Sultan Rashid: making it to the finals is ‘not against the odds’
Sultan Rashid, Board member of Al Ain FC Company, General Supervisor of Al Ain Football Academy and former Al Ain player, expressed his happiness as the club qualified for the AFC Champions league finals following a 2-2 draw with El Jaish of Qatar, offering his sincere congratulations for the Sheikhs leaders, Board of Directors and the hardcore fans, and hoping for the second AFC title.
In a statement he made after the match, Rashid said that qualifying for the finals brings Al Ain closer to accomplishing its aspiration, however, it is not a unique achievement since Al Ain has already won the title in 2003 and placed 2nd in 2005.
“Making it to the finals is not against the odds with the squad containing highly-skilled players with impressive technical and physical capabilities, in addition to administrative stability and unlimited support by the Club’s leadership and fans alike”, he commented.
The former Al Ain player pointed out that since the game decides the qualifier for the final; it is not unusual to have difficult moments. “As for us who were sitting in the stadium, we experineced the most difficult moments when the foes scored their 2nd goal. But later, Mohammed Abdurrahman scored the equalizer in the stoppage time”, he said.
“Al Ain players managed to successfully and professionally tackle the variables in the game in spite of the challenges they have been through lately as seven players missed the training sessions following the shocking loss to Saudi Arabia which has further pressed the players. However; they were capable of getting through this, thanks to Club’s leadership, technical and management staff”, he explained.
He added that both teams have displayed remarkable performance and are praiseworthy for making it so far in the prestigious Asian championship. “Al Ain deserves to play in the finals. It’s the first step to reclaim the title. We’re absolutely confident that our team has all factors necessary to fulfill its dream”, he concluded.
