Coach Rashid believes the UAE’s Young Whites can overcome Brazil in Group Stage
Brazil’s fans in the UAE get ready to welcome the team next week to Abu Dhabi
United Arab Emirates. Tuesday: UAE v Brazil in Abu Dhabi on October 20 is proving to be the most anticipated group stage match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013. With UAE’s home advantage and extensive preparations, not to mention Brazil’s stellar performance at the tournament in past years, tickets are selling out fast to see both football-mad nations come face to face at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in just one month’s time.
One of Brazil’s football legends and Al Ahli Club Captain, Grafite, is delighted that Brazil has once again made it to the FIFA U-17 World Cup this year and said: “The UAE v Brazil match in Abu Dhabi is going to be a great game. This is the big group match that everyone is talking about and I’m sure the atmosphere in the stadium will be electric on that night. As a Brazilian living in the UAE it’s the game I can’t wait to see, and I will be there encouraging the players to give it their best on the pitch.”
As Brazil’s U-17s undergo gruelling preparations on the other side of the globe, the UAE’s Young Whites are working just as hard to finalise their pre-tournament training, with just three weeks to complete their final camp before the FIFA U-17 World Cup kicks off on October 17.
UAE Team Coach, Rashid Amir, said: “Brazil is not an obstacle for UAE’s U-17s. We are prepared to play against any other team and our focus is to kick start this tournament on a good note with the Honduras match in Abu Dhabi. Brazil is definitely a force to reckon with and we are looking forward to taking them on in four weeks.
Our training camp in Spain is currently going very well especially with the team’s fantastic victory over Panama this week.”
Coach Rashid went on to emphasise the UAE team’s home advantage over the qualifying nations and added: “We hope the UAE team supporters attend all of our matches to give our players the added boost they need to make it to the end of this tournament.”
Over its past 15 editions the FIFA U-17 World Cup has given rise to some of the world’s greatest legends in football today and this year is no different. “Ronaldinho made his debut at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 1997, which saw Brazil take home the trophy. Stars like him are always an inspiration to young players looking to shine and make their mark in international tournaments. I know that Brazil will go into the FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 with intent to win,” said Grafite.
As part of UAE-wide celebrations for the largest tournament taking place in the UAE the FIFA U-17 World Cup Trophy Tour is currently visiting all six host cities – Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah, Sharjah and Dubai. The Trophy Tour is open to all fans and families looking for the chance to win fabulous prizes, to see the trophy up close, and to buy their tickets to see their favourite teams compete.
You can buy your tickets today by visiting the Trophy Tour in your city, by logging on to www.fifa.com/u17worldcup or calling 800 STADIA (800 782342) for the chance to secure seats to watch your favourite team in action. Single match day tickets are available in two categories: CAT 1 for AED 50 and CAT 2 for AED 10.
Tickets are also available to purchase at Hallmark stores located in each host city – The Dubai Mall (Dubai), Marina Mall (Abu Dhabi), Al Jimi Mall (Al Ain), Manar Mall (Ras Al Khaimah), City Centre Mall (Fujairah) and Sahara Mall (Sharjah).
For more information and to buy tickets visit www.fifa.com/u17worldcup. Check out all the latest tournament news on Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/
fifau17worldcup - and with #u17wc on Twitter.
Trophy Tour Schedule
Host City
Location
Dates
Abu Dhabi
Marina Mall
18 – 21 September
Zayed University & Football school (TBC)
22 September
Abu Dhabi
Al Etihad Football Academy
25 September
Al Ain
UAE University
24 September
Al Ain Mall
27 – 28 September
Ras Al Khaimah
Manar Mall
30 September – 1 October
Fujairah
City Centre Mall
4 – 5 October
Sharjah
Al Majaz Waterfront
6 – 7 October
Dubai
Dubai University & IFA Football School
9 October
Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR)
10 – 12 October
Dubai Mall
14 – 15 October
Abu Dhabi
Fan Zone (Abu Dhabi Corniche)
17 October – 8 November
FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 Notes to Editors
The FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 is the largest football event ever to be hosted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The FIFA tournament takes place every two years and is one of the biggest international football events in the world.
Running from 17th October – 8th November 2013, the event takes place across six cities of the UAE. A total of 52 matches will be played over a three week period in six of the UAE’s top stadiums – Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Emirates Stadium in Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah Stadium in Fujairah, Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah, Rashid Stadium in Dubai and Khalifa Bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain.
The final 24 qualified nations will begin the tournament in six groups of four, with the top two teams in each group automatically qualifying for the Round of 16. The four best third-placed teams from the Group stages will also progress to the knock-out stages, all aiming to reach the final match on Friday 8th November 2013.
For more information and to buy tickets visit www.fifa.com/u17worldcup. Check out all the latest tournament news on Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/
fifau17worldcup - and with #u17wc on Twitter.
FIFA U-17 World Cup Tournament Format
The 2013 edition of the tournament will be the 15th FIFA U-17 World Cup. After the FIFA World Cup™, the Olympic Football Tournament and the FIFA U-20 World Cup, the FIFA U-17 World Cup is the fourth oldest FIFA competition.
From the tournament’s first edition in 1985 until 1993, matches were played over two 40-minute halves (extra time was ten minutes each way). In Ecuador in 1995, the standard duration of matches was increased to the traditional format of 45 minutes per half (with 15 minutes per half in extra time). In 2011, the Executive Committee abolished extra time for the FIFA U-17 World Cup and the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup after a proposal put forward by the Medical Committee and the FIFA Task Force Football 2014.
As of 2007, the number of contenders was increased from 16 to 24. The slots for the FIFA U17 World Cup UAE 2013 are allocated to the Confederations as follows: AFC 4 (plus 1 additional slot for the hosts UAE), CAF 4, CONCACAF 4, CONMEBOL 4, UEFA 6, OFC 1.
FIFA U-17 World Cup UAE 2013 Groups
Group A
Group B
Group C
Group D
Group E
Group F
UAE
Uruguay
Croatia
Tunisia
Canada
Mexico
Honduras
New Zealand
Morocco
Venezuela
Austria
Nigeria
Brazil
Ivory Cost
Panama
Russia
Iran
Iraq
Slovakia
Italy
Uzbekistan
Japan
Argentina
Sweden
For full match schedule please click here.