Abdulelah, an Emirati basketball great, on family and the game's difficulties

Former national team player Abdullatif Abdulelah has given his assessment of the state of basketball in the United Arab Emirates.

He regards the current crisis in Emirati basketball as a matter of height, noting that there is plenty of talent on court to compensate, but that the search for taller players remains what preoccupies coaches at the clubs.

“In the past height was available at many clubs, but the situation is different now, with a large number of shorter players,” said Captain Abdulelah, who is 55.

He explained that the problem is not confined to the UAE: many Gulf countries suffer the same difficulty, among them Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, and those countries try to compensate through the skill of certain players.

A family devoted to basketball

Captain Abdullatif Abdulelah explains that his family loves basketball — his three sons Mohammed, Ahmed and Hamed, and his daughter Alawiya.

“The boys play for Shabab Al Ahli, while Alawiya plays for Al Nasr. My eldest son Mohammed is the same age as the club's footballer Ahmed Khalil,” he said.

“When I was a coach at Shabab Al Ahli I was keen to have the boys in front of me, to reassure myself about them and follow their sporting progress. At that time football had not turned professional as it is now, and the money spent on football was not what it is today.”

He said he is not sorry that his family plays basketball, since he taught them properly, noting that his children are now important figures in the game.

“I am proud that my children are at the club where I grew up, and through which I reached the national team in 1984, winning many titles and trophies with it, as well as silver at the Military World Championship in Syria in 1998.”

Isolation under the pandemic

On the spread of coronavirus around the world and the present isolation, Captain Abdullatif said: “We have felt considerable social isolation because of the virus. Before this I used to meet my children and their families every Friday at my home.”

“Now that has changed, and contact with my sons Mohammed and Ahmed, for example, is by telephone only. I have cancelled the weekly Friday gathering until this health crisis passes.”

Asked how he spends his time now, he explained that his main occupation is some training with his children Hamed and Alawiya.

He closed by saying: “I also take an interest in reading various books, until the crisis lifts and we return to the club and to normal life and training.”

Prepared by: Safaa Amer