UAE club Al-Ain will play Israel's Maccabi Haifa in two friendlies, the Emirati club said on Wednesday. This will be the first game since the two countries normalized relations in September 2020.
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According to French news agency AFP, the announcement was made during the virtual signing of a deal between the two clubs.
The agreement "will consolidate the policy of bridge-building and cooperation between the two major clubs in various fields including marketing, technical cooperation, investment, commercial activities, media, and sport," Mohamed Thaaloob, chairman of the Al-Ain club investment company, said.
The clubs, which the report noted are two of the most successful in their respective leagues, also agreed to stage two friendlies, the first to be hosted by Al-Ain and the second to be held in Haifa at an unspecified future date.
In October the Emirati and Israeli football federations signed a cooperation agreement, a first between the two nations, intended to promote closer sporting ties.
A month before that agreement, Emirati club Al-Nasr signed Israeli player Diaa Saba, who is of Palestinian heritage, becoming the first Israeli player to sign for a club in an Arab league, AFP said.
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