The UAE Football Association, UAEFA, and the Emirates News Agency, WAM, today signed a joint cooperation agreement, as part of the UAEFA's efforts to augment its reach through various media organs.
The agreement aims to further enrich WAM’s sports content while delivering the latest football news to the widest possible segments of fans.
Marwan bin Ghalita, President of UAEFA, attended the signing ceremony, in the presence of Mohammed bin Hazzam Al Dhaheri, Secretary-General of UAEFA, Mohammed Jalal Al Raisi, Executive Director of WAM, Nasser bin Thaloub, Director of the UAEFA Chairman's Office, Obaid Mubarak Al Shamsi, Director of the Technical and Development Department of UAEFA, Hassan Al Jasmi, Official Speaker of UAEFA and Director of Digital Media and Marketing, and Jasim Alsheheimi, Head of Digital Media Section, along with representatives of several media outlets.
Marwan bin Ghalita hailed the agreement, being signed with "a major national media organisation like WAM, which will add value to the media services provided to Emirati football fans." He pointed out that the joint cooperation agreement is part of the UAE Football Association’s community partnerships with national institutions, to benefit from their experience and programmes while reaching out to the widest possible international audience.
"The UAE Football Association, as a national Emirati institution, strives to achieve excellence across multiple fields, as this is part of our strategic priorities, in accordance with the directives of our wise leadership," he remarked.
Al-Dhahiri confirmed that the signing of the agreement is a crucial step in the right direction to convey the news of the UAE football organisation in a sound, and professional manner, using different languages to reach out to the largest segments of the public interested in Emirati football news.
The secretary-general added that the strength of this agreement stems from the fact that WAM is the official source of news in the country.
For his part, WAM Executive Director affirmed that the agreement marks a qualitative leap for the Emirates News Agency in areas of private media coverage.
He pointed out that the six new languages launched by WAM recently, namely, French, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish and Urdu, besides Arabic and English, would contribute to carrying the federation's news and achievements worldwide, especially in light of the increasing interest shown by international news agencies in UAE sports, in general, and football, in particular.
He emphasised that the agreement aims to raise awareness about the importance of sports, especially football, and to boost the chances of success for Emirati football through all available means.
Hassan Al-Jassmi said that the Emirates News Agency, under the new agreement, will be a key tool for delivering the voice of the UAE Football Association, as well as its strategy and objectives by publishing news and audio-visual material on its websites.
