The Dibba Gazette
Market3 Sep 2029
Eduardo Batista hands in a written request
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Dibba can pretend not to have heard.
Squad3 Sep 2029
A one-man rearguard from Eisa Houti
There were 6 saves in it, and at least three that had no business being saves at all. The ten outfield players owe him a drink and they know it.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Tempers go at Dibba
Andrigo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Ryuki Osa is a better footballer than he was
Not a run of form — an actual step up, held for months. At 21 he is doing things at this level he could not do at the start of the season, and the coaching staff will tell you exactly which of them.
Boardroom3 Sep 2029
Graduation day at Dibba
5 boys move up, and somewhere in the building the people who coached them at twelve are quietly having the best morning of their working year. Nothing about this shows up in a result and it is why the academy exists.
Squad3 Sep 2029
Gilmário Menezes falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Match1 Sep 2029
Mame Balla Gning’s goal not enough for Dibba
Mame Balla Gning scored, and precious little else went right: 1‑2 to Al Wahda, and a quiet walk to the dressing room.
Market3 Sep 2029
Abdullah Hassan steps up from the Dibba academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Abdullah Hassan has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market3 Sep 2029
Mohamed Al Suwaidi steps up from the Dibba academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Mohamed Al Suwaidi has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
- Market Hassan Al Junaibi steps up from the Dibba academy
- Match Dibba hit back inside 3 minutes
- Boardroom Dibba board go back on their word