5 things learned from Arab football troubles in Asian World Cup qualifiers

DUBAI: The dust has just about settled on Asian qualification, where the road to Qatar was the longest. Five Arab nations made the final 12 that contested the third round. It was not unexpected that the only one to secure an automatic berth was Saudi Arabia. The other five have plenty to take on board and think about in the coming months.

United Arab Emirates finished third in Group A, 11 points behind South Korea in second, and now head to the playoffs. Iraq in fourth, Syria in fifth and Lebanon in sixth are all out. Oman are also eliminated after they took fourth in Group B with 14 points.

1. UAE’s initial focus is short term

There are plenty of examples of teams struggling in qualification and then shining at World Cups (such as Brazil ahead of the 2002 tournament which they won), and vice versa (Germany won all 10 games on the road to Russia only to exit at the first round). The World Cup is more about the destination than the journey itself and for the United Arab Emirates, the indifferent performances along the way and the various coaching changes will be forgiven and forgotten if the Whites can find a way past Australia and then Peru in June’s playoffs.

That is what it is all about now for new coach Rodolfo Arruabarrena. The Argentine, with success in the UAE league, is the kind of appointment that the federation should be making and giving time to whatever happens in the playoffs. The focus should not yet be about building a team for the future but about doing whatever it takes to beat Australia and then Peru. Winning ugly is not a problem for now. If the UAE can get to the World Cup, then it could be a game-changer for the country.

2. Syria’s youngsters show the way

Syria will look back at the campaign