High praise for big names at DISC

Dubai: Hessa Mohammad Al Kous, Acting Director, Sports Events Dept, Dubai Sports Council, has praised the line-up for the 12th Dubai International Sports Conference (DISC) who will gather to share their expertise and experience during two days of workshops and presentations at Madinat Jumeirah on December 27-28.

The conference was established to bring together the leaders in all areas of football to share their knowledge and ideas.

The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Modern Investment in International Football’, and the keynote speaker will be Fifa President Gianni Infantino.

However, there will also be a lengthy list of chairmen, directors, referees, players and coaches who will discuss and debate the future of football, including coach of Atletico Madrid Diego Simeone, Egypt national team coach Hector Cuper, former England and Russia manager Fabio Capello, chairman of the Fifa Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina and legendary players Francesco Totti and Carles Puyol along with the UAE’s Ismail Matar.

“Once again, the conference, in its 12th year, has brought together some of the biggest names in the sport to discuss the key factors involving the future of football and crucially, investment in the sport,” said Al Kous.

Special guest Eric Abidal, former France international, Barcelona star and winner of the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards Player Career Award in 2012, said: “This kind of conference is very important, particularly as it helps players to consider opportunities for their future after retirement, and gives them the insight they need to make the right decisions. The career of a player can be over quickly and they need to be aware of their options.”

The Conference will also host the Dubai Globe Soccer Awards on December 28, recognising the best performances of the season from players, coaches and administrators.

Selected speakers

Day 1

coach of Atletico Madrid, Diego Simeone

Egypt National team coach Hector Cuper

former manager of England and Russia Fabio Capello

Ferran Soriano, CEO of Manchester City

Vadim Vasilyev — AS Monaco Vice President

Umberto Gandini — AS Roma CEO

Day 2

Marcello Lippi — Coach of China

Chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina

international referee Felix Brych