Sheikh rewards UAE Olympic players

UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed has given the Olympic side which qualified for London 2012 a 100,000 euros reward.

The UAE Under-23 side qualified for the Olympics for the first time with an enthralling 3-2 win over Uzbekistan earlier this month.

The achievement is the biggest in UAE’s footballing history since the senior team qualified for the 1990 FIFA World Cup for the first and only time.

Sheikh Khalifa received the players and technical staff at Dhiyafa Palace in Abu Dhabi earlier this week, before presenting them with their reward.

“Good sports nurtures the brain and brings up an aware generation that puts the reputation of his country and people first,” Sheikh Khalifa said, according to government’s news agency WAM.

Former UAE national team goalkeeper Mutaz Abdulla told The National newspaper the reward was a custom but also a sign of the president’s confidence and belief in the players.

“It’s normal for players to be rewarded for their accomplishments and they fully deserve it. It’s a custom in the country that you achieve something, and you are rewarded,” Abdulla said.

“This age-group team has been winning a lot of trophies that previously the UAE has not won, and it is to encourage them to do more.”