Football giants to send youth teams to Dubai

Two of the world's biggest and best football clubs will enter youth teams into a competition in Dubai this week.Argentine giants Boca Juniors and Spanish club Valencia have confirmed they will compete in the third Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Under-19 International Football Tournament, which takes place between April 6th and 15th.They will face reigning champions Lega Pro Italy and a selection of UAE-based teams, including Al Ahli, Al Wasl, Dubai Club, Al Nasr and Al Shabab.According to Gulf News, Argentine legend and Dubai sporting ambassador Diego Maradona and UAE resident Michel Salgado - formerly of Real Madrid - are expected to cast their eye over the young talent on offer during the event.Ali Omar Al Beloushi, director of sports corporations at Dubai Sports Council, thinks that such competitions will really help young players from across the emirate to hone their skills."One of the core responsibilities of the Dubai Sports Council is to develop youth players. In just two years we have had seven players graduating into their senior teams, while another three have made it to the UAE national squad," he remarked."This success speaks for itself and we are confident this tournament will further help our youth to develop."There have been a few signs that the UAE national team has a bright future and the group of players that took part in last year's Olympic Games - who were predominantly under the age of 23 - earned many plaudits for their style of play.It is encouraging to see top clubs like Boca Juniors and Valencia embracing football tournaments staged in the UAE and members of the Dubai Sports Council will be hoping that even more famous teams will take part in future events.A number of professional outfits - including Germans Borussia Monchengladbach, Russians Anzhi Makhachkala and a plethora of English Premier League teams - have recently made the most of Dubai's fantastic facilities during mid-season training camps.