The “amateur” league is difficult.. Not all players are able to adapt to it

Former national team player and current Al Arabi player Rashid Issa confirmed that local coaches and players played a major role in developing the First Division Football League, pointing out that many positive atmospheres are currently available in the First Division League and have attracted local coaches and players to join the competing teams in it. He stressed the scarcity of opportunities available to local players and coaches in the Professional League at the present time, stressing that the First Division League is very difficult, and no player can adapt to it, because the way of playing is difficult due to the lack of sufficient spaces in front of the players during matches, in addition to the fact that most clubs are similar in ideas and financial circumstances, with the exception of one or two clubs.

He said that the good environment he found at Al-Arabi Club made him choose to play for the club, despite receiving several offers during previous seasons to play in the Professional League, indicating that he succeeded with local coaches more than foreign coaches, and that the technical and leadership capabilities of Al-Arabi coach Badr will greatly help in achieving the club’s goals and qualifying for the Professional League, stressing that the team will provide the best in order to please its fans.

Rashid Issa has a successful experience with more than one club, including Al Wasl, Al Ain and Hatta.

“The chances of a local player being in the professional league and participating as a starter have become difficult, so many international players have joined first division clubs. The same applies to the local coach who does not find enough opportunity in the professional league, even though he has contributed to raising the technical level of the first division league and played a role in increasing the number of teams competing for promotion, after the competition was limited to a few teams,” Rashid Issa told Al-Emarat Al-Youm.

He stressed that the addition of new international and professional players to the First Division League in the new season will make it stronger than previous seasons, and they will have a greater role in increasing the intensity of competition.

Amouri joins

Regarding what has been recently circulated about the imminent joining of player Omar Abdulrahman (Amouri) to the ranks of “Al-Arabi”, Rashid Issa said: “All clubs wish to obtain Amouri’s services, and for my part, I wish to play again alongside him after we played together previously in more than one club in addition to the national team, but at the same time it is very difficult for a player of Amouri’s stature to play in the first division, with all due respect to all clubs, including my team Al-Arabi, and personally I hope that Amouri ends his career in the biggest clubs in the professional league, due to his ideal career.”

Teams that can qualify

Regarding his expectations for the competition in the new season of the First Division League, which will start tomorrow, and the teams capable of qualifying for the Professional League, he said: “I expect that Al Arabi, Emirates, Hatta, Dibba Al Fujairah and Al Dhafra clubs will be at the forefront of the strong competition for promotion, in addition to the United team, and Al Dhaid and Al Hamriyah clubs may have a strong appearance in the competition.”

Rashid Issa hoped that the circumstances would help Al Arabi team to achieve its ambition, pointing out that Al Arabi’s current ambition is greater than its ambition in previous seasons, as it now looks forward to winning the First Division League Shield and qualifying for the Professional League, as a legitimate right, in conjunction with the support of the club’s board of directors, and the capabilities the team enjoys, in addition to the new reinforcements that the team has received, especially after the joining of Mohamed Fawzy, Mansour Abbas and Mohamed Diop.

Al-Abyad’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup

Rashid Issa said that the national football team has a great chance of qualifying and participating in the 2026 World Cup, and that the great potential enjoyed by Emirati football is capable of creating a distinguished generation of players who can achieve the dream again and repeat the achievement of the 1990 generation that qualified for the World Cup in Italy.

Beautiful memory

Rashid Issa spoke about a beautiful memory he encountered during his career, and explained: “During the Al Wasl and Al Nasr match in the 2011-2012 season, when I was substituted in the last minutes of the match, the late Al Wasl coach Diego Maradona carried me in appreciation of the level I showed in the match, and I am very proud of that memory, as it was with the late legend and the great status he enjoyed in the global football community.” He concluded by emphasizing that the local coach Mahdi Ali is the best person he has trained under, wishing him a speedy recovery and return to the coaching scene.

• Rashid Issa: Mahdi Ali is the best person I have trained under, and I hope he returns to the training scene.

• The addition of new international and professional players to the Premier League will make it stronger.