Imagine playing a full-blown football match in 47° Celsius.
That is the forecast high temperature for Al Ain on Wednesday and the footballers from Al Ahli and Al Nasr will be running and sprinting in it.
With one of the biggest prizes of any domestic season – the President’s Cup – on the line, they will be expected to go to extremes in punishing conditions.
One of the players chasing the trophy, veteran Ahli right-back Eisa Santo, 28, knows how difficult it can be in that sort of heat.
“At this time of the year, it’s very, very hard to play,” he said, adding with a laugh, “It’s June, man; it’s hot as hell.
“I think at this point of the season, I can’t say more than we are just trying to survive in this weather.
“But we are professionals and if we are asked by the federation to play at this time of the season, then we have to; we continue to do our job.”
This is the former UAE national’s seventh top-flight season, most of them with Al Wahda before a move last season to Ahli.
He has simple advice for diet and preparation in extreme heat. “At this time of the season, all we can do is drink a lot of water to hydrate,” he said.
“We don’t really have much time to rest. We just recover our bodies and prepare for the next one, and thank God the coach knows how we feel.
“So he tries his best to keep the training sessions short and simple or else our bodies will break down.”
Ahli coach Cosmin Olaroiu has done his best to rotate the squad through a punishing set of fixtures that will see his team play seven matches in 24 days over three competitions. Santo, for instance, has played alternate matches during that stretch.
He said expatriate players are stunned by the heat but played down talk that local players can somehow become accustomed to high heat.
“I wouldn’t say we have an advantage, even though we were born here,” Santo said.
“Our bodies react the same way to this weather. But if it was up to us, we will swap countries with the foreigners for the summer every year. I just think by years of experience, we just learn how to adjust.”
Even after many seasons dealing with the heat, he is not sure how his body will react this week. As recently as the May 23 victory over Dubai, in which he scored a goal and played 85 minutes, Santo experienced physical consequences from the conditions in which the match was played. “I felt like my whole energy just ran out really quickly.
“I’m not sure if it was from the heat or I just gave my 100 per cent,” he said. “Thank goodness for our medical staff for the best recovery that we do after every game to avoid sickness and other injuries.”
Santo said the players run fewer kilometres in extreme heat and try to pace themselves, and that, along with their conditioning, allows them to escape without heat stroke or other serious physical problems.
“I try not to finish my energy at the beginning, especially in the cup games, as you can go up to 120 minutes.
“I think this season, so far, no player had any serious illness from the heat apart from exhaustion and dehydration. But if we do, we are trained and prepared for it.”
He played only the final minute in Ahli’s 2-0 victory over Al Dhafra in the President’s Cup semi-finals on Saturday, so he would be comparatively fresh for the final.
“The temperature is one thing, but every player wants to play in these big games,” he said. “I am ready and would love to start, but that’s the manager’s decision. But you know me, I’m ready for whatever.”
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