The President’s Cup final takes place in Abu Dhabi this weekend, with Sharjah and Al Ain battling it out for the most coveted cup in UAE football. Here are the details.
What is it?
The 2022/23 President’s Cup. The competition, which began in December, was revised this season to comprise 32 teams from the top two divisions in UAE football: the Adnoc Pro League and the First Division. The President’s Cup, now in its 46th edition, is considered the highest-valued cup in Emirati football.
When is it?
Friday, April 28, 7:25pm. Gates open at 4:25pm.
Where is it?
Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Who’s playing?
Holders Sharjah take on current league champions Al Ain in a tie that pits together two of the most successful clubs in the competition.
Last season, Sharjah defeated Al Wahda in the final by a solitary goal to claim a ninth President’s Cup. Only Shabab Al Ahli (formerly Al Ahli) have won more, with 10. Al Ain, meanwhile, sit third on the all-time charts having lifted the trophy seven times - most recently in 2018.
Sharjah are managed by Asian football’s hugely decorated coach Cosmin Olaroiu, and boast players of the calibre of former Roma, Juventus and Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic, former Valencia, Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund striker Paco Alcacer and ex-Benfica winger Ciao Lucas.
Al Ain, meanwhile, are led by manager Serhiy Rebrov, who guided his side to last season’s Adnoc Pro League title – his debut campaign in UAE football. The team is spearheaded by Togo marksman Kodjo Laba, the current top scorer in the 2022/23 league, and includes former West Ham United winger Andriy Yarmolenko and marauding left-back Erik.
How they got here
Sharjah: R32: Bye / R16: 2-1 Al Nasr / QF: 2-1 Al Jazira / SF: 3-2 (agg) Ajman
Al Ain: R32: 4-0 Dibba Al Fujairah / R16: 1-0 Khorfakkan / QF: 2-0 Shabab Al Ahli / SF: 1-0 (agg) Al Wasl
How to watch in UAE
Tickets for the match can be found on Platinumlist. Prices start at Dh30. The match will also be televised on AD Sports TV, Dubai Sports TV and Sharjah Sports TV, as well as Fifa+.
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MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
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Essentials
The flights
Whether you trek after mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda or the Congo, the most convenient international airport is in Rwanda’s capital city, Kigali. There are direct flights from Dubai a couple of days a week with RwandAir. Otherwise, an indirect route is available via Nairobi with Kenya Airways. Flydubai flies to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo, via Entebbe in Uganda. Expect to pay from US$350 (Dh1,286) return, including taxes.
The tours
Superb ape-watching tours that take in all three gorilla countries mentioned above are run by Natural World Safaris. In September, the company will be operating a unique Ugandan ape safari guided by well-known primatologist Ben Garrod.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, local operator Kivu Travel can organise pretty much any kind of safari throughout the Virunga National Park and elsewhere in eastern Congo.
