Sports | Sunday 20 March, 2016 5:49 pm |

The du Football Champions, the only international scouting platform in partnership with LaLiga and home of the UAE Schools & Streets Cup, the nation’s official youth football Cups saw finalists battling out at the Finals held at the ice rink in Dubai in what will be remembered as the turning point in youth football in the UAE.  In attendance at the finals were

 

H.E. Ibrahim Abdul Malik Secretary General, The General Authority of Youth and Sports Welfare, His Excellency Mr. Mohammad Salem Al Dhaheri, Executive Director of School Operations, ADEC, H.E. Saeed Hareb Secretary General, Dubai Sports Council, Mr. Ahmed Abdullah Al Qubeisi, Head of Communications Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Mr. Osman Sultan, CEO of du, the Spanish Ambassador and Mr. Abdullah Madhoun from Chevrolet as well as other dignitaries and guests.  Real Madrid legends Roberto Carlos and Michel Salgado, who is duFC Director were also in attendance

 

The eight finalist teams hailed from across the UAE with winners from Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Norther Emirates took home the gold ahead of 657 playing teams in three categories. They faced their fiercest matches yet fresh from their weekend training clinic with Roberto Carlos and Michel Salgado. With both legends coaching them on the pitch, they gave their best performances to date against the deafening cheers of supporters as the ice rink was transformed into a world-class football stadium.

 

Speaking after the finals, du CEO Osman Sultan commented, “Today, I think the du Football Champions exceeded all expectations. Our purpose here today is to build the champions of tomorrow from the United Arab Emirates, a country that always surpasses expectations. We are very proud of the young talents present amongst us today whose journey is about to begin as they make their way to Spain. Next year, with the du- LaLiga High Performance, we plan to scout and train the best talents and create an infrastructure of international standards in football.”

 

Speaking after the finals Roberto Carlos said, “There are definitely some great talents in the UAE and having worked with these boys and girls over the weekend at the duFC Clinic I can say with confidence that there are some players here that we will see playing at international standards in the near future.”

 

 

The Winners

The French School (LFIGP) -Dubai and Al Yasmina School- Abu Dhabi in the girls U17 category played the beautiful game with determination and focus.  In what was the most challenging 40 minutes of their lives the young ladies from Al Yasmina School’s passion and perseverance led them to a 1-0 victory.

 

In a surprise turn of events Philadelphia Private School in the BU14 category got past the defense of cup favorites The French School (LFIGP) scoring 2 goals which determined their fate and won them the gold paving their way to Manchester United.

 

For the finalists in the Streets Cup the level of play was raised as both teams fought hard for the win.  It was El-Classico’s – Northern Emirates ability to stay focused, work as one unit and quick play making ability that gave them the edge winning the match 2-1 against Top Gunners - Dubai.

 

The most highly anticipated final match of the day saw The French School (LFIGP) meeting International School of Cheouifat (Dubai) in what was the day’s fiercest competition.  There was plenty of early endeavours from both teams but little in the way of goal scoring opportunities.  Cheouifat took the lead 10 minutes into the game end the first half with a 2-0. However LFIGP never lost site of the gold coming back from 0-2 after halftime to even the score at 2-2, but Cheouifat’s determination and unwavering confidence to make quick cuts and enabled them to get past LFIGP’s defense one last time to win the match 3-2 win.

 

Commenting on the winners Michel Salgado said, “The level of play today was very high, but as I always say football is a team sport and the teams who won are the ones who work together as an organized unit to create opportunities and score goals.   Congratulations to the winners and I look forward to another fantastic season.”

 

Hussein Murad, CEO of Inspiratus, the organizers of the platform spoke after the finals saying, “The demand for du FC’s UAE Schools and Streets Cups has been phenomenal with over 7000 youth from across the UAE played to gain tournament participating in a world-class championship and gaining exposure to the world’s best league. It is an achievement for the nation and testament to the support and partnerships of the sponsors, partners as well as football and educational authorities working together for youth in the UAE. Today is the culmination of these efforts and will be remembered as one of the greatest moments in youth football in the UAE with football legends Roberto Carlos and Michel Salgado coaching teams to victory.”

 

The du Football Champions is a nationwide initiative featuring the UAE’s official schools Cup and Streets Cup.  Conducted in partnership with KHDA, ADEC, Dubai Sports Council, Abu Dhabi Sports Council and Sharjah Sports Council, it aims to achieve sustainable human development through the discovery of promising talents, who will raise the bar on sports excellence at local and national teams as they become the next generation of professional male and female footballers.

 

Third place winners are:

German International School Dubai in the GU17 category

National Charity School Norther Emirates in the BU14 category

Al Maarifa School Northern Emirates in the BU16 category

EFF from Abu Dhabi in the Streets Cup