Chairman of the 'City' Club's Board of Directors, Sultan Harib, emphasized the need for clear mechanisms from the Football Association, which would support corporate teams and help them continue to achieve their vision of building their teams and competing sustainably in various competitions, serving the development of Emirati football. He told 'Al-Ittihad': 'It would have been better for the UAE Football Federation Cup to be limited to teams from the second and third divisions, especially since first division teams also participate in the President's Cup, as there is no need to hold a large number of matches.' He explained that holding the Federation Cup matches simultaneously with the first division matches created significant physical pressure on players and on the teams as well, noting that 'teams that reached the advanced stages were forced to play several matches in a few days and at close times, which was not common in previous seasons.' He pointed out that most corporate teams have teams participating in the first division, in addition to the second and third. Absence of 'Video Technology' He continued: 'The absence of applying the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology in the first division opened the door for subjective and inaccurate refereeing decisions that affected the results of some matches,' pointing out that some teams lost important points amid fierce competition for top spots in the league table, calling for the technology to be applied in first division competitions. The Club's Vision Sultan Harib added that the 'City' Club's management continues to work according to the vision adopted since its inception, which is to gradually build a strong and complete team, aiming to rise to the ADNOC Pro League in the near future. He said: 'We are taking steady steps in implementing this vision, and the team has presented distinguished matches during the current season, achieving positive results that we seek to enhance.' Positive Results He concluded: 'The 'City' team managed to secure 16 points and sit in 11th place in the first division standings, and also qualified for the quarter-finals of the Federation Cup,' explaining that the team faces an important match against Hatta Club in the same tournament after distinguished performances. He indicated that the team's results were affected after the winter transfer window due to the departure of some players, saying: 'The administrative and technical apparatus worked on reorganizing the team in preparation for the upcoming matches to achieve new positive results.' Negotiations and Achievements The 'City' Club chairman mentioned that some popular clubs in the professional league opened the door to negotiations with players from his team and from other teams during the winter transfer window, saying: 'Some clubs negotiated with players without giving their clubs the financial rights they spent on them, or offered small amounts to professional players that do not reflect their real value.' He clarified that the success of corporate teams, which have become an important pillar of Emirati football, represents a shared responsibility among all parties. He added that the three-tier league system (first, second, and third) has yielded many benefits for Emirati football by discovering talents and enhancing the competitive spirit, opening the door to attracting players from citizens and residents, which contributed to increasing the number of teams participating in competitions. The Need to Unify Mechanisms Sultan Harib said: 'There is a need to unify some technical and organizational mechanisms in competitions, including the number of allowed substitutions in each tournament, especially in Federation Cup matches when a first division team faces a second or third division team.'
