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05/13/2010 I I
Al Ain Club triumph over Switzerland to finish fourth in group at Volkswagen Junior World Masters.
Dubai/Madrid/Wolfsburg, 13 May 2010 – Representing the UAE and the Middle East for the first time, Volkswagen Junior Masters Middle East Champions, Al Ain Club, beat Switzerland and fought tenaciously against tournament champions Brazil, to finish fourth in their group at the Volkswagen Junior World Masters soccer championship held in Madrid over the weekend.
320 players in 20 teams from 20 countries played 47 matches and scored 101 goals during the exciting two day international football tournament - the largest initiated by a company.
“The team performed extremely well in cold conditions and in a tough group, which included football heavyweights Brazil, Switzerland, Holland and Egypt,” said Al Ain Club Coach, Mohammed Al Nuaimi. “The boys proved to be excellent ambassadors for the UAE, displaying a great standard of play, athleticism, skill and sportsmanship.”
Playing against physically larger opponents with strong mid-field control, a change in strategy from a 4-4-2 formation - which saw Al Ain Club draw with Egypt 1:1 and lose to Holland 2:1 on Friday - to a 4-5-1 formation on Saturday, proved to be the right move by the Volkswagen Junior Masters Middle East Champions.
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| “After an inspired cross by our winger Abdullah Salem, our striker Hussein Abdullah managed to bamboozle both the Swiss defender and goal keeper to score a last minute goal, beating the day one group leader Switzerland just before the final whistle.”
Despite a tenacious display of team spirit by the UAE representatives, the change of formation did not prove to be enough to beat overall tournament champions Brazil, who won 2:0. Brazil went on to be crowned Volkswagen Junior World Masters, beating Germany’s Hertha BSC 1:0 in a final played at the famous Santiago-Bernabéu Stadium.
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Al Ain Club then joined an 80,000 strong crowd and the tournament’s other 19 country teams in the stadium, for the presentation of the World Masters Cup to Brazil by Chairman of the Board of Management for Volkswagen AG, Prof. Dr Martin Winterkorn, and were treated to a live match between Real Madrid and Atletic Bilbao. “It is the dream of every young person to play once in this stadium,” said Dr Winterkorn.
Thanking Volkswagen and Volkswagen Middle East, Al Nuaimi said, “Volkswagen did a great job organising the tournament. We received great accommodation, support and a warm welcome from the Volkswagen team throughout. The Volkswagen Junior World Masters provided us the opportunity to discover new players and talents, and to play against world teams with a different style of play. We look forward to taking part again in future.”
| Managing Director for Volkswagen Middle East, Stefan Mecha, said, “We are extremely proud to see Al Ain Club perform so well whilst representing the UAE and Middle East at their first Volkswagen Junior World Masters. To have never played in the tournament before, and still come away with three goals, a win, a draw, and only two losses, is a great achievement for the club. Olé Al Ain!”
“Next year we will see nine more countries battle for the honour to represent the Middle East at the 2011 World Masters, when we expand the Volkswagen Junior Masters tournament to include the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, KSA, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria and Yemen,” enthused Mecha.
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The trip to Spain was a dream come true for the Zimbabwean team which, as the 20th team, got in on a wild card. Ursula Piech, patroness of the Volkswagen Junior World Masters, handed over a cheque to support the further training and development of the players in both sporting and academic areas by means of an aid scheme financed by Volkswagen, which is currently being implemented in Zimbabwe.
Other country teams represented at the tournament included Italy, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Russia, the Ukraine, Taiwan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Morocco, South Africa, the USA, and Mexico.
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The Volkswagen Junior Masters: FactsThe Volkswagen Junior Masters is already setting the standards for youth football in its 11th year. What started out as an idea in 1999 to give young players the chance to enjoy sport and compete fairly, has in the meantime become the biggest up-and-coming football tournament started by a company for C-junior girls and D-junior boys. Support for aspiring talent plays a central role. Therefore the Volkswagen football camps awarded to the winning team will be attended by trainers such as Wolfgang Sidka or Rainer Bonhof. In this way, young talent can be discovered and given targeted support at an early stage. Volkswagen’s commitment is also held in high regard by the German Football Association. Its Vice President, Dr Hans-Georg Moldenhauer, is the patron of the Junior Masters. |
