Solito Diego!

E' partita la UAE Pro League edizione 2011/12. Oggi, domenica, debutta anche Diego Maradona, in un match che vedrà il suo Al Wasl affrontare in casa l'Al Sharjah. Obiettivo la vittoria. Ma il tecnico argentino approccia il suo esordio con una polemica nei confronti del club, reo di non aver ancora concluso l'acquisto dello straniero asiatico concesso dal regolamento. Maradona aspetta infatti notizie sull'accordo con l'attaccante australiano Richard Porta, di proprietà del Siena ed attualmente in prestito con gli uruguayani del Club Nacional. Maradona si è inoltre lamentato della mancanza di professionalità all'interno del team: "il numero dei giocatori che si presentano all'allenamento non è consistente. A volte ho 16 giocatori presneti, a volte ne ho 24." Come sottolineato da Maradona, non si tratta di mancanza di disciplina quanto del fatto che molti sono semi-professionisti, impegnati nello studio o in altri lavori. Tutto vero, ma tutto risaputo già prima dell'arrivo di Maradona, che magari doveva informarsi meglio sul campionato che andava ad affrontare.

Not in Dubai for a holiday: UAE Pro-League 2011-12 season preview

The 2011-2012 UAE Pro League kicks off this weekend. This Pro League edition could be the most competitive in the country history. Journalists from Argentina, Britain and Belgium are ready to the fill report from UAE. The Pro-League don't want see old player joining league's ranks which can not only contribute or head coaches coming just here for money and spending their time in off field activities. Behind Diego Maradona's move to the UAE in the same summer as David Trezeguet joined Baniyas, Juan Manuel Olivera arrived at Al Wasl or Al Ahli signed Grafite, there are the UAE teams' owners to rise up the domestic league level. And some others big-names came in the UAE this summer or already was in the Emirates: Hugo and Magrao, Azizbek Haydarov of Uzbekistan and Australian captain Lucas Neill, Ismail Bangoura and Jociel Ferreira...The trend is to recruit veteran foreigners with still left in the tank or younger rising stars. This season, each league club could sign a fourth foreigner if he's a player for an Asian Football Confederation country. And what about the bunch of coaches? You have five former National Team coaches in Diego Maradona (Argentina), Josef Hickersberger (Austria), Ivan Hasek (Czech Republic), Frank Vercauteren (Belgium) and Jorvan Vieira (Iraq). Another sign of the improvement is the balance: there is not a clear favourite to win the league title. There are the champions Al Jazira, but you can't rule out teams as Ahli or Al Ain and to have to take a look to side such as Baniyas or Al Nasr. 

Diego Maradona told Al Wasl's fans to "stay home and watch a comedy DVD" if they are scared to watch the Al Wasl, after his side succumbed to a 4-3 against UAE champions of Al Jazira on the opening Etilasat Cup day.  Argentine midfielder Mariano Donda, Uruguayan striker Juan Manuel Olivera and Chilean Edson Puch are the summer buys to add to gifted Khalid Darwish, nicknamed "Khalidona", and to captain Eisa Ali:  "Eisa is going to always play alongside Mariano Donda, Juan Manuel Olivera, Ahmed Darwesh and Majid Nasser — this is the main axis of my team," Maradona said. After a devastanding loss, 5-0, against rival Dubai in the Etisalat Cup, Al Wasl announced the signing of Al Ahli striker Abdullah Abdul Rahman on a one-season loan. Will Maradona last the season?

"The best attack on paper", according to Al Ain's new forward, Asamoah Gyan. The Ghana players is likely to be paired up top with new recruited former Asian player of the year and Saudi Arabian captain Yasser Al Qahtani, an one-year loan from Hilal. This sign completed the summer transitions. The new head coach, Romanian Cosmin Olariou, a former Steaua Bucharest coach, is confident on team's potential. After finished 10th in the league last season, the club lost Brazilian Marcio Emerson and Chile international Jorge Valdivia through the summer but signed Argentine forward Ignacio Scocco and Romanian Mirel Radoi. Al Ain also added Ismail Ahmed and Rami Yaslam. Add goalkeeper Dawoud Sulaiman and, on paper, the 2011/12 Al Ain seems a great team. 

