Sharjah Padel Tournament’s football stars edition concludes

Italian Francesco Totti and Enrico Annoni snatched the Sharjah Padel Tournament title, the football stars edition which was organised by the Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) in partnership with Air Arabia in conjunction with the inaugural Sharjah International Footgolf Tournament.

The duo secured the title after an intense match against Nelson de Jesus Silva (DIDA) and Alessandro Costacurta, who secured second place. Oddo and Brocchi celebrated their third place placement after a thrilling match against Seedorf and Marcolin.

Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of the SCTDA, and Ahmed Obaid Al Qaseer, Acting Chief Executive Officer of Shurooq, honoured winners of the tournament which hosted 16 ex-football stars from around the world, held at the Sheraton Sharjah Beach Resort & Spa between Jan.13-14.

Italian forward Francesco Totti also faced ex-Juventus, Barcelona midfielder, and current Sharjah FC player Miralem Pjanić, in a friendly match to the delight of fans.

Players pose with the dignitaries after the final of the tournament.

Commenting on the tournament, Khalid Jasim Al Midfa, Chairman of the SCTDA, said: "We are excited to have organised this tournament that brought together 16 ex-football stars to compete in Sharjah. As part of the authority’s mission and strategy to introduce the diversity of Sharjah’s destinations, including, heritage, cultural, sports, and our distinctive eco-tourism locations, we have once again placed our emirate on the tourism map through the visiting of these distinguished athletes, who are now considered Sharjah ambassadors.”

He added: "SCTDA is proud to continue strengthening cooperation with our partners in various fields, to advance the outcomes of the public sector, and lay a foundation to further develop the economy, through a series of initiatives that will cement Sharjah’s global status, and support its sustainable development plans and diversifying the economy.

Sixteen ex-football stars took part in the event, including the legendary Brazilian goalkeeper Nelson de Jesus Silva (DIDA), Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf, and Italian forward Francesco Totti, who is still the top goal scorer and the most capped player in history for the Italian club of Roma. The footballers also included Diego Fuser, Beppe Signori, Ibrahim Ba, Enrico Annoni, Stefano Eranio, Donadoni, Cristian Zaccardo, Luca Antonini, Massimo Oddo, Cristian Brocchi, Sébastien Frey, Dario Marcolin and Costacurta.

WAM