The patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed is paramount and “The Boss’s” offshore ambition is limitless.
Al-Katbi: Al Ain’s leadership of Asia is logical… there is no comparison between the continental accomplishments and the local tournaments.
We expect a powerful competition the same as the past season during all of Al-Ain’s Asian matches.
The draft is balanced and the extraordinary presence of “The Boss” in the continental congregation is something natural and is a source of pride and appreciation.
Ahmed Al-Shamsi: The workshop explored the answers to the inquiries and the praise of Al-Ain who is the chief of the beginnings and the endings.
Ahmed Abdullah: I extend my gratitude to the Administration of Al-Ain for the beautiful appreciation for all generations at our big club.
The Asian Confederation’s invitation to participate in the group stage draft made me happy and deeply touched my heart.
The Ainawi “Boss”, who is the champion of the first and final versions of the AFC Champions League, which has been taking place from the year of 2003 to the year of 2024, was the center of attention during the official ceremony for the group stage draft of AFC Champions League for the elite clubs 2024-2025, which took place on today’s evening in the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur, after the club’s extraordinary presence on the level of the introductory presentation as well as the participation of Ahmed Abdullah, the club’s historical scorer on the level of Pro League tournament and the assistant coach who witnessed and was crowned with the team with the titles throughout the years from 2003 and 2024.
The draft brought Al-Ain, who is the champion of the tournament, during the group stages with eight teams, which are: “Saudi Al-Hilal, Qatari Al-Saad, Uzbek Bakhtakur, Iraqi Al-Shurta, Qatari Al-Rayyan, Saudi Al-Ahli, Qatari Al-Gharrafa, and Saudi Al-Nassr”. It has also been scheduled for “The Boss” to take on four matches out of eight on the pitch of Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium vs Saudi Al-Hilal, Qatari Al-Saad, Saudi Al-Ahli and Qatari Al-Rayyan, while the team will be facing Iraqi Al-Shurta, Qatari Al-Gharrafa, Uzbek Bakhtaku, and Saudi Al-Nassr outside their pitch.”
Mohammed Saif Al-Katbi, a member of the board of directors of Al-Ain Football Club, expressed his deep appreciation for the supreme patronage and generous support that the club has always been receiving from His Highness Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy ruler of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, first deputy to the club’s chairman, first deputy to the chairman of the honorary council, chairman of Al-Ain sports and cultural club, and the founder of the success strategy for the club, in addition to the constant follow up and the limitless attention from Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, vice chairman of Al-Ain sports and cultural club, chairman of Al-Ain football company, which is something that has always been bolstering the ambitions of “The Boss” on the level of all tournaments, especially on the continental and the global levels.”
The member of Al-Ain football company also expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the Asian Football Confederation over the magnificent organization of the draft’s official ceremony, which witnessed the extraordinary presence of the champion of the first and final versions of AFC Champions League during the introductory presentation, as well as the invitation of the club’s legends, among whom is captain Ahmed Abdullah, Al-Ain’s historical scorer on the level of Pro League tournament and the assistant coach who witnessed the two Asian tournaments, which “The Boss” managed to claim in the years of 2003 and 2024, after the extraordinary participation in the draft of the western part of the continent, which is something that promotes the feelings of pride and appreciation.
Al-Katabi described the draft of the AFC Champions League for the elite as a balanced draft, asserting: “The presence of Al-Ain in the introductory presentation and the praise of the Asian Football Confederation for The Boss, which is considered something normal, deeply touching the heart, and a source of pride, as well as it doubles the responsibility of everyone who is affiliated with this big entity by commitment to the club’s vision to keep up with the signs of development and reaching the highest success indicators, and I think that all competitors are getting ready to face “The Boss” with the most appropriate manner. We also expect powerful competition from all teams the same as the past season, especially when facing Al-Ain who is considered “the Boss” and the crowned champion with the title of the most powerful of all tournaments of the Asian continent in the first and final versions of the continental tournament before turning attention to the AFC Champions League for the elite in the new season, which definitely must not be compared with the local accomplishments.”
Ahmed Al-Shamsi, the team’s manager, said that the workshop, which took place on yesterday’s afternoon for the competing teams to claim the title of AFC Champions for the elite, had the answer to all inquiries and made it clear for everyone concerning the official draft which took place today, especially after the Asian Football Confederation made it clear for the clubs that they will be adopting a special program for the draft to avoid any contradictions or complicated situations, starting with the application of principle of not playing against a team from the same nation.
He went on: “I would like to praise the important role which the continental confederation has always been responsible for in developing the tournaments, we also ask Al-Mighty Allah to guide and assist the team during their journey to defend their continental title, in addition to that everyone here describes Al-Ain as the boss of the beginnings and the endings in the continental tournament.”
He went on: “The Asian Confederation clarified to the clubs, yesterday, the changing of the traditional group stage to the league stage, which is something that bolsters everyone’s desire to the powerful competition, in addition to that 24 clubs have been practically divided into two leagues each one consisting of 12 teams through the logic of the east and the west, and the matches have been scheduled to take place during the period that spans from the 16th of September 2024 to February 2025, so every team plays against eight different teams inside their territory via four matches on their pitch and four matches outside their pitch.”
In his turn, Ahmed Abdullah, the assistant manager of Al-Ain football club, expressed his deeply felt appreciation for the administration of Al-Ain over the provision of constant support and patronage for him and all of his colleagues all along the generations that came to the club, which is something that has always been a clear approach that defines the mechanism which all of the successive administrations in this club adopt in dealing with their players. He also thanked the Asian Confederation for the invitation to participate in the group stage draft. I also should not forget to express my deeply felt appreciation for the Ainawi nation, which is the core milestone and the main reason thatunderlines all the achievements of our great club.
He also pointed out that the invitation he had received from the Asian Football Confederation to participate in the group stage draft for AFC Champions League for the elite, gave him a wonderful feeling that is not easy to describe with the most eloquent of phrases. I was also pleased with that wonderful match, and it deeply touched my heart, in addition to that it is honorable enough for the club to represent the best and biggest clubs in this continental congregation.
