Renewed debate over UAE local footballers’ salary limits

Calls for setting a ceiling for the salaries of local footballers in the UAE will come under the spotlight this week at a seminar to be organized by the UAE Football Federation.

The seminar, scheduled on Wednesday, will include the UAE Olympic Committee and the League Committee to discuss the status and transfer of players and salary ceiling for its local players, the federation said on its website on Saturday

Last year, Salim al-Shamsi, member of the UAE federation and chairman of the committee responsible for the situations of professional players said in an interview with Reuters that the value of contract given to players in the league amounted to one billion dirhams ($272 million) last season.

The federation added that the UAE would host another seminar on Sunday in Dubai “to discuss all inquiries related to internal regulations and the regulations of FIFA especially with regard to the freedom of transfer for players.”

The new Premier League season is set to commence on Sept. 23. Al-Ain will face rival al-Jazeera on Monday in the UAE Super Cup.