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Amateur Football League launched in Abu Dhabi

DUBAI - Al Jassim got off to a flying start beating Hyper Snails 13-1 as the official Amateur Football League (ADFL) in Abu Dhabi kicked off successfully with the first round action at The Dome.

Seventeen men’s teams from all over Abu Dhabi have been selected to contest for the Dh30,000 prize money and a chance to play in the UAE national Amateur Championships in May.

Al Jassim Aluminum got off a flying start with centre forward Moustapha Mbacke scoring the first goal within 60 seconds. Mbacke scored seven times as Hyper Snails lost 1-13.

“This was a disaster for our first game and we need to take the league preparation more seriously. Everything happened so fast and before we knew, the game was almost over. In any case, we had fun playing at The Dome and will be back next week. Don’t write us off yet!” said Amin Naffa of Hyper Snails.

Al Jassims captain Mazin Mustafa complimented his players. “We played really well tonight and it was just one of these days where everything was going our way. Let’s hope we can get the momentum going. The organisation was perfect, the pitch is great and the environment at The Dome is just perfect for the league. You feel like you are in a real football stadium. Hopefully we will can qualify for the nationals and have a shot at the title,” he said. In other actions, the Spartans, seen as one of the favourites for the league title, also had a good start beating Lambos 3-1 while Al Noor Hospital lost 0-1 to Daman and National Bank of Abu Dhabi beat Abu Dhabi FC 2:1.

Earlier, the ADFL, which is sanctioned by the UAE Football Association and organized by Reem Investments and MEDIAPRO Middle East, was launched by Bambang Sugeng Bin Kajairi, CEO of Reem Investments.

“We are motivated to make this league an ideal platform for local talent to compete”, added Bambang.

Meanwhile, the women’s league and the corporate teams will start their campaign on 19 January while the junior teams will kick off in early February. More details can be obtained on www.adfl.ae. or call 024498480.

Results:

Al Jassim Aluminium bt Hyper Snails 13-1; Spartans bt Lamos 3-1; National Bank Abu Dhabi bt Abu Dhabi FC 2-1; Daman bt Al Noor Hospital 1-0.