Dubai: All the major football clubs of Dubai will be appointing Emirati assistant coaches for their playing XIs, as per the directives of His Highness the President Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
This was one of the key announcements by Dubai Sports Council (DSC) following a virtual meeting of the Board of Directors held under the chairmanship of Sheikh Mansoor Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai’s Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management and Chairman of Dubai Sports Council.
The Board also reviewed the current budgets and proposed budgets for the upcoming seasons and also discussed meetings of clubs to complete the final draft of a number of regulations and work manuals presented as well as initiatives to celebrate the World Safety and Health Day.
In the field of social responsibility, the Council’s performance report included the establishment of two COVID-19 testing centres in Al Nasr and Shabab Al Ahli clubs.
The Board also reviewed the performance report of the Council for the quarter from March 15 to May 15, 2020 and the events and initiatives launched and implemented by the Council during the period which were focused on encouraging all members of the community to exercise and stay physically active during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council organised and supported a number of virtual sports events and launched the ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ campaign to encourage members of the community to remain physically active at home.
The ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ initiative turned out to be extremely popular as it received wholehearted support from top international football stars like Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos and Nicholas Anelka - backing the campaign and encouraging members of the community to keep exercising through video messages.
The Council has also organised a number of virtual sports events and webinars under the ‘Be Fit, Be Safe’ during this period, including the world’s first Marathon at Home and a Virtual Tour Challenge for cycling enthusiasts.
Mattar Al Tayer, Vice Chairman of the Council, Major General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police participated in the remote meeting alongside other members of the Board: Dr Abdulla Al Karam, Ali Bujsaim, Mohammed Al Kamali, Ahmad Al Shafar, Mariam Al Hammadi, Moaza Saeed Al Marri and Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of the Council. Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of the Council, also participated in the meeting.
