Abu Dhabi: West Ham United FC will take on Japan’s Kashiwa Reysol FC in the opening encounter of the Hazza Bin Zayed under-17 International Football Tournament, which gets under way at Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium on Thursday. The action starts at 4.30pm. In another match, Al Afriqi FC from Tunisia will take on Dynamo Zagreb FC from Croatia.
Other teams participating in the tournament include Al Ahli from Egypt, Espanyol from Spain, Italy’s Inter Milan and Al Ain.
An additional tournament for amateurs was also launched and the organising committee aims to position the Hazza Bin Zayed Under-17 International Football Tournament as one of the most prominent championships for juniors and serve as a platform for unearthing future stars.
Teams interested in registering their participation can do so at https://hbz.playpass.com/.
The amateur tournament held in conjunction with the larger Hazza Bin Zayed Under-17 International Football Tournament, being organised under the patronage of Shaikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser and Deputy Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council and First Deputy Chairman of Al Ain Club.
The two-day tournament will be held at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium side pitches. Over the course of two days, the teams will play in a round-robin format, with the best performers progressing to the knockout stages.
The matches will be refereed by officially certified referees in the UAE and will be an open format tournament that does not restrict participation from any individuals. The amateur tournament will take place on March 27 and 28 and will run from 2pm to 6pm.
Waleed Al Hosani, Member of the Organising Committee, said: “The amateur tournament will help the Hazza Bin Zayed Under-17 International Football Tournament achieve its mission in nurturing and promoting local football talent in the UAE. We are confident that aside from fans coming to watch their favourite international teams, they will be encouraged to participate and showcase their skills in an attempt to be the best in their class category. Moreover, it serves as a good complement to the larger tournament in showcasing our future bright stars.”
