Dubai Football Challenge 2007 kicks off today

The Tournament is being held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, and is being organised by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai Sports City and IEP Sports and Leisure (IEP).

With all the teams now in Dubai for the start of what promises to become a highlight of the local sporting calendar, representatives from the four participating teams - UAE national team, Hamburg SV, Iranian national team and VfB Stuttgart - attended the pre-tournament press conference and shared their thoughts for the forthcoming tournament with the local media.

Abdulla Hassan, Team Manager of the UAE national team said: "The Dubai Football Challenge will be the crème de la crème of world class annual football tournaments hosted by the UAE and we are pleased to be part of the inaugural tournament. I know for a fact that the national team is excited at the prospect of competing against some of the best European clubs in January every year, which will help us develop our game and improve standards across the region. When you are playing against world class footballers such as Juan Pablo Sorin, Rafael van der Vaart of Hamburg and Stuttgart's leading goal scorer, Mario Gomez, it helps to develop your own game and that will be our leading motivation in the coming days.

He continued : "With that said we still have a squad of players that are fighters and always give 110 percent effort on the pitch regardless of the teams they face. We would not enter this tournament unless we thought we could win it and as such the players will be looking to both make their mark with a victory in the first Dubai Football Challenge trophy, and to fine tune our game ahead of the Gulf Cup tournament that kicks off later this month."

While the benefit for the regional teams will be in gaining invaluable experience, the established European teams have also recognised the potential of the tournament, as Bernd Wehmeyer, Club Manager of Hamburg SV, explained: "It is a great honour for Hamburg SV to play in this tournament and to be in Dubai for this training camp. The Dubai Football Challenge 2007 is a great tournament and it is a good opportunity for our team to play against international teams while also keeping us sharp for the rest of the domestic campaign in Germany."

A view re-iterated by the other European team taking part as Jochen Schneider, Manager and Sport Administrator, Vfb Stuttgart, said: "This tournament is sure to get bigger and more important in the future and therefore it is an honour for our club to be part of the first one. To get such high class teams for the first tournament is testament to its global appeal, and the attraction of Dubai to big teams. We came to Dubai in January 2006 and that successful trip has been part of our domestic success throughout last year. We sincerely hope that our winter training camp this year will be equally successful and help us continue our challenge for the Bundesliga championship this year."

Iran's participation in this year's tournament is of major significance for reasons other than sporting prowess and this point was reiterated by Amir Ghalenoi of the Iranian national team, who said: "Sport in general and football in particular are used as a bridge among countries and participants to bring them together. Tournaments such as The Dubai Football Challenge will help to improve relationships amongst countries, teams, officials and players. It is important to state, the main objectives of this Tournament are not to win or lose, but to strengthen ties between our countries and participants. We are privileged to take part in this prestigious Tournament and wish for fair play and success all around."

Stuart Webb, speaking on behalf of the Organizing Committee, said: "I am excited by the Tournament format and look forward to seeing two of Europe's leading club sides challenge the two emerging national teams for the trophy. The World Series' unique points scoring system, will ensure that the fans enjoy an outstanding festival of football.

"We are especially proud and privileged to have the UAE national team as part of our inaugural Tournament."

The Dubai Football Challenge takes place on January 8 and 10 at the Maktoom Stadium at Al Nasr Club.