Al Serkal rubbishes rumours of resignation

Dubai — Yousuf Yaqoob Al Serkal, UAEFA president, dismissed media allegations that he was planning to resign in the upcoming general assembly.

“I have repeatedly confirmed that I would remain in office up to the end of my term in June 2016 and there’s more than one year remaining,” he said. “Some reporters asked me about my intentions to stand for the elections for another term and I said that it was premature to talk about this issue at that stage as I had yet to decide what to do because we had important tasks,” he said.

“I believe that our sports newspapers do not lack credibility. They are our partners, but there are some people who have their personal agendas. They are the enemies of success who twist facts and distort realities.

“But, the sports community in our country is very smart and they are well aware of the achievements that have been accomplished during the previous period when the UAE senior football national team won its first Gulf silverware in 2007 in Abu Dhabi,” he added.

“The Olympic national team made history by qualifying for the 2012 London Games for the first time,” he said.

“The then elected board of directors under my presidency continued to achieve more successes thanks to the great support of the Honorary President Shaikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the cooperation of the football clubs.

“In 2013, the national team won the Gulf Cup for the second time in Bahrain and finished second runners-up in Khaliji 22 in Saudi Arabia before winning the bronze medal in the recent AFC Asian Cup 2015 in Australia. “The Olympic national team have now qualified for the AFC U-23 Cup,” he added.

“They have turned a blind eye to the success that we have achieved for the country.”

“I don’t deny that there were some mistakes and I was keen to make them public in order to solve them.

“But such mistakes happen everywhere within the leading football bodies in the world,” he said.

“We have worked very hard to keep pace with the development of the UAE and will continue to do so while ignoring the destructive forces which are not good for the game,” he concluded.