São Paulo –Botafogo discussing a partnership with Al Wahda, a football team from the United Arab Emirates, to allow players from the Arab team to spend a period of up to 40 days training with the sub-18 players of the team from Rio de Janeiro.
The interest arose with the participation of Botafogo at the Zayed Cup Sub-18, championship held from April 12 to 20, in Abu Dhabi, which was won by the Rio-based team.
“In this championship, we saw players with high potential to be part of the group. Soon, they should be in Brazil”, says Felipe Arantes, head of the international department of Botafogo.
According to the businessman, the profile of players sought by the Arab clubs is changing; they used to look for well-known names. “They (the Arabs) are seeking players with potential to go to Europe. Al Wahda’s goal is to take players with potential to develop there”, explains Arantes.
He says that Botafogo got interested in three to five players in the sub-18 league who play as midfielder or attacking midfielder. The athletes should train in the club for a period of 30 days, which may be extended to 40 days.
“There is a period of adaptation to the food and also religion, so that they can find places to make their prayers. If we have to extend to the exchange for 10 days, there will not be any problem”, the director of Botafogo points out.
In the partnership for the exchange of athletes, the Arab club is responsible for the plane tickets and the Brazilian team offers the food and accommodations. According to Arantes, there is also the possibility of Botafogo sending players to train in the Emirates.
“They will mature culturally and get to play under different conditions”, he explains about the advantages Brazilian athletes may have if they train in the Gulf. About the Arabs who will come to Brazil, Arantes says they will be evaluated during the training period in the club. “We are going to see how they adapt to the country and, from there, we may offer a contract”, he adds.
Currently, Botafogo has two players from Haiti, one from Norway and one from China in an exchange program with their teams. The club has already received players from the US and from Liberia.
Zayed Cup
Botafogo was the first Brazilian team to take part in the Zayed Cup Sub-18. The championship featured home team, Al Wahda, and also Al Zamalek and Al Ahli, from Egypt, Atlético de Madrid, from Spain, and Al Rajaa, from Morocco.
The championship is a round-robin system, and the team from Rio de Janeiro had three victories and a defeat. The last game, against the Moroccan team, tied at 3-3.
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
