Facilities set for Fifa Club World Cup

Abu Dhabi is set to host the tournament, according to officials who visited the capital to inspect training pitches, hotels and stadiums.

Al Shabab players celebrate as they win Estisalat League One in May at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium. The ground is one of those that will stage the Fifa Club World Cup.
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Abu Dhabi is all set to host the Fifa Club World Cup, according to Federation of International Football officials who visited the capital to inspect training pitches, hotels and stadiums. According to the state news agency, WAM, Fifa officials have confirmed that Abu Dhabi has all the necessary facilities to host the international tournament which will see the world's top football teams play in the capital next year.

The tournament between the champions will take place in Dec 2009 and again the following year in Abu Dhabi and, on Fifa's instruction, at another venue in the region. Zayed Sports City and the Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, home of Al Jazira, are the venues most likely to be used for the tournament. During the Fifa delegation's first visit to Abu Dhabi earlier this week, officials held meetings with the chairman of the UAE Football Federation, Mohammed Khalfan al Rumaithi and officials from the executive authority of the Abu Dhabi Government.

The UAE is hosting the sporting event for the first time, but in 2003, the Emirates hosted the Fifa World Youth Championship. *WAM and The National