Reda Saleem (Dubai)
Khalaf Ahmed Al Habtoor, Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, confirmed that the UAE champions are able to climb to the podiums, and they have high talent and superior capabilities, and what is required is to encourage and motivate them, give them the opportunity, and guide them in the required manner to reach the goal, which is raising the UAE flag in foreign forums, and perhaps the victory of Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed bin Hasher Al Maktoum won the gold medal at the Athens Olympics in shooting in 2004, and our national football team qualified for the “World Cup 1990”, the biggest evidence of the ability of the people of the country to achieve achievements.
This came during the session held by Khalaf Al Habtoor at the Al Habtoor Group headquarters under the slogan “Sport in the UAE”, and was attended by Dr. Ahmed Saad Al Sharif, President of the State Athletes Association, Sultan Al Habtoor, Mohammed Al Habtoor, President of the Polo Federation, and Mohammed Omar, the former star of our national team, Al Wasl, Al Ain and Ajman. , and a number of sports personalities.
Al Habtoor rejected the idea of buying a European club and investing abroad. He said: Investing in the sports field is like any economic project. You must have sufficient work experience to be able to succeed, and I see that buying a club abroad is unlikely for me. Because I do not like to participate in a business that I do not know well, and I previously put forward the idea of establishing an integrated sports city, in order to serve sports, and the huge project was studied, and communication with officials in Dubai, but from an economic point of view, the success of any project guarantees continuity, and I hope that clubs will transform Football is transformed into real companies, and national institutions enter into a purchase process, or the participation of these companies to reduce the financial burden on the government.
The session touched on investing in sports and practice, how it is transformed into a way of life, and the best ways for our athletes to reach the podiums, as well as academies, clubs, the Qatar World Cup, and Ronaldo’s deal with Al-Nasr, as a wonderful model of investment.
He added: We have large projects in sports, by supporting many sports fields, and we have the Habtoor Polo and Equestrian Club, and it provides great services to Emirati sports, whether through a polo education academy, and attracting citizens to practice the game, and there is also great support for tennis, by organizing Tennis tournament, but the establishment of a football club is not in our calculations.
He noted that the Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo deal with the Saudi victory represents the best investment, because it is better than advertisements, and he will reap a media, propaganda and promotional return for the club twice what he has paid so far, because his presence becomes a continuous and permanent advertisement, which is a great gain not for Saudi Arabia, but for the Gulf region in general. .
Turning to the “World Cup 2022”, he said: Qatar presented an “extraordinary edition” in the World Cup, and honored the Arabs, and the truth is that I followed the previous editions of the World Cup and there is no comparison. Al-Arabiya presented good levels, and we were encouraging all teams, whether Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Tunisia and Morocco, and the latter “changed” the image of Arab football, and presented an honorable image.
d said. Ahmed Saad Al-Sharif: Emirates sport went through four stages, the first stage from 1945 to 1953, and the second stage with the beginning of education and systematic classes from 1953 until the establishment of the state in 1971, which witnessed great development and a real renaissance in the seventies, and the start of the harvest and achievements, and the stage witnessed a happy achievement Ahmed Saeed at the level of chess, winning the World Junior Championship, and Mohammed Khalifa Al Qubaisi winning the World Bowling Championship, then our national team qualified for the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
He added: The sports sector was supposed to turn into an institutional work, but unfortunately it did not happen, and the private sector is more successful than the government sector in the sports field, and we have not witnessed other tangible achievements, as evidenced by the fact that our biggest results in the Asian continent were bowling, snooker and billiards.
Al-Sharif pointed out that organizing the Gulf Cup tournament in Basra is an investment beyond investment, because it brought sports back to Iraqi stadiums, and with it normal life returned.
Mohammed Al Habtoor said: The private sector is more successful than the government, because the decision is quick, and it is taken within 24 hours, and this provides the means for success for work because the issue is “profit and loss”, and the time element is very important, and for example the tennis tournament is expensive, but there is profit in many aspects of it.
Muhammad Omar touched on talking about football, and said: In the past, the national team was following a plan for 3 or 4 years, and we did not have professionalism, and we used to camp well in advance of the tournaments, but now most of the coaches are looking for the end of their contract, and they get their dues, and in each A match that succeeded a new team and different elements, and there is no fixed squad, and now we need a plan for a period of time, until we reach the World Cup qualifiers, and not two months as is happening now.
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