Al Jazira under-13 side arrive in Rome for finals

Al Jazira’s under-13 team will be in Rome this weekend to represent the Middle East at the finals of the Volkswagen Junior World Masters, one of the top age-group tournaments.

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Al Jazira’s under-13 team will be in Rome this weekend to represent the Middle East at the finals of the Volkswagen Junior World Masters, one of the top age-group tournaments.

Jazira are one of 23 winners of regional qualifying events who will compete in Italy, with the final on Sunday at the Stadio Olimpico.

Jazira’s passage to Rome began when they won the Dubai and Northern Emirates qualifier at the Jebel Ali Centre of Excellence on April 12.

Along with the runners-up, Desert Rangers, they went through to the regional finals at Dubai Sports City a week later, where they competed against 10 teams from across the region.

Jazira emerged as champions after beating Oman’s Al Jazeera in a penalty shoot-out following a goalless final.

For the trip to Italy, Al Jazira Club have named an unchanged 16-player squad headed by Walid Al Junaibi, who said: “It’s a great experience for the team as they will compete against others from Australia, East Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe, each with their own style of play.

“The players have great expectations and we also believe in them. It’s not going to be easy, but we will give all we can. We are flying for one purpose – to win the finals and prove ourselves.”

Coach Wael Al Sisi said: “This generation is the best in the history of the club in terms of the quality of the players and their skills.

“Winning the local round of the tournament made the team more confident, and they gained more confidence again by winning the Middle East finals.

“Their hopes are high and I believe they will form a great first team in the future.”

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