The patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and the follow up of Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan are the most important reason that was behind the continental leadership
Mohammed Abbas: Pardon me… There can be no comparison in between the feelings that come with the coronation after claiming title of the Asian tournament and claiming the titles of the local tournaments
We have pledged to claim the title of the continental tournament… And we are thrilled to see our fans during the upcoming new season
“For the eyes of Abu Khalid” the most beautiful and most powerful scene all along AFC Champions League football tournament… And the fans of Al-Ain are world class with the excellence mark
The match goal by Sofiane Rahimi vs Nasaf was one of the most important scenes all along Al-Zaeem’s continental engagement
The reproach of our loving followers motivates me and grants me the motive to improve my performance and promote my level
We lost five local final matches… But we were all determined to make up for this at AFC Champions League football tournament
The atmospheres at Rabat’s training camp are exceptional… And we are looking forwards during the upcoming new season to claim historical accomplishments
Mohammed VI complex for football is the ideal headquarter for the residency of the offshore training camp
I am lucky to have been affiliated with Al-Ain because they are granting me the honor of representing the United Arab Emirates in the global and the continental football tournaments
I am looking forwards to claim more titles with Al-Zaeem of the United Arab Emirates and I hope to claim the award of the best up and coming player
He was summoned by the Portuguese manager Pedro Emanuel when he was the head coach of the first football team. Back then he was only eighteen yeas of age. He showed his powerful personality and his deservedness to wear the t-shirt of Al-Ain. He registered his name on the list of players with the Ukrainian manager Serhiy Rebrov as the coroneted as the champion of the two football tournaments of ADNOC Pro League and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, before entering the list of great players after his contribution in claiming the title of AFC Champions League football tournament during the past season when he was only twenty one yeas of age.
He is the “international” player Mohammed Abbas, Al-Ain’s midfielder and the nominee to claim the award of the best up and coming player. We made a long conversation with him only to find out that he is an elegant and skilled speaker.
The reasons behind success
The “Ainawi” midfielder Mohammed Abbas listed the reasons that were behind his team’s success in claiming the continental glory during the past season, saying: “I hope that I do not forget anything, because reasons were many and on the forefront, after the assistance from Almighty Allah, comes the supreme patronage and the generous support from His Highness Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, first deputy to the club’s chairman, first deputy to the chairman of the honorary council, the chairman of the board of directors of Al-Ain sports and cultural club, as well as the the constant follow up and the unlimited attention from Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, vice chairman of the board of directors of Al-Ain sports and cultrual club, chairman of the executive committee, and chairman of the board of directors of Al-Ain football company. Al-Ain’s presidency was supporting the team if the results declined before claiming victories, which is something that was always giving us the important motive to realize our ambitions and the goals of our great club.”
He went on: “As I have already mentioned to you, factors are numerous, where the coaching and administrative staffs as well as our fans were always supporting the team in the home and away matches, so we found them behind us in Saudi Arabia, Japan, and every country in which we took on the continental challenge, and as I think they deserve the happiness of claiming the continental title.”
The perfect headquarters
Abbas described the atmospheres at his team’s preparatory training camp for the upcoming new season at the capital city of Morocco as positive, asserting: “The truth is that the headquarter of the training camp is perfect to hold the offshore training camp, as it is equipped with all the needed requirements to achieve the sought after goals, starting from high quality stadiums, a modern gym to a world class swimming pool. Everyone here are also working to provide the reasons to reach success all along this important period before the onset of the upcoming new season, starting from the administration, the coaching staff to everyone here at the training camp, which is something that deserve gratitude for.
As players, we have also pledged to show our best in the sake of the team’s logo and realizing the goals of our club during the upcoming new season.”
The spirit of affiliation
Commenting on a question over the social events between the players and the members of the expedition on the sidelines of the training camp, he said: “It is very good for everyone to feel the spirit of affiliation to the group, which is something that sometimes require some time to be forged. However, during the meals, we are keen to set up social programs especially for the team’s new members. This is not limited here to the players only, but it even includes the members of the coaching, administrative, and media staffs through the participation in the different events to give them the feelings of the rapid integration within the team’s ranks, while most of them reiterate the hymn “Oh, Oh, Ainawi”, we reiterate it with them of course. So, you quickly find them harmonious and motivated, which is something that is very important, because when the player outside the pitch has the feelings of affiliation then he will perform very well on the pitch and do what is required from him and maybe more, so I ask Almighty All to assist everyone.”
We reject defeat
He went on: “At Al-Ain football club, with all due respect for all football clubs, when we start a preparatory period for any season, then our ambitions and goals will always be clear and specific, which are to claim victories and claim the titles of tournaments to satisfy ourselves, the club’s presidency, our fans, and our parents at home, so when you come back home after claiming a victory it will be different than when you come back after suffering a defeat, because the surrounding society demands that you win and rejects defeat, so the team’s inability to claim the title of the five consecutive final matches and which came before the final match of AFC Champions League, were not easy with us, while on the internal level the team’s leaders Bandar Al-Ahbabi, Khalid Essa, and Ahmed Berman met with us and exactly told us that we have lost five final matches and losing for the sixth time is something that is not allowed, especially that it was the the most important and most powerful football tournament on the level of the Asian continent and claiming victory in such a match is considered a historical accomplishment because it represents the nation’s joy, while Al-Ain is the only football club who managed to claim the title before almost twenty one years, so we have no choice but to climb up the coronation podium, and it is not easy for such an opportunity to be repeated, so we pledged back then to claim the title of the tournament and we did by Almighty Allah’s assistant, the support of the club’s presidency, the determination of the team members, and the support of our fans, so we managed to bring in the nation’s sports joy and happiness.”
