How Budreya Faisal is looking to rejuvenate UAE women’s football with Banaat FC

How Budreya Faisal is looking to rejuvenate UAE women’s football with Banaat FC
1 / 3
New Dubai-based club will be led by coach Noora Al-Mazrouie and has the backing of Emirati football stalwart Houriya Taheri. (Supplied)
How Budreya Faisal is looking to rejuvenate UAE women’s football with Banaat FC
2 / 3
New Dubai-based club will be led by coach Noora Al-Mazrouie and has the backing of Emirati football stalwart Houriya Taheri. (Supplied)
How Budreya Faisal is looking to rejuvenate UAE women’s football with Banaat FC
3 / 3
New Dubai-based club will be led by coach Noora Al-Mazrouie and has the backing of Emirati football stalwart Houriya Taheri. (Supplied)
Short Url
Updated 18 September 2023
Follow

How Budreya Faisal is looking to rejuvenate UAE women’s football with Banaat FC

How Budreya Faisal is looking to rejuvenate UAE women’s football with Banaat FC
  • New Dubai-based club will be led by coach Noora Al-Mazrouie and has the backing of Emirati football stalwart Houriya Taheri
  • As CEO of marketing agency Ghost Concept, Faisal has worked with UAE’s Al-Nasr, Egyptian giants Al-Ahli, Emirati superstar Omar Abdulrahman and FIFA

DUBAI: Surrounded by football memorabilia in her office on Jumeirah Beach Road, Budreya Faisal is plotting the rebirth of women’s football in the UAE.

On Aug. 28, Emirati Women’s Day, she launched Banaat FC, a new Dubai-based club that is looking to push back the stagnation that has seeped into the women’s game over the last decade.

“Rise. Represent. Reclaim,” is the club’s motto.

But Banaat’s origin story has some plot twists.

The big idea of the CEO and owner of sports marketing agency Ghost Concept had, initially, little to do with women’s football. Or indeed any “real" football team at all.

“I was on my way from Egypt, and I decided I was going to do something crazy, which was start a fake football club that only exists online,” Faisal told Arab News. “I’d actually recruit micro influencers from the community as our players and create fake background stories and experience, and then create fake transfers and rivalries, and use AI as well to support with imagery. Boost this club up to a point where it becomes so cool that I can get sponsors for it and set an actual benchmark for how clubs in the Arab world should be operating.”

It was meant to be her way of showing regional clubs that, in marketing terms, “it’s time for you to wake up” and realize your potential.

Quickly, however, her targets changed.

“I was so excited,” she said. “And then I felt guilty immediately after the insane excitement because that effort wasn’t going towards someone that needed it. I thought I’ll take a third division men’s club, and transform that club. Women’s (clubs) didn’t even cross my mind at that point.”

There was a light bulb moment when she came across an Instagram account dedicated to women’s football in the UAE.

“The day after I came to the office after being away for six weeks, I went online and I saw this account called UAW football, UAE Women's Football,” she said. “It’s a relatively new account. And you can tell that it was someone that made it not an organization, but it actually represented, it was active and it’s cool. It’s sharing what it can about women’s football here.”

Faisal also noticed that the majority of the teams in the last iteration of the UAE Women’s League were expatriate clubs.

“And that was the aha moment. First I was annoyed then I thought why am I annoyed? Instead of getting annoyed, do something.”

Faisal called her friend Maria Khan, the captain of Pakistan’s national team, for advice.

“She used to play here and support that women’s football development in the federation. And she just signed for a club in Saudi. So I called her and I asked her a few questions. She had always helped me and supported me with all the info I needed.”

So what does it take to actually start a club here?

“She said ‘you need a coach, you need a coach’s assistant, a physio and a venue, like facility or pitch to play on.’ I said OK, and then in terms of salaries, she was like, ‘oh, no, no, no salaries.’”

Faisal says that it blew her mind to discover that female players had to “pay to play.”

The UAE Football Association has encouraged clubs to establish women’s teams that could play in a prospective professional league, with the criteria of having at least five Emirati players.

Academies and teams would charge foreign players to join, with a select number of international players receiving salaries, while Emirati players could join for free — with fees subsidized by the UAE FA — but would not receive any payment.

