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• LFIGP takes home more gold than any other school to date, winning first place in 3 Categories; Spectacular goalie save and final penalty shot in the U17 girls and Close win against strong contender saves the day in U16 boys
• National Charity School sweep to victory with a hat trick in the U12 boys category
• All winning teams get ready to the Manchester Derby Live at Old Trafford & Participate in a Training Camp
• Fans get behind their teams with special school anthems creating electric atmosphere
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.
Commenting on the Cup, a partnership between Dubai Sports Council and Inspiratus, Mr. Salah Ameen Salah, Board Member of the Dubai Sports Council said, “This competition provides youth from various nationalities and ages a unique platform to uncover their talents and capabilities, play a competitive level of football and develop their skills to pro-football levels should they wish.”
“We value our partnership with Inspiratus on this important tournament and are committed to grow it over the years to come, offering young players more opportunities to train and develop their sporting abilities,” added Mr. Salah.
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 U14 boys' category, which faced off Lyçée Français and LLFP, it was anyone's game. However the quick play and perseverance of the boys from Lyçée Français saw them take the gold with a 2-0 victory. Tom Kassis who scored the determining 2nd goal said, “Our opponents were strong and we needed to stay focused all throughout the game. I was so happy when I scored because I knew it secured our win and trip to Manchester!” Rashid bin Saeed boys went home with bronze in this category.
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 finals of the U17 Girls was one of the most anticipated matches of the day with Lyçée Français facing off against Winchester Jebel Ali. In the first 10 minutes both teams played some of the most tactical and fast paced football demonstrating they both deserved to be in the finals. Winchester Jebel Ali were up with 1 goal for a good 10 minutes before the LFIPG equalized leading to a tense penalty shoot-out. It was anyone's match, but the LFIGP goalie not only saved the final penalty shot from her opponents, but went on to score the final penalty and win the gold. The girls from the German School went home with the bronze defeating Gems Wellington International School.
Speaking after celebrations, Hussein Murad, CEO Inspiratus, the organizers of the Dubai Schools Cup said, “A big congratulations goes out to each and every student who participated in the 2nd edition of the Cup and especially to the boys and girls here tonight who have proved week after week that they are true champions of the game. Congratulations to the winners of the Dubai Schools Cup 2015!”
“We thank our sponsors Chevrolet, our partner the Dubai Sports Council, and the continued support from the Dubai Education Zone and the KHDA and finally our media partners for sharing these stories with the UAE community at large and look forward to many more years to come,” he continued.
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.
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