Dr. Sultan Al Jaber Statement on the Al Jazira FC League Title Win

“I am delighted to congratulate His Highness  President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces; His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, Honorary President of Al Jazira Club and Chairman of the Honorary Board; and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Presidential Affairs and President of Al Jazira Club on the Arabian Gulf League title triumph. I want to also congratulate the Al Jazira Club board members and the Al Jazira Club family as this win is a culmination of their collective efforts and commitment to implementing our leadership’s directives through good planning, robust governance and strong, professional management.”

He added: “This title win is especially significant as it has been a unique season on and off the pitch. Despite playing without fans in our stadium and other Covid related challenges, we managed to play great football with unyielding positivity, passion and teamwork to win a league title that the Al Jazira family has been pursuing since 2016-2017.”

I am so very proud of all the players, technical staff and everyone associated with the Club for their hard work and dedication, culminating in a success, of which we should all be proud. I also want to commend Sporting Director Mads Davidsen, Head Coach Marcel Keizer, Team Director Hussein Suhail and the rest of the support staff, who built a squad that exemplified our  philosophy of developing  young talent from our academy.

HE continued: “At Al Jazira, we always strive to win every title. It is what the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ passionate fans deserve. And today, we celebrate the return of the Arabian Gulf League trophy to Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, the home of victories and titles.

He added: “I would like to dedicate this victory to our fans and thank them for their unconditional support throughout the season. I would also like to acknowledge the club’s many partners. Every member of the Club family appreciates their support.”

HE Dr. Al Jaber stressed that the title trophy was a result of the foundations laid for sustainable institutional success across the Club including a best-in-class corporate governance framework, operational efficiency and commitment to sustainability, as well as a strong investment in training and developing promising young players both on and off the field.

“These efforts have enabled the Club to become a model to emulate nationwide,” he added.

He said: “We are very confident that this success will play a significant role in driving the Club  toward future accomplishments and sustained excellence. We will continue to enhance our efforts of entertaining our fans and becoming a successful example for Clubs in the UAE Asia and the rest of the world.”

HE Dr. Al Jaber noted the Club’s critical role off the pitch by leveraging inspirational community based initiatives within Abu Dhabi. Alongside it’s partners, the Club has successfully launched and supported a campaign to provide frontline heroes with first team shirts, a Covid 19 vaccination awareness drive, and the production of an interactive educational series for school children.

HE Dr. Al Jaber added: “The pandemic has impacted every avenue of life, and resulted in the absence of fans in stadiums. I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to our leadership, to the relevant national authorities and entities and to our frontline heroes who have exerted exceptional efforts to bring back normalcy to all facets of life, including sports. I hope this league title win helps put a smile on the faces of our fans across Abu Dhabi and the UAE.

H.E concluded “This precious title win is missing a very important ingredient -  raising the trophy in front of our fans at the Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium.” He stressed that work is currently underway to plan a celebration worthy of this great achievement. Until that happens, His Excellency urged all Al Jazira Club fans to continue to follow safety and precautionary measures and maintain social distancing in their private celebrations.

Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber

Al Jazira Club Vice President and Chairman of Executive Committee