Pardon me, the Asian title is “different”
Commenting on question over the reasons that were behind the decline in the performance on the local level and the brilliant performance on the Asian level during the past season, he said: “The truth is that we used to get into the atmospheres of the Asian tournament in a way that is one million percent different than the local tournament, especially that in the first round of competitions in the ADNOC Pro League football tournament we were unable to claim the required points to secure our position in the competition in the race to claim the title, unlike AFC Champions League football tournament, where we had no choice but to concentrate on the Asian tournament, so reality asserts that it is the best and the most powerful tournament and it is not like the local tournaments, so as I have already mentioned to you we worked to claim its title since almost twenty one years, and we thank Almighty Allah who assisted us in realizing our goal and we used to totally believe that there is nothing that we are missing, because we are Al-Ain, starting from the players, the coaching staff to the great fans’ support, so for those who lived the joy that comes with the title of the Asian tournament will be well aware that is not like the local tournament.”
He went on: “The team’s output on the local level was not consistent with the team’s output on the continental level, so we were defeated by Ittihad Kalba football club in the semi finals round of competitions of the the most precious of all tournaments, and before the final match of the Asian tournament we lost vs Al-Wahda in the final match of Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Cup, but the atmospheres inside the pitch made the difference, starting with the administration, the fans, to the players, so everyone were collaborative and our fans were demanding the team to make it up for them in the Asian tournament.”
The symptoms of the tournament
In response to a question over when he felt that Al-Ain will reach too far in the Asian tournament, he said: “After our match vs Saudi Al-Nassr I felt that the team possesses the ability to reach too far in the tournament and claim the title, when the symptoms of the tournament were evident on the team in terms of the spirit and form, so we showed our readiness to face the winner of the the match that brought together Saudi Al-Hilal with Al-Ittihad back then.”
The champion of Asia
Commenting on a question over how he feels when he is only twenty one years and is called the champion of Asia, he said: “I thank Almighty Allah for the blessing of Al-Ain football club, with all due respect for all clubs, so I will not be divulging a secret if I told you that since joining Al-Ain when I was at the football academy at the seventh year of my life, I grew up at this football club on the culture of claiming the titles of tournaments. With Al-Ain and since joining the first football team, I managed to claim several titles, including the title of AFC Champions League football tournament and ADNOC Pro League, so it is difficult to have such and honor except at a great football club like Al-Ain. So, during the upcoming new season we will be taking on the competition at six tournaments, including the tournaments of Clubs World Cup, Continents Cup, and AFC Champions League for the elite, as well as the local tournaments, so this is itself a great honor for any player who has the opportunity to play in global and continental tournaments of this level, in addition to that there is no limit to my ambitions with the team.”
For the eyes of Abu Khalid
Over the most important three scenes which will always be stuck in his memory at AFC Champions League, he said: “The truth is that the most important of all scenes, which I do not think it will be dropped out of the memory, is the motivation of the Ainawi fans for the players before, during, and after the end of each match with the hymn that says “Oh, Oh, Ainawi”, which is something that will always be giving us an important motivation to bring in the nation’s joy, I was also looking forwards to the time when they would reiterate it because I have come to love it.”
The match’s goal
He added: “The second scene is linked to the round of 16, when we played the 2nd leg match vs the Uzbek team of Nasaf, back then the match was going to the extra time, but Sofiane Rahimi was able to tip the balance in the favor of Al-Ain in the stoppage time after scoring the second goal, so announcing our qualification to the quarter finals round of the tournament back then. That match was not easy but with Almighty Allah’s grace we managed to score the decisive result in the decisive time.”
The match vs Saudi Al-Hilal
Mohammed Abbas went on by saiying:“The third scene was in our match vs Saudi Al-Hilal, back then I was suspended with the third yellow card and could not play the 2nd leg match, so I went to Kingdom Arena stadium as a supporter for my team from the benches, and it is for sure the situation was completely different than being a player, because on the benches you find yourself thrilled in an attractive manner, especially in the light of the extra enthusiasm on the social media platforms and the media outlets, so when Kouame Autonne committed a penalty kick I almost had a “stroke” because I could not hold my feelings and back then I preferred that I can be a player in the match, but thanks to Almighty Allah the match was over exactly as it was planned for.”
The clear goals
In response to a question over the goals during the upcoming next season for the AFC Champions League football tournament, he said: “Al-Ain’s name is great on the local and continental levels, while our goals in every season are clear, which are to compete in every tournament and when we start as the champions of Asia it would be something that give us the important motive to compete at all tournaments.”
The reproach of our loving followers
Commenting on a question over the fans’ demands to claim all titles, he said: “This is the most important thing for us as players. However, I am personally keen to take the fans’ reproach into a positive consideration, because their view is precise and their reproach is coming form a true love for the player and the team, while their criticism has always been leading us to review ourselves in order to be able to return into the right path.”
The story of a goal
On the story of his goal vs Yokohama F. Marinos, he said: “The truth is that before 1st leg match I sustained an injury during the training sessions which we took on in Japan over three days, meaning in the day of the expedition’s arrival. I spoke to my father and he emphasized on the importance of playing, in addition to him, my close connections also emphasized on the necessity of my presence on the team’s list, while I only joined a part of the final training session after the supervising doctor gave me a pain relief injection. So, I managed to engage in the match and was able to score the leading goal for my team during the first seven minutes of the match’s life span, which is something that was wonderful and I felt that it was a rewarding event from Almighty Allah, because I tolerated my injury, while my happiness over the goal was very big, especially that it was in the final match of the most important of all tournaments on the continental level.”
Miscellaneous
