Sheikh Mohammed bin Kayed Al Qasimi, Head of the Department of Economic Development in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah, and the former President of Ras Al Khaimah Club, has great experience in sports work, which is the experience that made Al-Bayan knock on his door and talk to him about sports in a number of angles, based on his previous experience and follow-up. The current one, which he confirmed by saying that he is present in the sports arena and a good follower, especially of football.
During the dialogue, Sheikh Mohammed bin Kayed Al Qasimi showed his dissatisfaction with the reality of Emirates football, stressing that it deserves the best, putting his hand on some problems and negatives, stating that we need a process of changing the sports systems.
He also criticized the method of financial disbursement in clubs that is easily spent, and stressed that the clubs will not rely on their own resources soon.
Where are you from the sports arena?
I am present and follow all sporting events, especially football, because it is a popular sport that everyone loves and is interested in, and I watch many matches in various grades and even the age group leagues. I follow some of its matches.
What do you think about the Emirates football?
Her condition is supposed to be better compared to the attention and support she enjoys, and our football reality certainly does not satisfy anyone, because we are absent from external achievements, and the results of teams and clubs are not good and are not worthy of the reputation of the Emirates.
Why are the results unsatisfactory with external competitions?
Because the way we work is wrong, there must be a constructive process, patience, and modification in the way of competitions and sports systems.
And more administrative and technical work, and there is a very important point, which is the stability that enables the departments to implement a future program, for example the resignation of Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi from the presidency of the Football Association, which took place quickly because he started his work soon and did not take a sufficient period to enable him to develop and address the defect .
Building institutions in the right way and achieving the best results does not happen in a year or two, and in my opinion, if Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi had had a full opportunity for several years, he would have achieved great success, so I stress the importance of stability, whether it is technical or administrative, so that we can reap results positive.
The Football Association
Speaking of the presidency of the Football Association, who is the most suitable person for the task in the next stage?
I think that His Highness Sheikh Theyab bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, member of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, is the most appropriate person to assume the presidency of the Football Association, and personally I hope that His Highness will agree to perform this task and assume all powers, because he is able, God willing, to transfer Emirates football to the place that you deserve.
Certainly, in order to succeed, we must all believe in the importance of benefiting from the experiences of others, even from our own successful experiences, and reviewing all the negatives, and all of this requires a management that has ambition and the ability to give.
There are those who talk about the existence of a talent crisis, is this true?
On the contrary, we have football talents, but unfortunately they are wasted, and they are not utilized because the method of work, as I mentioned, is wrong. When you talk about talent that requires care, that does not mean that the player in question is 18 years old, but rather 8, 9, and 10 years. These ages are Which deserves to be given full attention in order to achieve outstanding results in the future, but the little ones do not get enough attention.
And by virtue of my close follow-up to Ras Al Khaimah Club, I saw the 11-year-old team, which includes many talents, but the competition system does not help develop their capabilities, because it is inconceivable that an 11-year-old child who has school and academic duties goes to Abu Dhabi, Al Dhafra and Al Ain from Ras Al Khaimah to participate. In matches, otherwise most of the age group competitions finished last February or March.
Activity will not return until August with the start of training for the new season, meaning that a child with talent stops playing for a period of 6 months except for individual jurisprudence, so how can his abilities develop to compete externally in the future?..
Therefore, I say that the system of competitions for the ages must be reviewed and in all competitions, because it is the first step that puts us on the right path.
to support
The method of financial disbursement in some clubs raises controversy.. What is your comment?
Money in clubs comes easily in the form of government support that clubs do not strive for and goes in an easier way, and this is our reality, unfortunately, as clubs depend on support, so there is no keenness on them about aspects of spending. If clubs had spent from their revenues, we would have seen a better way and greater rationalization of money.
But because everything you ask for is answered, it makes it easier to spend. The administration is supposed to know the interest that will accrue to the club before any dirhams you spend on all needs, and to be more strict in the financial file.
Do you think that the clubs are able to spend from their resources in the near future?
In light of the financial exchange that the clubs follow, they will not be able to depend on themselves, and they will still need government support, because their sources of income are weak and their spending is very high. If the club spends 100 million dirhams annually, then it needs investments at least one billion dirhams. , which is an amount that you do not own.
Therefore, I do not expect clubs to be able to cover their financial expenses from their profits, but this is a step that must come one day.
resident player
What do you think about the experience of the resident player and the increase in the number of foreigners?
The idea of the resident player is good, but it has become a lot of exaggeration, because the clubs contract with a large group in this category at the expense of the citizen player who does not find enough opportunity, and according to what we hear, there will be an increase in the next season.
Consequently, we may find the teams giving the opportunity in the near future to two or three Emirati players, and the rest are foreigners with various names, and this will certainly have a negative impact on the future of Emirati football and the citizen player.
In general, the idea is good, but it must be reconsidered and the participation of the citizen player taken into account. As for the foreign player, his participation also comes at the expense of the citizen, meaning that the problem is the same.
Exciting season
How would you rate the soccer season?
An interesting and exciting season, and we enjoyed a large number of matches because the competition was present between all teams, and there was a club between the top and bottom teams.
In my opinion, Shabab Al-Ahly deserved to be crowned with the league title, because it moved to the top to reach the title in a calm and gradual way, and succeeded in achieving its goal well while presenting it to distinguished levels. We are building on it for next season.
to encourage
What do you say about the audience?
The presence of the audience was more than wonderful, the success of football in the presence of the audience in the stands, and I believe that every fan contributed directly to raising the level through his presence and encouragement.
Because when the player finds the audience, he feels pressure and responsibility and has a greater desire to give and give all his energy. Emirates football was greatly damaged in the past by the absence of the audience, and when the audience returns, it contributes to raising the level of competition and preparing our teams for foreign competitions.
Ras Al Khaimah clubs
Where are Ras Al Khaimah clubs from competition and tournaments?
The case of Ras Al Khaimah clubs is clear, and in football, if you want to achieve results, there must be a financial exchange. For example, the Emirates team returning to the Professional League is considered the best in results at the level of the emirate, and it is present in the Professional League because it is the best financially. As for the clubs Other countries have lower and limited budgets that do not qualify them to compete, but it is certain that Ras Al Khaimah in general has many talents.
Is the UAE team able to stay with the professionals?
The Emirates team is qualified to stay with the professionals and has the tools to help it, and its players are distinguished, and with a little support and a review of the reasons that led to its decline last season, it can achieve the best results, especially since the club has administrative cadres with experience.
Region teams
Sheikh Mohammed bin Kayed Al Qasimi wished to pay attention to the teams of the regions for the Sunni groups, and said: Such teams highlight talents far from the centers and provide good opportunities for contact and development of capabilities. correctly.
I have heard from some coaches previously that the Emirati player suffers from a lack of foundation.
He may be skilled, but he faces a physical problem, or vice versa, because our clubs, instead of contracting with qualified coaches, go and contract with a coach who is originally a gymnastics teacher to train their teams so that they do not pay a high salary due to their weak financial capabilities sometimes, but when there is a distinguished coach who specializes in leadership The teams, he will provide us with distinguished players, for sure, physically and technically.
