Al Hajeri: Proud of our players and AFC title will remain our target
Reactions never guide our decisions; we owe appreciation to our fans
Strengths to be re-enhanced and weaknesses analyzed; Zlatko did a great job
We look forward to see fans’ support during AGL competition
In a statement that was published on the Club’s official website following the AFC Champions League final, H.E Ghanem Mubarak Al Hajeri, Al Ain FC Company Chairman, expressed his extreme appreciation for the precious confidence placed by His Highness Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan – Vice-President of the Executive Council of Abu Dhabi Emirate, First Deputy President of Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club, and First Deputy President of its Honorary Council Board, Chairman of Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club and founder of the Success Strategy of Al Ain Club – in Al Ain First Team and all members.
“The auspicious patronage, generous support and great attention by H.H Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed enabled the team to make a powerful comeback and reach the AFC finals for the first time in about 11 years. Hence, the team managed to overcome all challenges in both home and away matches and deserved to get enrolled in the honor list of the finest Asian teams,” he said.
Al Hajeri confirmed that Al Ain, like all great teams, has nourished a fine culture that enables the team to absorb all results, whether positive or negative; “Losing a match does not mean the end for a team that is full of stars and able to meet its leaders’ ambitions and delight its hardcore fans. Rather, the loss is a turning point and a real beginning of a new challenging stage,” he added.
Al Hajeri went on to say: “The loss of the final will never drive us to take hasty and unreasonable decisions. The upsides of every match, no matter how hard they are, must be highlighted, while the downsides must be analyzed.”
Though reaching the AFC finals was not in itself Al Ain’s target; Al Hajeri saw it as one of the upsides
“The current generation of players, led by Zlatko, managed to reach the finals for the first time, deserved the respect of people across Asia, and proved that they were worthier of the title in both final matches considering their honorable performance despite their loss in the first match and the draw of yesterday,” he added.
Al Hajeri also said: “Al Ain fans showed their finest cheering expressions on the stands of HBZ Stadium, which we look forward to seeing in all coming matches. They used cheering tools in a professional way, and they never hushed up even after the team first conceived a goal all of a sudden. Actually, fans had a great role in the team’s comeback in less than five minutes.”
“One of the spectacular scenes caught on TV was the remarkable interaction between the team and fans of all ages. They together proved that the spirit of belonging to this lofty organization has nothing to do with results. I highly trust that the tears we saw in the final will be seen again out of happiness in the near future,” he added.
He went on to say: “I look forward to seeing in tomorrow’s training session 10% of the fans that attended at HBZ Stadium and supported the team in the final. This way, they will confirm their loyalty to the Club regardless of results, especially that we are required to start immediately reorganizing ourselves for the next challenges. In addition, the team is competing for the AGL title, which is the first step to show our readiness for continental and international presence.”
“We will continue to place our great trust in the technical staff led by the Croatian Zlatko Dalić who has achieved the best results and led the team to several achievements in a short time. We all should work together to promote trust in the coach and give him the necessary motivation, especially under these circumstances, because losing a football match does not mean the end,” he added.
Al Hajeri pointed out that Omar Abdurrahman, who won the ‘Asian Footballer of the Year 2016’ Title, and his teammates reached the finals of this competition for the first time. “This is considered an achievement for them, and it promotes their experience at the continental level, especially that the next season of this competition is coming soon,” he said.
“Al Ain managed to stunt Jeonbuk in both final matches, which made the technical staffs resort to tricky ways from the bench. This proves that their team was so worried that their technical and administrative staff had to do things that conflict with sportsmanship and clean play,” he added.
Al Hajeri pointed out that the crowds at HBZ Stadium proved that “The Boss” is never alone in challenges. “There are loyal fans supporting the team regardless of results, and this was evident through fans’ constant powerful cheering and greeting to players at the end of the match,” he added.
Al Hajeri went on to say: “The scene of the AFC Champions League final included the greatest message to the world that Al Ain Club is an integrated professional organization that does not base assessment on a single match. Wins, losses and draws occur in football, and everybody should accept them, make use of downsides, and promote upsides in order to achieve the best results.”
Refuting the reports recently circulated about Al Ain coach and foreign players across the social media, Al Hajeri confirmed that Al Ain Club management never takes decisions based upon reactions. He described Zlatko as one if not the only best coach in Asia. “Yesterday’s final combined the best two coaches and the best two defensive lines in Asia. Though the South Korean coach has been familiar with his team for more than 12 years, it was obvious during the match the coaching staffs resorted to tricky ways (unclean play) from their bench in order to achieve their ends,” he commented.
“Zlatko sought,” he continued “to break through the South Korean defensive block by applying a balanced way which led Al Ain FC to create a good opportunity to score during the first 15 minutes but they messed it up. However, Al Ain FC managed to draw in less than 5 minutes of rivals’ lead.”
Al Hajeri believed that Al Ain FC’s Brazilian striker Douglas Dyanfres played yesterday one of his best matches with Al Ain as evidenced by the rocket shots which he unleashed from long distances and his skillful escaping from the tight watch on him. “Dyanfres can’t be undervalued because he lost a penalty kick; all footballers in the world are likely to miss such a chance. However, he’s still one of the best strikers,” he added.
He also renews support to Caio Lucas and Danilo Asprilla describing them as two of the best wingers in Asia as they are head-hunted by all clubs thanks to their fastness and excellent skills. He concluded by stressing that every player wearing Al Ain FC jersey and defending Al Ain Emblem deserve to be strongly supported by everyone.
