Fujairah player, Senegalese Mohamed Diop, stated that the minimal point difference shared by seven teams in the First Division league standings, competing for two spots in next season's Professional League, confirms the strength of the competition and gives all teams hope of reaching "the spotlight." He also noted that the current season has shown a high technical level from the participating teams.
"United" tops the "amateurs" table with 43 points, followed by "Al-Zayed" with 37 points, then "Dibba Al-Hisn" with 36 points and "Al-Arabi" with 35. "Hatta" and "Al-Uruba" are tied for fifth and sixth with 34 points each, while "Fujairah" is seventh with 33 points.
Diop told "Al-Ittihad Al-Youm": "Fujairah has a strong chance of promotion to the Professional League thanks to the team's distinguished technical level and the valuable points it can exploit in upcoming matches to achieve the club's goal of returning to the spotlight." He explained that the first half of the current season witnessed high competitive and technical levels, making it more difficult than previous seasons due to the good preparations of all teams. This significantly raised the technical level of matches and enhanced competitiveness.
Diop confirmed that "Fujairah" deserves a better position than its current seventh place, which does not reflect its technical value. He pointed out the possibility of a rapid improvement in its standing given the small point gap with teams in higher positions.
He added that the team includes high-quality elements capable of achieving better results in upcoming matches.
Diop also spoke about his relationship with his teammate and fellow countryman Ismail Sanko, saying he is one of his closest players due to the great understanding between them on and off the field.
He also mentioned that he follows the Professional League, predicting that "Al-Ain" will win the league title this season.
On the other hand, Diop expressed his surprise at the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to strip Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations and award it to Morocco, describing it as "an unfair decision" against the "Lions of Teranga." He confirmed that his national team deserved to win the title. Diop said: "What happened during the match was highly controversial. Despite the Senegal team leaving the field, this is not a sufficient reason to take the Cup away." He pointed out that the match referee was not accurate in his decisions and made impactful decisions that were not correct, especially in favor of the home team.
Recall that the final match of the Africa Cup of Nations ended with a 1-0 victory for Senegal, but it sparked wide controversy in the final minutes. The referee awarded a penalty to Morocco, which sparked protests from Senegalese players who considered the decision incorrect. The protests escalated to the point where the players left the field and refused to continue playing, before the match was eventually resumed, and Morocco went on to win.
