The former Secretary-General of the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare, Ibrahim Abdul Malik, said that the scene of the UAE national football team winning the Gulf Cup title in 2007 for the first time in its history is one of the scenes that will not be erased from his memory, during the version that was held in Abu Dhabi, “Gulf 18.” When it defeated its counterpart, the Omani national team, in the final match, with a clean goal scored by player Ismail Matar, pointing out that there are many Gulf sports icons and leaders who contributed greatly. He is great in enriching the Gulf Championship and its continuity, wishing to hold the Gulf Olympic Games similar to the Gulf Football Cup, which achieved many successes and played a major role in developing football in the Gulf region.
Ibrahim Abdul Malik added to “Emirates Today”: “I hope for the continuity of the Gulf Cup for all future generations, so that it continues to perform its mission and message in the unity and interdependence of the people of the Gulf, and the development of sports and football in particular in the region.”
Regarding the secret of the success of the Gulf Cup tournaments and their continuity for about 54 years, since the launch of its first edition in 1970, Abdul Malik stressed that “the secret of the tournament’s continuity is the great success it has continued to achieve, and it has also played a major role in the unity and cohesion of the people of the region, through their gathering in a sporting event.” A great football player, and the tournament was credited with the emergence of a large number of Gulf football stars and the development of football in the Gulf region, in addition to it also contributing to the development of the infrastructure of sports facilities in the Gulf countries.”
FIFA recognition
Regarding the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) not recognizing the Gulf Championship, despite the great successes it has achieved over many years, Abdul Malik said, “FIFA does not always recognize the championships organized according to the region and territory, but rather recognizes the continental championships and others.”
Abdul Malik said: “If the International Federation adopts the Gulf Cup tournament as part of its official tournaments, this is a good thing, but if it does not recognize it in accordance with its charter, which does not recognize such tournaments, then this matter does not matter, as much as the people of the Gulf and the leaders of the region care about the continuation of the tournament.” ».
Gulf Cup Stars
When asked about the most prominent stars that the Gulf Cup has produced over many years, Abdul Malik said, “At the Emirati football level, the Gulf Cup has produced many stars, whether from the first generation or from subsequent generations, such as Ahmed Issa, Salem Bushnin, and goalkeeper Ibrahim Reda, along with Adnan Taliani’s generation.” And Mohsen Musabih, Ibrahim Mir, Issa Mir, Fahd Khamis, Mubarak Ghanem Khalil Ghanem and other stars.”
“Gulf Olympics”
Ibrahim Abdul Malik continued: “There was a project to hold the Gulf Olympics, and I hope that the success that was achieved in the field of football will be achieved in holding the Gulf Olympics at the level of other group or individual games. There is no doubt that the Gulf tournaments represented one of the main reasons for developing… Football in the region, and therefore I hope that this matter will be reflected in the issue of the Gulf Olympics, so that it will be stable and receive a large amount of attention from the countries of the region, and that all capabilities will be harnessed to it in order to develop other games other than football. The foot.”
Ibrahim Abdel Malik:
. The secret of the Gulf Cup’s continuation for 54 years is the great success it has achieved.
. Gulf tournaments are one of the main reasons for the development of football in the region.
. .
