Franco Baresi gives seal of approval to AC Milan Academy Dubai Champions Cup

Sport360 staff 12:17 14/02/2019
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  • More than 600 boys and girls, between eight and 14-years old, from 17 academies across Dubai will play as 56 teams in the second edition of the AC Milan Academy Dubai Champions Cup this weekend.

    Milan’s historical captain and Brand Ambassador, Franco Baresi, attended the launch event at Roberto’s DIFC earlier on Thursday.

    The tournament will be held on Friday and Saturday at the AC Milan Academy Dubai headquarters at GEMS International School Al Khail. The two-day sporting event will involve hundreds of young footballers, along with their families.

    “It’s great to see so many boys and girls training and testing themselves with passion and determination,” said the 58-year-old, who won three UEFA Champions League and six Serie A titles at Milan from 1997-97. “AC Milan provides a cutting-edge technical, educational and methodological know-how that is also used for the youth sector in football schools in Italy and internationally.

    “The presence of the club’s official coaches here in Dubai is fundamental to its ongoing success. Furthermore, football carries a great social value, and it’s great to see so many girls also playing football in Dubai.”

    AC Milan Academy Dubai was launched in February 2016 and offers training sessions following the AC Milan Method. In addition to technical aspects relating to football, experts train and support the athletes in learning healthy nutrition, which is essential for their well-being, both physically and mentally.

    Lorenzo Giorgetti, chief commercial officer at Milan, commented: “We are delighted to be in Dubai, a city that thanks to Emirates, has developed a tight bond with AC Milan, thus confirming the strong belief that football is one of the most beautiful and fascinating sports in the world and a powerful vehicle for teaching values such competitiveness, respect for roles, social cohesion and integration between people and cultures.

    “We wanted to be here to show the club’s closeness with the Academy and to our partners. One of our missions is to support families, institutions and local authorities in the promotion of the benefits of football and sport as a whole.”

    The academy currently operates in two locations in Dubai: the GEMS International School Al Khail and the GEMS Founder Al Mizhar.

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