There is no doubt that we want to be champions of Asia- UAE U-16 Head Coach Abdelmajeed Alnemer

The UAE face India at the AFC Asian Under-16 Championship tomorrow…

The United Arab Emirates take on India in their tournament opener at the AFC Asian Under-16 Championship in Goa tomorrow and ahead of the game Head Coach Abdelmajeed Alnemer said his side were looking forward to the event. We have started our preparation from June of this year and then we moved to Malaysia to prepare for this tournament in India. We played four matches there. Now we have come a week in advance to Goa”. Alnemner also emphasised that whilst they were to here to win the whole tournament like any other team, their priority was to qualify for next year Under-17 FIFA World Cup. The UAE enjoys a significant advantage over India in the FIFA rankings, but Alnemer stressed that senior and youth team football cannot be compared. “Honestly, we cannot compare any country’s youth team with their senior team. Though we are a much higher ranked country than India in senior football, we cannot compare them with the U-16 team. It’s totally different,” he said The UAE tactician also informed that he had a fully fit squad to pick from for tomorrow’s game and that his side were well prepared for the hosts. He also went on to explain that the purpose of arriving in India a week ahead of schedule was primarily to help the squad adapt to the local weather conditions.