Moments after Abdulrahman Mohammed picked out the first ball to begin the 2014 Gulf Cup draw on Tuesday, the former UAE captain must have been wishing he had chosen the other ball in that jar.
The fumble said it all. The piece of paper slipped from his hands and he picked it up to announce the name of the team that, without meaning any disrespect, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE would have loved to have in their group.
Yemen were first out of the bowl and they went to Group A, headed by hosts Saudi Arabia. The second team in that pot, Kuwait, went into what will be the “group of death” at the November 13-26 tournament in Riyadh.
The four teams in Group B have won 16 of the previous 21 Gulf Cups, with Kuwait (10 times) leading the table, followed by Iraq (3), the UAE (2) and Oman (1).
In Group A, Bahrain have yet to win the coveted crown, though they have been runners-up four times.
Yemen, meanwhile, have not won a match, let alone the title. Ranked a modest 180th in the world, they have been a part of the Gulf Cup since 2003 and have lost 18 of the 21 matches they have played.
Three-time champions Saudi Arabia should be favourite to make it to the semi-finals, with Bahrain and two-time winners Qatar battling it out for the second spot.
In Group B, not many would make predictions and Mahdi Ali did not. The UAE coach instead highlighted the importance of the opening match on November 14 against Oman, who, as No 69 on the Fifa rankings, are the second-highest ranked team from the region behind the UAE (No 65).
"The UAE's group is tougher than Group A, but the chances for all the teams are equal," said Ali, who left yesterday for a training camp inVienna Austria.
“Our opening clash against Oman is not going to be easy and we really need to go there well-prepared and ready to make a good start.”
The UAE will meet Kuwait, perennial Gulf Cup favourites given their success at the tournament, in their second match on November 17. Their likely toughest engagement looks to be their final group match against Iraq on November 20.
The UAE beat Iraq 2-1 in the 2013 final, with Ismail Al Hammadi netting the winner in the 107th minute, but there are no Gulf teams more resolute than the Iraqis.
They are a bit different than the other Gulf teams, as well, and their bruising, physical style of play makes them an awkward and testing opponent.
Last October, Iraq had decided to withdraw from the 2014 Gulf Cup in protest after the tournament was moved from the southern Iraqi city of Basra to Saudi Arabia.
The decision to switch venues was taken because of a Fifa ban on Iraq hosting international matches because of security concerns.
Iraq changed their mind later, but after the draw, a few of the UAE fans must be wishing they had stuck to their earlier decision.
arizvi@thenational.ae
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