Dubai: Eight new teams have been included in the eighth Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Memorial Football Championship, being held at the Dubai Police Officers Club, taking the total number of teams to 19.
“When we saw the response of teams from as far as Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah, we thought it best to allow everyone to participate in this competition,” Tournament coordinator Lieutenant General Nader Rashid told Gulf News, justifying the decision of increasing it from 16 teams.
“This tournament has traditionally been an attraction for some of the national team stars playing alongside the upcoming players from across the country. There are some of these players who have gone on to be spotted by local clubs and that is one of the highlights of this tournament since the past seven years now,” he added.
The first-time entrants include Catalonia Youth in Group D, Team 88 and Easy Home in Group C, while RAK Civil Defence and Dubai Civil Defence Dubai will be in Group A.
The 19 teams will play a single round-robin league and at the end of which the best two sides from each group will advance to the knockout quarter-finals.
Sponsored by Emirates NBD, Dewa, Pocari Sweat and Leader Sport among others, the eighth edition of the Shaikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Memorial Football Championship is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Last year, Bin Mezzaina, represented by Dubai Police, won the title with a 2-1 win over Bin Darwish, while Al Joma was placed third.
