Vice Chairman of Kalba Club, Ahmed Al-Zaabi, confirmed that the file of allocating pensions and social security for football players after retirement is a shared responsibility among all those in charge of the game's affairs, stressing the importance of dealing with this file with a comprehensive vision that transcends immediate solutions. He said: «Football players practice a profession with a limited time span, extending for a few years before stopping sports activity, which necessitates providing a comprehensive social system that guarantees them and their families a decent life after retirement, in a manner that befits the status of a football player as one of the members of the Emirati society». He added: «The issue requires working on building early awareness among players, starting with paying attention to the educational aspect, and obtaining university certificates that open up broader horizons for them to enter the labor market after the end of their sports journey». He cited the experience of Barcelona and Spanish national team defender, Pau Cubarsí, who continued his university studies in parallel with his football brilliance, realizing the importance of education for his life after retirement and not being satisfied with the conviction that financial returns alone are sufficient to secure the future». He said: «I present this model to the national players to benefit from it, especially since a large number of players may end their sports careers before crossing the 30-year barrier, which imposes on them to think more deeply about education, in addition to good financial resource management and saving from football returns, to prepare for establishing private projects or entering different fields of work after retirement». Al-Zaabi concluded his statements by emphasizing that «protecting the player after the end of his career is not achieved only by demanding pensions and social security, but begins with the player's own awareness, and a comprehensive system in which clubs, federations, and players participate, to ensure a safe and sustainable future for the children of this game».
