Regional battle for honours on Dubai

The final round of the second Castrol Goal Tournament will take place on Friday at Dubai Ice Rink in Dubai Mall. Eight teams from the participating cities, Amman, Abu Dhabi, Beirut, Dubai and others across the region will arrive in Dubai to compete against each other in the regional final. The winners in Dubai will fly to Europe to watch live their favourite teams in action at the 2012 UEFA Euro championship hosted by Poland and Ukraine in June. From its inaugural ‘kick-off’ in 2010, Castrol Goal has grown and attracted over 6,000 players from the region. Targeting the region’s youth Castrol Goal is a 5-a-side football tournament which has run as a league, lasting for eight weeks in including UAE, Lebanon, Jordan and others from across the Middle East. The tournament kicked off in February and the qualified teams participating are ‘Daredevils’ from Abu Dhabi; ‘Diadora’ from Dubai; ‘Beirut Life’ and ‘BLC’ from Lebanon; ‘Amin Chocair’ team from Jordan, ‘Saudi Stars’ from Saudi Arabia and ‘The Carwash’ and ‘Tetris Extreme’ from Kuwait. Alongside the action on the pitch, the organisers have lined up plenty of pitchside entertainment including human foosball, photobooths, digital gaming zones and freestyle football shows. Discussing the Castrol Goal Tournament, Mohammed Samir, Regional Marketing Controller of Castrol Middle East, said: “Castrol constantly strives to create strong engagement with and reward the most passionate football fans. Our Castrol Goal tournament gives fans a platform to showcase their prowess on the football pitch, with the ultimate prize of seeing their football heroes play in this summer’s football blockbuster, Euro 2012.” Gordon Kirk, General Manager of Dubai Ice Rink, said: “We are honoured to host the Castrol Goal Regional Finals. The unique choice of Dubai Ice Rink as the venue for this popular football event showcases the world-class qualities the venue provides for large-scale events and underlines its popularity as a visitor attraction”.” Castrol is one of the official sponsors of the upcoming Euro tournament.