Clareto Monsorate, Dubai

The night of December 14 turned out to be a momentous one for the sporting world as the football associations of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel came together under one roof in Dubai to sign a historic memorandum of understanding (MoU).

As per the new agreement, the two football associations will work collectively to help grow this beautiful game in both countries.

The MoU was signed in the presence of FIFA President Gianni Infantino, UAEFA President Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi and IFA President Oren Hasson.

The UAE FA Signs an MOU with the Israeli FA, in the presence of the FIFA president
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Details🔽https://t.co/oXaj7u5Xxh@FIFAcom @ISRAELFA pic.twitter.com/nOA9Qeu8pF

— UAEFA (@uaefa_ae) December 14, 2020

“I’m very happy, proud and honored to be here today to witness this historic moment. It is crucial for the future because it shows that football is uniting, football is bringing people together,” said the FIFA President.

“Football is showing how a bridge can be built between two countries which was inconceivable, it was not possible to even think about. I think it just shows that the future is bright,” added Infantino.

“I am very confident that football will benefit a lot from this new partnership,” he said.

“I said it to the two presidents, they can count on the support from FIFA to organize events, to organise training opportunities, to organize actions to bring Israel and UAE and also the whole region closer together with football.”

Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi expressed his optimism at signing the memorandum that serves the game in both states, stressing that it was an important step to strengthen relations with Israel and other countries. The UAEFA President extended his gratitude and appreciation to the FIFA President for his attendance and support to the historic agreement, stressing that football is a language of peace, tolerance, and love.

“We are hopefully planning to play a friendly match in the next couple of months by liaising with our colleagues in the Israeli Football Federation. And we also welcome all Israeli clubs to come for training camps to the UAE in the near future,” said Humaid Al Nuaimi.

IFA President Oren Hasson added that attending the agreement ceremony in Dubai was still a dream two months ago which had now turned into reality.

“We are really glad and happy to be here after many decades,” said Hasson.

He called on everyone to visit Tel-Aviv to build strong relations and let future generations know that football unites peoples and is a common language of peace.

“I think there is a lot of opportunity for the two sides,” he said.

Among several joint activities, the MoU will see the organization of friendly matches for national teams and clubs, the establishment of joint workshops for the technical and administrative members of the two associations, as well as the launch of development initiatives that contribute to supporting the game in the two countries.