There was a risk that this situation would leave Emirati players disincentivi

zed or sidelined.

“So yes, it’s a great initiative from the association to say we need a league,” said Faisal. “We need some kind of competition, so that’s a great start. And then what they’ve done to compensate that is they get the national team girls to train four times a week with the association, and they train twice a week for their club.”

It was then that Faisal decided to set up a club by Emiratis for Emiratis but she realized she needed the right people for the project.

There was only one person she felt she should start with, which was UAE national coach Houriya Taheri, who at the time was in Thailand with the under-20 squad.

“I said to her, I’m going tell you something crazy, but I’m going to do it. I don’t care if it’s a good idea, I’m gonna do something big,” Faisal said. “And she had this kind of smile on her face, it felt like she was smiling from the inside, almost like relief. And she told me this is going to change women’s football and the UAE. And it’s like they’ve been waiting for it.”

In her role as head of Ghost Concept, Faisal has worked on branding projects with the UAE’s Al-Nasr and Egyptian giants Al-Ahli, represented Emirati superstar Omar Abdulrahman and collaborated with FIFA on a documentary, “Aspire to the World,” before last year’s World Cup.

With Banaat, Faisal insisted that she wanted Emirati technical staff and Taheri knew just the right person for head coach.

“She said I have the coach for you, don’t even think about it. It’s going to be coach Noora.”

Noora Al-Mazrouie is a former goalkeeper and an Asian Football Confederation-certified coach, as well as being a mentor for the current UAE No. 1 Maha Al-Blooshi. She is currently the UAE national team’s goalkeeping coach.

Al-Mazrouie is considered the prototype professional female player in the women’s game.

“She had wanted to do everything she could to develop the game, and that’s what I want. And I want to be that opportunity for her. I want to be that support. She’s been waiting for someone to say I got you, let me celebrate you. So I wanted to do that for her.”

Faisal and Al-Mazrouie went about creating a squad, initially made up mostly of players from the UAE national team, with others joining through a series of trials that have taken place on Tuesday nights.

“I want every Emirati mother and father to look at our team and think my daughter can play there. This feels like a safe place. This feels like a healthy environment and a place where there are no bad influences.”

The team’s players will be expected to spread the positive message that Faisal is after.

 

“Every girl in Banaat FC must have a public Instagram and TikTok account. And an active one.”

“I don’t need this to be the strongest team. I don’t care if we’re last this year. I need to deliver a message I need to make a statement. I need to make (an) impact, and to create that impact sacrifices have to be made and that sacrifice is you’re going to have to be more active and more present and people are going (to) have to know you exist to support you. It’s not even a sacrifice.”

The UAE FA’s headquarters in Khawaneej is where Banaat have been holding their training sessions, and where the trials have taken place. Home matches will also be played there until a permanent venue is found.

“My ideal scenario is that Banaat develops and becomes something strong, where we get some kind of government support and we get a facility,” Faisal said.

Banaat will be the seventh team to join the top division, which kicks off on Oct. 14.

Faisal is confident that her present squad will gel quickly.

“Considering 14 of them are already training with the national team regularly, I’m not too worried,” she said. “That means 14 of them already know each other and play with each other. And that’s amazing that the chemistry on the pitch won’t be the biggest concern.”

When the launch of Banaat FC was announced in partnership with GQ Middle East, Faisal provided a link through which applicants could leave their details, and explain why they wanted to join the project.

It ended up being more than just recruitment for players.

“We’re getting such beautiful stories from people about their passion for the sport, and so many messaging saying they just want to support us, or ‘I used to play but I stopped because there was no proper league, I want to support you,’ ‘I want to give my time for free, tell me what I can do.’ It’s amazing, I feel like we’re going (to) have like a really strong community.”

Faisal says she is open to any individual or entity wanting to support the project, to give fans a unique match experience.

“I wrote community is our backbone. So for us, it’s us going out to them and then (them) coming in and supporting us.”


