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Preparing for bigger challenges

The UAE Olympic and under-17 national teams are going through their regular grinds here ahead of the scheduled training camps in Europe before the upcoming regional and international commitments.

The national teams are all out to maintain the bright results which have been achieved at the Gulf and Asian platforms by their predecessors in the past.

The Olympic national team will take part in the AGCC under-23 Championship in Doha during the month of July before they carry the hopes of the country in the upcoming Asian Games in China.

In 2008, the UAE youth won the AFC under-19 Cup in Saudi Arabia and made a strong appearance in the 2009 FIFA World Cup later in Egypt.

The juniors national team finished fourth in the AFC under-16 Cup in Uzbekistan and qualified for the 2009 FIFA U-16 World Cup in Nigeria. All the UAE national teams have qualified for the AFC finals.

At the Gulf level, the UAE lads landed the AGCC Juniors Cup in 2009 in Al Ain. The UAEFA is making every move to provide the national teams with their requirements to enhance the position of the country’s football in the international arena.

The first step was to renew confidence in the local coaches and announced the 2010 as the Year of Local Coach.

Meanwhile, the members of the Olympic national team continue their hard work under the guidance of the local coach Ali Mahdi. The players have listened carefully to the words of the football boss Mohammed Khalfan Al Rumaithi who urged them to dedicate themselves for the message which has been entrusted to them.

The coach is focusing during Al Ain training camp on the physical aspects before they travel to Germany for the external training camp from July 1 to 24, 2010. The Whites will play many warm-up games there.

In Dubai, the U-16 & 17 national teams have started preparations at Zabeel Stadium, Al Wasl Club before they head for Germany. The U-14 are looking forward to excel in the AFC Juniors Cup scheduled in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from October 24 to November 7, 2010. UAE will face the challenge of Iraq, Kuwait and China in Group-4.

The U-17 are preparing for the AGCC Championship in Kuwait from September 19 to 30, 2010.