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Al Ain’s Alloudi targets UAE Pro-league title

ABU DHABI — Moroccan player Soufiane Alloudi hopes to deliver the goods and bring the UAE Pro-League title to Al Ain.

Alloudi, who was on a loan spell with Al Wasl last season, makes his full return to the Al Ain FC first team this season.

Alloudi, who has played for Al Raja of Casablanca, Al Ain and Al Wasl, was with Al Ain but a knee injury during the African Nations Cup in 2009 meant his presence on the pitch was limited.

“The injury was not in my hands and I couldn’t do anything about it. During the last period, I trained very well to avoid injury and I will do my best to be a real addition to the team,” Alloudi said at Al Ain’s pre-season training base in Austria.

Al Ain Football Club are in Austria for their pre-season training. Al Ain have lined up a series of friendlies against Austrian second division clubs Anif, Puch, Karabusports from Turkey, Concordia from Romania, Paralimini of Cyprus before playing their last game against the Azerbaijan Olympic team.

Al Ain Football Club held Austrian second division club Puch to a draw in their second friendly game as part of the pre-season training on Tuesday. The match ended 1-1.

Al Ain FC had blanked Austrian second division club Anif 3-0 in their first friendly game.

Alloudi said that his comeback to Al Ain felt like he was coming back home. “I don’t feel any change in the squad except that there are some exciting young players and I call on the Al Ain fans to support them,” said the 27-year-old forward, who was the 2007 Moroccan Athlete of the Year.

Alloudi said that they will face tough competition this season but Al Ain had some talented players coming through the Academy. “All the clubs are keen to bring good players and some people are surprised why Al Ain does not register new local players. But they forget that there are good talented players at the Al Ain Football Academy such as Salem Abdulla, Abdul Aziz Fayez and Omer Abdul Rahman. I think the competition in the new season will be strong,” said Alloudi, who is know for his hat-trick in the 2008 African Cup of Nations in Ghana, where he helped the Atlas Lions thrash Namibia 5-1.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Atiq Al Rumaithi, UAE Consul in Germany, visited the squad at St. John city in Austria.

Also, captain Majed Al Owais said that Salem Abdulla, Abdulla Mal Alla, Sulttan Mussabah, Waleed Salem and Ismail Ahmed have left the Austria camp to Munich in Germany to conduct different medical tests.

“Abdulla Mal Alla needs a surgery on his ankle where as Ismail Ahmed felt a pain in his knee during the last season and he will undergo precautionary checks,” said Majed Al Owais.

Al Ain left back Mohamed Fayez has recovered from his injury and ends his rehabilitation programme supervised by the medical staff of the club. The technical staff is keen to let the player participate in the training session and it is expected that he may play part in Al Ain’s friendly matches in Austria.

Al Ain will play their fourth friendly game against CS Concordia, one of the Romanian second division clubs.

james@khaleejtimes.com