The United Arab Emirates Rugby League team (nicknamed The Falcons) represented the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
in the sport of
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
football.
History
The sport of rugby league enjoyed a surge in popularity surrounding the
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since its inauguration in 1954, and the first since the 2000 tournament. The tournament was held in Australia from 26 October, culminating in the final b ...
. As a result, a number of new nations took up the sport. The UAE was an early participant in this trend, playing their first international match in March 2008.
Lacking an established rugby league tradition in the Emirates, the Falcons were initially made up a mixture of natives and
expatriates
An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
from
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
and other
Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
countries. Most notable amongst these was
Wayne McDonald
Wayne McDonald (born ) is a former professional rugby league footballer. McDonald appeared in the Super League playing over 175 games in the 1990s and 2000s. McDonald played his club football for the Wakefield Trinity, Wakefield Trinity Wildca ...
, former captain of the
Scotland national team and player in the
Super League
The Super League (officially known as the Betfred Super League due to sponsorship from Betfred and legally known as Super League Europe), is the top-level of the British rugby league system. At present the league consists of twelve teams, of wh ...
in Europe.
From November 2007, Sol Mokdad was the Director of Development of the
Emirates Rugby League.
Sol Mokdad arrest
In 2015, it was announced that UAE Rugby League was planning a bid to host the
2021 Rugby League World Cup
The 2021 Rugby League World Cup (RLWC2021) was a collection of world cups in the sport of rugby league, held in England from 15 October to 19 November 2022. England won hosting rights for the competition on 27 October 2016. The bid received £2 ...
. The organization also secured a sponsorship with
Nissan
, trade name, trading as Nissan Motor Corporation and often shortened to Nissan, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. The company sells ...
for the fledgling four-team UAE Rugby League Cup. On April 23, 2015, it was announced that the competition had been ordered to drop all references to "UAE Rugby" at the behest of the
UAE Rugby Federation, who, as the recognized body for
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
, claimed sovereignty over all variations and designations of "rugby" in the UAE - UAE Rugby League was subsequently renamed "Rugby League Commission".
On May 8, 2015, it was announced that Mokdad had been arrested at the behest of
UAE Rugby Federation authorities for “unauthorised representation of the UAE sovereignty”. It was also alleged by the UAE Rugby Federation that Mokdad was an illegal immigrant.
The
RLIF
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the ''Rugby League Imperial Board'', the '' International Rugby League Board'' and latterly the ''Rugby League Internat ...
responded by meeting with UAE government officials in order to attempt to clarify the status of
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
as a distinct sport from
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
and to end the legal proceedings against Mokdad.
On May 20, Mokdad was released from prison and the charges brought by the UAERF dropped on the condition that he signed a document stating that he would have no future involvement in the administration of rugby league. In the meantime, the UAERF claimed ownership of rugby league and organized a rearranged date for the final of the Rugby League Cup, but the two finalists (
Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Abu Dhabi Harlequins is a rugby union and rugby league team based in Abu Dhabi, UAE. They currently play in the UAE Premiership. The team was founded as the Abu Dhabi RUFC in 1970.
The 'Quins' were recently crowned UAE Premiership Champions ...
and
Xodus Wasps) declined to participate, forcing the cancellation of the competition. On May 25, Mokdad was forced by the UAERF to issue a public statement relinquishing control of the sport to them and apologising and admitting his 'guilt' in organising a rugby league competition.
UAE's affiliate membership of the
Rugby League European Federation
The European Rugby League (ERL) is the umbrella body for nations playing the sport of rugby league football across Europe. In the absence of other continental federations, ERL also controls rugby league in North America (including Central America ...
was cancelled on the same day.
[
]
International Results
The Falcons' first international series was a three-match series against the Liban Espoir, the Lebanese domestic representative team, in 2009. The first match of the series ended early, after an on-field brawl prompted the referee to call the game off after 56 minutes of play.2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
Tariq Niazi Cup
* UAE Falcons 30 - 26 Pakistan - Dubai, UAE - (30 March 2012)
See also
References
External links
Official site of Emirates Rugby League
{{National sports teams of the United Arab Emirates
National rugby league teams
Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...