Al Ahli chairman ‘very proud’ of Champions League efforts, backs team for future success

Ismail Al Hammadi, right, in action during the Asian Champions League final second leg. AFP

GUANGZHOU, CHINA // Al Ahli chairman Abdullah Al Naboodah says the club’s current squad have the quality to win the Asian Champions League in future.

The Dubai side finished runners-up this year to China's Guangzhou Evergrande following defeat in the second leg of the final at the Tianhe Stadium on Saturday, when a goal from Elkeson ensured the hosts secured the title 1-0 on aggregate.

Ahli had never advanced from the group stage in five previous attempts, but became the first UAE club to make the showpiece in 10 years, with only Al Ain reaching the same point. The Garden City club won the trophy in 2003 and then lost the final two seasons later.

However, Al Naboodah is confident Ahli can also win the Champions League, especially since they boast a young squad with at present eight regular UAE internationals. In Cosmin Olaroiu, too, Ahli have one of the most established coaches on the continent.

[Ahmed Dida: Asia knows about Al Ahli now after Asian Champions League exploits]

Al Naboodah was in attendance at the final on Saturday, where he spoke to his Ahli players immediately following the narrow defeat.

“I told the boys we’re proud of them. It’s not easy to reach the Asian Champions League final, but they’ve done extremely well,” Al Naboodah said.

“We have a string of players who are an average age of 23 — the Emirati players are still young. But they gave their all and that is what we’re proud of. They tried their best.”

In contrast to Ahli, Guangzhou are vastly experienced at this level having won the Champions League two years ago. They are one of Asia’s most affluent clubs and in Luiz Felipe Scolari have a former World Cup-winning coach as manager. Since the Brazilian took charge in June, Guangzhou are unbeaten in 23 matches and last month secured a fifth successive Chinese league title.

“I said in numerous interviews that Guangzhou are probably the best club in Asia in the quality of players they have,” Al Naboodah said. “But the boys gave it a try — it’s small, simple details and mistakes that cost you a game.

[Al Ahli fall at last hurdle in bid for historic Asian Champions League title — in pictures]

“Overall we did well. There was chat on the side after the game with Mr Scolari and he told our coach Cosmin and I ‘you are the toughest team I’ve ever faced in the Asian Champions League’.”

When asked if Ahli have the talent to clinch the crown, Al Naboodah added: “I think we can. We have a strong group of quality players in UAE terms, we have a very, very good coach who has taught them a lot and we will pull back from this. And domestically we’ll be a very, very tough team.

“We did well. Given the average age of the players, we will have another try in the coming years. We have a team that could take us there again.”

Olaroiu, who in 2013/14 led Ahli to a first domestic league title in five years, was given a three-year contract extension in June despite last season’s poor results in the Arabian Gulf League. The champions finished seventh, while they were runners-up in the President’s Cup to Al Nasr — meaning they do not qualify for next year’s Champions League.

[Cosmin Olaroiu: ACL final the start, not the end for 'fantastic' Al Ahli]

Al Naboodah, though, said getting to the final this time proves the club were right to stick with Olaroiu.

“Absolutely. Talk is easy,” he said. “The press talked about the situation going back to last season, but we are very close to the team, we know the coach, we know the way he works and we know his ideas and the commitment he has for the team.

“That’s why we always knew he has to stay and he has to give us another three years. Because despite the bad form we had last season, we knew with the quality of the coach and the quality of the players that this drought doesn’t stay for long.”

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