Al Ahli, coach Ivan Hasek's side, signed Chilean playmaker Luis Jimenez to play alongside foreign signings of Jaja and former Bundeliga's Player of the Year, Grafite.They signed this summer the Socceroos captain Lucas Neill, who joined Jazira after his experience at Turkish club Galatasaray. Also from Turkey is Jaja Coelho coming from Trabzonspor. As center back, they had back the former Lebanon captain, Mohammed Yousuf.

Al Wahda's Josef Hickersberger line up an offensive mind team in front of goalkeeper Mutaz Abdullah. Al Wahda can count on players as Brazilian duo formed by Hugo and Fernando Baiano, who played forward for big clubs such as Corinthians or Bundesliga' side Wolfsburg, Mahmoud Khamis, forward Ismail Matar, coming back from a knee injury, and central defender Hamdan Al Kamali which could paired with 30-year-old Basheer Saeed. Omani defender Mohammad Shaiba, released by Al Wasl, is the fourth Asian professional addition alongside retained Brazilians.

After three consecutive seasons as runners-up, Al Jazira dominated the 2010/11 season. The defending champions retained the attacking duo of Ricardo Oliveira and Bare alongside Matias Delgado. The loss of Abel Braga was a huge loss as the team lost only four of 66 matches under Brazilian coach. New manager Franky Vercauteren left Champion League's side Genk to lead Al Jazira alongside his assistants Hugo Broos and David Coles. He was impressend with striker Ali Mabkhout, an UAE Under-23 team and can count on Ibrahim Diaky, the 30 year old captain from the Ivory Coast, now in his eighth year in the UAE league. The team can also count on international UAE players Jumaa Abdulla, Khaled Sabeel, Subait Khater, Ahmed Jumaa, Abdulla Mosa, and Ibrahim Diaky, the captain.

Bani Yas will line up forward David Trezeguet up front. The Frenchman, 33, agreed a €1.7million deal with Jorvan Vieira’s time. The former Juventus players will be sorrounded by playmakers Amer Abdulrahman and Haboush Saleh. And he will play alongside Andre Senghor, last season's top goal scorer with 18 goals. They also have the Omani captain Fawzi Basheer in the mix. The team had a huge loss after the death of winger Thiyab Awana and went from a poor Etiaslat Cup.

Al Shabab retained Brazilians Julio Cesar and Jociel Ferreira, and Chilean Carlos Villanueva, all three of the non-Asian players from last season. A great addition is Uzbekistan's Azizbek Haydarov, three Uzbek league titles and two cups with Lokomotiv Tashkent and Bunyodkor. The coach is Paulo Bonamigo,  former top-division Portugal club Maritimo coach. Defense needs of Walid Abbas and Essa Mohammed to produce.

Sharjah chosen the Romanian Valeriu Tita, former Syria national team's coach, to lead the team following the earlier resignation of Carlos Azenho due to personal reasons. One of Sharjah's acquisitions is Brazilian midfielder Edinho, who will play alongside his compatriot Marcelo Oliveira. Brazilian Anderson, league top scorer four years in a row, is one of the top team's player. Defence isstill an issue.

Brazilian Carlos Tenorio is the Al Nasr's striker. Coached by former superstar goalkeeper and former Palermo and Catania's head coach in Italy, Walter Zenga, Al Nasr was under the radar this preseason but they have a lot of talents in a roster including Ismael Bangoura, Mark Bresciano, and Leo Lima. Al Nasr also added this summer the Togolese midfielder Asimo Iowa, coming from with Nuremburg’s second team. They have experience all around.

