UAE footballers to play in Theatre of Dreams

The UAE’s national football team is to play in the London 2012 Olympic Games this summer in Manchester, home to Old Trafford’s Theatre of Dreams and soccer stars Manchester United, and in Wembley, known for Wembley Stadium, whose roof is visible right across London. The venues are two of the five venues hosting the Olympic football games. “Emirati football fans are very excited to see Al Abyad and coach Mahdi Ali take on Uruguay’s La Celeste UK’s Team GB at such iconic sites, especially when they are such big fans of UK football themselves,” said Carol Maddison, UAE Manager, VisitBritain. On July 26, the national team will play Uruguay at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester, which is located within a few miles of Manchester city centre. Old Trafford, one of the most famous sporting grounds in the world, will host nine Olympic football games. Built in 1910, with a capacity of nearly 80,000, the stadium is the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the 11-largest in Europe. On July 29, Al Abyad will play Great Britain at Wembley Stadium in Wembley, minutes from London Marylebone. The Wembley Stadium hosted the 1948 Olympics Games and is known for its signature 315-metre long steel lattice arch, the longest single roof structure in the world. Wembley is the largest football stadium in England with a capacity of 90,000. Aside from sporting uses, several concerts have been played at Old Trafford, with such big names as Bon Jovi, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart and Simply Red. Hundreds of some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment have also played at Wembley since it reopened in 2007. From Khaleejtimes