Al Ain to host Manchester City in friendly match

The state-of-the-art Hazza bin Zayed Stadium will play host to the Al Ain FC versus Manchester City friendly match. — Wam

Fancy seeing the ‘Arabian Messi’ Omar Abdulrahman and Ghanian Asamoah Gyan, going up against the likes of Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and David Silva on UAE soil?

Then, you may probably want to take a trip down to the Garden City of Al Ain on May 15 as that is about to happen. Record UAE League champions Al Ain will welcome former English Premier League champions and current League Cup winners Manchester City at the impressive Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.

The iconic new Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain will host an exhibition game between Al Ain FC, the most successful club in UAE’s football history and Manchester City Football Club at the 25,000 seat state-of-the art stadium.

The game was initially planned to take place in January to mark the opening of the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium but Manchester City couldn’t make it because of the commitments back in England.

Shaikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Khaled Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Al Ain Football Club felt that it would be an exciting night for all UAE football fans.

“The Hazza bin Zayed Stadium is one of the most outstanding sporting structures in the Middle East and the coming together of stars from Al Ain alongside Manchester City is guaranteed to be an exciting night for all UAE football fanatics,” Shaikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Khaled Al Nahyan, said.

“This is an amazing time for Al Ain Football Club and for its supporters across the region. Al Ain FC is traditionally thought of as the home of UAE football and now we play our matches at the perfect venue to live up to that reputation. And to have Manchester City as our guests is a wonderful step. We look forward to this match,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ferran Soriano, the Manchester City CEO, said that they were delighted with the opportunity and were looking forward to the trip.

“Manchester City has a passionate and dedicated supporter base in Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the wider region, and we are delighted to have been offered the opportunity to play Al Ain in this exhibition game as our season comes to a close,” said Soriano.

“It is an honour for us to be part of such an important and prestigious occasion at the magnificent Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. We are all extremely excited about the trip,” Soriano added.

Opened in January, the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium is one of the most advanced sporting arenas with sophisticated design features that provide fans with outstanding lines of sight to the pitch, and superior technical and hospitality facilities.

The 25,000-seat Hazza bin Zayed stadium covers 45,000 square metres, with a height of 50 metres and hosts 3,000 premium seats, one of the highest ratios of premium seating in the world for football stadia.

There is seating allocated for spectators with special needs and separate gates and areas dedicated to ladies and families.

Since its beginnings in 1968, Al Ain has become one of the region’s most successful football club, with a trophy cabinet that houses domestic, international and continental silverware, including the Gulf Club Champions Cup and the Asian FC Champions League.

Tickets are available online at the Stadium website http://hbzstadium.ae and Al Ain Club alainfc.ae, as well as Ticket master http://ticketmaster.ae .

Gates open at 5pm and fans can enjoy a series of activities dedicated for families and children before the game.

james@khaleejtimes.com