Dubai
Former UAE striker Faisal Khalil has no plans of pursuing a club to further his career on the domestic football scene next season.
Khalil, who is playing for the Mohammad Al Taim Team in the Eighth Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Memorial Football Championship, brought down the curtains on his career as a footballer earlier this year while turning out for Sharjah Club under stand-in coach Abdul Aziz Al Anbari.
But persistently ending on the bench took away a lot from the former UAE star striker, and he eventually decided not to renew his contract with the club.
“Now I need some rest. I don’t want to think of too many things. I am happy with what I have achieved as a footballer and now is the time for me to step away and allow the youngsters to take over,” Khalil told Gulf News.
“I have done my time, and now I need to be in a different role where I can inspire the younger generation to take over and shine on the international stage. I will be lying if I tell you that I am not interested in obtaining a coaching licence so that I can look at other options in the future. But for now, I just need to take a break and take things easy,” he added.
Khalil, whose younger brother Ahmad Khalil currently plays for the UAE and Al Ain Club, hails from a footballing family. His older brother Fuad Khalil was also a striker of repute with the then Al Ahli Club and the UAE national team. “Playing in these small tournaments gives a different sort of satisfaction for me as I can act like a guide to the youngsters in my team,” Khalil related.
“Of course, the future will be spent in football. There can be no doubt about this,” he added.
Meanwhile, Al Katlan, Bin Darwish and Al Fohood all claimed maximum points at the end of the third round of preliminary matches at the Late Maktoum Bin Rashid Memorial Football Championship that is being played at the Dubai Police Officers Club.
Last year’s runners-up Bin Darwish scored through Khalid Mohammad and Hassan Yousuf in the second half to walk away 2-0 winners against MKS, while Al Katlan secured their first win with a 2-1 result against Team 88. Ahmad Darwish opened the scoring in the second minute and Yousuf Ahmad added a second in the eighth, while Abdullah Ebrahim managed to pull one back two minutes from the end for a consolation goal for Team 88.
In the last match, former national team striker Mohammad Omar led by Al Fohood to a 5-0 swamping of debutants Al Itikar. Omar scored the first two goals in the 12th and 17th minutes for a 2-0 cushion at half-time, while Jassim Mahdi, Muslim Ahmad and Nasser Al Shehari scored one each in the second half to complete the drubbing to leave Al Itikar pointless.
Results
Al Katlan bt Team 88 2-1
Bin Darwish bt MKS 2-0
Al Fohood bt Al Itikar (Innovation) 5-0
