The state of play

As Abdullah Al Kamali – the first Arab footballer to sign for a Brazilian Serie A club – touched down in Sao Paolo this week to begin his professional career in South America, some of football's leading lights joined the debate as to what's next for football in the region. Emirates Business had the opportunity to speak to some of the game's most revered personalities, including a four-time Uefa Champions League winner, a former coach of the Italian national team, Fabio Capello's predecessor in the England job and the man who nurtured Kamali's talents that alerted scouts from some of Brazil's top clubs. The 18-year-old Emirati striker may have blazed the trail for many to follow him out of the region as the UAE looks to banish its reputation as solely a player importer. Marco Aurelio, his coach at Al Wasl, believes Kamali's historical move will be the first of many. "Abdullah highlights what can happen among the rest of the players in the UAE," says the Brazilian. "I'm 100 per cent sure that there's more to come because I've been coaching under-20s here for two years now and I've seen some very talented players who will be able to take this step also." Aurelio cites the input of established foreign coaches as one of the main reasons for the improvement in quality during the past few years and, while keen to stress an immediate impact cannot be expected, the experienced trainer feels the UAE national side will benefit in the not too distant future. "Once you are receiving the highest level of training you mature a lot faster," he explains. "It might not be ready for the coming World Cup, but we have started to work to give the players the right training and skill development and have been helped by international contacts. There are no borders in football anymore so you have to be in touch with people all over the world." Themes explored by our experts range from the impact of foreign players in the UAE league, to the need to increase the profile of the region and the tendency to dismiss coaches too readily when things start to turn sour. There are also tips for young stars on what it takes to follow in Kamali's fledgling footsteps. Steve McClaren The former England manager made a name for himself as coach at Derby County, prompting Manchester United to make a move for the York-born trainer in 1998. McClaren was a relative unknown at this stage but soon developed a reputation for being one of the most tactically astute coaches in the country, using modern methods such as video analysis and sports psychologists. He went on to manage Middlesbrough in and lead them to their first trophy by winning the 2004 League Cup. ON FOREIGN PLAYERS What you have to do in the UAE is to look at your league, your facilities, your culture and then try to establish what players would best fit into that. When we brought players to England we looked at where they came from, what culture they had and if we felt they would find it difficult to adapt the deal didn't go ahead. It's trial and error, but we've learned a lot and you can only do that from experience. Don't just look at a player's name, look at his personality and background. Think can he adapt and is he the right profile for the UAE league? ON RAISING THE PROFILE The UAE needs that profile. As big a profile and as much of a profile as you can get. It's the only way to attract sponsors, attract fans and, importantly, attract children. It gets you out there in the market, tells everyone what you're doing, what you plan to do and what your vision is. But to do that you need to spend the money and the resources, like the Premier League has done. We attract the best players in the world because we pay the majority of them the most money and that will always dictate the market. ON BUILDING A FANBASE Away from the money, footballers are driven by entertaining crowds. You have to build up the league so people will look and see what the attendances are to give an indication of how good the fans are and if they are football people. The player will consider that. And from that you can create. The UAE has the majority of things; a good environment to learn and good facilities. You just need a little more experience, a bit more exposure and that'll excite the fans so that more come and it gradually builds. Marco Aurelio The Brazilian-born coach moved to the UAE in 2006 to take up his position as youth team coach at etisalat League side Al Wasl. He focused on bringing a more professional element to the club's training and has reaped the rewards as his protege Abdullah Al Kamali became the first Arab player to sign for a Brazilian club. Kamali has since cited Aurelio as the main reason he secured the dream move to South America and presented his coach with a commemorative plaque at a press conference last month to thank him for his support. The trainer was instrumental in early negotiations in the move and has vowed to continue his unearthing of UAE talent and vision for a better system