Mahdi Ali Hassan Redha, 47, is the first Emirati to be appointed to the role of UAE national team manager on a permanent basis, a role he took up on August 15, 2012 after his success as UAE Olympic team head coach.
The UAE team will meet Iraq in Friday’s final after its heart-stopping 1-0 semi-final win over hosts Bahrain last night. After a close tussle, the winning goal came in the 89th minute from the UAE’s young tyro Ahmed Khalil after a pin-point cross from team mate Abdulaziz Haikal.
UAE Manager, Mahdi Ali is a graduate of the HCT Dubai Men’s College, where he studied electrical engineering, and which would have instilled in him some of the traits and leadership skills needed to manage the young UAE national team. After graduating Ali worked for the Dubai Municipality and was involved in the Road Transport Authority (RTA) where he was Director of Parking, responsible for the development of the Dubai parking and metro ticketing scheme.

Mahdi Ali in his previous role as Director of Parking at the RTA in Dubai.

The national side will play in the semi-final of the eight-team 2013 Gulf Cup tournament after impressive wins over Qatar and hosts Bahrain. UAE was top of its Pool A table, with the two wins and could face Iraq in a decider for the final.
Ali recently told the Gulf News in an interview about the issue of an Emirati being appointed to the role: “If you have two coaches, one foreign and one local, and both are equal, I think it’s better to give the local coach the opportunity,” he said.
“He knows the region, knows how to deal with the players and he can speak to the players without translation. Foreign coaches can get a translator, but they cannot convey emotion.”
During 2011 and 2012, as the UAE Olympic team’s head coach, Ali led the UAE in qualifying for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was the nation’s first team appearance at an Olympics.It was a wonderful experience for Ali and his young charges and which has paved the way for the team’s current run of successes