Ali Abdelrahman Almaeeni, a specialist in the sports management of football clubs, has earned a diploma in sports club management from the 2C Sports Academy in Casablanca, Morocco. Almaeeni is the first non-Moroccan to receive this type of diploma from the mentioned academy and the first Emirati to achieve such a distinction.
Regarding his choice to train in Morocco, Ali said that Morocco is the best Arab country in terms of sports management, possessing longstanding expertise in this field and football in general, particularly with the presence of football academies. Almaeeni added that a testament to this is the high number of Moroccan players who are professionals both within and outside Morocco.
Ali Almaeeni aims to manage a football club and professional team project, providing opportunities for Emirati youth in this domain. He also revealed that his next step will be managing the Sharjah Club, explaining that the UAE often recruits sports directors from abroad due to the lack of Emiratis with training in club management.
Supporting Almaeeni in his sports and administrative career are Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, His Excellency Issa Hilal Al Hazami, Chairman of the Sharjah Sports Council, and Mr. Nabil Ashour, President of the UAE Handball Federation.
Abdelrahman praised the sports projects initiated by the Ruler of Sharjah and the Sharjah Sports Council, which have significantly contributed to the development of sports in the emirate. The next step will involve one of Sharjah’s clubs, reflecting the emirate’s commitment to fostering local sports talents and improving sports infrastructure.
Almaeeni called for respecting specializations within sports clubs, pointing out that many clubs hire a technical coach to manage the sports director, which he believes is inappropriate. Almaeeni explains that among the responsibilities of a sports director are managing the club’s strategy and developing sports policies, attracting and managing sports talents, financial and administrative organization, in addition to the club’s organizational structure and management of sports facilities.