What awaits Shakhtar in UAE

So, Shakhtar’s first training camp this year will be held in the capital of the United Arab Emirates – Abu Dhabi. During this time, the Pitmen, as we reported, will be based in a posh five-star hotel Emirates Palace.

Abu Dhabi, with a population of million and a half people, is located on an island in the north-eastern part of the Persian Gulf, and is connected to the mainland by several bridges. There is a beautiful legend about an origin of the city. Once Arabian hunters chased a gazelle. It was running away from them for a long time in the desert, before reaching the shore of the Persian Gulf, where it waded out to the island and brought people to the source with beautiful fresh water. Thanks to that, the gazelle’s life was saved and the city was founded in that place. The capital of the UAE is one of the hottest cities in the world. Even in January the average air temperature here is about 18.5C, and the water temperature is 19 degrees. Ideal conditions for football training sessions.

In Abu Dhabi, sports life is highly developed. The race track Yas Marina, located on an artificial island, holds one of the stages of Formula 1. In 2009 and 2010, the capital of the UAE hosted the Club World Cup. In the final of the first game Catalonia’s Barcelona defeated Argentina’s Estudiantes 2-1, and after a year the trophy was claimed by Italy’s Inter who beat the Congo’s Mazembe 3:0 in the decisive match. In the UAE’s top flight the city is represented by four football teams: Al-Jazira, Al-Wahda, Bani Yas and Al-Dhafra.

The Matchworld Cup 2013 tournament, in which Shakhtar will take part, will be held at the Al Jazira Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium. It is Al-Jazira’s home arena, which can hold 42,000 spectators. The stadium hosts football and cricket matches, and it was named in honour of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.