Soccer-Conflict forces Palestinian team Jabal Al Mukaber to withdraw from AFC Cup

Updated 26 sec ago
Follow

Soccer-Conflict forces Palestinian team Jabal Al Mukaber to withdraw from AFC Cup

Soccer-Conflict forces Palestinian team Jabal Al Mukaber to withdraw from AFC Cup
  • The withdrawal means all of Jabal Al Mukaber’s results will be canceled and considered null and avoid
Palestinian club Jabal Al Mukaber have withdrawn from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup as a result of the Israel-Gaza conflict, the region’s governing body has announced.
A statement on the AFC’s official website said the Palestine Football Association had informed the Kuala Lumpur-based organization of Jabal Al Mukaber’s decision to pull out of the continent’s second-tier club competition.
“The AFC notes the club’s withdrawal with regret and the matter has now been referred to the AFC Competitions Committee for relevant further action, including the recognition of force majeure,” the confederation said.
Jabal Al Mukaber had been drawn in Group A of the competition and had won their opening game 1-0 against Syria’s Al-Futuwa before losing 4-0 to Al-Nahda from Oman prior to the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
The withdrawal means all of Jabal Al Mukaber’s results will be canceled and considered null and avoid, in accordance with AFC tournament regulations.
The move is the latest to affect Palestinian teams as a result of the conflict.
The Palestinian national team’s World Cup qualifier against Australia last month, which was due to be played in the West Bank, was moved to Kuwait due to security concerns.

Champions Ahly drop more points in pursuit of 12th title

Champions Ahly drop more points in pursuit of 12th title
Updated 09 December 2023
Follow

Champions Ahly drop more points in pursuit of 12th title

Champions Ahly drop more points in pursuit of 12th title
  • The record 11-time African champions were expected to collect maximum points from the Group D match in Alexandria The result was a major boost for Belouizdad, who conceded an added-time goal to lose away to Medeama of Ghana last weekend

JOHANNESBURG: CAF Champions League title-holders Al Ahly dropped points for the second successive weekend when held 0-0 at home by Chabab Belouizdad of Algeria on Friday.
After an away draw against Young Africans in Tanzania six days ago, the record 11-time African champions were expected to collect maximum points from the Group D match in Alexandria.
But a defiant Belouizdad defense, backed by former Algeria goalkeeper Rais M’Bolhi, contained an Ahly attack including Mahmoud Kahraba, Hussein el Shahat and South African Percy Tau.
The result was a major boost for Belouizdad, who conceded an added-time goal to lose away to Medeama of Ghana last weekend.
Medeama could not achieve back-to-back home victories, however, as they surrendered the lead in a 1-1 draw against Young Africans in Kumasi.
Jonathan Sowah, recalled after being ruled out of the Belouizdad match by suspension, converted a 27th-minute penalty for group debutants Medeama.
It was his third goal of the African campaign, and Ivorian Pacome Zouzoua also scored for a third time in the Champions League this season by equalising nine minutes later.
Ahly have five points, Medeama and Belouizdad four each and Young Africans two at the halfway stage of the mini-league. Group winners and runners-up qualify for the quarter-finals.
On a night when three matches produced only three goals, the best came from Cameroonian Jacques Mbe, which gave Etoile Sahel of Tunisia a 1-0 win over Al Hilal of Sudan in Rades near Tunis.
With just two minutes of regular time remaining, Mbe unleashed a thunderbolt past Ivorian goalkeeper Issa Fofana to earn Etoile their first points in Group C.
Petro Luanda of Angola, who play on Saturday, top the table with six points while Hilal, four-time champions Esperance of Tunisia and Etoile have three each.


Al-Dawsari, Mitrovic on target as Al-Hilal beat Al-Tai

Al-Dawsari, Mitrovic on target as Al-Hilal beat Al-Tai
Updated 09 December 2023
Follow

Al-Dawsari, Mitrovic on target as Al-Hilal beat Al-Tai

Al-Dawsari, Mitrovic on target as Al-Hilal beat Al-Tai
  • Saudi Pro League leaders wrack up 16th straight win in all competitions
  • Serbian striker first player since 2012 to score in 7 consecutive league matches

The Al-Hilal machine goes rolling on after the Saudi Pro League leaders defeated Al-Tai 2-1 on Friday to record a 16th successive victory in all competitions.

It was a strange game in that the Riyadh giants dominated but were never able to kill off their hosts, for whom goalkeeper Moataz Al-Baqawi was in fine form.