Ghazi Ghrairi leads Emirates Club in the Pro-League after gained the promotion last aseason. He added Iranian international Pejman Pouri in front of the back line and Jordan’s winger Amed Deeb after his performances in the 2011 Asian Cup. They are inexperienced and could have trobules battling in the relegation zone if the forwards will not work.

Umberto Barberis has replaced Nestor Clausen,a former Maradona's teammate in the 1986 World Cup, as coach of Dubai Club. Their also changed their foreign pros replacing  French-Algerian forward Eyeman Henaini. Moroccan Nabil Daoudi is the striker of a team with not so many forwards. Faouzi Mubarak Aaish from Bahrain is the Asian player. No big-name signings but they showed that they can score goals. Just ask to Maradona.

After leading Al Khaleej, Iraqi manager Abdulwahab Abdulkadir took over Ajman. Ibrahima Touré, a former FC Metz, and Karim Kerbar, Man City on his résumé, are the team most valuable players. The club recently agreed a year-long loan move for 23-year-old Lebanese striker Hassan Maatouk. Team showed improvement during the Etisalat Cup but defense is the Achilles heel yet...


Gameweek 1 fixtures
Saturday Emirates v Dubai, Emirates Club Stadium, Ras al-Khaimah
Saturday Al Shabab v Al Wahda, Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Saturday Al Jazira v Al Ahli, Mohammad bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Sunday Ajman v Bani Yas, Rashid bin Saeed Stadium, Ajman
Sunday Al Ain v Al Nasr, Tahnoun bin Mohammed Stadium, Al Ain
Sunday Al Wasl v Sharjah, Zabeel Stadium, Duabi.

Falko a metà

Nonostante la sconfitta, 1-0, subita ad opera del Giappone, la nazionale del Vietnam ha mostrato cose buone nell'amichevole contro i giocatori del Sol Levante. Gli uomini di Falko Gotz hanno messo in evidenza una difesa veloce ed organizzata e buone trame offensive. L'iniziale 4-5-1 con Le Cong Vinh come unica punta è stato parzialmente modificato da Goetz durante il match, con le sostituzioni del centrocampista Le Tan Tai a favore dell'attaccante Nguyen Ngoc Thanh e con gli insierimenti di Dinh Tung e di Nguyen Quang Hai al posto dello stesso Le Cong Vinh. Per Gotz si è trattato di una buona occasione per provare alcuni elementi dell'Under-23, vicini all'inizio dei 26° South East Asian Games che partiranno in Indonesia il mese prossimo. La nazionale vietnamita ha mostrato netti miglioramenti: molto tempo è passato da quando il Giappone spadroneggiò ad Hanoi vincendo contro il Vietnam per 4-1 nell'Asian Cup del 2007. La vittoria contro il Qatar per 2-1 nel secondo turno delle qualifizazioni mondiali è una ulteriore dimostrazione del buon lavoro fatto da Goetz fino a questo momento.Intanto, qualche giorno fa il 25enne americano Lee Nguyen ha ottenuto la cittadinanza, portando così a 15 il numero dei calciatori naturalizzati vietnamiti: Lee Nguyen si aggiunge infatti a  Huynh Kesley Alves, Nguyen Hoang Helio, Nguyen Rogerio, Nguyen Thanh Son, Doan Van Sakda, Doan Van Nirut, Dinh Hoang Max, Dinh Hoang La, Le Hoang Tran Xi, Tran Le Martin, Tran Le Issac, Hoang Vissai, Phan Van Santos e Le Tostao.

Not so easy, man!

Diego Maradona and David Trezeguet had their official debut in the UAE football on the first day of Etisalat Cup. And both had a hard impact. Maradona's side scored three times but lost 4-3 to Al Jazira, despite Argentine Mariano Donda's treble. By the way, the Al Jazira's win was uncomfortable, with Al Wasl that showed a fine display, coming from a 3-1 deficit to equalise 3-3. On the other game, Franchman forward had issues in the game. Uzbek midfielder Azizbek Haydarov stole the lights from Trezeguet, scoring twice in a 4-1 Shabab Al Arabi's win over Bani Yas.

