HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, attended the friendly match held between Manchester City Football Club (FC) Al Ain FC at the Hazza bin Zayed Stadium.  The first half ended with a draw but the match finished with English Premier League (EPL) champions Manchester City winning 3-0.  

There was a definite carnival atmosphere surrounding the match, which was attended by HE Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development, Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan, Chairman of Al Ain Club, Dr Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State, and HE Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority, as well as a number of top sports officials and a huge crowd of fans and supporters.  

The fans were keen to be at the stadium well before the match in order to greet the teams’ stars.  When the bus reached the stadium, the crowds received the players with great cheers and much clapping.  

The Hazza bin Zayed Stadium has a creative vision in the Arab world, as it not only aims to host football matches, but also seeks to host different cultural, artistic and world sports events.  The Stadium, hailed as the region’s finest such venue, features residential and hotel properties and commercial shops that include 50 restaurants and other food outlets.  There is also an international hotel offering 172 rooms for tourists wishing to attend upcoming events held at the Stadium.