In the end, it did not matter as Hilal, threatening to pull away at the top of the table, went at Al-Tai from the start.

In the 15th minute, Kalidou Koulibaly’s smart half volley from outside the area drew a good diving save from Al-Baqawi and three minutes later the in-form Aleksandar Mitrovic should have opened the scoring.

A delightful volleyed through ball from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic freed the former Fulham forward who, with just the goalkeeper to beat, dragged his shot wide.

He was relieved in the 20th minute when a classic combination for both Al-Hilal and Saudi Arabia swung into action. Salman Al-Faraj crossed from the right and there was Salem Al-Dawsari to send a flying side-footed volley high into the net from near the penalty spot. The two club legends embraced in celebration of a beautiful and important goal.

Ten minutes later, Hilal were given a penalty after Ibrahim Al-Nakhli handled a shot from Mitrovic. The Serbian stepped up to grab his 14th league goal of the season and to get on the score sheet for the seventh successive game, a feat last achieved in Saudi Arabia in 2012 by Brazilian striker Wesley.

Five minutes before the break, the ball fell to Ruben Neves just outside the area and the Portuguese star curled home only for the goal to be ruled out due to an offside in the buildup, though it was a very tight call.

And it became painful for Hilal deep into added time thanks to another spectacular strike. Salman Al-Muwashar was twisting and turning in the middle of the Hilal half as he attempted to protect the ball from a group of blue-shirted players and then, suddenly, Tariq Abdullah stepped forward to side-foot a looping shot that beat the jumping Yassine Bounou, not far off his line on the edge of the 6-yard box.

Instead of 3-0 at the break, it was 2-1 and a game that had been dominated by the 18-time champions was suddenly looking very interesting indeed.

Al-Hilal were determined to make it as predictable as possible and within five minutes of the restart, Mitrovic’s half volley stung the hands of the goalkeeper. Moments later, a delicate chip from Neves just cleared the bar to land on the roof of the net.

Nobody will ever know how it was not 3-1 three minutes before the hour. Neves curled a delightful cross into the area. Milinkovic-Savic’s volley came back off the inside of the post but there was Al-Dawsari to react quickly and drive the rebound toward the top. Somehow, however, Al-Baqawi got there to tip the ball over.

The goalkeeper ensured that Hilal did not get a third goal but they picked up the points nonetheless.

Elsewhere, Al-Taawoun went third behind Al-Nassr with a 4-1 win at home to Al-Fayha, the losers perhaps tired after their Asian Champions League heroics in midweek when they won 4-1 at the Uzbekistan home of Pakhtakor to progress to the knockout stage.


Saudi Arabia ready to host 2034 World Cup: Sports minister

Saudi Arabia ready to host 2034 World Cup: Sports minister
Updated 08 December 2023
Follow

Saudi Arabia ready to host 2034 World Cup: Sports minister

Saudi Arabia ready to host 2034 World Cup: Sports minister
  • Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal tells BBC Kingdom has proved itself able to host major events
  • Government has invested over $6.26bn in sports since 2021 as part of Vision 2030