Pharahos and Bob

How long from where Egypt shocked Italy 1-0 on the 2009 Confederations Cup. Latest Pharahos football version is that of defending champion and seven-time winner that failed to qualify for the 2012 African Cup of Nations after a 2-1 loss in Sierra Leone this Sept. The head coach Hassan Shehata left in June following Egypt's struggles. Under Shehata, Egypt won three successive African Cups, in 2006, 2008, and 2010. At his spot, according to Egyptian state news agency MENA, the Egypt has appointed former USA coach Bob Bradley as the new national team coach. “All is good,” Egyptian Football Association spokesman Azmy Megahed told The Associated Press in Cairo about the deal. The former USMNT head coach is expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday or Monday. Bradley was one of three candidates on the Egyptian FA shortlist that included Francisco Maturana of Colombia and Zoran Filipovic, the former national coach of Montenegro. Bradley will have to adjust himself to the boisterous post-Mubarak football era. “The Egyptian team is well qualified to be a dangerous opponent, but it only lacks some organisation on the field. The Egyptian player is a talented one unlike the American who depends mainly on his fitness,” Bradley told CNN Arabic last month. Is this a good move? We will see. Egypt is not USA, and Egypt football is different. Bradley will be scrutinized by a large and passionate fan base. He will need to enjoy instant success. Make the 2014 World Cup is the goal and it will be harder in the CAF than in CONCACAF. The Egyptians, out from the next African Cup of Nations, sendend their Olympic team to play the rest of the qualifiers. Bradley will have to take a look to this bunch of youg players in the way to find some talent to install with the big boys.

Maradona, press conference

Diego Maradona, head coach of Al Wasl Football Club, held a press conference to discuss club's situation for the upcoming season. About the preseason friendly matches, a 3-1 win over Al Ittihad Kalba and a 2-1 loss against Dibba Fujairah, Maradona pointed out that "the friendly matches were very useful the results were not something that made me very happy." Maradona said to be here at the service of every team player. By the way, Maradona added to think that Al Wasl has a good chance of competing against the best Asian teams. About to improve his team's defense, former Pibe de Oro said that "if it was Mr Maradona who could decide, I would ask the club to bring in 10 defenders to have a better team. But the players we have at the moment are okay." When Gulf News asked Maradona about his unimpressive brief stints with his past clubs, Mandiyu de Corrientes and Racing Club de Allevaneda, Diego said that "they didn't pay me. I was at Mandiyu and they didn't pay me, and Racing, they didn't pay me."

Misfir is the Katanec's successor

Abdullah Misfir was named UAE's national team coach. He replaces Srecko Katanec, sacked by UAE FA after huge losses against Kuwait and Lebanon in the first two matches of 2014 World Cup Asian qualifying. Coming from Division club Al Orooba as latest coaching job, Misfir is the first Emiratian coach to lead the UAE National Team from Abdullah Saqr in 2001.Misfir was national team coach already in 1999-2000 and he was also an assistant coach under Frenchman Dominique Bathenay in 2005. He will work together with two assistants, Khalifa Mubarak and Hassan Ibrahim. A former coach with Al Arabi club and a former assistant coach to Portugal's Carlos Queiroz during his reign with the national team in the 90's, Misfir will work with an UAE team which is at the bottom of Group B with no points after two games. To revive Emirates hopes, Misfir will have to install new methods. First and foremost, Misfir will have to rise up local football and players professionalism. Katanec paied a high price to the poor fitness shape of his players during the first two matches. The new coach will have to make sure players and club will work better on physical shape. Also, Musfir will have to reinforce his current bunch of players. The come backs of  Ismail Matar,  Hamdan Al Kamali and Omar Abdulrahman could help in this way.