December 23, 2016 may yet go down as one of the most important days in modern UAE football history.
No league matches took place that day. The UAE national team was not in action. And no major signings were made by any of Arabian Gulf League (AGL) clubs.
It was, however, the day that the financial imperilment of many of those clubs, for long the elephant in the room of Emirati football, was finally laid bare.
And the call to arms came from the Dubai Sports TV show Al Manasah. "We will say this out loud," the presenter Hamed Alharthi said on that December day. "Yes, beware of our coming future, beware of the financial realities of your clubs, there is a financial crisis that’s knocking on the doors of our clubs. Our clubs are in a dangerous period, the clubs are facing crippling financial times. Clubs are not abiding by payments, whether to players, coaches or employees."
The show claimed that sources connected to the AGL had revealed that most, if not all, clubs are operating beyond their means. Some, the show claimed, are currently unable to cover the payroll of players, administrators and regular employees. Outsourced companies, too, such as caterers and security firms, had not been paid either, the show said.
In the absence of any public disclosure of finances or audits, clubs’ dealings with players, agents and contractors continue to be shrouded in secrecy. The consequences for these clubs and UAE football in general could be dire, according to Mr Alharthi. "Should the Asian [Football] Federation (AFC) investigate we could be facing accusations of lack of transparency and eventual expulsion from Asian competitions, whether at club level or at Football Association level," he said.
The UAE now is in the middle of a hard-fought Fifa 2018 World Cup qualifying series of games and the country is set to host the 2019 Asian Cup. A financial crisis that could see a club-level or international ban now, as has been in effect in Kuwait since 2015, would prove hugely damaging to the development of the game here.
The deputy chairman of the Dubai Sports Council acknowledged that since becoming a professional sport in the UAE in 2009, problems have developed in local football and professionalism has proved to be a double-edged sword.
"Before professionalism was established eight years ago, many things were healthier," Mattar Al Tayer said on Al Manasah. "Less spending and maybe even better results. Now, with professionalism, unfortunately many clubs have overreached in financial and logistical matters."
However, he said not all clubs were at fault. "You can’t generalise that all the clubs have acted this way. Some of the Dubai-based clubs have surpassed the budgets that were set, but some have remained within their budgets."
Still, Mr Alharthi urged caution. "To everyone [in UAE football], beware of what is happening now. Please deal with this urgent situation, lets get back on track."
The anecdotal examples Al Manasah provided sounded alarming; certain clubs were unable to cover flights for players to receive treatment abroad. Others had not paid the players’ salaries, for up to five months, and lower-paid employees for more than seven months. One was even at risk of having its electricity cut off due to unpaid bills.
But there have been the stirrings of efforts to improve the situation. The buzzword in UAE football now is "hawkamah", literally, corporate governance.
Following the claims by Al Manasah, many major sporting figures in the country have appeared on the show to debate the issue. "If we take the reality of what is happening today, I don’t think any club is in a position to plan financially for the coming years," Aref Al Awani, the Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said on Dubai Sports.

Source: The National