Hamburg to lock horns with Iran in opening match

Gulfnews - German side Hamburg SV will face Iran in the opening match of the Dubai Football Challenge at the Al Nasr Club from January 8-10 next year.

Fixtures for the event were announced along the sidelines of Soccerex 2006, being held at the Madinat Jumeirah.

In the opening day's second match, the UAE will take on VfB Stuttgart at 7.30pm. The tournament will conclude with Iran playing VfB Stuttgart and the UAE taking on Hamburg SV on January 10.

Hamburg SV, one of the two major soccer teams with Emirates Airline as their shirt sponsors, was the fourth side to be confirmed for the three-day event.

The four-team competition has been aimed at providing match practice for the top visiting European sides.

"There has been a tremendous show of interest from the other teams, particularly AC Milan. But we could not accommodate them as the format of the competition was meant for just four sides," said Stuart Webb, Chairman of IEP Sports and Leisure, organisers of the event.

IEP Sports and Leisure will run the Dubai Football Challenge as part of its highly-successful World Series competition, held in Amsterdam before the start of each season.

Hamad Bin Mijren, Manager Missions at Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), said the government was very keen on increasing the number of people visiting Dubai annually by promoting the emirate as a year-round destination.

The tournament will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council and the Dubai Sports Council.