The UAE Football Association has officially reached an agreement with Paulo Bento from Portugal to appoint him as the new coach of the UAE football team. The announcement was made during a press conference at the UAEFA headquarters in Dubai, in the presence of the new head coach and Mohamed Hazzam Al Dhaheri, the Secretary General of the UAEFA.
Paulo Bento, the now appointed head coach of the UAE football team, previously coached the South Korean national football team and has a wealth of experience in Asia. He led Korea to the round of 16 in the 2023 World Cup, which was the team’s first time reaching that stage in 12 years. He also achieved success by winning the 2019 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship, also known as the East Asian Cup. Bento held the position of the longest-serving manager of the South Korean national team until he resigned after Korea’s 4-1 defeat against Brazil in the Qatar World Cup.
The UAEFA strategy unveiled 6 key pillars, of which; National teams and pathways, participation, the professional game, commercial and fan engagement, global prominence & growth areas.
The strategy has key ‘Game Changing’ initiatives, including the establishment of national centers for youth talent development; to ultimately increase UAE players high-quality contact time. The UAEFA is also addressing the National plans for expat player naturalization for long-term involvement as national team players.
Wider initiatives set out by the UAE FA aim to connect with the wider football landscape outside of the current players or coaches but through women’s football, community expat football, schools, referees, parents of young players, the media and many more.
Ultimately the UAE Football Association has developed exciting projects which underpin the development of football across the nation, all in a united front to achieve international success.
