Fans set to return for President’s Cup final

UAE football will welcome back fans in attendance for the first time in more than a year at next month’s President’s Cup final.

The Football Association announced late on Tuesday that spectators will be allowed to watch the country’s showpiece football fixture live on May 16, with up to 30 per cent capacity permitted at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium. Shabab Al Ahli and Al Nasr contest the final.

The match will be open only to fans who have been vaccinated, with the added stipulation that they must present a negative Covid-19 test result taken within the previous 48 hours.

The FA, who confirmed the decision after coordinating with the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority, stressed that fans attending must fully adhere to all precautionary measures, including wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.

To attend the final, spectators must show messages on the Al Hosn app asserting the vaccination and the letter “E”. Those who have a star from clinical trials on the app can also attend.

The move is viewed as a major step towards bringing back spectators to UAE football matches for the next season. The Arabian Gulf League was cancelled last season having been suspended in March because of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.

The league was 19 rounds into its season. Fans had last attended matches in Round 17, on February 28.

A decision, via a vote of its 14 member clubs, was taken not to award the league title to then-leaders Shabab Al Ahli, while Hatta and Fujairah were spared relegation, essentially rendering the campaign null and void.

However, some individual player statistics from the season were eventually restored. Meanwhile, the UAE team play their four remaining Group G World Cup qualifiers in Dubai in June.

It is understood that the FA is assessing whether to permit fans to attend those fixtures.