DUBAI, 7 January 2021 – Football fans can expect plenty of goals at the UAE All-Stars tournament hosted at the Expo Sports Arena, Expo 2020 Dubai on Saturday, 8 January.
The event sees four all-star squads captained by football stars Patrice Evra, formerly of Manchester United and France; Míchel Salgado, former Real Madrid and Spain footballer; as well as Samir Nasri and Bacary Sagna, both former Arsenal and France players.
Each captain has put together a 15-player squad, including eight football legends, stars and celebrities, three representatives of Expo’s pavilions, two rising stars and two additional players, with a minimum of three female players per squad.
Matches will be 20 minutes long and the action will kick off at 1600 GST. However, fans can start gathering at 1500, with DJs to keep them entertained.
Media are invited to cover the tournament, with special access passes available for collection from 1400 GST at the entrance to the Expo Sports Arena, located behind Jubilee Stage. Players will be available for post-tournament flash interviews. Requests will be taken upon media’s arrival to the venue by the Expo Media Operations team.
#TeamPatman, captained by Patrice Evra, includes former Milan and Netherlands player Nigel De Jong; Khalfan Belhoul, CEO of Dubai Future Foundation; PrettyLittleThing founder Umar Kumani; Turkish celebrity chef CZN Burak; and Robbie Keane, former Tottenham Hotspur and Republic of Ireland player.
#TeamSalgado is captained by Michel Salgado and includes former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Portugal player Luis Figo; former Inter Milan and Italy player Marco Materazzi; Egyptian singer and actor Mohamed Ramadan; and singer-songwriter RedOne.
#TeamBac, with Bacary Sagna at the helm, features Sheikh Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the UAE Football Association; Wales rugby player Mike Phillips; as well as two former Manchester United and France international players, Louis Saha and Mikael Silvestre.
#TeamNasri is captained by Samir Nasri and includes His Excellency Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Managing Director and Group CEO of Mubadala Investment Company and Chairman of Manchester City Football Club and UAE national women’s player Nouf Al Anzi.
This initiative is supported by the UAE Football Association, Expo 2020 Dubai, Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, Dubai Cares, Football for Peace, Dubai Sports Council and Adidas
