In the context of the rush to normalize sports after the political, the Israeli Maccabi Haifa club announced that it had received an official invitation from the UAE club Al Ain, to play a friendly match between them in the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi.
The Maccabi Haifa Club official website published statements by the club's president, Yaqoub Shahar, in which he said, "I am pleased to inform you that our club has been invited to hold a friendly football match called (Peace Match) in Abu Dhabi against Al Ain Club."
"I always thought it was possible to develop friendly relations through sport," Shahar added, noting that the match date would be set later, according to the schedules of the two clubs.
בקרוב.
שיתוף פעולה עם @alainfcae מאבו דאביומשחק השלום https://t.co/fSHcFGQnNX pic.twitter.com/sNDV6sd4pF
- Maccabi Haifa FC (@mhfootballclub) October 25, 2020
He confirmed that within the next few days, a memorandum of understanding will be signed between the two clubs in order to establish a relationship that includes cooperation in both the sports and business aspects.
The official account of the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Twitter, "Israel in Arabic", celebrated the friendly match between the UAE and Israeli clubs.
The Israeli Maccabi Haifa team will play a friendly match in Abu Dhabi against the UAE club Al Ain, and the president of the Israeli club announced today that he is happy with this match, which will be called the term "peace match" pic.twitter.com/BO3MVgJF6f
- Israel in Arabic (@IsraelArabic) October 25, 2020
The process of normalization in the sports field between the UAE and Israel is escalating, as the Emirati club Al-Nasr announced last month the inclusion of its new player, Dia Sabaa, who became the first player in the Israeli national team to play in the UAE Arab Gulf Football League, which is facing a widespread attack from activists at the Arab level who denounced Scrambling to normalize sports after politics between the UAE and Israel.
# Boycott_Ayn_Emirati Club
- (@ os_nfc44) October 26, 2020
As if you played with a foreign team,
they are not all Israelis
- Karoui (@ AboAli96076696) October 25, 2020
People get stuck inside ... you feel they are Netanyahu in their own mind
- Ibn Khalaf Al-Dahshoori (@pharmacist_eg) October 25, 2020
God is enough, and yes, the agent
- Qutaiba (@ qutaibasyaheen2) October 25, 2020