Ali won two UAE President's Cup medallions and played a crucial role in the 1988 final against Al Shabab.

On 7 April 2011, Baniyas appointed Ali as caretaker coach after the club parted company with Lutfi al Benzarti, who led them to promotion in 2009 and fourth in the Pro League in 2010.

He led United Arab Emirates to the 2015 AFC Asian Cup where they defeated Qatar and Bahrain and lost to Iran and faced Japan in quarter-final and won the match in penalties and reached to semi-finals.

[4] Ali coached Shabab Al Ahli during their first season in 2017–18 where they finished mid table, he left after his contract ended without winning any notable domestic trophies.

[5] By late January, Ali would win the 2020 UAE Super Cup after defeating Sharjah 1–0 with an injury time goal scored by Mohammed Marzooq.

[6] Ali won his second honour with the club after a 5–4 victory on penalties against Al Nasr on the league cup final.