Stage set for Indoor Football

The third edition of the Dubai Indoor Football Championship is all set to kick off here next month with its usual, star-studded array of Arab and European players from yesteryear.

By Alex Leach

Published: Fri 28 Jun 2013, 12:33 AM

Last updated: Tue 7 Apr 2015, 6:57 PM

Samer Alarab, Rashid Al Kamali, Ahmed Alkhaja, Hassan Al Khuwaildi and Pascal Counot during the Dubai Indoor Football Championship 2013 Press conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Wednesday. — KT photo by Juidin Bernarrd

Reigning champions FC Barcelona were drawn in Group B of the eight-strong competition at Wednesday morning’s draw ceremony, where they were pitted against AS Roma, Morocco Stars and UAE Stars.

El Clasico rivals Real Madrid meanwhile were the first club to be placed in Group A, which also features Algeria Stars, last year’s semi-finalists and surprise package Egypt Stars and FC Porto.

Barca will be confident of retaining the title with the likes of Patrick Kluivert, Gaizka Mendieta, Miguel Angel Nadal – aka ‘The Beast’ – and Michael Reiziger in their ranks.

Real and AS Roma look just as strong though with Christian Karembeu and Michel Salgado representing Los Blancos, whereas the Giallorossi will have Brazilian World Cup winner Aldair, Vincenzo Montella and the player of the tournament in 2012, Damiano Tommasi, among their playing personnel.

Vitor Baia, Costinha and Fernando Couto should make breaching Porto’s defence a tough proposition, while the regional representative sides are sure to spring a shock or two after the Egyptians’ heroics 11 months ago.

“Since its inception, this event has been a great success,” Ahmed Alkhaja, the Senior Vice President – Venues at Dubai World Trade Centre, said.

“We have succeeded in offering sports fans a new and exciting championship that has gained importance from the attendance of professional football stars.

“Over the past two editions of the championship, these popular teams have generated a great enthusiasm and audience and we hope the third edition will be much better and stronger.

“We have the expertise and world-class facilities needed to organise the most prestigious sports events and championships and the Dubai Indoor Football Championship is the centrepiece of Dubai Sports World.”

Dr Ahmad Al Sharif, the Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, commented: “The Dubai Indoor Football Championship is the result of strong partnerships between the UAE and the international sports community.

“Our vision for Dubai and football are based on very similar principles: ability, cultural diversity, effort, sacrifice, solidarity, teamwork and – most importantly – strong leadership. We hope this event encourages residents to be passionate about football and sport in general.”

All eight teams will battle it out in DWTC’s Shaikh Rashid Hall, which has been transformed into an indoor arena complete with a 1,500sqm Astroturf pitch and seating space for over 1,200 spectators. The Dubai Indoor Football Championship takes place alongside Dubai Sports World – the region’s largest indoor sporting event.

It is organised by Dubai World Trade Centre in partnership with Dubai Sports Council and is sponsored by Chevrolet, Emirates NBD, Decathlon and Power Horse.

The event will run from Tuesday, July 2 to Saturday, July 6 from 7pm to 11pm. Doors open at 6pm. For more information, call 04 3064000.

alex@khaleejtimes.com

Schedule

July 2 (Exhibition Games): 7pm: FC Porto vs AS Roma. 8pm: Real Madrid vs FC Barcelona. July 3 (Group Matches): Group A: 7pm: Real Madrid vs Algerian Stars. 9pm: FC Porto vs Egyptian Stars. Group B: 8pm: FC Barcelona vs Moroccan Stars. 10pm: AS Roma vs Emirati Stars; July 4: Group A: 8pm: Real Madrid vs Egyptian Stars. 10pm: AS Roma vs Moroccan Stars. Group B: 7pm: FC Barcelona vs Emirati Stars. 9pm: FC Porto vs Algerian Stars. July 5: Group A: 7pm: Real Madrid vs FC Porto. 9pm: Egyptian Stars vs Algerian Stars. Group B: 8pm: FC Barcelona vs AS Roma. 10pm: Emirati Stars vs Moroccan Stars. July 6: 7pm: Semi-Final One: Winner of Group A vs Runner-Up from Group B. 8pm: Semi-Final Two: Winner of Group B vs Runner-Up from Group A. 9pm: Final: Winner of Semi-Final One vs Winner of Semi-Final Two.