The UAE team is preparing for the first official friendlies of “the Jorge Luis Pinto era”, against Kuwait and Uzbekistan in October.

These are all FIFA matches, which are of great significance to the UAE and coach Pinto.

Some members of the UAE team

Last month, the UAE national squad, under the guidance of Luis Pinto, completed its training in Serbia (August 5-18).

In addition to physical and tactical training, the UAE team had a friendly match with local club FK Indjija and won 3-2.

Jorge Luis Pinto had an interview with the UAE News Agency (WAM), about the training course in Serbia, as well as the team’s future.

"I am very optimistic and happy with the absolute support from the Federation and the fans," said Mr. Pinto with satisfaction after the training time.

Regarding the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, the Colombian coach was very confident.

"I love challenges and I believe that anything can happen. You will achieve your goals with perseverance and concentration," he said.

Jorge Luis Pinto once turned Costa Rica into a phenomenon in the 2014 World Cup when the team entered the quarterfinals. He highly appreciated the current quality of players of the UAE team.

"I am very optimistic. This team is very special, and we can reach the final of the 2022 World Cup," the coach said.

The UAE is currently ranked 4th in Group G, the 2nd stage of the 2022 World Cup qualifying with 6 points after 4 matches. The Vietnamese team led the table, with 5 matches and 11 points.

In the remaining 4 matches, the UAE has 3 important matches at home (v.s Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam). The only game that will take place overseas, is v.s Indonesia, which has been definitely out.

The 67-year-old coach stated that he and the UAE will win all the four remaining matches, to overcome Vietnam to take the top spot in Group G.

"I don't care what the current position is, because our goal is to make the World Cup dream come true. The UAE has exceptional and determined players. The support from the Federation and the fans gives us more strength to accomplish this goal,” he stated.

Thien Thanh

Vietnam could wait until 2022 for World Cup qualifiers

FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have revealed that they are set to reschedule the Vietnam national team’s remaining 2022 World Cup qualifying fixtures against Malaysia, Indonesia, and the UAE to next year.