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Dubai: One of the veterans from Al Shabab sees a bright future for the club over the next decade.
"I can see this team winning many more titles in the future. They are young and each of them have at least another ten years with the team," Al Shabab's experienced goalkeeper Juma Rashid told Gulf News after a light training session late on Thursday.
"There are going to be no short-cuts to success and we have the league title to prove this. What we need to do is work harder and then wait for the results to follow," Rashid added.
The former UAE goalkeeper, who was the second option for Brazilian coach Toninho Cerezo through most of the season, was one of the most animated players during Al Shabab's draw to Al Jazira on Monday, which secured the title.
"I missed being on the ground, but at least I had the satisfaction of being part of a winning team from the sidelines," he said.
He feels Al Shabab have all the ingredients needed to become one of the top teams in the region, providing the players are willing to make sacrifices while also adapting to a change in thinking.
"Everything's got to change. There has to be a major shift in the thinking of the players for the future. We are where we are because we believed in ourselves as a team and fought until the end, though we were down and out at times," the goalkeeper said.
"Of course we have workd hard for this and we fully deserve all this celebration," he added.
Treated with a lot of respect by all, Rashid paid tribute to the Dubai Sports Council, the club management and fans.
"Not once did we feel the need for anything. We had their support all through," he admitted.
He further conceded that he could not sleep peacefully for nearly two weeks due to the club's impending match against Al Jazira.
"None of the players were at ease. We were spending time together watching old matches featuring Al Jazira to see how we could cash in on their mistakes and get a victory," Rashid said.
And he hopes the effects of the team's success will rub off on other clubs.
"Our achievement is a good result for all clubs in Dubai. In recent times, Al Ahli have won the league followed by Al Wasl and now it is Al Shabab. I wish we could have Al Nasr as the new champion," he said.
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