LONDON: Saudi Sports Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal has talked up the sporting and economic opportunities of the Kingdom hosting the 2034 FIFA World Cup, saying his country is ready to host the world’s biggest sporting event.
In an interview with the BBC, he raised the prospect of the Kingdom hosting the competition in the summer rather than the winter, noted the importance of sport in a country where the majority of citizens are below the age of 30, and discussed the progress made by the Saudi Pro League.
The government has invested over £5 billion ($6.26 billion) in sports since 2021 as part of the Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy away from dependence on fossil fuels.
With the FIFA Club World Cup set to begin in the Kingdom next month, Prince Abdulaziz said Saudi Arabia is more than ready to host the biggest prize in football.
“We’ve showcased that — we’ve hosted more than 85 global events and we’ve delivered on the highest level,” he said.
“We want to attract the world through sports. Hopefully, by 2034, people will have an extraordinary World Cup.”
Since 2021, Saudi Arabia has hosted high-profile boxing matches, ATP tennis tournaments and Formula 1 racing.
The Public Investment Fund made waves when taking control of Premier League side Newcastle United and setting up the LIV Golf tour.
“Twenty million of our population are below the age of 30, so we need to get them engaged — we are playing our role to develop sports within the world and to be part of the international community,” Prince Abdulaziz said.
He added that lessons would be taken from the 2022 FIFA World Cup in neighboring Qatar, which had to be held in winter to avoid high temperatures.
He said Saudi Arabia is “definitely” looking into whether a summer contest would be feasible.
“Why not see what the possibilities are to do it in the summer? Whether it is summer or winter, it doesn’t matter for us, as long as we make sure that we (deliver) the right atmosphere to host such an event,” he added.
On the subject of the World Cup’s sustainability, Prince Abdulaziz said: “It’s a mandate on us in the Kingdom to make sure that we abide by the international regulations … to make sure that we play our role, to make sure that it’s eco-friendly.”
He addressed the progress of football in the Kingdom, which has taken on global significance since the £750 million influx of big names to the Saudi Pro League earlier this year, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar.
At grassroots, too, football is gaining in popularity, and the Kingdom even sees over 70,000 women and girls regularly taking part in the sport.
“All of our big matches have attracted record numbers so far … We’re broadcasting to 147 countries around the world,” Prince Abdulaziz said.
“When we planned to develop the league we never thought that we would do it with such pace, but to see that is actually refreshing and it actually showcases the importance of this. Our focus is to develop our league to attract the best in the world.”


Steven Gerrard: ‘Extremely nice’ to have Moussa Dembele back for Al-Ettifaq

Steven Gerrard: ‘Extremely nice’ to have Moussa Dembele back for Al-Ettifaq
Updated 08 December 2023
Follow

Steven Gerrard: ‘Extremely nice’ to have Moussa Dembele back for Al-Ettifaq

Steven Gerrard: ‘Extremely nice’ to have Moussa Dembele back for Al-Ettifaq
  • French striker makes return in draw with Al-Shabab after 2 months out
  • Moussa ‘key to us winning games,’ teammate Jack Hendry says

RIYADH: Al-Ettifaq manager Steven Gerrard said it was “extremely nice” to have Moussa Dembele back in Roshn Saudi League action after his No. 9 made a substitute return following knee surgery.
The former Fulham, Celtic, Atletico Madrid and Lyon striker played the final 20 minutes of the 0-0 draw at Al-Shabab on Thursday night. The game at the new Al-Shabab Club Stadium in Riyadh saw Ettifaq finish with 10 men following Demarai Gray’s red card, while the hosts ended with nine after Ever Banega and Gustavo Cuellar were both dismissed.
While frustrated not to have taken all three points — Dembele nearly made the perfect return with a late header that went over the bar — Gerrard said that having his top scorer back was a boost. Al-Ettifaq have failed to score in five of the eight games since the French striker last played, drawing three and losing two.
“It’s extremely nice to see Moussa Dembele back, extremely nice,” Gerrard said.
“When we get Moussa back up in a better place physically and get more minutes into him then I’m sure we’ll carry more of a threat. Moussa Dembele brings goals and assists. The good thing is we have him back. He’s a goalscorer. We’ve missed that quality.”
The former Rangers manager’s comments on the return of Dembele, who netted seven goals in eight Roshn Saudi League matches before his injury at the beginning of October, were echoed by teammate Jack Hendry.
“It’s very big for us to have him back. He’s a figurehead for us up front,” the defender said.
“He’s going to be the key to us winning games and kind of turning our fortunes in the right direction. Moussa’s a proven goalscorer. I played with him at Celtic and I know what he can bring to a team, so to have a figurehead like him up front is going to be important for us moving forward.”
Dembele said: “We will continue to work hard to improve our finishing.”
Ahead of weekend fixtures, Al-Ettifaq — who next play Al-Taawoun at home on Saturday, Dec. 16 — sit eighth in the league table.
“The game as it progressed was certainly there for the taking,” Gerrard said. “When we had a man advantage, we made a tactical change to take a defender off and bring Moussa on to be more aggressive and more opportunities came. We’re a bit frustrated we haven’t gone and taken the big opportunity to go and win the game.
“We’ll continue to grind until we find our rhythm and confidence in the final third, but we want to challenge individuals and the collective to bring more in the final third.”