Boca Juniors, Valencia FC for Dubai clubs challenge

Boca Juniors from Argentina will be joined by Spanish giants Valencia FC and Italian side Lega Pro in the third Under-19 Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum International Football Championships to be held in Dubai from this week.

Lega Pro Italy will be joined by Al Ahli, Al Wasl and Dubai Club in Group A, while in Group B the competition will be between Valencia FC, Boca Juniors, Al Nasr and Al Shabab.

Ali Omar Al Beloushi, Director of Sports Corporations at Dubai Sports Council (DSC), believes the organising of such tournaments will be of great benefit to the UAE’s young stars.

“One of the core responsibilities of the Dubai Sports Council is to develop youth players. In just two years we have had seven players graduating into their senior teams, while another three have made it to the UAE national squad. This success speaks for itself and we are confident this tournament will further help our youth to develop,” Al Beloushi said.

The competition aims to give junior level players in the five Dubai clubs an opportunity to get an exposure of footballing styles from the rest of the world.

The format of competition will see four teams from each group playing each other once to decide the best two sides to qualify for the knock-out semifinals.

As per the rules of the competition, each team is allowed to field two unregistered players on trial basis during the course of the tournament.

In addition to the winner’s trophy, there will be individual prizes on offer including trophies for the best goalkeeper and highest scorer and a Fair Play Cup for a team.

Group A matches will be played at the Al Ahli Club ground, while Group B matches will be held at Al Nasr Club ground. The knock-out stages of the competition and the final will also be held at Al Nasr Club.

The tournament will get under way with hosts Al Ahli taking on Dubai Club at 4.30 pm followed by the match between Lega Pro Italy and Al Wasl at 6.30 pm on April 6.

On April 7, Boca Juniors will face Al Shabab while Al Nasr will take on Valencia FC.
Preliminary round matches will be held daily at 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm till April 11, after which the two semi-finals will be played at Al Nasr Club on Saturday (March 13) followed by the third place play-off and final at 5 pm on Monday (March 15).

This annual football tournament for junior sides is being held under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.

Kia Motors, Saif Belhasa Holdings and B360 Watches are the key sponsors of the tournament.