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Al Junaibi heads Fixture Scheduling Workshop meeting

H.E. Abdulla Nasser Al Junaibi, Member of the Executive Office of the Pro League Committee (PLC) and Chairman of the Technical Committee, headed a Fixture Scheduling workshop for the 2013-2014 season on Saturday afternoon in Abu Dhabi, alongside H.E. Mohammed Saeed Al Nuaimi, Member of the Executive Office of the Pro League Committee and Deputy Chairman of the Technical Committee, Mr. Colin Smith, PLC Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mahdi Ali, UAE National Team Head Coach and Taha Ezat, Senior Manager of Technical & Competitions.

Attended by Coaches, Team Managers and representatives of the Etisalat Pro League clubs as well as Mahdi Ali, the workshop was designed to propose the fixture calendar for the 2013-2014 season, taking into account international fixtures and FIFA days, AFC Champions League scheduling, and President’s Cup, Etisalat Pro League, Etisalat Cup and Etisalat Super Cup matches, noting that all fixtures must be completed by the date of 18th May 2014 in accordance with FIFA guidelines to allow adequate preparation time ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

PLC facilitated dialogue and discussion between all parties regarding the proposed fixtures for the 2013-2014 season, with the Technical Committee keen to agree on a consistent Etisalat Pro League schedule without lengthy breaks, whilst equally supporting clubs participating in AFC Champions League action with optimum spacing between fixtures. A new format for the Etisalat Cup competition was also proposed, and club representatives will revert to PLC within 48 hours if they have any further comments about the proposed calendar in order to ensure that the best possible schedule is agreed upon by all parties. Representatives of Al Ain, Al Ahli, Al Jazira, Bani Yas, Al Nasr, Al Wahda, Al Wasl, Al Dhafra and Dubai attended the workshop, whilst representatives of Al Shabab, Ajman, Al Shaab, Dibba Al Fujairah and Kalba were not present.