UAE’s coach Bauza picks 30-man squad
dubai — UAE National football team coach Edgardo Bauza has called up 30 players for the remaining two Asia Zone World Cup qualifying fixtures, the UAE Football Association (UAEFA) announced on Monday.
The squad is more or less the same that did duty in the World Cup qualifier against Thailand, Bauza’s first game in charge, in June, but there are a couple who make a return and a young defender who has received a maiden call-up.
Al Nasr goalkeeper Ahmed Mohammed Shambih and Al Ain midfielder Mohammed Abdulrahman make their way back into the squad, while 20-year-old Al Wahda leftback Ahmed Rashid Sultan Alkhabail Al Mehrzi has been included by Bauza. Experienced defender Hamdan Al Kamali missed out because of an injury. The Al Wahda centre-back had suffered an injury during the Arab Club Championship in Cairo, Egypt, last month.
Khalfan Mubarak, Khamis Ismail, Ismail Al Hammadi, Mahmoud Khamis, Tariq Ahmed and Rashid Ali were not included in the squad. The UAE host Middle Eastern heavyweights Saudi Arabia at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain on August 29 and then travel to Jordan to face Iraq in their final World Cup qualifier at the Amman international Stadium on Sept 5.
The UAE squad will assemble at the Theyab Awana ground at the UAEFA headquarters in Al Khawaneej on Friday night to begin preparations for the twin qualifiers against Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
The squad will be without seven Al Ain players — Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Abdulrahman, Mohanad Salem, Ismail Ahmed, Ahmed Barman, Mohammed Ahmed and goalkeeper Khalid Eisa — who are busy preparing for their AFC Champions League quarterfinal first leg against Saudi Arabia’s Al Hilal on Aug. 21. They will join the squad when the camp moves to Al Ain on Aug. 22. The camp in Al Ain will be held at the Tahnoun bin Mohamed Stadium.
Bauza had embarked on a factfinding mission of Europe to track the players, who were on pre-season camps with their respective clubs. The Argentine had visited Al Jazira’s camp in The Netherlands, Al Nasr’s training in Hungary and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai’s camp in The Netherlands. He attended the friendly matches the clubs played against European opposition. The Whites are currently placed fourth in Group B in the third round of the qualifiers. They have 10 points from eight matches after having won three drawn one and lost four. Japan are perched atop the table with 17 points followed by Saudi Arabia with 16. Australia are third with 16 points.
james@khaleejtimes.com