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UAE: Al Ain FC 'takes full responsibility' for poor results, vows to return to winning ways

Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan issued a statement as the club announced Leonardo Jardim will replace Hernan Crespo as coach

Published: Fri 8 Nov 2024, 6:35 PM

Updated: Fri 8 Nov 2024, 6:45 PM

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Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice chairman of Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club board of directors. Photo: Al Ain FC/X

Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice chairman of Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club board of directors. Photo: Al Ain FC/X

Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice chairman of Al Ain Sports and Cultural Club board of directors, on Friday said that the club takes full responsibility for the team's poor performance during the current football season, and vowed that it will return to winning ways and bring the pride back to Ainawis.

Al Ain FC, the record UAE Pro League winners with 14 titles, have had a below average campaign so far, by their standards.


Nicknamed 'The Boss,' Al Ain FC have so far won only two of their five matches in th domestic league and are languishing eighth on the table.

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They have also fared no better at the continental level, with the defending champions rooted at the basement of the AFC Champions League table.

Al Ain FC are the only UAE club to win the Asian competition, and have done it twice, having triumphed in the inaugural edition in 2003.

The current campaign has seen the club part ways with coach Hernan Crespo, six months after the former Argentina striker led them to AFC Champions League glory.

On Friday, the club announced that they had appointed Portuguese coach Leonardo Jardim to replace Crespo.

"We take full responsibility for the decline in the team’s level during the current season," Sheikh Sultan bin Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan said in a statement, posted by the club on X.

"But Al Ain FC's goals during the current season will not change. We have evaluated the situation and determined what needs to be done. We have hired Leonardo Jardim as the new coach. We realise that the task is difficult but it is not impossible. We are lucky and proud because we have the best and most loyal fans and we thank them for their support despite these results. We are working hard to restore the team is on the right track," he added.

Al Ain's next Pro League game is against Al Orooba away at the Dibba Stadium on November 21.

Their next AFC Champions League match is against Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli at home at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium on November 25.

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