UAE Football Association president Yousuf Al Serkal has steadfastly rejected reports that 10 members of the Whites’ Gulf Cup squad have been called up for military service ahead of the imminent start of their title defence.
Mahdi Ali’s men are in the final stages of preparation for the biennial competition, which begins on Thursday in Riyadh when hosts Saudi Arabia play Qatar. The UAE kick off their campaign a day later against Oman.
Reports had stated that the coach’s plans had been seriously disrupted after leading players including goalkeeper Ali Khaseif, defender Mohamed Ahmed and midfielder Khamis Esmail had been made to head back to the Emirates from their Saudi training base.
“No, there are not any players who have been called up for military service,” Al Serkal said.
“The players will be present at the Gulf Cup. Those players will be at the Gulf Cup, and that is it.”
Another pressing issue is the ongoing failure to secure free-to-air broadcasting rights.
No agreement has been reached between domestic television companies and international media agency MP & Silva, who acquired the exclusive rights in August from the Saudi Arabian Football Federation. As it stands, beIN Sports are scheduled to begin their coverage at 18:30 on Thursday but a monthly-subscription is required to tune in.
Reports had stated that Abu Dhabi Sports Channel and Dubai Sports had been asked to pay a fee between $8-15 million (Dh29-55m) to get involved. This has caused friction as the quote represented a huge increase on the cost from Bahrain in 2013, plus the amount differs wildly between different nations.
Al Serkal believed a potential media boycott could have serious ramifications for the Gulf Cup’s future if no last-minute deal is struck.
He said: “The situation continues and it will affect the Gulf Cup negatively. The Gulf Cup needs television broadcasting and effective media.
“This may also affect the future of this championship. The last competition [in 2013] was a very important success.”
The UAE have been drawn in Group B alongside Iraq, Kuwait and Oman.
Al Serkal outlined the nation’s ambition to progress to the final on Wednesday, November 26.
“As we are the champions, our ambition is to remain No1,” the vice-president of the Asian Football Confederation said.
“It is most important that you concentrate on being the No1 after the tournament finishes, as well.
“We have to participate carefully and take it step-by-step. Our first objective is to progress to the second round – we will take it from there.”