Al-Faisal and Infantino crown Manchester City Champions of FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023

2023-12-23
00:46:21

His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Gianni Infantino, the President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), and the President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), Yasser bin Hassan Al-Mashal, crowned Manchester City from England, with the FIFA Club World Cup Saudi Arabia 2023, which was held during the period from 12-22 December in Jeddah.
European champion Manchester City was crowned champion after beating Fluminense of Brazil, 4-0 in the final match that took place between on Friday evening at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Jeddah.
His Highness the Minister and the presidents of the FIFA and SAFF honored Manchester City with gold medals, Fluminense with silver medals, and Al-Ahly of Egypt with bronze medals.
The representative of Saudi Arabia, Al-Ittihad, also received the Fair Play Award, while Manchester City midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez won the Best Player of the Tournament award.
The final match witnessed a ceremony at King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, performed by international artist Bebe Rexha and the world-famous DJ David Guetta, a the American artist presented the official song of the tournament, “It’s On,” in addition to singing and musical performances, and a group of entertainment activities with the participation of Sand Cat "Haddaf", the official mascot of the tournament.
The tournament concluded with the launch of fireworks that formed an artistic painting in the sky of the city of Jeddah.
On this occasion, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee said: “We are happy with the success of this global event, which fulfilled all its promises, and reflects the great capabilities that the Kingdom enjoys in hosting the largest and most important continental and international sporting events, after the sports sector found all the generous support and great interest from My Lord, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Honorable King Salman bin Abdulaziz and His Highness the Crown Prince, Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz - may God protect them - made our great homeland a preferred destination in various sports and all forums - with the praise and grace of God."
“I thank the FIFA for its great efforts and great cooperation to make this edition of the tournament a success in the Kingdom, which was marked by the crowning of a new champion for the Club World Cup for the first time in its history, which added great enthusiasm and competition among all participating teams, in the presence of an impressive audience from various continents of the world, we were pleased with their presence and participation in the success of this event.” , his Highness continued.
His Highness congratulated Manchester City on achieving the 2023 Club World Cup title, wishing all other teams good luck and success in the upcoming competitions.
In addition, the President of the SAFF, Yasser Al-Meshal, thanked and appreciated His Highness the Minister of Sports and Chairman of the Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, for the great support and harnessing all capabilities for the success of the tournament that was held for the first time in the Kingdom, praising the work provided by the employees of the Ministry of Sports and the SAFF and volunteers worked during the previous period.
Al-Meshal also thanked all the governmental and private sectors that contributed to the success of the tournament, which reflects the great harmony between all the Kingdom’s institutions, for Saudi Arabia to present an exceptional version that was praised by the FIFA.
The tournament recorded a record attendance of 245,593 thousand fans from all over the world, and more than 500 local and international media professionals to cover the tournament’s events, as the Kingdom’s hosting of the tournament won regional and international praise.
About 500 volunteers, both male and female, participated in organizing and managing the crowds under the supervision of local and international experts, including 200 Saudi volunteers who participated in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.