Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, lauded Al Jazira after they won their third Arabian Gulf League title.
The Pride of Abu Dhabi were locked in an intense title race with Bani Yas until the final matchday, but a comfortable 3-1 win against Khor Fakkan ensured that they finished on top of the pack. They had previously bagged the championship in 2010/11 and 2016/17.
After the victory, Sheikh Mansour took to Twitter and posted, "My sincere congratulations to the fans of Al Jazira Club, the board of directors, the technical staff and the players, on the occasion of winning the Arabian Gulf League, and I hope that this coronation represents a promising start for the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ to achieve more titles, in response to the great ambitions of the club and its fans.”
They finished the campaign on 57 points with 17 wins from 26 matches. They suffered only three defeats and had the best attack with 65 goals scored. Ali Mabkhout was their best performer as the UAE international scored 25 goals and finished on top of the scoring charts. He also boasts of having the most assists (10) along with teammate Khalfan Mubarak and Al Wahda's Ismail Matar.
Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Jazira Club’s vice president and chairman of the Executive Committee was also jubilant after the win.
“This title win is especially significant as it has been a unique season on and off the pitch. Despite playing without fans in our stadium and other Covid related challenges, we managed to play great football with unyielding positivity, passion and teamwork to win a league title that the Al Jazira family has been pursuing since 2016-2017.
“I am so very proud of all the players, technical staff and everyone associated with the club for their hard work and dedication, culminating in a success, of which we should all be proud. I also want to commend sporting director Mads Davidsen, head coach Marcel Keizer, team director Hussein Suhail and the rest of the support staff, who built a squad that exemplified our philosophy of developing young talent from our academy.
“At Al Jazira, we always strive to win every title. It is what the ‘Pride of Abu Dhabi’ passionate fans deserve. And today, we celebrate the return of the Arabian Gulf League trophy to Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, the home of victories and titles."
With this win, Al Jazira will play in the AFC Champions League group stage in the next season.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
