UAE superstar Omar Abdulrahman vows to clear his name after Gulf Cup final curfew scandal

Matt Jones - Editor 13:21 29/07/2018
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  • Omar Abdulrahman has vowed to clear his name after he and Ali Mabkhout (bottom) were banned after being found to have broken curfew at the Gulf Cup in January.

    UAE magician Omar Abdulrahman has vowed to prove his innocence over the furore of his and fellow national team star Ali Mabkhout’s punishments in the wake of breaking curfew at the Gulf Cup at the start of the year.

    Al Ain superstar ‘Amoory’ and lethal Al Jazira striker Mabkhout were found to have left the team hotel in Kuwait outside of permitted hours the night before the January 5 final against Oman.

    The Whites subsequently lost 5-4 on penalties, with Abdulrahman missing a crucial penalty in the dying seconds of stoppage time at the end of 90 minutes before again fluffing his lines from 12 yards with the UAE’s fifth penalty, which he needed to score to send the shootout to sudden death.

    The pair were issued four-game domestic bans following the tournament – a decision that resulted in a backlash against the UAE Football Association.

    National team coach Alberto Zaccheroni added fuel to the fire when he later declined to select 2016 AFC Player of the Year Abdulrahman and 2015 Asian Cup top scorer Mabkhout for the King’s Cup in March.

    But Abdulrahman insists the duo – along with Mabkhout’s Jazira team-mate Mohammed Fawzi, who escaped punishment as he was injured and not due to play in the final – only visited a barber shop.

    Ali Mabkhout finished as top scorer for the UAE at the 2015 Asian Cup.

    Ali Mabkhout finished as top scorer for the UAE at the 2015 Asian Cup.

    The 26-year-old schemer categorically denied that they left the team hotel in Kuwait City and “went out late for fun”.

    “All of us players in the national team, we give everything to this team and the jersey we wear, whether in the field or outside,” said Abdulrahman, speaking to Anas Bukhash as the first guest on his new YouTube talk show #ABtalks, earlier this month.

    “There was talk about me, Ali Mabkhout and Mohammed Fawzi going out (to have fun) and the FA punished us. We did not go out to have fun.

    “We only went to the barber shop for Ali Mabkhout and we came back. All of this can be checked on the hotel’s CCTV. The barber was outside the hotel.”

    Abdulrahman and Mabkhout, 27 – the nation’s two shining superstars who were this week recalled by Zaccheroni for next month’s training camp in Austria – were found guilty of leaving the team’s hotel in Kuwait City without permission from 20:15-22:30.

    But the brilliant Boss midfielder insisted they were back at the hotel before 22:30. “This is not the first national team camp we attend. This is usually never an issue,” he added.

    “We went back at around 10:20-10:22 and we chilled, then slept. Next day we played the match and when we lost some people talked and claimed that all of us went out late for fun.

    “Don’t think I stayed quiet. I raised a case against those individuals and I am suing them. With time and the progress of the case the people will know the actual truth and that we were treated unfairly.

    “I don’t want to talk about this much more because I notice a stage where I will not forgive a person who is trying to destroy my reputation or any of the national team players that are innocent of accusations.

    “You are free to express your opinion. You are free to speak about Omar. But in the end I will prove to everyone that I was right and that the person accusing me, stating that we were doing something wrong and not respecting the country, I will prove they were all false accusations.

    “I was mentally tired because people were believing these accusations. If we’d won no-one would have said anything. When you lose they will hold you accountable for every little detail, even the way you dress.

    “But when you win, no matter what you do, no-one will say anything. The fans have the right to speak up because we wanted to win the Gulf Cup. In the end it was a penalty and I could not score it.”

    Abdulrahman also took umbrage at criticism that he had assigned himself as the fifth penalty taker in order to put himself in a position to shine as a potential UAE hero.

    “People saying that Omar wants to steal the show, this was the thing I heard the most, that I’m selfish and only thought of myself,” added Abdulrahman.

    “If I am really selfish and want to steal the show, I can do that anywhere, anytime. We did not play well in any match (at the Gulf Cup). None. We went there with no demands or expectations from anyone. We were asked only to follow the new coach’s instructions.

    Al Ain dynamo Abdulrahman is the jewel of UAE football.

    Al Ain dynamo Abdulrahman is the jewel of UAE football.

    “When we reached the final they asked for the championship and that is their right. And as players we wished that too. It was not my day. We as players could have done more but it was not only us, it was everyone. The FA, coaches, players, fans.”

    Abdulrahman is undoubtedly the shining light of UAE football and among the best players on the continent too. He has often been linked with moves away from the Garden City – having first caught the attention of the world with the UAE at the 2012 Olympics in London.

    He was subsequently invited for a trial with Manchester City that August who offered him a four-year deal – which broke down over work permit issues.

    But he so far has been content to stay with his boyhood club. And he confirmed he will never play for another UAE side.

    “It’s not about taking me away from Saudi Arabia, but they saw talent in me,” said the Saudi Arabia-born Amoory, who signed for Al Ain in 2006 after the club offered him and his entire family citizenship.

    “That’s how I reached Al Ain and I’ve been blessed since then. Al Ain was the only one. And there will never be any other club for me here in the UAE.”

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