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Bin Hammam gets sporting thanks
Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Advisor to the National Security Council and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) Chairman, thanked Mohammad Bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, for supporting the UAE and Abu Dhabi to host the World Clubs Championship in 2009 and 2010.
- By Sayed Ali, Senior Reporter
- Published: 00:08 July 14, 2008
- Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (right) with Mohammad Bin Hammam during a reception in Abu Dhabi.
- Image Credit: Supplied picture
Dubai: Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Advisor to the National Security Council and the Abu Dhabi Sports Council (ADSC) Chairman, thanked Mohammad Bin Hammam, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President, for supporting the UAE and Abu Dhabi to host the World Clubs Championship in 2009 and 2010.
Shaikh Hazza received the AFC President at his palace in Abu Dhabi.
He discussed with him many issues regarding football in the UAE and its relations with the AFC. Saqr Gobash Saeed Gobash, Minister of Labour, Yousuf Al Sarkal, AFC vice president, Mohammad Khalfan Al Rumaithi, FA chairman, and ASC and FA members also attended the reception.
Reshuffle
Shaikh Hazza thanked Bin Hammam for his great efforts to develop Asian soccer by turning clubs into commercial structures which will help release them from the government's financial support.
Shaikh Hazza asked all the UAE clubs to co-operate with the FA to successfully prepare the national team for the World Cup qualifiers.
He said the UAE people want to repeat the moments of joy and happiness which they felt when qualifying for the first time to the World Cup Finals in Italy in 1990 and clinching the Gulf Cup in 2007.
He said that taking players from their clubs for long periods with the national team could be a problem for some clubs, but these clubs would have to make the sacrifice for the benefit of the nation.
He added that achieving success for the national team is the responsibility of all and not the FA alone.
Bin Hammam spoke to Shaikh Hazza about the TV rights to broadcast the first UAE professional league which kicks off in September.
He said the Professional League Association (PLA) and the clubs are allowed to sell the rights of broadcasting to channels which offer the highest price. The AFC President said that the income for the professional clubs from the TV rights is always the highest income and must not be less than 60 per cent to 70 per cent which is the average now in the European associations, Fifa and continental confederations.
Tournaments
He said the governments were supporting clubs financially and this support, after clubs turned fully professional, could be shifted to the sport channels to compete with other channels from outside and win the rights of broadcasting their domestic tournaments.
Bin Hammam said it will not be unexpected that a channel from outside the UAE could win the rights of broadcasting the UAE professional league, because in professionalism the one who gives the product its real value wins and the clubs are looking for more income to develop the standard of players and teams.
Shaikh Hazza said that the UAE sport channels do not have to be worried about offers coming from outside.
He asked all the UAE sports channels to co-operate and submit one good offer to the PLA and the rights will be won by them and no one else.
Shaikh Hazza thanked Bin Hammam for his great effort to develop Asian soccer by turning clubs into commercial structures which will help to release from the governments financial support...
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