Emirati Defender Concedes: We Wanted to Finish the Saudi Clash, But Warmups Became the Real Marathon

What happened

The match was officially canceled after a long delay in the decision-making process.

What the UAE players said

Lucas Pimenta, a UAE defender, said his teammates had been eager to complete the third‑place clash against Saudi Arabia in the Arab Cup today (Thursday).

In televised remarks after the cancellation, Pimenta added: "We waited a long time in the locker room, and honestly I don’t know FIFA’s rules on this matter."

He continued: "Ultimately, a meeting between organizers and both teams led to the decision to cancel. We respect it, though my teammates and I wished to finish the match."

On the number of times the UAE players warmed up in the locker room, Pimenta said: "I can’t count; we warmed up more than once, hoping to return and complete the game."

He added: "Every 15 minutes we were asked to warm up again, then to stop, and this went on for more than two hours until the cancellation was made. As I said before, we respect the decision."

Regarding UAE’s participation in the Arab Cup, the Al Wahda defender said: "We are proud of what we delivered in the Arab Cup. I think we played well, improved progressively, and showed we are a good team; I expect a bright future for UAE football."

Punchlines: If suspense were a sport, UAE would lead the Arab Cup; and the warmups didn’t end, they simply upgraded to a longer intermission. Also: the only thing longer than the wait was this press conference—call it football’s version of a cliffhanger season finale.