Media

  H.H. Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, met the UAE football team yesterday after their match against Iran in the Asian Qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup. Shaikh Hamdan encouraged and praised the efforts of the players and their play as one team as coordination and collective play was evident to those who watched the match.   In the course of his directives, he affirmed that the team had played an interesting match and attracted the viewers and public from the UAE through satellite channels and he said; “You did not fail, even though you lost to the Iranian team and am confident and optimistic that you will win in the coming matches with number of Asian teams, God willing, you will win and bring happiness to us and your supporters”.   His Highness said that luck may not come, but we as a team can make fortune by building a solid base for training, perfecting skills and understanding opponent to deal with them on such basis. He stressed that he supports the national team as UAE team as it represents our country and our people abroad and all of us shall support the team morally and materially and encourage its members in order to give and perform good for reaching international standards.   Sheikh Hamdan called upon officials of sports clubs in the UAE to give more attention to their clubs and teams and make stars from youth who are considered nucleus of strong national team that able to represent its country in the best way without any regards to name of the club he plays for.   After the meeting Sheikh Hamdan along with Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Director General of The Ruler’s Court and Chairman of Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Est., H.E. Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director General of Dubai Protocol and Department, H.E. Abdulla Ahmed Al Habbai, Executive Chairman of Sheikh Mohammed’s Engineering Office, Yousuf Al Sarkal, Vice-President of the Asian Football Confederation, H.E. Sami Gargash, Deputy Executive Director of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Housing Est. and team members     toured model of Villas to be allocated to National Team members comprising of 26 Villas at Al Warqaa, Dubai. Each villa measures more than 3000 sq.f. with 4 bedrooms.   Sheikh Hamdan handed over symbolic key to one of the players as start for giving possessions of new homes as directed by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum after winning Gulf 18 held at Abu Dhabi last season.