Dubai: du La Liga High Performance Centre (HPC) clinched the inaugural UAE Football Association Academy League (UAE FAAL) title with a game to spare after an 8-0 win over eighth-placed Al Ain on Saturday.
The UAE FAAL pitches youth sides from private academy sides and local clubs together in a 13-team table where everyone plays each other once.
Mohannad Wahdan opened, followed by a brace from Ahmad Al Yamani, before Ramy Hatem, Driss Matrni and Ahmad Salam made it 6-0 at half-time. Rashid Ahmad and Ahmad Arif then added two in the second half to make it 8-0.
Elsewhere, third-from-bottom Emirates beat sixth-placed Al Ahli 3-1. Second-placed EFF beat fifth-placed Abu Dhabi Elite 5-2, and fourth-placed Al Jazira beat FC Barcelona Escola 7-1. Third-placed E-Sports also beat Abu Dhabi Elite 7-1, compounding their earlier defeat to EFF.
Khalid Abdullah, UAE FAAL managing director said: “The first season of UAE FAAL has exceed our expectations with a very high level of play witnessed from both the national clubs and academies. The world’s best styles of football were all represented in UAE FAAL, the Spanish, English, Dutch, French as well as the Middle Eastern and specifically UAE, which helps to raise the game for all participants. However, this is only the beginning and we look forward to an even greater participation next season, with an expanded platform to five age categories.”
