FIFA comes home.
Happy New Year everybody and welcome to this month’s column. I hope you all had a wonderful and safe break, whatever you got up to.
As we enter the cooler climes in the UAE, it means only one thing in the sporting sphere: even more sports.
What better way to start the round up our sports offerings this month than with the biggest international club football tournament in the world.
FIFA comes ‘home’
You may be aware that the FIFA World Cup will be held in the Middle East this November, but did you know there is another FIFA World Cup being held even sooner and closer to home?
The FIFA Club World Cup features the seven continental champions and will be held between February 3 and 12 in Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and Al Nahyan Stadium in Al Ain.
Following in the footsteps of previous Champions League winners Barcelona (2009), Inter Milan (2010) and Real Madrid (2017, 2018) will be Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea.
The current Champions League winners will be joined by our very own Al Jazira, Oceania’s AS Pirae, Africa’s Al Ahly, Copa Libertadores winner Palmeiras, CONCACAF’s Monterrey and Saudi Arabia’s Hilal.
This will be the fifth time that the prestigious event has been held in Abu Dhabi. With such fantastic weather and affordable ticket prices (starting from AED20), this is a perfect time to witness top class international football stars in the flesh.
I for one am looking forward to seeing if my favourite UAE team Al Jazira will perform as majestically as they did in 2017 when they nearly toppled Ronaldo’s Real Madrid.
Tickets are on sale now at FIFA. Remember to stay tuned as we bring you insider news on this event as we get closer.
Local news
Closer to home, a new pathway to professional football has been introduced to UAE’s football talent by Charlton Athletic FC.
Led by former Charlton FC and Wales International midfielder John Robinson, the Charlton FC Talent ID Programme seeks to unearth talented 10 to 16-year-olds to offer them a pathway to professional football via the London club.
Sessions are held every Saturday at Rawdhat Sports Complex from 9am to 10.30am. You can contact 054 442 0850 for more details and to request a trial.
Another opportunity for young players to take the next step to professional football via the educational route is the showcase event organised by Dominant Academy.
This event, in conjunction with Edu Sport Scouting Agency, promises to offer talented boys a route to professional football in Europe and USA.
The event will be held between 27 to 29 January at Active Al Maryah from 8pm to 10pm.
For more details, you can contact [email protected] or call 052 634 3842.
PASS Abu Dhabi
Finally, I hope you won’t mind my indulgence as I post a short plug for my company PASS Abu Dhabi.
Along with our recreational and competitive football offerings for two to 16-year-olds, we are also proud to be the football providers for Special Olympics UAE.
Our Unified Coaching Programme, where People of Determination play with Unified Partners, is held at Zayed Cricket Stadium every Wednesday from 5pm to 6pm (6 to 12-year-olds) and 6pm to 7pm (13 to 18-year-olds).
Volunteers are always welcome.
You can contact [email protected] or 058 510 7277 for more details on this and our many offerings, including netball.
That’s the round up this week folks. Until next time, stay active and play on.
