Dubai — The UAE’s Al Jazira will clash against Espanyol (Spain) in the final of the Hazza Bin Zayed Under-17 International Football Tournament at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain with a 7am kick-off. Hosts Al Ain will play for third place against Dinamo Zagreb at 4pm. Al Jazira and Espanyol qualified for the final after topping their respective groups in the eight-team event.

Meanwhile coaches have hailed the tournament as an excellent platform for player development.

Robert Cuesta Thomas coach of Espanyol FC said: “In the tournament thus far the teams and competition have been great. We have been able to put on a great display of football that has brought us to the final. We are very excited to be here and are thankful to the UAE for helping to organise a tournament that is truly remarkable on a global scale and will help contribute to the development of the sport. We hope that we can be victorious in the final game.”

Beto coach of Al Jazira said: “We are happy to have performed well that has enabled us to make it to the final of this tournament. We are sure that the game will be challenging with Espanyol playing excellent football however we aim to give it our best on the field. The most important thing is that our players have enjoyed themselves and put on a good show — all the while learning and developing their skills further.”

Earlier the World Football Academy (WFA) launched its first workshop in the Middle East at the under-17 tournament through the coach clinic held on Monday by renowned coach Raymond Verheijen.

The event was attended by a large group of coaches from local regional and international clubs. The two-day coaches’ clinic running included topics like ‘principles of football periodisation football tactics and youth periodisation’. Verheijen also discussed with the attendees football philosophy football performance football fitness and football conditioning exercises.

Verheijen said: “It has been great to have this opportunity to conduct our first workshop in the Middle East at this world-class tournament for the under-17. Having coaches and managers from different clubs and continents attend the workshops made the conversation more interesting as the group discussed their personal experiences and scenarios.”

“Football is constantly improving in the UAE and there is a movement to develop young talents by having tournaments like the Hazza Bin Zayed under-17 international football tournament. The coaches have done a good job to develop these talented players. However the next step is to develop the next generation of coaches to protect these talented youngsters to further develop the players to an international level” he added.

All participants received an official WFA certificate stating they have accomplished all requirements of the course. The coaching clinic was part of the under-17 tournament that kicked-off on March 26 with the participation of eight international clubs that includes Al Ahly from Egypt Al Jazeera from the UAE Espanyol from Spain Dinamo Zagreb from Croatia West Ham United from the UK Kashiwa Reysol from Japan and Italy’s Inter Milan.