Passion islam April 13 24page.indd

Passion Islam I April 2013 SPORT I 19
Man City chases UAE football
star Omar Abdulrahman
of making the move west-wards
Abdulrahman said, “it is the dream of
all football players in the world to play
professionally in Europe, but I cannot
decide that because I have a contract
with al-Ain and I am sure they will
take the right decision that will benefit
all parties — me, the club and the
national team,” reported Gulf News.
His apprehension has not stopped
critics raving about his performance.
“Technically, he is very, very good
so he has those components, those
ingredients. Obviously, it’s a much
more physical game but he’s still
young, he can develop those aspects
of his performance,” said Marwood.
“He played at a very good level
at the Olympics and he did very well
when he came to us on trial. He
impressed everybody, a very nice
young man, and he showed a lot of
respect for the club.”
Manchester City is chasing UAE
player Omar Abdulrahman, the club’s
academy chief Brian Marwood has
told UAE based Sport360°.
Abdulrahman, who currently plays
for the UAE’s al-Ain team, spent two
weeks on trial in Manchester last
August.
The possibility of a cross-country
move was halted due to work permit
regulations, however Marwood
revealed the club has remained in
touch with the 21-year-old player.
“There are some real challenges
getting a player like him to be able
to play in England which is very
frustrating because it’s one that we
would seriously look at,” lamented
Marwood.
“We had seen him at various
Qatar has denied claims that it is
planning to launch a summer football
league featuring some of the world’s
top football clubs.
A report by The Times claimed
that the gas-rich Gulf state would
launch the ‘Dream Football League’
(DFL), which would see some of
Europe’s leading clubs paid as much
as US$261m on a two-year basis.
The report suggested that 16 clubs
could become ‘permanent members’
of the DFL, with a further eight clubs
competing on an invitational basis.
The tournament, which The Times
said could be held in Qatar and six
cities across the Gulf – including those
tournaments but obviously we saw
him closer to home at the Olympics
and he did very, very well,” said
Marwood after his appearance at a
football development workshop held
by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
Manchester City officials then
invited the promising mid-fielder
to spend some time at their club
headquarters.
“I think he enjoyed the experience, we
enjoyed having him with us. He is a
very talented young player.”
City may have made the first
move, but they are not the only club
interested in the young up-and-comer.
According to Sport360° Arsenal,
Barcelona, Malaga and Hamburg are
all watching Abdulrahman closely.
When asked about the possibility
in the UAE – would be held in the
summer, offering a way to test Qatar’s
plans to provide air conditioned
stadiums and facilities for fans.
Qatar’s Football Association
refuted the claims. “The Qatar
Football Association and other Qatari
football entities can categorically
confirm that we have no involvement
in any such initiative and has heard
nothing to suggest such a concept is
genuine,” it said in a statement.
Qatar is set to host the FIFA World
Cup in the summer of 2022, and has
faced criticism about the tournament
being played in the hot summer
months.
Join us
Passion Islam Media
Qatar FA denies it will launch rival Champions League
The Gulf state is spending
billions of dollars in upgrading its
infrastructure ahead of the 2022
World Cup. Apart from new stadiums,
the country is also building a railway
network, a metro line for the capital,
Doha and upgrades for its roads and
bridges. A new US$15.5bn airport,
Hamad International Airport, will open
next month.
Aside from the World Cup, Qatar
has also invested heavily in Paris St
Germain, the French Ligue 1 side.
Currently top of the French League,
the Gulf state has brought the likes
of David Beckham, Ezequiel Lavezzi
and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Paris.