JEDDAH, 31 October 2003 — Two top Italian football clubs AC Milan and Juventus will arrive in Jeddah on Dec. 21 to participate in a farewell festival being organized in honor of Ahmed Jameel, former captain of the Saudi national team and Ittihad Football Club. Jameel, one of the best defenders, announced his retirement last year.
Ittihad Club President Mansour Al-Bilawi made the announcement in Beirut recently, after signing a new agreement with the two Italian clubs for visiting the Kingdom for the event.
“Jeddah will witness a re-match of last year’s European championship final at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium on Dec. 22. Our main objective is to honor one of the best players in the Saudi football history, and we’re bringing the two of the best teams in the world with their full squads that include Maldini, Chevenchenko, Kaka, Rivaldo, Seedorf, Del Peiro, Inzagi, Davids and other Italian and European stars,” Al-Bilawi said.
“I made it clear to the representatives of the two Italian teams that they should send all of their international stars for the event,” he said.
Al Bilawi described Jameel as a legendary player who would be missed by Saudi fans. “Jameel deserves a huge reception and we are very proud to support him in every way we can, as he has made his country proud with many achievements in his 15-year football career,” he said.
According to Al-Bilawi, three teams Ittihad, AC Milan and Juventus will play a match divided into three halves. In the first half Ittihad will face AC Milan. The losing team will then play against Juventus in the second half. The winner of the second half will play the final game against AC Milan.
He announced that Ittihad had agreed to pay around $1.5 million to bring the two Italian teams, and the match income would go to Jameel.
“The festival will be full of excitement with legendary international players known for a high level of football skills, and we hope to make the event a success,” he added.
