Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Vice Chairman of the UAE Olympic Committee and Head of the Municipality and Planning Department in Ajman, stated that the national team has undergone a significant phase of rebuilding and enhancing its technical capabilities over the past years. He noted that the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup was 'a golden opportunity' and very close, yet a number of factors prevented the achievement of this goal. At the same time, he affirmed that developing the team requires expanding the player base and utilizing all available human resources. This was stated during the concluding session of the 2026 Ramadan Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Council, dedicated to discussing the state of sports in the UAE. The event, held under his patronage and in his presence, saw the participation of officials, athletes, and individuals interested in sports affairs. Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid said: 'Huge efforts have been invested in working with the team over the past years to develop it and raise its technical level. There was a clear effort to bring in technical cadres capable of supporting the team and adding the necessary experience to its journey.' He added: 'I was among those who called for a greater role for resident players, because this category was not sufficiently utilized in the past despite representing a vital human resource that can add a great deal to football in the country.' He continued: 'No country in the world fails to benefit from most of its population in supporting football, especially when these individuals constitute a large percentage that can be relied upon as a permanent human resource for developing the sport and expanding the talent base.' Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid said: 'Many new elements joined the team and needed more time to gel. We played strong and excellent matches, and in some of our mistakes were clear, but every match was a lesson from which we benefited and we work on not repeating the mistakes.' He stressed that clubs have a pivotal role in developing the national team's level, explaining that a player spends over 70% of his time during the season with his club, while the remaining time is with the national team, which makes clubs key partners in preparing players and honing their skills. Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid spoke about the national team's Romanian coach, Cosmin, confirming that he is a coach with a strong coaching history and extensive experience. He said: 'Cosmin is a coach with a strong history and known achievements, and his appointment to lead the team at this stage was successful, because coaching depends not only on the technical aspect but also on the psychological aspect.' He added: 'The coach is close to the players and is distinguished by his ability to motivate them, but technically he faced difficulties due to the entry of many elements into the team, so he tried to present more than one formation in the past matches.' Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid touched upon the opportunity to qualify for the World Cup, confirming that it was very close for the national team. He added: 'The chance to qualify for the World Cup was on a golden platter, but the decisive match was played with more administrative cleverness than a psychological battle on the field. There was no complete justice in choosing the match venue and distributing the share of fans, because in the past decisive matches were either held on a neutral ground or on a home-and-away basis, but what happened was different.' He said: 'The individual technical level of the players has risen compared to previous years, and today we have a bench that includes a good number of players after years in which the technical apparatus complained about the lack of options. We worked during the past period on expanding the base of players registered in the country, and today the number has reached between 7,000 and 7,500, and the more this number increases in the future, the greater the choices the national teams will have when selecting players.' He continued: 'If the number of players reaches 15,000, the options will be multiplied, especially with the existence of Emirati players who are professionals in European clubs, which gives the team greater experience and exposure.' Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid spoke about the file of contracts for national players, confirming that the national player in the UAE is fortunate and not wronged. He said: 'The amounts that the national player receives in UAE clubs are not what any club in the world is ready to pay for him, and therefore it can be said that the club is the wronged party, the aggrieved party. In the past, the club was forced to pay these amounts to obtain the national player, but with the increase in options with the existence of foreign and resident players, the prices became more balanced.' He continued: 'It is important for me to have between 35 and 40 of the best players who are basic in their clubs, because the player who participates continuously is the most capable of serving the national team.' Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid concluded his speech by saying: 'In the world of professionalism, it is natural to utilize the available resources in the country, and what is most important to me is the player who possesses the technical level and experience capable of serving the national team and achieving achievements.'
