'The weather was quite extreme': Mumbai City coach on choosing Dubai for pre-season camp

Mumbai City FC manager Des Buckingham believes a pre-season under the scorching Dubai sun will prove the perfect preparation for his side ahead of another gruelling domestic campaign in India.

Buckingham and his Mumbai squad return home on Friday after three weeks of preparation in Jebel Ali under punishing conditions in which the mercury has threatened to touch 50 degrees.

The Englishman, 37, believes the work undertaken in the UAE will see his players in good stead for the upcoming season, which for Mumbai kicks off on Tuesday August 16 with the opening match in the 131st Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

It was Mumbai’s second visit to the Emirates after their training camp in Abu Dhabi ahead of their Asian Champions League campaign in Saudi Arabia in April.

Buckingham’s side enjoyed a successful debut campaign in Asia's premier club competition, finishing second in Group B behind Saudi Arabia's Al Shabab. The group also included Al Quwa Al Jawiya (Iraq Air Force) and the UAE's Al Jazira.

When asked why he had chosen the UAE in the height of summer as a pre-season training venue, Buckingham told The National: “We had three reasons to set up our pre-season in Dubai: The first is that we have a lot of good connections in Dubai. We knew that with our experience when we were here the last time in Abu Dhabi in March.

“We also explored some opportunities in Dubai because we knew there was a possibility that we would want to come back for a pre-season here, because of the quality we get when we come to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and the way we were looked after, particularly the facilities."

“The weather was quite extreme, which we were trying to prepare ourselves before