Jazira's Juma not giving up on World Cup dream

Matt Jones - Editor 01:24 07/06/2017
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  • Fares Juma is not giving up hope of qualifying for the World Cup

    The UAE stand on the brink of being eliminated from World Cup 2018 qualifying but Fares Juma insists the players won’t give up on their “dream” of helping their nation reach football’s biggest tournament for the first time since 1990.

    The Whites simply have to beat Thailand in Group B of the third round of Asia qualifying next Tuesday as well as win their remaining games against Saudi Arabia and Iraq, while also hoping the three teams above them – Japan, Saudi and Australia – slip up.

    First up is a friendly against Laos in new coach Edgardo Bauza’s first game in charge since being named Mahdi Ali’s successor last month.

    And Al Jazira defender Juma insists the player will fight until the end.

    “It is a very important and crucial stage for us and we have to show solidarity and try and overcome this stage and put our campaign back on track,” Juma told the UAE Football Association’s official website.

    “The win and three points (against Thailand) are all that we are focused on, at the moment. We are not looking too far ahead and are not looking at the complexities of calculation regarding qualifying from the group.

    “What is important is to win the next game against Thailand and then focus on our remaining two games against Saudi Arabia and Iraq.”

    Centre-back Juma has enjoyed a stellar season domestically with the Pride of Abu Dhabi, who were crowned Arabian Gulf League champions for the first time in six years.

    And he is hoping to restore pride in the national team jersey too following back to back defeats to Japan and Australia.

    “We were able to delight our fans before and we will look to do that again,” said Juma, 28.

    “We still have the opportunity to qualify and we will not relinquish it easily or give up. Football has taught us to fight till the end and we will do that. We have waited for long to qualify for the World Cup and we will make sure that the dream comes true.

    “The fans have always been on our side and have never let us down. They are the number one player in all our matches and I hope that they continue to support us in this journey.”

    The UAE kick-off against Laos in Kuala Lumpur, where they are in training camp, at 17:00 UAE time.

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