Al Ahli begin preparation in August

GulfNews - The Al Ahli club senior football team will start preparations for the coming season on August 2 with an internal training sessions at the club's stadium until August 10 when they leave for their external training camp in Italy. During the training camp the team will play several warm up matches with Italian teams.

The Italy training camp will continue until September 4, the team return to Dubai to start preparations for the domestic tournaments which kicks off on September 17 with the President's Cup preliminary round.

Al Ahli play in group A along with Al Shabab, Al Shaab, Dubai club, Ahli Fujairah, Al Hamriya, Al Taawon and Al Jazira Al Hammra.

This was announced by Mohammed Mattar the Al Ahli club general secretary in a press conference held at the club premises on Saturday night after signing a one year contract with Romanian coach Illi Palaci.

Ibrahim Abdul Malik head of the Al Ahli follow up committee attended the meeting with the coach before signing the contract, Atiq Juma club secretary general and senior team supervisor, Abdullah Al Owaiss financial manager, Mussa Abbas board member and youth sector supervisor also attended the meeting.

Mattar welcomed the new coach and wished him a successful function with the club,"We are pleased to sign with Palaci who is a well known name in football training in the GCC countries. We tried to sign with him before two years, but it didn't succeed.

However this time we began negotiating with him before two months, he agreed to come to Dubai to discuss with us his contract's details and we agreed with him to sign for a one year contract without any difficulties.

"The Al Ahli club general secretary said the second foreign player will be selected by the coach with co-ordination with the club's board. Mattar claimed that Al Ahli completed renewing the contact of the first foreign player Iranian striker Ali Karimi for another two years.

He said that all the Al Ahli family will co-operate to work hard in helping Palaci to achieve success for the Al Ahli club in the coming season.

Palaci expressed his happiness to join Al Ahli club in Dubai,"I am glad to return back to the UAE to train Al Ahli who is one of the big names in the UAE football. I don't want to speak about the team now, but I know they include talented young players which sign for a promising future for the club."

The Al Ahli new coach said that he will not give promises to win titles," We will fight hard to win titles as all the clubs enter the tournaments to win titles. Hard work with the co-operation of all who are concerned with the Al Ahli senior team will lead us to win championships next season."

The new coach said that he couldn't decide about the second foreign player now,"First I have to see the team during training sessiions and then I can decide in whcih position I need the second player for."

He said that the UAE football has developed fast in the last period and could develope more in the coming two years.

Palaci left to have a vacation in Romania and will return to Dubai on July 29 to begin his mission with Al Ahli.

The new coach during his short stay in Dubai watched several matches for Al Ahli senior team in the league, President's Cup, Super Cup and the Asian Champions league during last season through video tapes, so that he could make an idea about the team and it's players.