CAIRO: A week ago, a football match took place whose long-term significance may end up being of far bigger consequence than the immediate result. To much less fanfare than is reserved for the senior event, Egypt beat the UAE 3-1 at Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha to win the U-17 Arabian Gulf Cup. The 2026 event was the first to be played under the rebranded banner of GGF U-17 Gulf Cup and, far more significantly, the first to have participants from outside the eight traditional members of Qatar, Sau