When Sheikh Mansour and his Abu Dhabi United Group bought Manchester City in the summer of 2008 it changed football forever.
Unleashing a level of investment the sport had never seen before, City’s subsequent success has put football and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the same conversation over the last decade.
But what is football like in the UAE? Whilst success thanks to the investment thousands of miles away in northern England has transformed the game there, has it helped the sport closer to home?
Well, the evidence suggests it has.
In May, Al Ain became the first UAE team to win the AFC Champions League for over 20 years. The Abu Dhabi-based side’s win over Japanese giant Yokohama F. Marinos in the final has been heralded as a seminal moment for UAE football.
Led by Argentinian legend Hernan Crespo, Al Ain’s 6-3 aggregate win means they’ll be Asia’s fourth representative at next year’s inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.
“Al Ain’s AFC Champions League win was massive for the region,” says Sam White, co-founder of Dubai-based The Player, new partners of Global Institute of Sport who provide opportunities to live, work, study and play football in Dubai.
“To come up against Al Nassr with Ronaldo, and the investment that's gone into that [project], it was really positive and something that the country can be really, really proud of.”
Al Ain’s success will inevitably lead to more eyes focussing on the UAE and its league system. The Pro League and First Division have been joined by a Second and Third Division in recent years, seeing the amount of professional clubs in the country double.
More clubs means more opportunities for coaches and players in the region, something The Player are well placed to advise.
White says: “What’s been happening in Saudi has meant that our phone is ringing ten times as much!”
He added: “If you're trying to make a living in the game, I would suggest that the UAE is a much better opportunity. There are far more opportunities in the UAE for players. There are far more people willing to take a risk on a player because there are so many more teams. It’s a fully built ecosystem in the UAE.”
The ecosystem White mentions, by improving grassroot opportunities and developing young players and coaches, is distinct to what’s happening over the border in Saudi Arabia.
The incredible level of investment made by the country’s PIF fund in recent years to bring the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, Karim Benzema and Steven Gerrard to the country has been done to put the Saudi Pro League on the world stage now.
The UAE’s investment in the “ecosystem” is all part of the plan, says White.
“The government, the sports councils and the governing bodies in the UAE are really starting to make this an important part of what we're focusing on”, he says.
“Not only is this area very heavy with expats, there is also a really big market of local players who need to progress and need to develop.”
He added: “I know the UAE have got massive aspirations to compete on a global level. They want to get into World Cups and they want to showcase their country's talent, so the youth development structures they have in the region are becoming more and more important.”
Former Newcastle United defender Steven Taylor, fellow co-founder of The Player, says “the sky's the limit” for football in the UAE.
Taylor cites the likes of World Cup and Champions League winner Andres Iniesta, who currently plays for Emirates, and four-time Serie A winner Miralem Pjanić, as recent examples of the calibre of player plying their trade in the UAE.
“A lot more people now want to come and play in the UAE”, he says. “I think that's the biggest plus now, seeing players come and get that kind of opportunity to play football instead of sitting on the bench. They want to come out and play football and it's been the perfect place for them.”
White added: “I think the future of football is very, very positive in the UAE. The influx of senior foreign professionals, as well as young players, are going to grow the game exponentially here.”
Article by Neil Hawkins
