Match schedule announced for Dubai's biggest football tournament

Notes and media contacts

1. The dates of the Dubai Football Challenge have been changed to 8th and 10th January 2007 (the original dates were 7th and 9th January).
2. The tournament's Organsing Committee has made a separate statement (attached) relating to FIFA's suspension of the Iran Football Federation.
3. Information about ticket sales will be announced shortly.

For further information please contact Liz Fox, Financial Dynamics, 00 971 50 551 5971

About Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce

The Government of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing is the principal authority for planning and supervising the development of tourism in Dubai. It undertakes international promotional and marketing campaigns to highlight Dubai's strengths and opportunities. It is continuously participating in international promotion and publicity activities, including exhibitions, inward and outward missions, marketing visits, presentations and road shows, whilst at the same time producing media relations and handling all manner of inquiries.

About IEP Sports & Leisure:

IEP Sports & Leisure is one of the world's leading independent sports event management businesses, founded in 1988.

Since then it has organized 22 international football tournaments in which 41 of the world's premier club sides from 15 countries have competed.

IEP Sports & Leisure has created an exceptional series of structured tournaments played around the world and titled football's World Series.
The World Series concept is to bring competitive and international events to a number of key cities in China, South Africa, the Middle East and the USA.

About Dubai Sports City:

Dubai Sports City (DSC), the cornerstone project of Dubailand, is a US$3 billion, 50 million square feet mixed-use metropolis which will be the world's first integrated purpose-built sports city.

The development will be centred around four magnificent stadia:
• a 60,000 capacity multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, rugby, track and field and other sports and non-sports events
• a 10,000 seat multi-purpose indoor arena suitable for all hard court sports as well as concerts and other events and also including a removable ice rink
• a 25,000 capacity dedicated cricket stadium
• a 5,000 seat field hockey stadium

In addition to the stadia, Dubai Sports City will feature a series of major sports academy facilities including:
• the first purpose-built Manchester United Soccer Schools anywhere in the world
• a David Lloyd Tennis Academy
• a Butch Harmon School of Golf, the first such facility outside the United States
• the International Cricket Council's own ICC Global Cricket Academy
• top class multi-sport training facilities including gymnasium and a 50 metre swimming pool
• a world renowned sports rehabilitation centre
• the WorldHockey Academy, the first International Hockey Federation academy of its kind.

About Dubailand:
• A unique project spread over 3 billion sq. ft. will attract millions of tourists annually from all around the world.
• Several projects under Dubailand are under construction with investments by the United Arab Emirates,Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and international investors in the existing projects reaching AED 35 billion.
• It is expected that the total investments will reach AED 65 billion during the next 18 months with the announcement of more projects which are under study.
• The diverse projects under Dubailand include leisure, entertainment, theme parks, eco- tourism, shopping malls, restaurants and residential units.
• Dubailand will play an important role in catalyzing the position of Dubai as an international hub of family tourism attracting 15 million tourists annually by 2010.