Former UAE national team player and Al Ain star Salem Johar stated that his comments about Al Wahda club and national team player Kayo Canedo were purely in the context of a technical evaluation, free from any personal considerations. This was in response to the recent exchange of statements between them.
Johar emphasized that criticism is a legitimate right that serves the best interests of UAE football and the development of the national team. The conflict arose after Salem Johar expressed surprise during a sports analysis program on Ajman TV that Kayo Canedo was being called up to the national team. He said: "I don't understand the reason that makes Kayo Canedo play in the best clubs in the UAE and be selected for the national team!" He added: "I am over 50 years old, currently 54, and if I train for a month, I will become better than Kayo."
In response, Kayo posted a lengthy statement on his Instagram account, saying: "You attack me on television without reason, even though I have done nothing to you, but when you meet me in person, you ask to take a picture with me!"
In an interview with "Al-Ittihad" newspaper, Johar said: "Before naturalization, Kayo was recruited as a professional player. In the past, a professional player came to help the team and teach the amateur players, and we were amateurs." He added that when he spoke about Kayo, his goal was not to diminish the player, but to present an objective technical assessment based on his performance on the field, whether with clubs or the national team.
He continued: "The greatest African striker in history and former Al Jazira player, Liberian George Weah, once asked me with great humility to take a picture with me. I also took pictures with Italian star Alessandro del Piero, played with Hossam Hassan and Abedi Pele. We exchanged pictures and gifts with humility, without any boasting, because the most important thing was that we learned from them."
Johar added: "I have never met Kayo, never asked to take a picture with him, and there was no personal relationship between us from the start. If he said that, can he prove that I asked him for a picture?"
Salem Johar stressed that his criticism of the player was purely technical, saying: "When I talked about Kayo, the criticism was related only to the technical aspect, with no personal issues. Yes, Kayo scored many goals for Al Wahda and Al Ain, and no one disputes that, but these clubs have a large number of stars who can create chances and carry any player."
Johar questioned the player's performance in his recent stints, adding: "When Kayo returned to Al Wahda, why didn't he achieve anything, and then the club let him go? Before that, they let him go from Al Ain? And more importantly, what has he done for the UAE national team since his naturalization? When we used to play, we accepted criticism with an open heart."
The former national team star also touched on comparing his generation with the current one, confirming that the opportunities available now are greater than in the past. He said: "When we played for the national team, there were many stars like Abdel Razak Ibrahim and Nasser Khamees, and we did not get the same opportunities as now. We did not progress through all the youth teams; we only played in the under-23 team and then the senior team in some periods."
Salem Johar concluded his statements by saying: "Some naturalized players have received real and complete opportunities. The important question is: what has this generation done, especially the first players who got these opportunities? And did they actually succeed in adding real value to the national team? In the end, the most important thing for us is the success of the UAE national team and raising the country's flag high in all forums."
"I took pictures with del Piero and played with Hossam Hassan and Abedi Pele, and I never asked to take a picture with Kayo," Salem Johar stated.
