Press Release
Dubai, UAE – 8 Mar 2015 – Defending champions and newcomers led the way with dominant performances at the finals of the Dubai Schools Cup, the official schools football tournament of the Emirate. They battled to take home the winning ticket to watch the Derby match live at Old Trafford and attend a training camp led by Manchester United coaches courtesy of Cup Main Sponsor Chevrolet.
Against the deafening cheers of supporters who created special team anthems for the finals, the young athletes impressed the crowds with their pro-football level skills, displaying agility, extreme focus, teamwork and the sheer determination to win the groundbreaking Dubai Schools Cup tournament.
Football Legend and Dubai Schools Cup Director, Michel Salgado commended the level of skill exhibited at the finals saying, “The Cup is getting bigger year on year thanks to a solid partnership, great organization by Inspiratus and the support of sponsors such as Chevrolet. We have discovered many talented young players this year. We want to make this exciting Cup available to the largest number of young players possible and bring football to the community.”
“At Chevrolet, we are proud to have the Dubai Schools Cup for two years running; the event proved to be an immense success, providing youth in the UAE with a powerful platform to engage in friendly competitive games and enhance their skills on the field. As a brand that has long promoted the importance of a healthy lifestyle amongst youth, we couldn’t be more proud of how the Cup turned out.” said Ahmed Soudodi, Regional Brand Manager for Chevrolet, GM Middle East.
The young boys from National Charity School in the U12 category with their quick play making ability, swept past Al Khaleej National School in their final match with a 5-2 result. Omar Mohammad Qasem Al Sabia whose hat trick led to the victory said, “I owe my success to my team. I love football and I have been playing since I was 4 years old. My dream is to play professionally one day, and with tournaments like this I hope I will be given the chance.” Third place in the category went to Al Shafie School.
In the U16 boys’ category, the heat was on as a major upset saw last year’s runners up Choueifat defeated in their semi-final match and finish in 3rd by newcomers Salman Farsi who scored an unforgettable goal in the opening 2 minutes of the match. They went on to meet last year’s winner’s Lyçée Français (LFIGP) in a heart stopping final. Tensions were high as both teams fought for the opportunity to watch the Manchester Derby. It was Abdel Hamid Nemri’s deciding goal that sealed the French team’s fate, while Salman Farsi took home the silver.
Overjoyed with the results, Abdel Hamid Nemri said, ”We came here today to play our best football and we played even better than we could have imagined. This is a great moment for our team.”
The Dubai Schools Cup in its 2nd edition has attracted over 2,000 children from 55 schools in Dubai in a 6 week competition which has culminated today with The French girls and boys from LFIGP taking home the gold in the U14 boys, U16 boys and U17 girls categories and National Charity School taking home the gold in the U12 boys category. Next year’s edition promises to be even bigger than this year and registration will be open in the coming months.
