 Barcelona Superstar Messi Wins Best International Player Prize at Super Awards
 Fans Vote for Ismail Matar as Most Popular Arab Footballer
Joseph Blatter and H.H. Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
honoured with Outstanding Achievement Awards
Abu Dhabi- 17 December 2009: Emirati star Ismail Matar beat off tough competition from some of the Middle East’s finest footballers to be voted the Most Popular Football Player at the second annual Super Awards, held in Abu Dhabi tonight, only two days to the FIFA Club World Cup Final. Barcelona superstar Messi, also was awarded the Best International Player prize, by the awards committee.
The awards ceremony, a live broadcast on Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya 1 and 2, was held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and in the presence of key personalities from the world of sports, such as Joseph Blatter, President FIFA, Michel Platini, President UEFA, and Issa Hayatou, President CAF, among others.
The winners were ed based on votes cast by football fans and collected through a regional online (Super.ae) and SMS campaign. Fans had the chance to vote for their favourite players in various categories including the best players in the UAE, Saudi, Egyptian, and Qatari national leagues. The winners in each league were: Jorge Valdivia (Al Ain, UAE), Mohammed Noor (Ittihad, Saudi Arabia), Mohammed Barakat (Al Ahli, Egypt) and Clemerson (Gharafa, Qatar).
“The Super Awards and the calibre of the players present at this event are clear indicators of the fact that Abu Dhabi has become a world class sporting hub. This is part of a greater vision to create a niche for Abu Dhabi as a centre for sporting excellence with events like the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and the FIFA Club World Cup,” said H.E. Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei, Chairman of
the Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC). “ADMC plays an important supporting role to this vision as demonstrated by our comprehensive, multi-platform sports entertainment offering that ranges from dedicated sports television channels to online sports portals.”
The event honoured H.H. Sheikh Hazza Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, and “Sports Personality of the Year 2009” with an Outstanding Achievement Award, in recognition to his leadership, constant drive and commitment to the development of sports in the UAE, along with Joseph Blatter, President FIFA, who received the second Outstanding Achievement Award of the night for his lifetime dedication to championing football across the world.
“The Super Awards are a celebration of sportsmanship and of the beautiful game that is so popular in the Middle East,” said Mohammed Najeeb, head of Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya and Secretary General of the Super Awards. “This year’s edition of the Super Awards brings together some of the finest talent in the world of football and we are thankful to our guests who have taken time out from their busy schedules to attend.”
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About Abu Dhabi Media Company
Abu Dhabi Media Company is one of the fastest growing, multi-platform media organizations in the region created in 2007 as a public joint stock company from the assets of Emirates Media Incorporated.
Abu Dhabi Media Company owns and operates a range of television channels (Abu Dhabi Al Oula, Abu Dhabi Al Emarat, Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya, Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya 2, Abu Dhabi Al Riyadiya 3 Abu Dhabi +1 and National Geographic Abu Dhabi) and a network of radio stations (Abu Dhabi FM, Emarat FM, Star FM, Holy Quran FM), as well as number of publications (Al Ittihad newspaper, The National Newspaper, Zahrat Al Khaleej magazine, Super magazine and Majid magazine) and a number of other media related businesses including Imagenation Abu Dhabi that will develop, finance and produce full length feature films and digital content for Arabic and international markets LIVE which owns a fleet of outdoor HD broadcast vans and a state of the art printing press, United Printing Press.
Abu Dhabi Media Company employs 2098 people across its operating units which include publishing, television, radio, digital media, distribution, and printing.
The company is headquartered in Abu Dhabi with offices in Cairo, Dubai and Washington D.C.
For more information please contact:
Sawsan Abu Omar
Abu Dhabi Media Company
050-6169707
Sawsan.abuomar@admedia.ae
OR
Omar Abedrabbo
Abu Dhabi Media Company
050-5842741
Omar.abedrabbo@admedia.ae
You can also visit the Abu Dhabi Media Company website: www.admedia.ae
Or the press site: www.admedia.ae/press
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