The nation's football chiefs have made qualifying for the Olympics their main objective, depriving the senior national team of the UAE's best Under 23 players.
In putting a ticket for London 2012 at the top of their list of priorities, the Football Association (FA) have dealt a second blow to the senior side's chances at the Gulf Cup - a tournament they won in 2007.
The FA had already announced that Srecko Katanec, the national team coach, will be unable to pick Al Wahda players for the tournament to give the Pro League club the best possible chance in December's Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi, now he will lose his talented crop of young players such as Hamdan al Kamali and Ahmed Khalil, the Al Ahli striker. The Olympic team will be taking part in the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, from November 12 to 27, while the Gulf Cup in Yemen starts on November 22.
However, Katanec will have all his players available for perhaps the most important upcoming tournament - the Asian Cup in Qatar in January. The team for the Asian Games must consist of players under the age of 23, although three "over-age" players can be picked.
Wahda's al Kamali, 21, the captain of the UAE team that won the Asian Under 19 Championship in 2008 and reached the quarter-finals of the Youth World Cup last year, has been named in the Olympic squad while Khalil, 18, the nation's top forward prospect, is currently leading the U19 team's defence of their Asian Championship in China. He is expected to join the Olympic team following the commencement of the tournament.
With many of that victorious 2008 U19 squad - who also formed much of the team that won the U23 Gulf Cup in Qatar in August - having progressed to the senior team, it has left Katanec with a selection headache. However, for now, the Slovenian has left Fahad Ali, the former UAE captain and a member of his coaching staff, to do the talking for him.
"The football administrators have made a decision and we will have to abide by it," Ali said during the senior team's training at the Military Stadium on Monday.
"They feel to qualify for the 2012 Olympics is as important as winning the Gulf Cup and for Wahda, to make a good impression in front of the world viewers in the Club World Cup. The youth have done wonderfully well and the administration thought they should continue to work as a team for the future." Wahda play their first Club World Cup match against Hekari United of Papua New Guinea on December 8.
Four of their players - Ismail Matar, Mohammed al Shehhi, Mahmoud Khamis and Fahed Masoud - have been named in Katanec's squad for friendlies against Chile on Saturday and Angola three days later - even though they will not be considered for the Gulf Cup.
"The coach has got some plans and he feels those players [the Wahda contingent] will also benefit by playing in the two friendlies," Ali added.
The Olympic squad are preparing for two friendlies against Egypt - tomorrow and on Sunday, both in Al Ain. The top four teams from the 30-nation Asian Games qualify for the 2012 Olympics.
Fixtures
Tomorrow
Brazil v Iran, 9pm, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi
UAE Olympic team v Egypt, 7.30pm, Al Ain
Saturday
UAE V Chile, 8.30pm, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi
Sunday
UAE Olympic team v Egypt, 7.30pm, Al Ain
Tuesday
UAE V Angola, 8.30pm, Zayed Sports City, Abu Dhabi
UAE squad
Majed Nasser(Al Wasl),Mahmoud Al Mas(Sharjah),Obaid al Taweela, Mohammed Qassim, Ahmed Khamis, Faisal Khalil(Al Ahli),Khalid Sabeel, Sultan Bargash al Minhali, Subait Khater, Yasser Matar(Al Jazira),Fares Juma, Ali al Wehaibi, Mohammed Abdulrahman, Fawzi Fayez (Al Ain),Yousef Jaber (Baniyas),Waleed Abbas(Al Shabab),Ali Rabie(Emirate),Ismail Matar, Mohammed al Shehhi, Mahmoud Khamis, Fahed Masoud(Al Wahda),Amer Mubarak(Al Nasr)