While economy surged, sports suffered regression in UAE, argues sports experts

They called up on authorities in the health, education and sports sectors to come together to frame a sound policy for sports in the country.

The speakers pointed out that the educational and cultural standards of the players in the seventies and sixties of the last century were much better than those of today, due to the shrinking role of the social and cultural activities in the sports clubs. They added that the reasons behind the decline of the UAE team after the 18th Gulf Cup were technical and moral, stressing that the selection process was beneath the required standards, and lacked genuine enthusiasm.

The speakers at the seminar were Ahmed I'sa, former sportsman and writer, Muhammed Matar, chairman, competition section, UAE Football Federation, Mahmoud Al Rabi', a writer with Al Etihad, Saeed Abdullah, member of the UAE Football Federation and the head of the referees' council and Fahad Masu'd, a star player of Al Wahda Club. Rashid Al Za'abi, eminent journalist from Al Etihad moderated the discussions.

Talking about the reasons for the UAE not having a team at the World Cup since 1990, the speakers said that with the passing of an entire generation from the scene by the end of the century, the sport suffered a period of total neglect until last year when the country's team won the 18th Gulf Cup, which was held in the UAE. Although this victory showed signs of a revival, it soon lost steam and the sport began retreating again.

The participants said that while the playgrounds have been turned around in a very professional way, much thought has not been given on the administrative and preparatory sides. They also touched upon the issue of foreign players, stressing that the issue of loyalty and belonging are of utmost importance.

Pointing out that football, as in the rest of the world, is the most popular sport in the UAE, the speakers said that the authorities in the country had always provided all support to the growth of a football culture in the country and establish it as a leading team on a global level. The UAE football federation was set up in 1971, soon after the formation of the UAE, a fact that demonstrates the significance the founding fathers attached to the sport. Ever since that period, the UAE team has been participating in and holding matches at the local and regional levels. The Palestine Cup and the second Gulf Cup in Saudi Arabia were among the early matches that the country participated, they pointed out.

Since the beginning of the 1980s, the role of the UAE team began expanding, with participation in Asia Cup initially in 1980 and then the World Cup in 1986. This has continued apace in the years to come and the UAE team was recognized worldwide as one of the 24 strongest football teams in the world. The speakers stressed that while the country took giant strides in the sphere of economy and development over the last decades, it was regression that happened in sports, particularly football. What makes this worse is the fact that regression was allowed in spite of all the support and encouragement from the government and the public, the participants lamented.