New UAE coach eyes 2022 Fifa World Cup berth
abu dhabi — Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk, who guided the Netherlands to a runners-up finish at the 2010 World Cup, is ready for the newest challenge in his highly successful managerial career.
The newly appointed UAE coach has been asked by the UAE Football Association to help the ‘Whites’ qualify for the 2022 World Cup — an act he achieved with Saudi Arabia last year.
“I am here for only one thing and that is to qualify for the Word Cup,” the 66-year-old coach said in his first press conference as UAE coach at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
“I am looking forward to this job. I know there are young talents in the UAE. But it takes a long time and the first thing we have to deal with is the first qualification round.
“And that’s why I am here. I know it is not easy but the Saudis and Emiratis are at the same level. With the Saudis we qualified for Russia and now we will do everything to help the UAE qualify for the 2022 World Cup.”
The coach is still assessing his squad but knows well about the star playmaker – Omar Abdulrahman — who he termed as the team’s main weapon.
“The team has a few very good players. I will not mention all the names but I want to mention only one – Abdulrahman, who is injured. But those are players who can make the difference in the game. I like those players. In Holland, I always say a team needs weapons and the UAE have few weapons, which is very important.”
When asked about the lack of quality time he used to spend with players, he said: “When I coached Holland, I saw players some five times a year. I saw those players 2-3 days before the game. But I will be here when I am needed to be here.”
Under him, the Netherlands
played brilliant football in the 2010 World Cup, knocking out Brazil in the quarterfinals before losing the final to Spain by a solitary goal in the extra-time.
Now in a bid to get best results out of his all-Emirati team, Van Marwijk said he will opt for greater integration between local and his core technical staff.
“Apart from my own technical staff, I also like to work with technical people from the UAE. I like to
work together with the local coaches. I have to learn about everybody. It’s sometimes good to start somewhere where you don’t know everything,” the coach said while adding that the UAE have the potential to qualify for the World Cup.
The coach also spoke on the issue of players not getting enough time to prepare for the national team’s matches.
“I need time to prepare a team. Every match I hope we have a week to prepare for the match,” he said.
Meanwhile, UAEFA vice chairman Abdullah Naser Al Junaibi has promised all support and no interference when it comes to squad selection.
“This is the start of a new era for the UAE football. We have Asian and World Cup qualifiers. We have given our objectives and goals to the new coach. I wish him all the best,” he said.
“I hope the future will be brighter. There will be no interference with his business. We will have clear vision. We have a clear goal to play the World Cup.”
Al Junaibi said van Marwijk’s is a three-year contract with the UAE team which could be extended.
“As per mutual agreement he will continue till the next stage. We have a long standing relationship with him,” Al Junaibi added.