Football: Rising Emirati stars in action at Zayed International Youth Cup

abu dhabi - Apart from the Under-17 teams of Al Wahda and Al Jazira, outsiders in fray are Portuguese club Benfica, Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia, SC Feyenoord from the Netherlands and Vannes Olympique Club from France

The Zayed International Youth Cup tournament from Friday will see six teams - two local and four international - compete for glory as the next generation of Emirati stars will be in action.
Apart from the Under-17 teams of Al Wahda and Al Jazira, outsiders in fray are Portuguese club Benfica, Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia, SC Feyenoord from the Netherlands and Vannes Olympique Club from France. Europe's top club sides against the UAE's best academies should see many young stars emerge.
All the group stage matches will be played at the Al Wahda academy grounds in Al Shahama and final will be at the Al Nahyan Stadium on March 30.
As a first, workshops between coaches and players will be held at the academy to help young players. The focus will be to learn more about the international academies and how they function, tournament manager Adil Khamis said during the Press conference on Monday.
But when players get to benefit from such an exposure, shouldn't more locals clubs been part of the tournament?
"We did invite other clubs. Al Ain didn't want to join but Al Jazira agreed. Two international teams will be training at Al Jazira academy. Other clubs, including other Arab nation clubs weren't serious about the benefits such a workshop offers to young players. These international teams have very good academies," Al Wahda's former player told Khaleej Times.
Khamis is confident the young players will gain a lot from the matches and workshop.
"It was Al Wahda Academy management who decided to hold such workshops."
Moreover, Khamis sees good potential in many U17 local players entering the first team in future. 
The tournament starts this Friday and winds up by March 30, a seven-day tournament.
"Yes, the footballing calendar here is very tight. The Arabian Gulf League will start in the first week of April and you have many other matches for clubs to manage. This is also a reason why we don't have more teams," he added.
The UAE Football Association and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council is supporting the tournament.
ashwani@khaleejtimes.com