GulfNews - The Al Ahli club senior
football team will start preparations for the coming season on August 2
with an internal training sessions at the club's stadium until August 10
when they leave for their external training camp in Italy. During the
training camp the team will play several warm up matches with Italian
teams.
The Italy training camp will continue until September 4, the team return
to Dubai to start preparations for the domestic tournaments which kicks
off on September 17 with the President's Cup preliminary round.
Al Ahli play in group A along with Al Shabab, Al Shaab, Dubai club, Ahli
Fujairah, Al Hamriya, Al Taawon and Al Jazira Al Hammra.
This was announced by Mohammed Mattar the Al Ahli club general secretary
in a press conference held at the club premises on Saturday night after
signing a one year contract with Romanian coach Illi Palaci.
Ibrahim Abdul Malik head of the Al Ahli follow up committee attended the
meeting with the coach before signing the contract, Atiq Juma club
secretary general and senior team supervisor, Abdullah Al Owaiss financial
manager, Mussa Abbas board member and youth sector supervisor also
attended the meeting.
Mattar welcomed the new coach and wished him a successful function with
the club,"We are pleased to sign with Palaci who is a well known name
in football training in the GCC countries. We tried to sign with him
before two years, but it didn't succeed.
However this time we began negotiating with him before two months, he
agreed to come to Dubai to discuss with us his contract's details and we
agreed with him to sign for a one year contract without any difficulties.
"The Al Ahli club general secretary said the second foreign player
will be selected by the coach with co-ordination with the club's board.
Mattar claimed that Al Ahli completed renewing the contact of the first
foreign player Iranian striker Ali Karimi for another two years.
He said that all the Al Ahli family will co-operate to work hard in
helping Palaci to achieve success for the Al Ahli club in the coming
season.
Palaci expressed his happiness to join Al Ahli club in Dubai,"I am
glad to return back to the UAE to train Al Ahli who is one of the big
names in the UAE football. I don't want to speak about the team now, but I
know they include talented young players which sign for a promising future
for the club."
The Al Ahli new coach said that he will not give promises to win
titles," We will fight hard to win titles as all the clubs enter the
tournaments to win titles. Hard work with the co-operation of all who are
concerned with the Al Ahli senior team will lead us to win championships
next season."
The new coach said that he couldn't decide about the second foreign player
now,"First I have to see the team during training sessiions and then
I can decide in whcih position I need the second player for."
He said that the UAE football has developed fast in the last period and
could develope more in the coming two years.
Palaci left to have a vacation in Romania and will return to Dubai on July
29 to begin his mission with Al Ahli.
The new coach during his short stay in Dubai watched several matches for
Al Ahli senior team in the league, President's Cup, Super Cup and the
Asian Champions league during last season through video tapes, so that he
could make an idea about the team and it's players.