By Doug Reed @DougReedFutsal

Pablo Prieto is a coach with a wide range of experiences. He has worked at the highest level in Spain in the 1st Division, both as a coach and a sporting director. He has international experience after venturing outside his home borders to lead the Libyan national team between 2010 and 2012, which included him having to flee the country when war broke out in 2011.

He now begins a new adventure as head coach of Al Wahda FC in Abu Dhabi. The club is one of UAE’s most famous football clubs and they chose Prieto to lead their newly created futsal section. In this short interview we find out about how he is settling in with his new team and his objectives for the future as well as his experience with the Libya national side.

You have been a month with your new club, Al Wahda. What are your first impressions?

We have had a first month with a lot of work to put the squad together. We have seen many players with different profiles but since 20th July almost 100% of the squad is complete, and we hope to add 1-2 more players to increase the level and be more competitive.
The first impression is very positive, above all now that we are working with the complete group, given that during Ramadan it is very complicated to give continuity to the work. The tour of Spain has also been very positive and wasn’t a jump in quality, during 10 days we have carried out an intense schedule with 6 friendlies and various training sessions.

What are the objectives for the short and long term?

The club’s objective is to strengthen the recently created futsal section. It aims to establish a professional structure in the section and, of course, not to go out of the three competitions that we are going to participate in. Another of the big objectives of the club is the promotion of futsal in schools and with the children of Abu Dhabi and nearby cities.

How is futsal in the country? What about youth futsal?

Youth futsal is one of the pending issues for futsal in UAE, but the people in charge are becoming aware that to grow the sport in the country this is one of the many points that has to be improved.

Is it a region that is gaining importance in the futsal world, especially with the economic crisis affecting the sport in Europe?

Of course, an important point is that the majority of football clubs have a futsal section, with which among other things takes advantage of the structure of the main club as well as the club brand which is very important for promoting the sport. Another subject to take into account for the future is the arrival of foreign players and coaches which is something that would help the growth and image of the national league.

How was your experience in Libya? How did it help you develop as a coach?

It has been a very positive experience; they were 3 years that I lived very intensely. Above all, I want to thank all the technical staff that accompanied me in different stages; Mario Naves, Andres Sanz, Juan Criado ,Gonzalo Noguera Luis Castellano, Jose Antonio Barcala. They have all lived a different period, difficult at times, but little by little we have accomplished our objectives. The helpers from Libya and translators also helped me a lot since I arrived in Tripoli. Abdel Bast, Nabil Assad and the translator Issa Ibrahim have made me feel as if I was at home.

We have had to manage many difficult situations, very complicated, but in the end I am very proud of my time in Libya and for the great support the people showed me before and after the Gadafi era. To get through to the World Cup with a totally renovated national team has been my biggest satisfaction as a coach and the victory against South Africa is something I will not forget in my lifetime.

As a coach I have grown and I think we got to the next level up and a style of play similar to the Spanish way, to do that an important part was played by the magnificent professionals t hatI have been able to count on.

Do you know the situation with futsal there now?

I speak continually with the players, coaches and translators. It seems a national league will be created in the country and as of today the national team is not active.

In your work as a coach what do you miss most from Spain?

Many things; Family, friends, way of life. Everything is different but at this moment in Abu Dhabi I feel very identified with the club, the treatment is excellent and I feel like I am in my own home. I appreciate a lot Mr Sarmad Al Zadjaly, who has appointed me for this great project in the UAE.

You can visit Pablo Prieto's website by clicking here







Posted by Doug Reed -@DougReedFutsal --> info@futsalplanet.com