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Things are looking up Down Under for Bahrain’s international football star, Sayed Mohammed Adnan, after signing a one-year contract with Australian champions Brisbane Roar.
The 28-year-old defender from Hamad Town earlier played for the Qatari side, Al-Khor, and Bahraini team, Malkiya. In 2009 he was the runner-up for the Asian Footballer of the Year award.
That same year, Adnan had almost given up the game he loved after the kingdom’s football fanatics turned on him for missing a crucial penalty against New Zealand in the final round of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
It left the entire island devastated after losing out on a FIFA World Cup spot for the second time in a row.
Adnan was shaken and distraught for some time but with the support of his family, team mates and friends he overcame the ordeal and worked through it to become a better footballer.
He said: “It was a very difficult time for me and I don’t think I will ever forget that day. At first I was upset by the loss of support from some of my loyal fans.
“But despite all the harassment that I suffered I did not falter. What took me by surprise was that my family was subjected to harassment too.
“I can handle the abuse myself and let it slide but to harass my six-year-old sister at school – that was completely unacceptable.
“That act actually made me consider quitting football altogether because I did not want my family to pay for my mistakes.
“I was tired, mentally and physically, but despite the negativity, there were some positive moments.
“I had hundreds of phone calls from fans cheering me on and reminding me that it was not the end of the world and that we will get there next time.”
The defender’s bad luck continued in April 2011 when he, along with several members of the Bahrain national team, was arrested after allegedly taking part in pro-democracy reform protests during the civil unrest. Following his release at the end of June, Adnan decided that he and his family deserved a break.
While on holiday with his wife and son in Australia he was persuaded to take a trial with the A-League side Brisbane Roar (formerly known as Queensland Roar Football Club) by former rival coach in the Qatari Stars League and current Roar assistant coach, Kenny Stead.
Adnan said: “We just came here for a holiday and I wasn’t even thinking about football. But then I met with Kenny and I started playing with Brisbane.
“They were the first team that I had a chance to play with and I truly enjoyed it. Some other teams in Australia spoke to me but I preferred to play in Brisbane because my family and I like the city as well as the team.”
Brisbane Roar is one of nine teams in the Hyundai A-League competitions. The club topped the 2010-2011 season with a Premiership and Championship double, under the guidance of former Australian Under-20 national team coach Ange Postecoglou, after a season which saw them go undefeated in 28 games, including the Grand Final.
With that feat, the club secured automatic entry into the 2012 Asian Football Confederation Champions League and Adnan is determined to prove he deserves to join the team at this level.
He said: “I will work hard to get good results, even better than last year’s. I also want to make my country proud and show what Bahrain’s players are made of. It is a different style of football over here and a different league altogether.
“They focus on power and fitness. It is not like Bahrain and Qatar. Here we are playing a more European-style which also focuses on technique.
“I want to be better and show the people in Australia that I am good enough to play for the team.”
Coach Postecoglou has high hopes for Adnan. He said: “Obviously he hasn’t played for a while and he hasn’t trained so it’s going to take him a little while to get match fit and settled in but we think that over the next three or four weeks we’ll get him fit again.
“We’re pleased that he’s joining us and there was never any doubt about his abilities, it’s just about whether he felt comfortable at the club.
“The signs are there that he does and I think he’s fitting in pretty well and he sees how we’re going to play the game. I think it suits his style of playing; he’s a very experienced guy.”
The season will kick-off in October so Adnan has been training hard to make a good impression. In November, he will face his past demons as he goes up against the New Zealand side, Wellington Phoenix, and the goalkeeper that shattered his World Cup dreams, Mark Paston.
Adnan said: “For six months after the 2010 World Cup qualifier all I could think about was that game and especially Paston.
“I was dreaming about him all the time. When I joined the Roars and I heard that there was a chance to play against him again, I thought that’s great, I’m so lucky.
“If Brisbane gets a penalty, I would like to take it.
“I don’t know what happened in Wellington in 2009. In fact before that game, in the last two training sessions, I was practicing penalty kicks.
“Now my confidence is back. If I don’t get a chance to score against him in a penalty shoot-out then I will try to score against him from anywhere on the pitch. Either way, I aim to win!”
Now that Adnan is living in Australia, questions have arisen as to whether he will continue to play for his national team.
However, he assures fans that he wants to play for his country for as long as he can. Adnan added: “Whether I am in Australia or anywhere else in the world, I will give my all to play for Bahrain.”
