respect.”
Yeats was signed from Dundee United in July 1961 by Shankly, who invited journalists to “take a walk around him, he’s a colossus” at the 6ft 2in (1.87 meter) defender’s unveiling.
Yates took over as captain within six months and went on to make 454 appearances over more than a decade at Anfield.
His record 417-match run as Reds skipper was only broken by Steven Gerrard in the last decade.
He left to become Tranmere’s player-manager for three years, followed by a brief spell in the United States before returning to Anfield in 1986 as chief scout for two decades.
Yeats also won two caps for Scotland.

Topics: Liverpool Ron Yeats

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Frustrating farewell for Suarez as Uruguay held by Paraguay

Updated 07 September 2024
AFP
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Frustrating farewell for Suarez as Uruguay held by Paraguay

Updated 07 September 2024
AFP

MONTEVIDEO: Luis Suarez bade a frustrating farewell to international football on Friday as Uruguay were held to a 0-0 draw by Paraguay in South American 2026 World Cup qualifying.
Suarez, 37, announced on Monday he was stepping down from international duty after a glittering 17-year career for Uruguay that saw him finish as the country’s top scorer with 69 goals from 143 appearances.
But the former Barcelona and Liverpool star, who now plays in Major League Soccer with Inter Miami, was unable to add a 70th goal to his international tally in Friday’s farewell game at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.
Despite enjoying 65 percent possession, Uruguay were unable to find a way through a dogged Paraguay defense in a disjointed match littered with some 24 fouls.
Suarez, whose career at international and club level was dogged by controversies such as his ban for biting Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 World Cup, was one of four Uruguay players to be shown a yellow card in a fractious encounter.
The result leaves Uruguay in second place in South America’s 10-team round-robin qualifying tournament with 14 points from seven games, four points behind leaders Argentina.
Colombia can leapfrog over Uruguay with a victory over Peru in Lima later Friday.
The top six teams in the South America standings qualify automatically for the 2026 finals in North America with the seventh-placed team advancing to a playoff.

Saudi players arrive in China ahead of World Cup qualifier

Updated 06 September 2024
Arab News
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Saudi players arrive in China ahead of World Cup qualifier

  • The Green Falcons face China on Tuesday in the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 tournament, following a disappointing draw against Indonesia
Updated 06 September 2024
Arab News

DALIAN: The Saudi national team arrived in the Chinese city of Dalian on Friday ahead of their World Cup qualifier there next week.
The Green Falcons will face China on Tuesday night at the Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium, in the second game of the third round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.
The Saudi squad wasted no time as they immediately began their preparations on Friday evening with a training session overseen by head coach Roberto Mancini. The players who participated in Thursday’s match against Indonesia took part in recovery training, while the rest engaged in general training exercises.
The previous day in Jeddah, Indonesia held the Saudis to a surprise 1-1 draw in the opening game of the third round of qualifiers. It was a case of two points dropped to the lowest-ranked team in Group C, not least because Salem Al-Dawsari had a penalty attempt saved with 11 minutes remaining.
Indonesia might be Asia’s most improved team of late, bolstered by the naturalization of several Europe-based players, but were nonetheless ranked 133 in the world, 77 places below their hosts.
The Saudi squad was greeted on arrival at the airport in Dalian by Jaber Rashid, a representative of the Kingdom’s embassy. The Saudi Arabian Football Federation president, Yasser Al-Misehal, thanked the embassy for the warm welcome and assistance it has provided to the team.

Topics: 2026 World Cup Green Falcons China Asian Qualifiers

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