Nahyan welcomes football legend Pele to the UAE

Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, on Thursday received, the internationally known footballer Pele, who is visiting the UAE currently to follow up the idea of establishing the Pele academy for Football in the UAE.

Tayeb Kamali, Director General of the Higher Technical Colleges, said that the idea is to establish a comprehensive football project in the UAE with a cultural, sports and tutorial orientation, with an emphasis on the Brazilian method of playing football.

He also added that the project was directed to the ages between 5 - 18 years old.

"The academy will also coach those who plan to adopt football as a profession in the future, at the same time giving them the opportunity to continue their education in the college," he said.

Pele visited the UAE earlier in November to explore the possibilities of this academy and to locate promising talents in the region.